No nastiness, no Mario Kart so far for Sens and Rangers

The usual playoff nastiness NEW YORK was missing from the first three games of the Senators-Rangers series — and so were the Mario Kart challenges.

The other Eastern Conference semifinal has had both, as in between the on-ice hostilities, Washington Capitals centre Jay Beagle sarcastically offered to have a video game showdown with Pittsburgh Penguins winger Phil Kessel.

“We’re not that creative, I guess,” Senators forward Zack Smith said with a laugh Thursday morning. “We have lots of guys on our team who wouldn’t know what Mario Kart is.”

Smith has heard the negative comparisons between the Ottawa-New York and Washington-Pittsburgh best-of-sevens, “like our series isn’t as good, or we’re not as ‘into it,’ ” he said.

“They’re just trying to take each other’s heads off over there. I know what that’s like. That’s a way to do it.”

The Senators-Rangers set has also been virtually bereft of afterwhistle scrums heading into Game 4.

“That doesn’t do anything anyway,” said Smith.

“If anything, guys have a little more respect for the well being of each other. It’s not over yet. You never know.”

Smith left Tuesday’s Game 3 with some type of upper body injury (“It’s below my forehead and above my kneecaps,” he said) after getting hit by Tanner Glass and J.T. Miller.

“We Hanson-brothered him,” said Glass, dusting off a Slapshot reference. “I thought that I got him pretty good, but Milsie was like, ‘I really got him.’ So we both got him. That’s great.”

Without Smith for all but two minutes on Tuesday — and with Mark Borowiecki injured and Chris Neil scratched — the Senators were missing a physical element.

“I think that type of player is valuable … but I’m that type of player,” said Glass. “In a playoff series, I think that physical element is important.” Smith agreed. “I don’t think it’s necessarily on any individual, but we gave them a lot of room last game, certain players

It’s not about the big hits. It’s just about getting in front of guys and taking away some of their speed.

that you could tell had too much time with the puck,” he said. “So I think if everyone contributes a little bit more, it’s not about the big hits. It’s just about getting in front of guys and taking away some of their speed. It comes from everyone.”

Asked if he gets tired of staring at the same opponent every second night in a playoff series, Rangers defenceman Marc Staal replied: “You do, yeah, eventually. Certain guys start rubbing me the wrong way. ”

Who is he most tired of staring at on the Senators?

“I’m not going to get into that,” said Staal.