Senators 3, Rangers 2 (OT). Series tied 1-1
This was a shitty game but I’m going to do something novel and focus on the positives instead of the negatives. First, Ottawa can’t score unless the puck takes a weird bounce or King Henrik loses his stick. Let’s see them try to win a series that way. Second, despite the fact that his ejection was absolute horseshit, Brandon Dubinsky stepping in and protecting Brian Boyle was 100% the right thing to do. Whether it’s your teammate or a friend, you don’t let him take a pounding like that scumbag Matt Carkner dished out. Sure, Boyle took a few shots at Erik Karlsson in Game 1 but it was nothing compared to what Carkner did. Challenge Boyle to a fight or give him a hard hit. Jumping on him while he can’t defend himself is a bitch move on the ice and in life in general. I’d rather have a team that loses the way we did than wins but doesn’t stick up for one another. The refs shouldn’t have kicked Dubi out, though. You can’t be the third man in on an altercation but that wasn’t an altercation, it was a beatdown. Third, despite the fact that he scored on his own net earlier in the game, Michael Del Zotto showed resolve by creating the second Ranger goal. They may be a bunch of young guys but none of the Blueshirts are going to stay down in the face of adversity.
So now it’s best-of-five. The rest of this series is going to be a brawl and the crowd in Ottawa is going to be out for blood like Quebec was trying to secede. The key for the Rangers will be to continue playing their game and make sure to finish. With the lead in Game 2, the offense got into a bit of a lull and seemed content to wait things out. We know what happened. The Rangers are better than the Senators but can’t change their approach due to the physical nature of the series. They need to be level-headed yet continue to play hard and tough. Game 3 is going to be a test, but one that a Champion should conquer.
Rainman Suite 