Senators at Rangers: Game 6 prediction
By Adam Stocker
After defeating the New York Rangers 5-4 in overtime of Game 5, the Ottawa Senators look to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a win on Tuesday night.
The home team has won the first five games of the series between the Senators and Rangers. In Game 6, the Senators are hoping to end that trend and advance to the Eastern Conference Final, while the Rangers are trying to force a Game 7 in the Canadian capital.
The winner of Game 6 could be decided by which captain plays better. Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh is averaging 28:18 minutes per game in the series and has five points, while Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson is playing 27:14 minutes and also has notched five points.
Both Craig Anderson and Henrik Lundqvist have been below average in net for their teams. Lundqvist has a .909 save percentage, while Anderson is posting an .898 in that department. However, Lundqvist only allowed one goal in both of New York’s games at Madison Square Garden. This could be the difference for a team on the ropes.
Ottawa’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored 12 goals in the regular season. Somehow Pageau has become one of the surprising playoff stars for the Senators. In the series against New York, Pageau has scored five goals.
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The Senators-Rangers series has been the highest scoring semifinal, that trend will likely continue. Home-ice advantage will continue to play a role in Game 6. Expect the Rangers to get out to an early lead behind an excited Madison Square Garden crowd. Lundqvist was better in the last two home games and he should be good enough for force a Game 7.
The Rangers will lean heavily on their top-line players such as Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, and Mika Zibanejad who will have to produce offensively.
Prediction: Rangers 4, Senators 3