New York Rangers vs Ottawa Prediction 23 March 2026
🔊 Ottawa continue their playoff push. The Canadian team travels to face the Eastern Conference underdogs, who followed up a streak of four consecutive wins with as many losses in a row. Can the Senators secure two points in New York and edge closer to the top-8? We break down this NHL regular season matchup and offer our editorial prediction for the game.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past three seasons, New York and Ottawa have faced off eight times: the Rangers have claimed victory in five of those encounters, while the Senators have won three. This season, the teams have played twice-Rangers triumphed in Canada (4-2), whereas the Senators emerged victorious in the US (8-4).
Head-to-head statistics New York Rangers - Ottawa
New York Rangers Team Overview
The Rangers have lost four consecutive games for the first time since the break. Interestingly, this losing streak follows a run of four straight wins-an unexpected outcome for an Eastern Conference underdog. Most recently, Mike Sullivan's squad fell to the Winnipeg Jets (2-3 SO). The American club sits at the bottom of the East, trailing the playoff zone by 20 points. Theoretically, the Rangers could be out of playoff contention by midweek.
At home, the New York team performs even less consistently than on the road-scoring fewer goals (2.21 at home compared to 2.79 overall) and conceding more (3.27 versus 3.19). At Madison Square Garden, the Blueshirts have won only 27.2% of their games, remaining the only club in the East that hasn't reached double-digit victories on home ice.
Injured defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and forwards Matt Rempe and Noah Laba are now joined by backup goalie Jonathan Quick. The veteran netminder is expected to return to action in the coming days.
Match Results: New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators Team Overview
Since the championship resumed in late February, Ottawa have picked up points in 10 out of 12 games, securing victory in eight of those contests. Recently, Travis Green's squad extended their winning streak by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice with a 5-2 scoreline. The Senators currently sit tenth in the Eastern Conference, but based on points lost, they should be one spot higher.
On the road, the Canadian club have earned points in five of their six matches since the break. The team ranks among the top three in the conference for scoring in away games, averaging 3.49 goals per game. However, their defensive play leaves much to be desired, conceding an average of 3.46 goals per match outside of Ottawa, which is the 13th result in the East.
The Senators are facing significant challenges with injuries to their defensive players. Top scorer Jake Sanderson and Nick Jensen have been joined by another defenseman, Dennis Gilbert, on the injury list. Nonetheless, their absence hasn't drastically impacted the number of goals conceded, with an average of 2.14 goals allowed per game over a span of seven matches.
Match Results: Ottawa Senators
⚡️ Key Players
The leading point scorer for the Rangers is Mika Zibanejad, who has tallied 67 points (30 goals, 37 assists) in 69 games this season. The team's second-leading scorer, Vincent Trocheck, has significantly fewer points with 48 (15 goals, 33 assists). The Swedish forward has registered points in 7 of his last 8 games. Adam Fox, the team's third-highest assist provider, boasts a similar record.
Ottawa's top scorer, Tim Stützle, has accumulated 72 points (32 goals, 40 assists) but has only managed two points over his last five games, causing him to drop out of the league's top 20 scorers. Drake Batherson ranks second for the Canadians with 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists), having contributed in 8 of his last 11 outings.
🥅 Goalies
The Rangers' primary goaltender Igor Shesterkin allowed 22 goals across seven March games, yielding a goals-against average of 3.15, which doesn't quite reflect his usual standard. The Russian netminder stopped 90.4% of shots faced. Jonathan Quick conceded 11 goals in three games, while Dylan Garand allowed two goals in a single appearance.
Despite conceding a relatively low number of goals in March (21 in eight games), Linus Ullmark's save percentage is underwhelming at just 88.6%. James Reimer has let in two goals over two spring appearances.
Editor's Prediction
New York, having long declared their focus on changes targeting next season, might be losing but they aren't lacking in scoring ability. Mike Sullivan's squad has netted at least two goals in 12 of their last 13 regular season games.
In matchups against Ottawa, they've maintained a streak of scoring two or more goals for 14 consecutive games. Considering that this season, following four straight losses, the Rangers have responded by scoring twice in each of the next three games, the editor's choice is clear - New York Rangers' individual total over 2 goals.
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Betting Tips: New York Rangers - Ottawa Senators
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