NEW YORK — All signs are pointing to Ottawa Senators rookie Mark Stone making his NHL debut in Game 5 against the New York Rangers on Saturday night.

The 19-year-old took part in practice at Madison Square Garden, skating on the club’s fourth line with Zenon Konopka and Jim O’Brien. Stone also took a regular rotation during the power-play drills — a sign that he appears to be in the lineup for tonight’s game.

“Obviously there are going to be nerves for the first NHL game,” Stone admitted. “I went through it a bit with the world juniors — obviously there were some pressure situations there and I’m just going to dwell on that experience.”

Mark Stone sounds like a guy who knows he’s playing tonight. We’ll see if MacLean confirms – but all signs point to him playing.

— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) April 21, 2012

That experience at the World Junior Hockey Championship was extremely positive for Stone, who led Team Canada with seven goals and 10 points in the tournament. It’s that ability to step up and deliver in clutch situations that has the Senators’ brass believing he can play in Game 5 tonight.

“He’s a good young player who had a great year," coach Paul MacLean said. "He played on the world junior team, he has great scoring ability and good size. If we choose to use him, I think he might help on the power play.”

The Senators’ offence has struggled during this first-round series with the Rangers, as their power play has converted on just 2-of-15 opportunities.

Stone was a standout for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League where he collected 41 goals and 82 assists for 123 points this season. He signed an entry-level contract with the Senators organization last fall, after the club made him a sixth-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

If Stone plays tonight, he would become just the fifth teenager to play a playoff game for the Senators, joining an impressive group that includes Wade Redden, Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza and Martin Havlat.

“I know he’s excited — it’s pretty neat for him to kind of jump in and be in the playoffs,” teammate Nick Foligno added. “I think he’ll do a great job with it. He kind of knows what it’s like to have the pressure when he played at the world juniors and did really well there. Hopefully he can come in and do what he does best.”