Senators aim to match Blueshirts’ intensity

Ryan, though. The New Jersey native left the ice in the third period of Game 3 when he was struck on the right thigh by a slap shot from teammate Erik Karlsson.

Ryan is tied for the team-lead with eight postseason points ( fo ur goals, four assists), and delivered a beautiful no-look assist in Game 3.

“From the looks of it, Ryan, I don’t see not playing,” Boucher said Wednesday. “I need to see him on the ice, but right now he should be ready to go.”

Even if Ryan is ready, is the rest of the team?

After being soundly beaten, 4-1, at Madison Square Garden, the Senators didn’t sound like a team with a 2-1 series lead, one which still has home-ice advantage. Ottawa talked like a team that has held a lead for less than f ive minutes in the entire series, and feels lucky to be where it is — a team that won Game 1 on a fluke goal and needed a miracle comeback to steal Game 2.

The Senators know how quickly control of the series can be taken away.

“This team is so good on the other side,” Boucher said. “Even though we were expecting them to charge out and have the urgency and desperation that they had, I think until we lived it, we didn’t realize how much higher the caliber could go up, and now we know.”

Watching the composure and intensity of the Rangers’ veteran group in Game 3, Ottawa forward Alex Burrows, 36, said he hopes his younger teammates learned how hard it will be to close out an experienced group.

“Some guys, if it’ s the first time you’ re living it, you really see a good veteran team like the Rangers were desperate, and they were doing all the right things to win the game,” Burrows said .“We saw from them that they are an experienced team that’s been there before, and they really took it to another level courage-wise and we didn’t match that.

“We haven’ t won anything yet and we know that. ... We need [Thursday’s] game.”