A struggling and banged-up New York Rangers team heads
north of the border today to battle the Ottawa Senators in the second meeting
between the clubs of the 2009-10 campaign.
The Rangers will be entering Scotiabank Place having dropped two straight and
eight of their last 11 games following a sizzling 7-1-0 start to this season,
and without their top two centermen as well. New York learned this week that
Brandon Dubinsky will be sidelined from 4-to-6 weeks due to a broken right
hand, while captain Chris Drury isn't expected to return today from a
concussion sustained in a 3-1 loss at Calgary on November 7.
Neither player dressed when the Rangers took the ice against Atlanta Thursday
at Madison Square Garden. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was back in action after
sitting out a pair of games with a sore groin, but wasn't sharp in the team's
5-3 loss to the Thrashers.
Lundqvist stopped just 22-of-26 shots and was beaten by Colby Armstrong 19
seconds in to give Atlanta a quick 1-0 lead. The game was tied 2-2 late in the
second period before the Thrashers scored twice within a 25-second span to
move ahead for good.
"I could feel I hadn't played in a while, and then to start the game with a
goal right away it was tough," Lundqvist said. "I battled, the whole night was
a big battle. I tried to stay in there and play my game. I could feel I made a
couple of technical mistakes. It's something I'll have to work on."
Marian Gaborik netted his team-high 13th goal of the season and added an
assist for New York, which also received a pair of helpers out of Ales
Kotalik.
Ottawa has also regressed after a strong beginning to the season, having
recorded losses in six of its past nine games after going 5-2-0 out of the
gates. The Senators were handed their most lopsided loss of the year Thursday
in Philadelphia, where Danny Briere scored a pair of goals to lead the Flyers
to a 5-1 victory.
Philadelphia erupted for four unanswered goals, three of which came in the
third period, to break a 1-1 deadlock. Mike Fisher came up with Ottawa's lone
tally when he scored on the power play with 5:01 remaining in the middle
stanza.
"They pressured us hard the whole night," said Senators head coach Cory
Clouston. "The two goals in the second [period] was a little bit deflating.
The third one and the goals at the end didn't help either."
Pascal Leclaire finished with 22 saves for Ottawa, which starts up a five-game
homestand this afternoon and owns a 5-3-2 record at Scotiabank Place thus far
in 2009-10.
The Rangers and Senators faced off in New York back on October 3, with
Dubinsky registering two goals and an assist in a 5-2 triumph for the
Blueshirts. New York has also left with wins in two of its past three visits
to Ottawa.
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