Senators eager to keep their offense in gear vs. Rangers

In mid-January, the Ottawa Senators were in the initial stages of their bid to return to playoff contention when they scored eight goals in a game against the New York Rangers.

In the midst of a competitive Eastern Conference playoff chase, the Senators will return to the site of their most prolific offensive performance of the season when they visit the Rangers on Monday night.

Ottawa (36-24-9, 81 points) endured a 2-6-1 stretch from Dec. 23 to Jan. 10, and the rough patch left them seven points out of the second-wild card spot.

The Senators, however, swept a back-to-back set by rolling to a six-goal lead and an 8-4 victory against the Rangers on Jan. 14. It was the second win in Ottawa's current 16-5-4 stretch.

Even with the improvement, Ottawa is four points behind the conference's second wild-card team, the New York Islanders, entering its 70th game. The Senators are attempting to win three straight games for the third time in their surge after following Thursday's 3-2 home victory over the Islanders with a 5-2 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

The Senators scored the first three goals and set a season high with 43 shots on goal.

"It was a massive win," said Ottawa's Tim Stutzle, who scored his 32nd goal of the season and 13th in a barrage that began with a tally against the Rangers.

"Nobody underestimated them. We came out hard, and we didn't really like the first 10 minutes, then we just settled in. There was a lot to like about our game.

The Senators had 11 players produce at least one point on Saturday.

"It was a great game," Ottawa coach Travis Green said. "We stuck with it and didn't change. The first period was choppy, and I felt like there wasn't a lot of flow to our game. I really like how we got our game in the second period and didn't change the rest of the way."

New York (28-33-9, 65 points) is using several younger players in its lineup, including Tye Kartye and goalie Dylan Garand. Kartye scored a goal and Garand made 35 saves in his NHL debut in Sunday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets, a result that sent the Rangers to their fourth straight loss.

Garand was called up because backup goalie Jonathan Quick has an upper-body injury for the Rangers, who likely will start Igor Shesterkin on Monday. Shesterkin was a week into his injury when the Senators dominated the previous meeting.

Mika Zibanejad continued to be a bright spot for the Rangers by scoring a power-play goal Sunday. He enters his 1,000th career game after getting his 30th goal, marking the former Senators' first-round pick's fourth 30-goal season with the Rangers and first since 2022-23.

"I think Mika has been arguably our best forward all year," New York coach Mike Sullivan said. "Not just with how he's scoring goals, but with how he's playing the game. As far as his goal-scoring ability, I think it's on display every night. The puck comes off his stick differently than most, the way he shoots the puck, and that for me, is a sign of a true goal-scorer."