Shorthanded Senators host Rangers

[Madferret]

Shorthanded Senators host Rangers
The Sports Network

(Sports Network) - The New York Rangers will try to put the brakes on a six- game losing streak, as they visit the Ottawa Senators tonight at Scotiabank Place.

New York failed to score a goal in its most recent setback on Tuesday, as Rick DiPietro stopped all 28 shots he faced to guide the Islanders to a 2-0 victory over the rival Rangers at Nassau Coliseum.

Henrik Lundqvist kept his squad in the game by making 36 saves for the Rangers.

The skid is the longest for New York since it also dropped six straight from March 4-14 of last season.

Tonight marks the end of a four-game road trip for the Rangers, who are 11-9-1 as the visitor this year.

Meanwhile, the Senators are entering tonight's test on the heels of back-to- back wins. The latest triumph came Wednesday over the visiting Islanders. Ray Emery stopped all 18 shots he faced to record his second shutout of the season as Ottawa blanked the Isles, 2-0.

Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly scored for the Senators.

Daniel Alfredsson assisted on both goals to extend his point streak to four games. He has two goals and five assists in that span. The Senators are 7-9-0 as the home club this season.

The Senators lost Fisher to a knee injury in the win and he joins fellow-centre Jason Spezza in the press box.

The Rangers earned a 3-1 win in Ottawa on December 9, but the Sens have still taken six of eight and 10 of the last 13 encounters.

http://www.ottawasun.com/FrontPage/2006/12/28/ottsunfrontbig.jpg

[Madferret]

Notes: The Ottawa Senators recalled centre Josh Hennessy from AHL Binghamton on an emergency basis to play in Friday night's game against the New York Rangers. He replaces centre Mike Fisher, who is out indefinitely with a left knee injury. - TSN

[Madferret]

Sens blank struggling Rangers
December 29, 2006

OTTAWA (CP) -- Someone must have given Ray Emery a force field for Christmas.

The 24-year old netminder made 27 saves for his third shutout of the season and sixth of his career Friday night as the Ottawa Senators defeated the New York Rangers 1-0.

Daniel Alfredsson scored the only goal of the game as the Senators (20-18-1) won their third straight in front of a record home crowd of 20,214 at Scotiabank Place. It was also Ottawa's second straight shutout over New York-based teams -- the Senators blanked the Islanders 2-0 Wednesday night in front of 20,192, their previous attendance record.

Emery was in goal for both those games and has not allowed a goal in 141 minutes and 10 seconds.

"It's pretty cool," Emery said. "I've never done it in this league before and it's been a long time since I've done it at all. It definitely helps the stats out.

"If we put our minds to it and make a conscious effort to play well defensively, the guys have the ability to do it. It's been a bit of a humbling effect, but we realize that we have to play a really good defensive game to win."

The Rangers (18-17-4), who were shut out 2-0 by the Islanders on Tuesday, have lost seven straight games. That fact isn't sitting well with anyone, especially first-year Ranger Brendan Shanahan.

"It doesn't make you feel a whole lot better to say we're playing better," said Shanahan. "At this point I wouldn't care if we went out and played horrible and won.

"We're at the point where sick of it. Sick of hearing about it, sick of not getting results and it's not going to go away until we win."

It took just 32 seconds for the Senators to take the lead as Alfredsson tipped a Chris Phillips point shot for his 10th goal of the season. Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist got a piece of the re-direct but the puck slowly squeezed through his pads and across the goal line.

That was the only blemish of the night for Lundqvist, who kept things close in the first and third periods. He stopped Alfredsson on a breakaway in the first period and then got his glove down to snag Alfredsson's rebound attempt.

"My first shot I didn't get up enough and I get the puck right back and he makes an unbelievable save," said Alfredsson. "He kept them in the game and gave them a chance but Ray did him one better."

Lundqvist finished with 27 saves.

Emery was at his best in the second period when the Senators were outshot 14-7, and also the second half of the third period when the Rangers pressed hard for the tying goal.

"I thought we battled hard all night long, we got into some penalty trouble early but we did some good things and Ray played real well," said Alfredsson.

Some of that penalty trouble came in the form of a five-minute major to Chris Neil for charging when he left his feet while hitting Rangers sophomore Petr Prucha's head into the glass. Rangers coach Tom Renney was satisfied with the major but felt Neil deserved more.

"I read the rules and if it's a five minute major for a hit to the head, he should be gone," Renney said, adding he did like the physical aspect his team brought to the game.

"We finished checks, we fought hard with these guys and if they're the team that leads the league in hits, we were with them I have no problem with that. I'd like to see more of it. That's something that's got to be symbolic of our effort is how we choose to engage physically."

The Senators finished 0-3 on the power play while the Rangers went 0-6.

Notes: Josh Hennessey was recalled from the Binghamton Senators for the game to replace Mike Fisher, who suffered a knee injury against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night. ... The Senators are in Toronto on Saturday to face the Maple Leafs while the Rangers are home to face the Washington Capitals.

[Darsehole Tucker]

That was a great game, although I was nervous when Neil went down. It would have stung to lose the two top hitters in the league in back-to-back games.