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And while he played only five shifts and 2:26 of just his second game since Feb. 26, he did the opposite of leaving the Senators short-handed. He made them bigger, gave them more strength and courage. He also lit up the fans.
The Ottawa Senators’ Chris Neil Saturday battles against the Rangers’ Tanner Glass. TONY CALDWELL /POSTMEDIA NETWORK
The 19,082 in attendance gave Neil a standing roar when he stepped on the ice for his first shift at the 2:09 mark of the opening period, then went on to turn in their loudest performance of the post-season.
They also cheered wildly for Neil when he stepped out of the box after serving two and a 10 for pounding Tanner Glass after the Rangers tough-guy demolished Dion Phaneuf.
Now, Glass was getting a penalty on the play for interference, so Neil wiped out what would have been a Senators power play. But nobody on the home team minded one a bit, either.
Clarke MacArthur skated over to the penalty box to tap the glass in approval of Neil’s actions. Erik Karlsson skated by and gave Neil a wink. And as Neil headed back over to the bench after doing his time, teammates clapped their sticks on the ice.
“He was massive,” said Turris, who turned in what Boucher called an “inspiring” performance, not just for the OT winner but with an out-of-character team-leading nine hits. “He played a big part in our morale tonight and our intensity. Just him being out there is a big presence, a big impression on all of us.
“That’s the best penalty I’ve seen taken in a long time,” Turris added of Neil’s attack on Glass. “We’ll take that any day. It gives us such a boost. It gets the crowd going.
“He might not have played much tonight, but he might have been our most important player.”
Derick Brassard also noted the impact of Neil.
“(Friday) night I got an email and knew he was in the lineup, (and) I was just excited right away,” said Brassard. “The guy has been working really hard for the past two months. I’ve never seen a guy so passionate about the game. I was just excited for that moment.
“Glass has been a difference-maker for their team. He’s been playing some really good hockey. Sometimes, it’s good to remind him someone is around. We were all OK for Neiler to (take the penalty). It shows a lot of character.”