New York Rangers Offense Needs A Spark in Ottawa

Rangers	NHL Rankings	Senators
31-13-5	Record	18-25-5
7^th	NHL Standing Rank	26^th
15^th	GF/PG	24^th
3^rd	GA/PG	23^rd
3^rd	PP%	27^th
8^th	PK%	12^th

Previous Game

The Rangers fell 3-2 to the Detroit Red Wings in the shootout. The Blueshirts got goals from K’Andre Miller and Mika Zibanejad. Igor Shesterkin continued his strong play making 31 saves on 33 shots, but ultimately it was Red Wings goaltender Thomas Greiss who stole the game. Greiss was outstanding making 37 saves on 39 shots and he improved his career record to 6-0-1 against the Rangers.

Rangers

Entering the game, the Blueshirts know they have to get off to better starts. Head coach Gerard Gallant held a meeting with his players addressing their slow starts. The Rangers have allowed the first goal in each of the past two games but more importantly, they haven’t played with that same intensity that they have as the game progresses.

“Teams goes through that stuff – that’s the way things are,” Gallant told the media on Saturday. “I like the way we battle back and win games, but I want us to play 60 minutes.”

The offense for the Rangers continues to be a challenge. Often times the Blueshirts are running into hot goaltenders like on Thursday night or just not generating many quality chances like on Tuesday night. New York has scored just six five-on-five goals in the past four games.

Looking to help provide a spark for the offense is Chris Kreider. Kreider has 33 goals on the season and trails just Leon Draisaitl by two goals for most in the league. But in the past four games, the 30-year-old has scored just one goal.

Patrik Nemeth is inching closer to returning after suffering from complications from COVID-19. Nemeth skated with Braden Schneider on the third defensive pair in practice. If Nemeth isn’t available for Saturday, Zac Jones will likely maintain his spot with Schneider on the bottom pair.

Senators

Ottawa enters Saturday night’s game having lost to the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. Ottawa will be playing their second game in less than 24 hours. Despite being a rebuilding team, the Senators work hard and will not quit on any game. The Rangers learned this the hard way in the first meeting when the Senators were up 2-0 late in the third before the Rangers exploded for three late goals to win the game.

The Senators will be without a few key players that the Blueshirts will look to take advantage of. Drake Batherson is out with a high ankle sprain while Josh Norris is out with a shoulder injury. Thomas Chabot was injured on Sunday night against the Capitals and his status is up in the air against the Rangers. Chabot has missed the past three games due to an undisclosed injury.

Starting goaltender Matt Murray was injured on Tuesday against the Blues. Ottawa is hopeful Murray will be available but if he isn’t, Filip Gustavsson will make the start. Anton Forsberg played Saturday night against Boston and made 30 saves.

While the Senators will be without key players, they still have Brady Tkachuk who will always make his presence felt. Like his father Keith and his brother Matthew, Tkachuk likes to get under the opposition’s skin and be in the middle of things. The 22-year-old has 36 points in 45 games and leads the Senators in scoring.

Key to the Game

Gallant addressed getting a good start and playing a complete game and Sunday’s game will give them a golden opportunity. The Blueshirts will be playing on the road, against an Ottawa team struggling to win games this season. In addition, Ottawa played less than 24 hours ago while the Rangers had two days of rest. Finally, Ottawa is dealing with a number of key injuries which should give the Rangers that much more of a confidence boost. There are no excuses for New York tonight.