NEW YORK _ With a little bit of swagger and a lot of speed, the Rangers outplayed the Ottawa Senators, and with a 4-1 win in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, tied their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.
It was a night for unsung heroes, as center Oscar Lindberg scored twice in the second period, veteran Tanner Glass had two assists and recorded seven hits and defenseman Nick Holden used a slick move to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the first period.
By the time Chris Kreider, screening in front, backhanded a rebound of Ryan McDonagh's one-timer from the point on a power play past backup goalie Mike Condon, who had relieved Craig Anderson to start the third period for 4-0 lead, the outcome was inevitable. Kyle Turris broke the shutout on a shortside wrister with 6:26 left.
Henrik Lundqvist faced just 16 shots in the first two periods, as the Blueshirts won battles, blocked shots, sprung forwards for odd-man rushes and scored first again, as they had in the previous three games. Lundqvist finished with 22 saves.
The victory was the Rangers' fourth in five at home in the playoffs, including the series with the Montreal Canadiens.
Game 5 is Saturday afternoon in Ottawa, where the Senators took the first two games.
Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, who took several hard hits and was limping late in the second, was not on the Senators bench in the third. Karlsson, a Norris Trophy candidate, has been playing with two hairlines fractures in his right heel.
The Rangers came out aggressive in what evolved into a herky-jerky first period, with stoppages for offsides and hand passes.
They led in shots 7-4 with 7:47 gone and had nothing to show for it. Forwards were helping to get puck out of the defensive zone, Glass connected on a couple checks, and the Senators seemed satisfied to stymie the Blueshirts in the neutral zone as play continued.
Kevin Hayes, as sharp as he has been all series, had fed Michael Grabner for a breakaway 1:20 into the first, but Anderson deflected the shot with his blocker. The big center later eased a pass to Holden, joining the rush, and he went in alone on Anderson, who froze. Holden slowed at the crease, and lifted a forehand over Anderson's right pad for the lead at 14:04.
In a microcosm of the Senators' fortunes, with just under three minutes left, Karlsson was alone in the slot, lining up a shot, but his stick broke and the puck skittered away.
Early in the second, Glass blocked a shot and the puck bounced to Grabner near center ice and Lindberg, to his left, raced to catch up for a two-on-none. Lindberg took the soft setup and fired the puck over Anderson's glove for his second goal in two games and a 2-0 lead at 2:01.
It was hardly a torrent of offense: shots were 15-12 with eight minutes left in the second period. But the Rangers made the most of their opportunities.
The two-goal margin has been dicey for not only the Rangers, but several teams during the playoffs. But the Rangers pushed and responded at 15:54. Glass forced a turnover with a forecheck on the end boards and went to the net, distracting Anderson as Lindberg lofted a shot on net that hit the twine.
After Kreider's goal the frustrated Senators started slashing and punching, and Glass fought Turris, who had crosschecked Lindberg in the face, with 25.3 left, and on the next faceoff, the Senators continued to take out their frustrations, as Alex Burrows slashed J.T. Miller's legs.
The Rangers have won eight of their last 11 when they've trailed in a playoff series, and are 11-3 in Game 4s at home since 2007. Game 5 will surely be as emotional.
