Rangers Look to N.H.L. Playoffs by Looking at Themselves First Ben Solomon for The New York Times Rangers Coach John Tortorella, center, and his assistant Mike Sullivan, right, will have the players focusing on what they can do better as the playoffs begin. When the Rangers begin their first-round playoff series against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, it will be the first time the franchise has had home-ice advantage in the postseason since 1996. Despite finishing the season on a sour note Saturday by losing a game to the Washington Capitals and the Presidents" Trophy to the Vancouver Canucks, the anticipation was not diminished. "We're going to come out with energy and emotion," said center Brad Richards, the top free-agent signing from last summer. We can't wait to get out here in front of our own crowd and get to work. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist said, "It's been a fun year, but I hope, and everyone else hopes, the best is yet to come." After taking Sunday off, the Rangers will have three days of practice before Game 1 at Madison Square Garden. In addition to spending about 60 to 75 minutes each day on the ice, the team will have several strategy sessions and watch plenty of game video with Coach John Tortorella and his top assistant, Mike Sullivan. But what differentiates the Rangers from most of the other 15 N.H.L. teams in the playoffs is that the players will primarily be watching clips of their own play, instead of the play of Senators like Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson. "When we prepare for any game, I'd estimate that the meetings and the film work are more about our own play than the other team by at least a 10-to-1 margin," said goaltender Martin Biron, who has also played for the Buffalo Sabres, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Islanders over his 500-game N.H.L. career. It's not the norm. With most teams, you watch hours of the power plays and penalty kills of your opponents. For our coaches, it's never about the other team's system or strengths and weaknesses. It's about getting the most out of everyone in our lineup. The Rangers know the Senators will be a formidable foe. They lost three of four games this season to Ottawa (41-31-10), including both contests at the Garden. While many observers thought the Senators were at the start of a rebuilding program, they surprised by finishing eighth in the East. The first-year coach Paul MacLean re-energized the team by demanding accountability. Milan Michalek scored 35 goals, Spezza 34. Alfredsson, 39, scored 27 goals and remains one of the most respected leaders in the game. Karlsson, a forecheck-breaking defenseman with speed and vision, finished tied with Devils forward Patrik Elias for 10th in league scoring with 19 goals and 59 assists. He is a top candidate for the Norris Trophy, given to the league's top defenseman. In Colin Greening (17 goals), Nick Foligno (15), Zack Smith (14) and the veteran enforcer Chris Neil (13), the Senators have an effective core of grinders capable of producing secondary scoring. "They are a very offensive team and very opportunistic," Richards said. One crucial question will be whether the Rangers truly have a significant advantage in goal. Craig Anderson, Ottawa's starting goaltender, had a 2.84 goals against average and .914 save percentage this season. While those numbers are pedestrian, Anderson has the reputation of a goaltender capable of carrying his teams for weeks at a time. In a seven-game series, the Senators just need him to be hot for two weeks. Lundqvist, with his 1.97 goals against average and .930 save percentage, has been the Rangers" most valuable player and is a likely finalist for the Vezina Trophy. But since March 1, Lundqvist has allowed 42 goals on 399 shots - a save percentage of .895. He has won 15 of 35 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. By the looks of his unsteady performance in the 4-1 loss to Washington on Saturday, Lundqvist may still be hampered by a bruised forearm he sustained in the Rangers" conference-clinching victory last Tuesday in Philadelphia. But after Saturday's game he shrugged off the loss and the injury. "We have three days to practice and work on things and get better," Lundqvist said. Their focus will be on themselves, not the pesky, talented underdogs in Ottawa. "We don't go about our business that way," said Tortorella, insisting it does not matter which team the Rangers meet in the playoffs. I'm just glad the 82 games are done. Now the real stuff starts.