Rangers vs. Senators: 3 things to watch for after alarming loss
The last time the New York Rangers hosted the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden, it was April 15 of last season. That was the final game of the regular season and the night the Rangers clinched the Presidents’ Trophy for having the best record in the NHL after a 4-0 win.
Though still a top team in the League, things will be a bit different this time for the Rangers (6-2-1) when they host the Senators (5-4-0) on Friday night. That’s because the Blueshirts closed out a largely solid first month of the season with a dud Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, and will be seeking to rebound in a big way.
So, if last April was a coronation, the Rangers hope Friday is a reaffirmation of how good they are.
On Thursday, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette chalked up the Capitals game to a “bad night,” and won’t overreact by making lineup or combination changes against the Senators.
New York has lost two of its past three games after opening the new season with a six-game point streak (5-0-1). The Rangers scored a total of six goals in the past three games after potting 31 in the first six.
They’ll get their chances against the Senators, whose goals-against average (3.44 per game) is tied for ninth-most in the League. But the Senators can run and gun with the best of them in the NHL and are coming off an 8-1 win against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
Related: 10 key moments that helped shape Rangers month of October
3 things to watch for when Rangers host Senators
1. 1-on-1 battles
The major point of emphasis in practice Thursday was effort and winning puck battles, the two main areas they were negligent against the Capitals. Laviolette said he thought practice “was outstanding.” Now it must translate into the game against Ottawa.
“If you’re not winning your one-on-ones, you’re not giving yourself a chance to win games,” defenseman Braden Schneider said Thursday. “We’ve got to come in ready to play. We have plenty of reason to be ready to go. We’ve addressed what we needed to address from the last game.”
The Rangers outscored their defensive miscues for much of October. But they were unable to do so against two good teams in the past week, losing to the Florida Panthers and Capitals in similar fashion — though the defeat in D.C. felt much more egregious. Thus the urgency to get better against the Senators on Friday.
2. Another chance for the Miller – Fox pair
Laviolette is not going to let one really poor game force him into making a rash decision about the K’Andre Miller – Adam Fox defense pairing. By and large, that pair has been really good during their first month together. Tuesday? Not so much.
Miller, in particular, had a rough night. The Rangers were outscored 2-0, outshot 15-4 and outchanced 16-5 with him on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick. He was a step slow all night, including on an Aliaksei Protas goal in the second period, when Protas beat him out of the corner to the front of the net to redirect a pass home.
Laviolette split up his top pair, reuniting Fox with Ryan Lindgren, and Miller with Jacob Trouba. But he will go with the usual pairs Friday.
“We talked about moving things around, starting with ‘Key’ and ‘Foxy.’ They’ve been a pretty good pair, their numbers and what they do on the ice,” Laviolette explained. “I think the other night was just a reflection of it not being a good one for us.”
3. Explosive opponent
The Senators not only hung an eight-spot on the Blues earlier this week; it was the second time they’ve scored eight goals in a game already this season. On Oct. 14, Ottawa won a wild 8-7 OT contest against the Los Angeles Kings. Forward Tim Stutzle had three assists in that win and four points (two goals, two assists) against the Blues.
The 22-year-old forward is the catalyst Ottawa’s surging offense. He’s in the midst of a five-game point streak and his 14 points (five goals, nine assists) are tops on the team.
But it’s not just him. Veteran Claude Giroux has a seven-game point streak (11 points; five goals, six assists) and Drake Batherson has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past five games. The Senators have scored four goals or more six times this season, and they’re third in the League averaging 4.22 goals per game.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Kreider – Zibanejad – Smith
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Chytil – Kakko
Edstrom – Carrick – Brodzinski
Miller – Fox
Lindgren – Trouba
Schneider – Mancini
Shesterkin
Quick
Check back for updates after Rangers coach Peter Laviolette meets with the media Friday morning.
Rangers vs. Senators: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators
When: Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden
How to Watch: MSG 2
Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results
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