OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators and the New York Rangers are two of the hottest teams in the NHL with two of the hottest goalies.
They will play in what is a potential Eastern Conference First Round matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.
The Rangers are battling for first place in the East and the Senators, after a long climb out of a 14-point hole, are clinging to the second wild card riding a seven-game winning streak.
"[The Rangers] are probably one of the top teams in the East. I'm sure it's going to bring the best out of us," Senators wing Alex Chiasson said. "You can see the last month or so our work ethic and little detail play has been much better and I think that's a reason why we're winning games. We're a resilient group of guys and we battle regardless of the score. Tonight should be a really good matchup."
Each team has been hot despite losing their top goaltenders. Ottawa's Andrew Hammond is 14-0-1 as a starter since Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner were injured. Hammond can tie Patrick Lalime for the most games to start a career with a point. Lalime was 14-0-2 to begin his career in the 1996-97 season.
Cam Talbot is 15-4-3 for the Rangers since Henrik Lundqvist sustained a vascular injury in his neck on Feb. 2. Lundqvist participated in the Rangers optional skate Thursday and will back up Talbot against the Senators.
The Senators are 17-2-2 in their past 21 games. They were 14 points out of a playoff spot on Feb. 10, but overtook the Boston Bruins with a win against the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
Senators wing Mark Stone, fourth on the Senators with 51points, is more concerned with hanging onto a playoff spot than who the Senators might face in the playoffs.
"Right now we're not really looking at it. We'll be looking at it closer when that day comes," he said. "We're just trying to stay in this playoff spot. We know there's teams coming after us. We know Boston is just not going to roll over. We're just trying to stay in the top eight."
Said Senators captain Erik Karlsson: "We haven't made it yet. It's looking good for us, but at the same time now it's the tough part. We've got to hold this and keep playing good hockey."
Lundqvist said he's been watching the play of each goaltender.
"It's impressive to watch both guys play and the results they've had. It's a combination of their play and the team really stepping up," he said. "[The Senators] were pretty far behind, but they've really came together as a group it looks like and have played really strong here the last few weeks."
When asked if he was surprised with the sustained good play by Talbot, Lundqvist said: "I'm more impressed than surprised. He's been working hard since Day 1. From last year he's come in and played well. He's a confident guy. I think a lot of times it starts with confidence.
"There's a lot of goalies that work hard and have good technique, but a lot of times it's the mindset and the confidence that decides if you're going to be successful or not. I think he believes in his game."
Lundqvist will have discussions with the coaching staff Friday to decide which game he will start this weekend. The Rangers play the Bruins on Saturday and the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
"It's hard to say no to a game right now when you've been away for that long, but at the same time you have to smart about it," Lundqvist said. "I feel pretty close to being ready. We'll have that discussion tomorrow and we'll decide which game we should play."
Lundqvist said he had never been so excited for a morning skate.
"One more step in the right direction," he said. "I'm getting really excited to play, just a few days away. It's been a long break, and I'm also excited to be on the bench tonight and just be a part of that."
Here are the projected lineups:
RANGERS
Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Rick Nash
J.T. Miller – Derick Brassard – Mats Zuccarello
Carl Hagelin – Kevin Hayes – Jesper Fast
Tanner Glass – Dominic Moore – James Sheppard
Scratched: None
Injured: Kevin Klein (arm), Martin St. Louis (knee)
SENATORS
Mark Stone – Kyle Turris – Alex Chiasson
Mike Hoffman – Mika Zibanejad - Bobby Ryan
Erik Condra – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Curtis Lazar
Colin Greening – David Legwand – Zack Smith
Scratched: Jared Cowen
Injured: Robin Lehner (concussion), Clarke MacArthur (concussion), Chris Phillips (back), Chris Neil (thumb), Craig Anderson (hand), Milan Michalek (upper body), Matt Puempel (ankle)
Status report: St. Louis skated for an hour Thursday and said he's encouraged with how his knee has felt for the past four or five days, but no date has been set for his return. He has missed the Rangers' past four games … Anderson took some shots on his blocker hand and Senators coach Dave Cameron said he expects him to be available to back up Hammond this weekend.
Who's hot: Hoffman has two goals and two assists in his past two games … Stone has a goal and five assists in his past four games … Zibanejad has two goals and three assists in his past four games … Hayes a goal and three assists in his past three games … Miller has two goals and two assists in his past three games.
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