Senators vs. Rangers Game 1 Prediction

The Rangers pulled off the big upset of the Canadiens in the first round, and will look to continue their success against the Senators in this series-opener.

The Rangers find themselves in a near-perfect spot as they head into the second round. They stunned the Canadiens in their first-round series and are rolling into the second round to face a banged-up Senators team who snuck by the Bruins in the first round.

New York finds themselves as one of the top teams left in the Eastern Conference, and they are one of the scarier matchups for any of the three teams remaining in the conference. Henrik Lundqvist was stellar in the first round in net for the Rangers, and came up clutch in big moments for New York to help send the Canadiens packing.

While the Senators survived the first round, they may severely struggle in this series, even with home-ice advantage. Although the team saw solid performances from defenseman Erik Karlsson and the goaltending of Craig Anderson, they’re entering this second round banged up. As Karlsson was battling heel fractures throughout the first round, the team will need other key players to step up in order to survive this series.

They also find themselves playing a dominant on-the-road Rangers team, who also finally found their stroke at Madison Square Garden in the last series. On offense for the Rangers, Mats Zuccarello is leading a lineup that is clicking on all cylinders, with precision passing and positioning giving goalies have no chance in opposing nets.

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Prediction: Rangers 3, Senators 1

Even opening the series in Ottawa, I don’t think there’s a strong chance for the Senators here. The Rangers are clicking right now and the Senators lost their last home game in overtime against a bruised Bruins lineup with no defense. I picture the Rangers will continue rolling, and start off a strong series against a weakened opponent.