Game #24: New York Rangers vs Ottawa Senators Open Thread

The Blueshirts are back in action for their third game in four days tonight. The Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata, Ontario will be the site as the Rangers visit the Ottawa Senators. After spending the weekend edging out wins over the lowly Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks, the 30th-ranked Ottawa Senators and the 9-10-0 Ottawa Senators fall into the same bin as the aforementioned teams.

Enterung the year with playoff expectations, the 2023-24 campaign has not gone the way Ottawa had imagined it would. There’s something to be said for the games in hand the team still holds vis a vis its current place in the standings, as Ottawa will only be playing its 20th game tonight while every other team in the league has played anywhere from 22-26 games. Even still, sorting by points percentage rather than raw points would only send the Senators from 30th to 24th in the leaguewide standings, so plenty of room for improvement exists.

Player to Watch: Mika Zibanejad

Zibanejad began his career as a member of the Senators, playing parts of five seasons from 2011-2016 with the team. Zibanejad arrived from Ottawa in exchange for Derick Brassard in the summer of 2016, and has been one of New York’s key contributors ever since. Keep an eye on Zibanejad as the revenge game angle takes shape for the former Senator.

Enjoy the game!