Neil scores in OT as Sens even series

There were fisticuffs off the top that saw Matt Carkner and Brandon Dubinsky ejected from the game. Karlsson, the Senators’ stud defenceman, continued to skate with a target on his back. There was Swedish-on-swedish violence with Rangers rookie Carl Hagelin getting a nasty elbow on Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson.

“Every game is going to be like this. It’s not going to be easy,” said Senators centre Jason Spezza. “That’s playoff hockey. It’s big goals from different guys. And if you want to win the round, you’ve got to have everybody contributing.”

Alfredsson, taken to the quiet room for diagnosis of a possible concussion, didn’t play the third period. All eyes will be on NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan for word of a suspension for Hagelin. Alfredsson suffered a concussion earlier this season. There was no update on Alfredsson post-game.

“It’s tough when you lose your captain,” said Spezza. “We hope it’s not bad. Guys stepped up. Our competitive level was higher than it was for Game 1.”

Things got off to a robust start thanks to a couple of lineup changes. Sens coach Paul Maclean opted for brawn over skill by inserting Carkner and Konopka for Matt Gilroy and Kaspars Daugavins.

“We grew as a team after Game 1 and we grew as team again tonight,” said Maclean, praising the work of some of his younger players who are getting their first taste of NHL playoff action.

“The Bingo Boys, as we like to call them” — they played in AHL Binghamton last year — “I thought they played with stardust in their eyes in Game 1,” said Maclean. “They got rid of that stardust and played with that magic.”

But it was the so-called goons that everyone was talking about. Just 2:15 into the game, Carkner went after Boyle — landing seven or eight solid punches to the surprised Rangers forward before Dubinsky jumped to his aid.

It was payback for Boyle, who’d taken liberties with Karlsson in Game 1.

“This is what playoff hockey is all about,” said Maclean. “It’s responding from what happened in the first game in the second game and do it again in the third game.” Carkner and Dubinsky were tossed from the game, while Boyle wasn’t even penalized. Neither Carkner nor Boyle spoke about the fight.

“It’s frustrating,” teammate Marian Gaborik said at the first intermission. “But we had to deal with it.”

Neil, the Senators’ senior agitator, went after Boyle again, and got the better of him.

“We didn’t like what happened (to Karlsson) in Game 1 and we tried to take care of it in Game 2,” said Neil. “Boyle hung in there, did what he had to do. We didn’t like what he did to Erik and we have to take care of that stuff.”

And with that, this series joined the fun and fury of the other series.