Bantering Points: 4/27/17

After four days off to prepare, the Rangers are back in action tonight, as they'll hit the ice in Kanata, Ontario to take on the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of their Second Round series. While the star players from the 2012 series featuring these two teams may have moved on, every playoff series is a chance for bit players to etch their names into the annals of hockey history. Here are today's news and links:

Rangers News:

• Steve Serby goes one-on-one with Brady Skjei about what it's like rooming with Jimmy Vesey, his boyhood idol, and more (NY Post)
• Brett Cyrgalis hears from J.T. Miller about how the young forward can't afford to make risky plays that can backfire at this time of the season (NY Post)
• Justin Tasch examines how New York and Ottawa stack up against each other throughout their respective lineups (NY Daily News)
• Zachary Ripple saw that New York City mayor Bill de Blasio took a few moments away from all the important things he does to accept a Twitter bet with the mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson (NY Daily News)
• Arthur Staple notes the one category the Rangers have a clear edge over the Senators in (Newsday)
• Neil Best argues that the time has come for the NHL to change its playoff format (Newsday)
• Sean Hartnett passes along word that New York sees some of its own traits among their second round foes (CBS)
• Jesse Zhang writes a guide to the Ottawa Senators for Rangers fans (The Hockey Writers)
• Shayna Goldman discusses how Oscar Lindberg has gone from an afterthought to a key contributor on New York's 4th line (FanRag)
• Tom Castro thinks that after making strategic adjustments against the Montreal Canadiens, Alain Vigneault's abilities will be tested once again by Guy Boucher (Elite Sports NY)
• Timothy Haggerty points out the two familiar faces New York will encounter when they hit the ice tonight (Blue Line Station)
• Logan Clements reflects on the team's usage of Brady Skjei in the first round, and why it must change going forward (Blue Line Station)
• Post Practice Interviews: Alain Vigneault,(7:12) Rick Nash,(2:07) Henrik Lundqvist,(3:33) Ryan McDonagh,(3:59) and Mats Zuccarello (1:51) (Official Team Site)/

Around the NHL:

• James O'Brien reports that John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Todd McLellan of the Edmonton Oilers, and Mike Babcock of the Toronto Maple Leafs have been named as finalists for the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year (NBC Sports)
• Steve Carp relays word that the Vegas Golden Knights will play seven pre-season games next fall, opening up on September 17th against the Vancouver Canucks (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Nashville Predators forward Kevin Fiala was stretchered off of the ice and taken to a hospital last night after being awkwardly hit into the boards by St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (TSN)
• Sean McIndoe reminisces on some of the best second round series in NHL history (The Hockey News)
• Jen Neale heard that Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov went off on some of his teammates for their sub-par pay this season en route to missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013 (Puck Daddy)
• Luke Fox provides an FAQ guide to the 2017 Draft Lottery (Sportsnet)/