New York @ Ottawa preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 4, 2019 ) Ottawa 6, NY Rangers 2

The Ottawa Senators are within one win of reaching the NHL version of .500, a rather remarkable development after the team stumbled out of the gate by losing seven of their first eight games (1-6-1). A winner of four of its last five, Ottawa returns home to face the New York Rangers on Friday night in the third meeeting between the teams.

The Senators completed an impressive back-to-back on the road, following up a 4-3 win at Detroit with a 2-1 overtime victory at Montreal. "We're still learning and getting better," said forward Brady Tkachuk, who scored 38 seconds into overtime Wednesday. "And we've improved so much since the start of the year. I definitely think we're trending in the right direction." The Rangers lost both games of their Florida road trip, including a 9-3 mauling by Tampa Bay, but rebounded with a 4-1 home win over Washington on Wednesday night. "This is the way we should play. We know it, it's just hard to be up there all the time," New York netminder Henrik Lundqvist said. "This is a video we can watch and see how we can have success."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), RDS, TSN5 (Ottawa)

ABOUT THE RANGERS (9-8-2): Artemi Panarin is showing why he was among the most coveted free agents on the market last summer, scoring twice against Washington to extend his point streak to a career-high 12 games. Panarin has seven goals during the streak, including one in the loss to the Senators earlier this month, and had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over Ottawa on Oct. 5. "I feel I have more responsibility but I try not to think about it," Panarin said. "When you think about it, it just gets in the way."

ABOUT THE SENATORS (10-11-1): Forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau is well on his way to eclipsing his career-best 19 goals set in 2015-16. Pageau is on a tear with 10 tallies in his last 10 contests to boost his team-high total to 13. "It's obviously a great feeling," said Pageau, who started his binge with a pair of goals in a 6-2 rout of New York at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4. "I'm feeling confident in my abilities right now and I'm lucky to have the teammates I have right now. We're playing some really good hockey."

OVERTIME

1. Lundqvist, tied with Curtis Joseph for fifth place on the all-time wins list (454), is 17-22-3 with a 2.22 goals-against average versus Ottawa.

2. The Senators have the league's worst power play (6-for-75) but converted twice versus New York on Nov. 4.

3. Rangers C Mika Zibanejad (upper body) will sit out his 11th straight game and miss the chance to face his former team.

PREDICTION: Senators 3, Rangers 2