Lindberg scores pair as Rangers even series

Game 5 is Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire Centre. That’s all it is. “I feel good about what we did here at home and now we prepare for I think the toughest game yet, Game 5”.

Oscar Lindberg scored twice for the Rangers on Thursday night, while Nick Holden and Kreider also added goals.

Yet it was the Rangers who opened the scoring for the fourth straight game with Holden’s perfectly placed shot between Anderson’s blocker and pad at 14:04 of the first giving NY a 1-0 lead. Glass has been an effective physical force as well as assisting on all three of Lindberg’s goals. “That’s when we’re effective around the net is when we get second chances or screened shots (or) tips”. Ottawa’s play in NY showcased poor starts and a lack of help for goaltender Craig Anderson, who was pulled after the second period to get some rest, according to head coach Guy Boucher.

“If you would have told me we’d be here, second round, 2-2, against the Rangers, and we’re going home to play a two-out-of-three, I don’t think anybody here wouldn’t have taken it”, Boucher told reporters at the team’s NY hotel Friday morning.

“We were going all out trying to score a goal and that doesn’t suit us at all”, Senators head coach Guy Boucher said.

“Unless the trainers tell me otherwise, I will assume Karlsson will be there”, Boucher said.

Tuesday it was a 4-1 loss they vowed to bounce back from. After winning handily 4-1 on Tuesday night, NY held a vast territorial advantage again on Thursday.

The Senators arrived in NY having won the first two games of the series by total of 8-6.

Lindberg’s second of the night was a floater from the top of the circle that Anderson looked like he completely missed. NY did open the scoring at 14:04 as Holden scored his first goal of the playoffs. Hayes passed back to Holden along the left wing and he broke in toward the net and beat Anderson with a wrist shot that went over his right pad at 14:04.

Let’s start with the positive thought: I know it’s been six days since That Game, but I need to take a moment to talk about how incredible Jean Gabriel Pageau has been in this series. His first goal came just 2:01 into the middle period, when he buried a Grabner feed on yet another breakaway. It’s unexpected production from Glass, who had one goal and one assist in 11 games on call-ups from the team’s AHL affiliate this season. “(That he’s playing) shows what we know, he’s a special, special player and I think sometimes we take it for granted.

Glass did an excellent job retrieving the puck on the forecheck and he took every chance he could to lay an extra hit on a Senator.

Boucher made the decision to put Condon in for the third period of game four.

First, they dropped the underdog card, with Boucher going as far as to say his players were motivated by the fear of being swept after Ottawa scored a Game 1 victory. Mike Condon took over in the third period when it was out of reach, while only Kyle Turris was able to beat Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault has appreciated the balanced scoring. That has had the Sens on their heels, flustered at not being able to play deeper in the Rangers zone and looking lost against the Rangers transition game that has produced roughly 20 odd-man rushes in Games 2, 3 and 4, all games the Rangers controlled for long stretches.

And now the Rangers are just two wins away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth time in five years.