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Sens shake off opening-night jitters
By
BRUCE GARRIOCH, QMI Agency
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NEW YORK - The Senators didn’t handle the bright lights and the big city as well as they would have liked in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarter-final.
There will be no surprises this time around.
The Senators admitted some of their young players were a little jittery making their NHL playoff debuts at Madison Square Garden in the 4-2 loss Thursday, but those should be out of the way by Game 2 Saturday.
“That’s going to help us out going forward,” said alternate captain and veteran defenceman Chris Phillips. “A lot of guys were in their first game and there was a feeling out to see how it’s different or if it’s different.
“I think they realized it’s still the same game, just with a lot more intensity and importance on every shift.”
The Rangers are expecting the Senators to be stronger in Game 2.
“They played really well (Thursday),” said Rangers centre Brad Richards. “There was a momentum swing we were able to grab, but they could’ve grabbed it too. We’re going to have to be a lot better. They had the puck a lot in the second period. If they score a goal and make it 1-1, it might be different.”
