Though two very different situations, the Rangers believe there are similarities between tonight’s win-or-go-home match against the Senators and the Winter Classic, played Jan. 2 outdoors in Philadelphia.
“The Winter Classic was a great stage for us and this Game 7 will probably feel like that,” said Brad Richards, who scored the winning goal in that Rangers’ 3-2 victory over the Flyers. “There’s more at stake, but it’s similar in that you have all day to think about it and can’t wait to get going.”
Lundqvist added, “When there’s one game with a lot of hype and pressure, you learn something about yourself. I think we can take parts of that experience into games like this.”
If the Rangers win tonight, they will face the Capitals. Washington beat the second-seeded Bruins 2-1 in overtime in Game 7 last night in Boston.
* The Rangers’ power play has begun to show improvement, getting two big goals in Game 6, making it now 5-for-29 (17.2 percent) in the series.
“I think it’s been rolling decently compared to the regular season,” Anton Stralman said about the group that finished the regular season ranked 23rd in the league. “The key is just keep shooting the puck, get bodies in front of [Senators’ goalie Craig] Anderson, and I think that’s the way to do it.”
* There was no update on the status of Brian Boyle, who was concussed on a hit from Chris Neil in Game 5. He did not practice yesterday and was not expected to be available tonight.
* Senators coach Paul MacLean might have more lineup changes to consider. Neither Zenon Konopka nor Matt Carkner practiced yesterday before leaving for New York. Both were out for “maintenance days,” but MacLean hasn’t kept the same lineup for two straight games this series.
Carkner’s place on defense can be filled by either former Ranger Matt Gilroy or AHL call-up Mark Borowiecki, while Konopka’s spot up front can be rookies Matt Stone and Jakob Silfverberg, or Bobby Butler, who played in Games 3-5.