Staying Alive: Rangers Beat Senators, 3-2, Forcing Game 7

Senators Vs. Rangers, Game 6: A Rivalry, And A Game 7, Are Born

Injured stars, bitter wars of words, paranoia about the officiating: The Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers have set up an ideal Game 7.

VIDEO: Senators Score Controversial Goal; Henrik Lundqvist Doesn't Like It

Senators Vs. Rangers, NHL Playoffs 2012 Game 6: NY Forces Game 7 With 3-2 Win

The Ottawa Senators made a third-period charge, and they even scored a controversial goal in the final minute to cut the New York Rangers' lead to 3-2. But in the end they couldn't complete the comeback, and the top-seeded Blueshirts forced a Game 7 with the victory by that same score. Chris Kreider's second-period goal, his first in the NHL, turned out to be the game-winner.

Poor officiating turned into the story of Game 6, with weak calls from officials Tim Peel and Steve Kozari going both ways. One of them, a weak goalie interference call against Ottawa's Nick Foligno in the second period, turned into a Rangers power play goal and gave New York full control of the game.

Ottawa certainly sat back with a 1-0 lead in the middle period, however. The Sens seemed to be lulling the Rangers to sleep and the Rangers deserve full marks for taking advantage. Henrik Lundqvist played his part in shutting down Ottawa in the third period, making 13 saves in the final 20 minutes to add to his game total of 25.

We'll have more on Game 6 of Senators-Rangers in this StoryStream. For more on the Sens, head over to Ottawa Senators blog Silver Seven. You can find more on the Blueshirts over at New York Rangers blog Blueshirt Banter.

GIF: Henrik Lundqvist, Tim Peel Get Up Close And Personal

Senators Vs. Rangers, NHL Playoffs 2012 Game 6: New York Grabs Control, Takes 3-1 Lead

Both teams had legitimate reason to complain about the officiating in the second period, but after 40 minutes of play, only the Ottawa Senators have let a poorly-called game affect them. The New York Rangers were able to tie the Game 6 on a Derek Stepan goal at the 8:55 mark of the second period, and Ottawa couldn't grab the lead back after Chris Kreider was whistled for a weak goalie interference call.

That's because while on that power play, Nick Foligno was called for an equally weak infraction at the other end of the ice, and the resulting Rangers power play turned out to be quite the momentum swing.

Brad Richards' goal at the 17:08 mark of the second, a blast that cleanly beat goalie Craig Anderson, gave the Rangers their first lead of the game. Just 2:11 later, Kreider scored his first NHL goal to open the Rangers' lead up to 3-1, and while you might be able to look back at the Foligno call as the turning point in the period and the game through 40 minutes, the fact is that the Rangers took advantage of the opportunity while the Senators sat back.

New York will almost certainly buckle down defensively in the third period, and with Henrik Lundqvist in net, it's going to take some work for Ottawa to grab control of the game yet again and force the Rangers out of the postseason in Game 6.

We'll have more on Game 6 of Senators-Rangers in this StoryStream. For more on the Sens, head over to Ottawa Senators blog Silver Seven. You can find more on the Blueshirts over at New York Rangers blog Blueshirt Banter.

Senators Vs. Rangers, NHL Playoffs 2012 Game 6: Chris Neil Gives Ottawa 1-0 Lead

Chris Neil's power-play goal at the 7:05 mark of the first period gave the Ottawa Senators a 1-0 lead over the New York Rangers in Game 6 at Scotiabank Place. That's the score as we hit the first intermission, and there's no doubt that the crowd gathered just outside Canada's capital city can smell blood in the water after 20 minutes of hockey. John Tortorella might sense impending doom as well.

Sergei Gonchar's point blast found its way to the back of the net thanks to a pair of screens on goaltender Henrik Lundqvist via Zack Smith and Neil. Neil has been a force all series long for the Sens, and he's frustrated New York with a healthy dose of offense and physical play. When he wasn't deflecting pucks into the net, Neil spent his 3:44 of ice time in the first period getting under the skin of several members of the New York Rangers.

In fact, Neil came to blows with Brandon Prust with 4:50 left in the period, and the fight -- a convincing win for Neil -- only got the Scotiabank Place crowd revved up further.

We'll have more on Game 6 of Senators-Rangers in this StoryStream. For more on the Sens, head over to Ottawa Senators blog Silver Seven. You can find more on the Blueshirts over at New York Rangers blog Blueshirt Banter.

Jakob Silfverberg To Make NHL Debut With Senators In Game 6

Jakob Silfverberg, a 20-year-old prospect with a big time pedigree, will make his debut for the Ottawa Senators on Monday night in their crucial Game 6 against the New York Rangers. Silfverberg was a second round draft pick back in 2009, but chose to stay in Sweden and develop his game. This past season, he was the MVP of the Swedish Elite League and his team, Brynäs IF, won the league title.

Ottawa Senators blog Silver Seven describes the 6'1", 187 pound left winger as having "a wicked shot" and they noted that he was playing with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek in Monday morning practice. Notably, he's the second player that the Sens have handed an NHL debut to during this series. In Game 5, 19-year-old Mark Stone made his debut for the team.

We'll have more on Game 6 of Senators-Rangers in this StoryStream. For more on the Sens, head over to Ottawa Senators blog Silver Seven. You can find more on the Blueshirts over at New York Rangers blog Blueshirt Banter.

Daniel Alfredsson Injury Update: Senators Captain To Return For Game 6

Daniel Alfredsson will be on the ice at Scotiabank Place in Kanata, Ont. on Monday night as the Ottawa Senators look to dispatch the top-seeded New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Alfredsson made the announcement to the media gathered at the morning skate just outside the Nation's Capital before Game 6.

Alfredsson has been out of the lineup since Game 2 against the Rangers, when he suffered a concussion after taking an elbow to the head from New York forward Carl Hagelin. Hagelin was suspended three games for the hit and missed Games 3, 4 and 5. He'll also return to the lineup in Game 6.

Alfredsson, the captain of the Senators, is obviously a key part of their equation. Hagelin is a vital contributing factor for the Rangers as well, so in an elimination game, it's good to see both players can put the incident behind them and find their way back into the lineup.

Stick with SBNation.com for full Rangers vs. Senators series coverage. For more on the Rangers, check out Blueshirt Banter. For updates on the Senators, visit Silver Seven.

NHL Playoffs 2012, Senators Vs. Rangers Game 6: Game Time, TV Coverage And More

The Rangers are the No. 1 seed in the East, but they're a game away from elimination headed into Monday's Game 6.