Jakob Silfverberg scored the go-ahead goal in the third period Friday night to make a winner of the Ottawa Senators and goalie Robin Lehner against Lehner’s boyhood idol Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers.
Henrik Lundqvist is a spectacular goalie, but even he has to know anyone with a modicum of common sense doesn’t think the NHL would prefer Ottawa in the second round over New York. Here he is calling Ottawa’s late goal, which looked like it might have been kicked in, “an absolute joke.”
Senators general manager Bryan Murray wants the team to free up some space for Erik Karlsson, Ottawa’s Norris Trophy candidate and offensive trigger who was held off the scoresheet and targeted physically by the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the opening playoff series.
Bobby Butler, Zenon Konopka, Rob Klinkhammer and Matt Carkner will sit Thursday night as the Ottawa Senators begin their first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers.