Round 2 definitely won't be any easier for the Ottawa Senators as they face the New York Rangers, who don't have the injury problems the Bruins faced. It looks to be all hands on deck for the Rangers with no significant injuries. Ottawa is also approaching full heath, with Tom Pyatt expected to play after missing games five and six of the first round. If Pyatt comes back into the lineup, it will likely be in place of Tommy Wingels. Defenseman Mark Borowiecki is the only player that might miss the game due to injury, and there is a large percentage of the fan base that looks at that as a blessing in disguise.

The Senators will look to do what they were unable to do in round 1, and that is win the first game at home. It wasn't overly detrimental to their chances against the Bruins, but chasing a series is never Plan A and this series will be no exception. The Rangers proved to be a stellar road team this season and the way this is working out, with Ottawa having home ice despite finishing four points behind the Rangers.

I would bet that this will be a close, tight checking game because that is the game the Senators play - stay close both physically and on the scoreboard. One stat that I hadn't realized that they showed last night during the Nashville-St. Louis game was that Ottawa only trailed for 6% of the first round series, which was the lowest total of all teams, even the ones that swept or won in 5 games. That is a pretty impressive stat.

Now if they can only maximize the amount of time they hold the lead instead of getting leads and then handing them right back, they will be in pretty good shape.

I didn't watch the whole Montreal-Rangers series, but from what I did see the games got borderline nasty, much moreso than the Senators-Bruins series did. Ottawa has to be ready for a more physical style, as the Rangers had the most hits in the first round with 285 credited, 26 more than the Bruins who were second. Ottawa had just 225, partially because Borowiecki, the league's hit leader, missed the last four games of the series.

For the Senators, if Mark Stone and Kyle Turris can build on the last couple of games where both played much better than they did earlier in the series (and got on the board, which doesn't hurt), and Bobby Ryan and Derick Brassard can continue their dominant play then the Senators will be able to put out four lines that can go toe to toe with most teams.

The Senators' system dictates a certain style that might not be the prettiest, but now that everyone is on the same page it has proven effective, but it is up to the players to capitalize on chances and for them to get a killer instinct to bury shots on Henrik Lundqvist when they get them, in all situations, whether tied, behind or ahead in the game.

Erik Karlsson, healthy or not, made the ever-present target on his back just a little bit bigger with the admission that he had been playing with two hairline fractures in his heel, but while many have questioned why he would admit that in the middle of a playoff run, it might just be genius. If he is healthy and no longer at risk to make it worse, the if the Rangers put their focus on him then that creates more room for the rest of his team. And Karlsson doesn't shy away from that, he can handle it and looks forward to the challenges. He also has that look in his eye that he is going to drag his team, kicking and screaming if he has to on occasion, to where he wants them to be. The more focus on him, the better and he is competitive enough to battle through whatever the Rangers try to throw at him.

The Rangers will come in waves and if there is a spot where the Senators might be vulnerable it is on the third pair, with a couple of young and relatively inexperienced defensemen in Freddie Claesson and Ben Harpur. I don't know how much you will see them together on the ice, as Guy Boucher might try to shield them by giving them turns with other defensemen like Karlsson or Dion Phaneuf to get them their minutes.

Turnovers will be a key stat in this series, as New York is a team that likes to rush the puck while the Senators tend to be counter-punchers. Ottawa led the first round with 76 takeaways (89 giveaways) while the Rangers were a turnover machine with 113 giveaways (2nd to Edmonton's 116) while being credited with just 52 takeaways. Take that stat for what it is worth, but Ottawa can exploit the Rangers looseness with the puck to create chances for themselves with pressure.

This one, like so many others when playoff time comes around, might depend on which goalie makes the timeliest save, whether it is during a period of heavy pressure or not giving up that next goal and keeping their team in the game. Both Henrik Lundqvist and Craig Anderson have that ability and the pressure will be squarely on their shoulders in what should be a relatively low scoring game.

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