Round 2, Game 3 preview: Ottawa Senators @ New York Rangers

The Ottawa Senators will look to put the New York Rangers on the brink of elimination and take a 3-0 series lead in tonight's game in New York. Despite leading for only 4:11 in the series, the Senators are up two games and the Rangers have to be feeling sick. I for one am very happy about these developments.

Ottawa will likely go with the same lineup as Clarke MacArthur has recovered after leaving game two. Tom Pyatt is healthy but Guy Boucher is unlikely to make any changes. Here are the expected lines and pairings for Ottawa.

Stålberg - Turris - Stone
Hoffman - Pageau - Burrows
MacArthur - Brassard - Ryan
Wingels - Smith - Dzingel

Methot - Karlsson
Phaneuf - Ceci
Claesson - Harpur

Anderson (starter)
Condon

Some notes for tonight:

• The six playoff games won by Ottawa this season are the most since they won 13 in 2007.
• The Senators are the first team in 20 years to give up two shorthanded goals and win a playoff game.
• Erik Karlsson is averaging over 31 minutes a game in the playoffs.
• All eight of Ottawa's playoff games have been one-goal games. Five of them have gone to overtime and the other three had a tie broken in the third period.
• Ottawa is now 4-0 in the playoffs when they give up the first goal. They are also 2-0 in the playoffs when trailing after two periods. Both of those wins were when trailing by two goals after two periods.
• The Senators have outscored the opposition 11-5 in the third period and overtime. The Senators have been outscored 14-12 in the first two periods.
• Of the 19 goals allowed by Ottawa in the playoffs, an incredible 12 have been in the second period.
• Ottawa leads the NHL with 49:39 of power play time in the playoffs. They have allowed three shorthanded goals though.
• Cody Ceci is the only Ottawa skater with more than four games that does not have a point yet in the playoffs.
• After an exceptional game by the goaltenders in game 1 and a really poor one in game two, are we going to see an average 3-2 game tonight?
• Since 1987-1988, Jean-Gabriel Pageau is the 12th player to score four goals in a playoff game and the first since Johan Franzén in 2010. He is also the third to score four even strength goals and the first since Joffrey Lupul in 2006.