With their final home game on tap, the Senators don't have to worry about whether or not they will be in the playoffs, but they still have some jockeying for position to avoid what looks like a very difficult matchup and perhaps secure home ice in the first round.
The Rangers have been pretty much locked into the first Wild Card spot for a while now, their matchup with the Habs in the first round is assured and they have been resting some of their players on any given night to get them ready for the playoffs. Last game it was Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Nick Holden, Brady Skjei and Jesper Fast who sat out, a 2-0 loss to the Capitals.
This game will also mark the first time Mika Zibanejad (and Matt Puempel) will play in Ottawa for an opposing team, following the off-season trade that brought Derick Brassard to the Senators.
The scenario is pretty simple, if the Senators can beat the Rangers (or the Bruins lose to the Capitals or a combination of 2 points gained by the Senators and lost by the Bruins), they will clinch the second seed in the Atlantic and can rest some of their walking wounded players on Sunday against the Islanders.
Either way, I don't think we will see Erik Karlsson whether he is good enough to go or not, as it would be far more beneficial to have him at 100% for the opening game regardless of who the first round opponent is than to risk him tweaking something else over the last two games.
This one is a matinee, with a 12:30 puck drop so they will set the pace for the Bruins, who drop the puck at 3:00.