The Ottawa Senators advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2007 with a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers in Game 6 of their second-round series Tuesday night. Needless to say, Senators fans were pretty pumped about the whole thing.

With the team moving on to the next round, fans took to the streets in Ottawa to engage in a wild round of celebrations, but they made sure to do so without inconveniencing motorists by waiting until red lights to party.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Rangers will spend the rest of the postseason on the sidelines, and forward Derek Stepan was quick to criticize his own play in the second-round loss to the Ottawa Senators.

"Individually, I'm disappointed and ashamed and flat out embarrassed," Stepan told Dan Rosen of NHL.com after the Game 6 defeat. "It kills me that I was not able to find my game."

Related: - Stepan: 'I've stunk since the playoffs started'

Stepan was held off the scoresheet in Tuesday's 4-2 loss, registering a minus-2 rating in 20:43 of ice time.

Through 12 playoff contests, Stepan recorded six points, with a goal and three assists coming in Round 2 against the Senators.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators are off to the conference finals, and it's a moment to be celebrated, says coach Guy Boucher.

"Let's not kid ourselves, this is a big accomplishment," Boucher told TSN's Brent Wallace following Tuesday's victory that eliminated the New York Rangers.

It's a slight change of tune for the Senators coach, who has long proclaimed his team as the underdog in an effort to keep his squad's focus on the ice.

The Senators eliminated the Rangers in Game 6 of their second-round series, punching their ticket with a 4-2 victory at Madison Square Garden.

After knocking off the Bruins and Rangers, the Senators are one of three teams left standing in the East. Their next opponent will be determined Wednesday, when the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins face off in Game 7.

Tuesday's victory paved the way for Ottawa's first trip to the conference finals since 2007, and just its third visit there in franchise history, after also doing so in 2003.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Poor King Hank.

For the 11th time in his 12-year career, New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was forced to face the media after being bounced from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tuesday night was more of the same: questions about what went wrong, how he can improve, and what happens next - queries that are all too familiar for the 35-year-old.

"Obviously losing all three up in Ottawa where we had a chance to win a couple, (I think) it hurt us big time in this series," Lundqvist said when asked about the reason for New York's series defeat.

"We just didn't get it done."

The sharply dressed, guitar-playing 'tender was especially candid when asked about whether he had anyone to blame but himself.

"Sometimes it's not about playing your best game," Lundqvist said. "It's about finding a way to win games and they did that better than we did."

There's always next season; Lundqvist still has four years and $34 million left on his current deal.

So, barring a significant injury or an unforeseen trade, the Rangers' all-time leader in wins (405) will be occupying the blue paint when New York attempts another Cup run next season.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators are off to the final four.

They'll know who they face in the next round shortly, as the winner of Wednesday's Game 7 between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will go toe to toe with the Senators in Round 3.

After Ottawa's Game 6 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday, we ask you: Which team do the Senators have a better chance of defeating next round?

The Senators have advanced to the conference finals twice previously, doing so in 2007 and 2003.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals have been here before.

Holding destiny in their hands with the opportunity to advance to the conference finals with one more win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Wednesday night in D.C. presents the Capitals with a huge opportunity to silence their haters.

Beating the Penguins would obviously be sweet enough. But, more importantly, what would be even tastier is the prospect of facing the Ottawa Senators in the next round.

All due respect to the Senators - who have had a storybook year - but the fact remains: they are a club that Washington matches up very well with on paper.

The Caps were 2-1 in three regular-season games this past campaign against Ottawa. That number certainly doesn't jump of the page, and, realistically, it doesn't mean jack unless Washington can step up in Game 7 and get the job done against Pittsburgh.

Seriously, though, how long have we been waiting for the Capitals to turn the page?

Each year since Alex Ovechkin entered the league in 2005, Washington - to some degree - has been pegged with lofty expectations. Expectations it has never fulfilled

Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Braden Holtby - the talented list goes on. Most teams would kill to have those kinds of players.

Nevertheless, this is the situation that Barry Trotz and his club are in.

Win, and move on to the conference finals for the first time since 1998. Lose, and who knows what happens next. Blow the team up? Trade Ovechkin? Fire Trotz?

All of those scenarios seem wild, if not foolish, but what other options does general manager Brian MacLellan realistically have after giving this core group more than enough talent to work with year in and year out.

MacLellan's unrestricted free-agent list is lengthy and star-studded, with names like Justin Williams, Oshie, and Shattenkirk set to potentially move elsewhere.

Just another wrinkle in this narrative - the pressure is clearly on Washington to win now.

Wednesday's Game 7 between these two clubs is primed to be the best game of the playoffs, so far. But it also offers hockey fans the best chance to see exactly what the Washington Capitals are made of.

For better, or for worse.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NEW YORK - Erik Karlsson had a goal and an assist to help the Ottawa Senators advance to the Eastern Conference finals with a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 6 of their second-round series Tuesday night.

Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone scored in the first period to power Ottawa to a fast start, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau added an empty-netter. Clarke MacArthur had two assists, and Craig Anderson stopped 37 shots.

The Senators, headed to the conference finals for the first time since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007, will face either Pittsburgh or Washington in the next round. Their series is headed to Game 7 on Wednesday night.

Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider scored for New York, and Henrik Lundqvist had 22 saves.

The Rangers trailed 3-1 after two periods, but Kreider got them within one just 53 seconds into the third. He skated up the middle, went to his left and put the puck past Anderson for his third goal of the postseason.

