MANHATTAN — The New York Rangers begin their quest for the Stanley Cup Thursday evening as they host the Ottawa Senators in a first-round playoff game at Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts, who last won the NHL championship in 1994, finished the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Senators finished eighth in the conference, ending their campaign with 41 wins — 10 fewer than the Rangers.
But the team from Canada’s capital beat the Rangers three times in their four regular-season meetings.
The squads face off Thursday and Saturday in New York before heading to Ottawa for Game 3 on April 16 and Game 4 on April 18.
If necessary, the best-of-seven series will resume at the Garden on April 23 with a return to Ottawa on April 23 and a possible Game 7 at MSG on April 26.