Rangers Aim To Rebound Versus Senators
(Sports Network) - The Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers will try to rebound from a loss when they visit the free-falling Ottawa Senators for an afternoon meeting at Scotiabank Place.The Rangers, who have 30 points on the year, had a three-game winning streak snapped Wednesday by the visiting Vancouver Canucks. Alex Burrows had two goals and Vancouver doubled up the Blueshirts, 6-3, at MSG. Chris Drury registered a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who have posted a 4-4-1 record in November. Henrik Lundqvist allowed five goals on 17 shots before he was yanked in the second period. The Swedish netminder had been nearly unbeatable recently, yielding two goals or less in his previous 12 appearances entering Wednesday. Stephen Valiquette stopped all 15 shots he faced in the relief effort. Forward Markus Naslund, who joined New York in the offseason, picked up an assist in his first game against his former team. Naslund spent 12 years in Vancouver and was the team's captain from the start of the 2000-01 campaign until his departure over the summer. New York is 5-2-1 as the visiting club this year, and beginning with today's test is playing three of its next four games on the road. The Senators, meanwhile, have dropped six straight games, but were able to record points with shootout losses in each of their last two contests. The first of those setbacks came in New York City on Monday evening as the Rangers posted a 2-1 decision. Nikolai Zherdev scored the lone goal of the shootout to push New York to the win. That loss to the Rangers was just the Senators' second in the last eight meetings between the teams. Ottawa was then dealt a 3-2 setback by the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Alex Tanguay notched the game-winner in the deciding segment for the Habs. After Ottawa's Antoine Vermette missed his opportunity wide of the net, Tanguay skated at an odd angle down the center of the ice on his chance, showing backhand all the way. Despite Sens goaltender Alex Auld sliding in the crease, the veteran winger was able to push his shot through the pads for the winner. Auld took the loss despite a 19-save performance. Dany Heatley and Nick Foligno lit the lamp for the Senators, who have lost six in a row for the first time since a seven-game slide from November 21 to December 4 of last season. The Senators, who are just 3-5-2 as the home team this year, are playing the middle test of a three-game homestand that will end Thursday against Toronto. New York has lost eight of its last 10 in Ottawa.
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.