New York outshot Ottawa 15-5 in the third but couldn't get the equalizer. Kreider had a chance a little over 5 minutes in, but didn't get a clean shot on a pass from Zibanejad as his attempt from in front trickled off his stick and was stopped by Anderson.

Lundqvist made some stellar saves late in the third, including a stop on Derick Brassard from the right side with 5 minutes left.

Pageau capped the scoring with 6.2 seconds left for his sixth of the series and seventh of the postseason.

Playing with a 2-0 lead, Ottawa was more aggressive to start the second period, outshooting the Rangers 6-1 over the first 7 minutes.

Anderson stopped a shot by Kevin Hayes and then smothered a follow attempt by Michael Grabner in front near the midpoint of the middle period.

Zibanejad got the Rangers on the scoreboard with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the second. He took a pass from Mats Zuccarello, skated in and beat Anderson on the glove side into the top right corner.

Karlsson then beat Lundqvist on the blocker side with 4:07 remaining to restore the Senators' two-goal lead.

The Rangers outshot the Senators 13-10 in the first, but trailed 2-0 after 20 minutes. New York had three power plays and more scoring chances, but Ottawa was aggressive on defense while blocking nine shots in the opening period, and whatever got past the defense was stopped by Anderson.

Hoffman got the Senators on the scoreboard 4:27 into the game. He got the puck behind the net and sent a pass out to MacArthur. He then went in front of the net and deflected a shot from Karlsson past Lundqvist for his fourth of the playoffs.

It came on the Senators' second shot on goal of the game and marked the first time Ottawa scored first in the series.

Anderson had to make a flurry of saves over the next few minutes, including tip attempts by Kreider and Rick Nash about 30 seconds apart.

Lundqvist also had a nice glove stop on a slap shot by Karlsson as he was falling to his left and into the goalpost.

Stone scored with 5:16 left in the first when he got a pass from MacArthur on the left side as he crossed the blue line, skated up and fired a shot past Lundqvist for his fourth of postseason. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault challenged the play for offside, but the goal stood after a review.

NOTES: The NHL announced the Rangers will face the Buffalo Sabres in the Winter Classic at Citi Field, home of baseball's New York Mets. Commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement on television during the first intermission. ... The Senators were 0 for 2 on the power play, finishing the series 1 for 18 and falling to 6 for 41 in the postseason. ... The Rangers were 0 for 4 with the man advantage. They finished 2 for 24 in the series and 3 for 39 in the playoffs. ... The Rangers lost for just the second time in their last 10 in a Game 6 or 7.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers are taking it outside.

The two New York clubs will participate in the 2018 Winter Classic to be held Jan. 1 at Citi Field, home of MLB's New York Mets, the NHL announced Tuesday.

"With New York City as its host, the renewal of our New Year's tradition will continue to inspire hockey memories for our clubs, our players, and our fans," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

The Sabres participated in the inaugural Winter Classic, held in Buffalo in 2008. The Rangers took part in the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

You asked for it and the hockey gods have provided.

The Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins will go toe to toe Wednesday night in a Game 7 that's shaping up as one of the best contests on the NHL calendar in recent memory.

Here are three reasons why it'll also be 2017's best playoff game thus far.

Crosby vs. Ovechkin

Let's not beat around the bush: We all know why most people will tune in Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Since Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin entered the league in 2005, the NHL has not been the same, and for good reason.

(Photo credit: Action Images)

As was the case in '05, the success of these two clubs is closely tied to the success of their two superstars.

This postseason has been much of the same for Crosby, who - despite a Matt Niskanen cross-check to the face - continues to produce at an elite level. Heading into Game 7, Sid's tied for fourth in league playoff scoring with teammates Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel at 13 points.

His Russian rival, on the other hand, has struggled at times, especially in this series - he's found the back of the net only twice, leaving his 2017 playoff point total at a disappointing eight.

The Ovechkin haters will state the obvious: Crosby performs when it matters most, two rings, blah blah blah. While he may lack finger jewelry, though, No. 8 is actually a clutch performer.

Of course, this game and rivalry has grown into something bigger than just Ovechkin versus Crosby. But watching two of the best players on the planet - potentially, two of the best of all time - face off in an elimination postseason game with these implications is what most of us get out of bed for.

Cream of the crop

Wednesday marks the 20th playoff meeting between the clubs in the Crosby-Ovechkin era.

Over that span, the Eastern Conference juggernauts have traded blows atop the regular-season standings as well as in the playoffs, and this year is no different.

Washington and Pittsburgh finished the campaign in first and second place in the NHL with 118 and 111 points, respectively.

The 2016-17 season series was split at two games apiece, with the Caps outscoring the Pens 21-14.

With all due respect to the Western Conference, these are the two best teams in the league, both on paper and on the ice. Sprinkle in the secret ingredient - Game 7 - and it's the perfect recipe for a game for the ages.

Battle in the crease

Sure, Marc-Andre Fleury and Braden Holtby have both looked shaky at times in this series, but each netminder plays a crucial role in its outcome.

Fleury has two rings, Holtby is the reigning Vezina holder, and both have the winning pedigree required to carry a team all the way.

This postseason, their numbers stack up fairly evenly, with the edge in goals against going Holtby's way, and Fleury holding the advantage in save percentage.

Before Wednesday night is out, one of the men in the blue paint will have left his mark on the contest.

Crosby-Ovechkin, Holtby-Fleury, or Barry Trotz-Mike Sullivan: take your pick of intriguing story lines. Or don't, and simply sit back and enjoy watching two of the best players, teams, and coaches compete with their seasons on the line.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.