The Senators are big underdogs in this series, but they could pull off a big upset if they dominate the Rangers like they did during the regular season.
At Bodog.ca the Sens are a +190 underdog in the series, while the Rangers are a -230 favorite. During the regular season Ottawa went 3-1 against New York which included a pair of wins at Madison Square Garden.
Looking back even further the Sens have won five straight and eight of their last 10 games against the Rangers in New York.
To avoid an upset the Rangers will have to find a way to to shutdown the Senators big guns Jason Spezza and defenseman Erik Karlsson. Spezza matched his career-high with 34 goals this season, including four against the Rangers, while Karlsson, the league top scoring defenseman by far, collected five assists in four games against New York. [ Get a 100% first-deposit bonus at Will Hill ]
The keys for the Rangers in the series will likely be net minder Henrik Lundqvist and sniper Marian Gaborik. Lundqvist has the ability to win the series by himself, but he doesn’t have the greatest history against the Senators with a 6-6 record in his last 12 games and a dreadful 2-11 record in his last 13 games at home versus Ottawa.
Gaborik led the Rangers with 41 goals this season, but last year in the postseason he scored only once in five games as New York was ousted in the opening round by Washington. Despite their trouble with Ottawa at home the Rangers are a -180 favorite in Game 1 at William Hill.