Senators limp home after an ugly defeat
Karlsson leaves early, Anderson pulled as Rangers dig out of 2-0 hole to tie series
RANGERS 4, SENATORS 1
The picture looks pretty grim for the Ottawa Senators.
Not only did the Senators allow the New York Rangers back into their second-round series Thursday, they finished the game without captain Erik Karlsson, who left for precautionary reasons.
Karlsson, the Senators’ best player, exited Game 4 at the end of the second period with a foot injury, adding further insult to an ugly 4-1 setback at Madison Square Garden.
“He could have come back, but we opted to keep him out,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said after the game.
Asked if there was a chance he’d miss Saturday’s game, Boucher added: “Not right now.”
After coming home to the city that never sleeps in a 2-0 hole, the Rangers woke up and tied the series 2-2. It’s now a best-of-three, with Game 5 set for Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Overpowered by the Rangers in back-to-back games at the Garden, the Senators need to get back on track, but they still have home-ice advantage in a series in which the visiting team has yet to win.
Already playing with two hairline fractures in his foot, Karlsson was hurting on the bench in a big way to end the second period.
He collided with Rangers forward Chris Kreider and slammed his heel into the boards.
Karlsson had missed four of the Senators’ final six games of the regular season. The defenceman first suffered the injury when he blocked a shot during a March 28 game in Philadelphia against the Flyers and has played through the ailment since.
Oscar Lindberg scored twice for the Rangers on Thursday, while Nick Holden and Kreider also added goals. Lindberg’s second of the night was a floater from the top of the circle that Senators goaltender Craig Anderson appeared to miss completely. Only Kyle Turris was able to beat Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
Anderson, who will start Saturday, took a seat on the bench after giving up three goals in 20 shots in the first two periods. Mike Condon took over in the third period when it was out of reach.
“The concern level is high (when Karlsson doesn’t finish), but we’ve got 36 hours to get him ready to go,” Sens winger Bobby Ryan said.
Anderson said the Senators have to turn the page quickly.
“You learn from your mistakes, you move forward and get ready for the next battle,” Anderson said.
“We weren’t playing great (when he left) and sometimes it’s just a chance to see things from a different perspective.”
Upset with the officiating, the Senators’ frustrations boiled over at the end with scrums in the final couple of minutes.
“You guys were wondering when this was going to happen and there was a reason. This was kind of the turning point,” centre Zack Smith said.
“It was a little heated there at the end, but it happens.
“Frustration is probably a big part of it. I’m going to get in trouble if I comment. I didn’t agree with some of the calls. It’s not something we should worry about, but I just thought there was a couple of simple calls that could have been made to prevent that.”
Through 40 minutes, the Senators were down 3-0 on the scoreboard while being outshot 20-16 and weren’t even putting up much of a fight.
After Game 1, Boucher declared his team needed 40 shots a night or more to beat Lundqvist, and they haven’t even come close to that total since.
“They played well in their two games at home and we played well in our two games at home,” Boucher said, “and now we’ve got a series.”