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OTTAWA, Ontario — Time and time again this season, the Rangers have not risen to the moment.

There have been many instances this season, but none bigger than the opportunity the Blueshirts had going into this weekend with a back-to-back slate against the two teams sitting directly ahead of them in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, the Senators and Blue Jackets. 

By losing to Ottawa, 4-3, in overtime Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire Center after captain Brady Tkachuk won it in OT, the Rangers let a prime opportunity to assert themselves in the top wild-card spot in the East pass them by. 

To put it into perspective: This weekend was the ultimate moment. 

And the Rangers — unsurprisingly with the way this season has gone — disappointed, remaining tied for the second wild-card spot.

The Rangers blew a two-goal lead in the third period in the span of just under seven minutes. 

It was a tight opening 20 minutes between the two teams, who were meeting for the third and final time this regular season. 

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The Rangers managed to take a lead on newcomer Carson Soucy’s first shot on goal in his first game after getting dealt from Vancouver to New York ahead of Friday’s trade deadline. 

Soucy’s shot trickled through Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark, drawing an audible reaction from the Rangers fans in attendance close to the glass. Refs reviewed the play and ultimately deemed it a good goal. 

The Senators thought they had evened the score on their second power play of the period, when chaos around the Rangers net convinced Ottawa players the puck had crossed the goal line.

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Review did not show the puck cross the goal line, so the Rangers remained ahead by one. 

Mika Zibanejad gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the second period, when the Swedish center wristed home J.T. Miller’s feed as he picked up speed skating toward the end. 

Ottawa answered a mere 11 seconds later at the other end of the ice, with Tkachuk tipping in Nick Jensen’s shot at the 4:06 mark of the middle frame. 

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The Rangers took their 10th too many men on the ice penalty of the season at the end of the second period, giving the team three such bench minors in their last three games and four in their last five. 

It forced the visitors to start the third period on the penalty kill, but the Senators ultimately went 0-for-5 on the power play. 

Artemi Panarin cashed in on a breakaway to regain the two-goal lead for the Rangers, but the Senators never let their opponent get too comfortable.

Putting in a rebound later in the period, Ridly Greig cut the Rangers lead back down to one.