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For the second consecutive game, the Ottawa Senators will be without their captain in Daniel Alfredsson, still recovering from a Carl Hagelin head shot that left him with his second concussion of the season.
If game three is any indication, the home team could be in a bit of trouble.
Although thirty-nine shots were sent in the direction of Henrik Lundqvist, the team lacked the kind of finish that the Ottawa Senators fan base had grown so accustomed to this season. Alfredsson's absence on the wing has been notable since his exit from game two. As the team's third-highest goal-scorer during the regular season, Ottawa's down a key piece in their offensive puzzle.
Still, Paul MacLean remains optimistic about Ottawa's chances for an upset in the series, and he's generally been enthused about the way his team has played. The New York Rangers lock-down defense and terrific goaltending have keyed the Blueshirts to a tight 2-1 lead, but the peripheral numbers remain in Ottawa's favor.
Ottawa's out-shot New York in each of the three games played, and 103 to 83 overall. Ottawa's taken 70 offensive zone face-offs; New York, just 44. And, no player on the Ottawa Senators roster has an offensive zone start percentage below the 50% mark.
In short, the ice has been a bit slanted. Yet, the scoreboard remains in New York's favor. If the Rangers have shown us anything over the eighty-two game regular season, it's that they're tremendously comfortable playing a defense-first game, protecting their net and exploiting the opposition's mistakes when the opportunity presents itself.
To the surprise of few, that's exactly how this series has played out through three games. Henrik Lundqvist has been sensational, and the defense has frustrated Ottawa's talented forwards to no end. Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza are about one game away from sending up S.O.S. signals.
Knowing that his team is down their captain and in a bit of a precarious spot in the series, Paul MacLean continued to tinkered with the lines in preparation for tonight's battle. Bobby Butler looked to have solidified his starting job after a solid game three performance, but Mike Hoffman - a black ace from the Binghamton Senators - was jumping in the rushes with the second line on Wednesday.
Is this Paul MacLean's way of keeping a fire lit under Bobby Butler's ass, or is the bench boss strongly considering the swap in favor of a player with just one career game logged?
More to the above line rushes: It looks like Colin Greening's next-up to draw in on L1 with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek.
One change you can be pretty sure of is the re-insertion of Matt Carkner into the lineup in favor of Matt Gilroy. With last change on home ice - a fantastic way to shelter a defenseman - and a struggle to put pucks behind Henrik Lundqvist, I thought Gilroy was the better option for game four. However, it's tough to deny Carkner's role as the safer of two options, especially as a stay-at-home type.
The New York Rangers lineup should look the same as it did for game two, with highly-touted prospect Chris Kreider getting some run in Carl Hagelin's absence. He'll skate alongside Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik.
Said Kreider on his NHL debut:
It was like jumping on a treadmill when it's going speed ten and you're going from a walk.
Welcome to the playoffs, kid.
In net, no surprises. Craig Anderson (1-2-0, .916 save percentage, 2.35 GAA) will square up with Henrik Lundqvist (2-1-0, .951 save percentage, 1.66 GAA). Both have been fantastic for their respective clubs.
Puck drops at 7:30 PM ET on CBC.
New York Rangers
Brandon Dubinsky - Artem Anisimov - Ryan Callahan
Chris Kreider - Brad Richards - Marian Gaborik
Ruslan Fedotenko - Brian Boyle - Brandon Prust
Mike Rupp - Derek Stepan - John Mitchell
Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Marc Staal - Anton Stralman
Michael Del Zotto - Stu Bickel
Ottawa Senators
Colin Greening - Jason Spezza - Milan Michalek
Nick Foligno - Kyle Turris - Bobby Butler/Mike Hoffman
Erik Condra - Zack Smith - Chris Neil
Zenon Konopka - Jim O'Brien - Jesse Winchester
Filip Kuba - Erik Karlsson
Jared Cowen - Sergei Gonchar
Chris Phillips - Matt Carkner
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