New day, same result, and a series that at one point the Senators looked like they had under control is now a best of three.
It was a marginally better first period for the Ottawa Senators than game 3, but they couldn't muster much offense and through 20 minutes found themselves trailing by one. A goal from defenseman Nick Holden who sliced untouched through the slot, got Craig Anderson moving to his left and Holden tucked it back to the right.
The second period was more of the same, with the Rangers having their way for the most part, doubling their lead early when Michael Grabner and Oscar Lindberg went 2-on-Anderson and Lindberg finished it off. The hole got deeper with less than 5 minutes to go as Lindberg scored his second of the period with a long shot that beat Anderson short side as Tanner Glass waved his stick in Anderson's sightline and the Ottawa goalie whiffed on the attempted cross-body catch.
Then the worst case scenario for the Senators, who came to the ice in the third period without Erik Karlsson, who was banged up as they left the ice for the second intermission, and Mike Condon occupying the Senators' goal crease. It looked like both teams just wanted to get out of town unscathed (further), with Chris Kreider scoring the Rangers' fourth goal of the night, and Kyle Turris spoiled the shutout with just under 10 minutes left but Ottawa could get no closer. Then it became shades of Montreal - Ottawa a few years ago with a relatively empty Ottawa bench to finish, as the Senators tried the message sending strategy. Emotions got high, with a Dion Phaneuf-Brendan Smith scrap, Bobby Ryan trying to fight Dan Girardi and a Turris - Tanner Glass confrontation, and then pretty much a line scuffle led by Alex Burrows. The emotion was too little, too late and the 4-1 final score
Ottawa will be glad to get home, because they certainly weren't prepared for the storm that the Rangers brought at MSG. This series has seen the home team win every game, which bodes well for the Senators. If they take advantage of it.
There have been far too many passengers over the last two games, and anyone not named Pageau can't possibly look in the mirror and say they have given everything they could over the last two games. And with all due respect to Jean-Gabriel Pageau, if he is your best forward for three straight games, there is a huge problem, and for my money that is how it has gone.
The big question for the Senators over the next day and a half until Saturday afternoon's game will be the status of Karlsson. If he is unable to play then the mountain becomes that much steeper to climb, and the Senators are a beaten down, frustrated, hurting unit at the moment and home ice or not, the Rangers have assumed the momentum of the series.
I am heading to Roanoke, Virginia, leaving in the wee hours of Friday morning (hence why I was glad this one didn't go to overtime) for the weekend, and the odds of me seeing game 5 are slim and none, but at least I knew before Thursday night's game that there would be at least another one after Saturday, but I would have preferred that the next game I would see could have been game 1 of the conference final, instead of game 6 of this series, the latter of which is now a certainty.