New York Rangers vs Ottawa Senators: Six Players To Watch

Apr 8, 2017; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; New York Rangers left wing Jimmy Vesey (26) skates with the puck in front of Ottawa Senators defenseman Chris Wideman (6) in the first period at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2017; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; New York Rangers left wing Jimmy Vesey (26) skates with the puck in front of Ottawa Senators defenseman Chris Wideman (6) in the first period at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Rangers vs Ottawa Senators: Six Players To Watch
Apr 21, 2017; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) skates with the puck in overtime against the Boston Bruins. The Bruins defeated the Senators 3-2 in game five of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports /

Erik Karlsson

The Senators have a legitimate weapon and difference maker in Karlsson. A defenseman that produces as much as he does in the offense is hard to find. He will make life difficult for the Rangers whenever he is on the ice, especially on the power play.

The Rangers need to locate him whenever he is on the ice or else he will make them pay. Karlsson was the Senators leading scorer in the regular season tallying 71 points; he scored 17 goals and handed out 54 assists, which ranked sixth in the NHL. 27 of those points, 23 of them being assists, came on the power play.

The scoring only continued in the postseason. While Karlsson didn’t score a goal against the Bruins, he still finished with the eighth most points in the opening round with six assists. Making that even more impressive is the fact that he is playing with two hairline fractures in his left heel. The injury kept him out of three of the final five regular-season game, but he has not missed a beat in the playoffs.

The Rangers catch a slight break since he is battling an injury, but that hasn’t slowed him down much. He has shown to still be extremely dangerous even with an injury.