Canadian Tire Centre to Host Ottawa Senators Versus New York Rangers Showdown
As the Ottawa Senators gear up to host the New York Rangers at the Canadian Tire Centre, fans are eager to see if their team can continue their recent momentum. The Senators have been a mixed bag this season, but there's reason for optimism as they prepare for their upcoming confrontation.
In their last game on December 24 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Senators showed resilience and offensive prowess. Despite being outshot 34 to 26, they managed a narrow victory with a final score of 5-4. Their shooting percentage was an impressive 19 percent compared to the Penguins' 12 percent. This win was characterized by clutch performances in critical moments, including an overtime goal that sealed the deal.
The powerplay unit didn't shine as brightly as one would hope, failing to convert any of their four opportunities into goals. However, it's worth noting that even strength play was where Ottawa truly excelled – all five of their goals came during even-strength situations. The goaltending also deserves praise; with a save percentage of nearly 88 percent and some crucial saves in overtime.
Looking back further at another recent match on December 22 against Colorado Avalanche reveals some concerns though. The Senators lost this away game with a scoreline of 6-4 despite outshooting Avalanche by a significant margin (45 shots to Colorado's 39). A shooting percentage of only nine percent indicates missed opportunities and perhaps some stellar goaltending from Colorado’s side.
One area where Ottawa will need improvement is faceoffs; they won only around 42 percent in both mentioned games which could give NYR an edge if not addressed.
The Rangers come into this game after having had mixed results themselves but are known for being formidable opponents with strong defensive strategies and quick transitions into offense – something that could trouble OTT if they aren't careful.
OTT fans should expect an intense matchup where special teams could play a pivotal role given both teams' recent performances on powerplays and penalty kills. It will be essential for OTT’s forwards to capitalize on scoring chances and maintain pressure throughout all three periods while minimizing turnovers that could lead to counterattacks by NYR’s swift forwards.
With anticipation building up for January's showdown between these two Eastern Conference rivals, fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+ or MSG channel number 634 depending on your location when puck drops at midnight UTC time (7 PM Eastern Time) on January 28th at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.