Rangers Knock off Senators 4-1 to Cut Ottawa's Series Lead to 2-1

The New York Rangers blew early leads to the Ottawa Senators in each of the first two games. They have apparently learned their lesson.         

Four different Rangers lit the lamp, led by two points overall from Mats Zuccarello, as New York raced out to a four-goal lead and didn't look back until it completed a 4-1 win over the Senators in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Zuccarello and Michael Grabner (with an assist from Zuccarello) got on the board in the first period, and Rick Nash and Oscar Lindberg each tallied to make the score 4-0 in the second. Hockey consultant Zac Urback praised Zuccarello's early effort:

"

Zuccarello's such a great player. Interesting fact: he has the 4th highest career P/60 in the SHL, despite only playing his D+4 & D+5 there.

— Zac Urback (@Zac_Urback) May 2, 2017"

Ryan Field of ABC 7 in New York was a fan of how the Rangers came out of the gate strong:

New York, which came into this series as the prohibitive favorite, had gotten off to a hot start in each of the first two games. It held a 1-0 lead in the first period in Game 1 and scored the first goal of Game 2 as well; Ottawa had been 4-0 during this postseason when allowing the first goal.

But unlike Game 2, which saw New York carry a 4-2 lead going into the third period before collapsing, the defense showed up to play Tuesday night. Henrik Lundqvist faced 27 shots compared to 30 for Craig Anderson. The Rangers have done a nice job of limiting shots in Lundqvist's direction each of the last two games after forcing him to make 41 saves in Game 1.

ESPN's Steve Levy commented on the Rangers' defensive work early in the game:

The Rangers defense forced 14 takeaways to Ottawa's six and blocked 19 shots as a team. Its performance in Game 3 feels like something it can build on—especially against a Senators team that often struggles to score. Ottawa finished the regular season 22nd in goals scored per game.

From a talent perspective, the Rangers were always at an advantage in this series. Their veteran core is just two years removed from a conference finals berth and three removed from nearly winning the Stanley Cup. Ottawa hasn't made it past the second round in a decade and finished this regular season with more goals allowed than goals scored—not exactly playoff juggernaut status.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who played the hero in Game 2 with four goals, was the only player to score for the Senators in Game 3. After scoring just 12 goals in the regular season, Pageau already has almost half as many in the playoffs. He's been something a one-man band at times for the Senators, and that's not sustainable over a seven-game series.

With neither team losing on its home ice through the first three games, Game 4 will be pivotal to Ottawa maintaining its momentum. Otherwise, the Rangers' talent advantage might wind up shifting the series.