Rangers believe extra day off will help in Game 3 against Senators

Coach Alain Vigneault to evaluate potential lineup changes with New York trailing Senators 2-0 in best-of-7 series

by Dan Rosen @drosennhl / NHL.com Senior Writer

New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, using experience as his guide, likes that there are two full days in between Games 2 and 3 in the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Ottawa Senators.

The Rangers trail the Senators 2-0 in the best-of-7 series after losing Game 2 on Saturday 6-5 in the second overtime. They gave up a two-goal lead in the final 3:19 of the third period. Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored four goals, including the last three of the game.

"I think this extra day off between games is going to be beneficial for us," Vigneault said Sunday. "Nearly the same situation happened in Game 2 in Montreal and we didn't respond real well at home in Game 3."

The Rangers gave up a lead with 17.2 seconds left in the third of Game 2 at the Montreal Canadiens in the first round and lost in overtime. They were flat in Game 3 and lost 3-1 before coming back to win Games 4, 5 and 6 to take the series in six games.

The difference now is they're coming back to play Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports) in a near must-win situation.

"[The extra day off] is going to permit us to work on a couple things," Vigneault said. "It's going to permit us to maybe show a little bit more video. And it's going to give our players an extra day."

Vigneault and his coaching staff got to work on the analysis of Game 2 Sunday morning. He stressed after watching the game and evaluating what happened that he still liked the way the Rangers played throughout the game, echoing what he said minutes after it was over.

"We've played some pretty good hockey and we've gotten some good looks," Vigneault said. "We've been able to limit a pretty skilled team and we've been able to generate quite a few chances."

What they couldn't do was stop Pageau, particularly in the final minutes of the third, when he scored goals at 16:41 and 18:58 on deflections from in front of the net.

Vigneault said the coaches are looking into what the Rangers could have done better to stop Pageau from getting open for the deflection opportunities. He wouldn't divulge what they might have planned other than to say he may look to use different forwards against Pageau.

Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello were on the ice when Pageau scored to make it 5-4. Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast and Michael Grabner were on when Pageau scored his game-tying 6-on-5 goal.

"Maybe I'm going to put a checker on their checker because he's supposed to be their checker and he got four goals," Vigneault said. "There's no doubt that they had a few goals from tips that made it very difficult. It is something that we are going to see if we can't come up with a little different strategy there."

Even though Vigneault likes the way the Rangers have played, he indicated that the result, being down 2-0, might dictate a lineup change or two. He shortened the bench in the third period and through overtime by not using forwards Oscar Lindberg, Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey.

"I would tell you that everything is on the table right now," Vigneault said.

Vigneault, though, said he doesn't think he'll make any changes on defense because he has liked the way his three pairs (Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Nick Holden, Brady Skjei and Brendan Smith) have played.

They all had their tough moments in Game 2, though.

Skjei scored two goals but did not play the final 6:48 of the third period, when the Rangers were trying to defend a two-goal lead. Smith did not play the final 5:37 of the third. Both played a regular shift in overtime.

"We were looking for certain matchups," Vigneault said. "It just happened that way."

Holden played 28:11 and Staal played 26:24, but they were on the ice for three goals against, including the overtime winner, when Holden made an ill-advised pinch up the wall and got caught after Ottawa chipped the puck out, leaving Staal alone to try to defend a 2-on-1.

Pageau kept the puck and scored at 2:54 of the second OT.

Vigneault was critical of Holden's decision to pinch in that situation because he was going after what was at best a 50-50 puck and the Rangers didn't have a high forward to cover for him.

"It was obviously not the right decision at that time," Vigneault said.

But it is one Vigneault and the Rangers will analyze and try to correct so it doesn't happen in Game 3. They've got the time to do it.

"There's no doubt that was a tough loss [Saturday] considering the way we played," Vigneault said, "but having this extra 24 hours to consume it and be able to take the time to adjust in a couple areas I think is going to be beneficial for our group."

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scores in 2OT, Senators defeat Rangers in Game 2

Forward gets fourth goal to give Ottawa 2-0 series lead

by Dan Rosen @drosennhl / NHL.com Correspondent

OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators call forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau "the honey badger" because, as coach Guy Boucher said, he's fearless and he'll take on anything like the little animal. Apparently, that includes the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Pageau, the smallest player in the Senators lineup (5-foot-10, 180 pounds), scored four goals, including the winner 2:54 into the second overtime, to lift Ottawa to a 6-5 victory against New York in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday.

Pageau also scored twice on a deflection in the final 3:19 of the third period, including at 6-on-5 with 1:02 remaining to tie the game 5-5. The tying goal completed his second career hat trick in the NHL playoffs. His first was May 5, 2013, against the Montreal Canadiens.

"Four goals, that's absolutely sick," Boucher said. "It's not just four goals, it's the tying goal, it's the overtime one. It couldn't happen to a better person."

The Senators, who lead the best-of-7 series 2-0 with Game 3 at New York on Tuesday, also got goals from Mark Stone and Marc Methot. Craig Anderson made 43 saves.

Defenseman Brady Skjei scored twice, Chris Kreider had a goal, and Michael Grabner and Derek Stepan each scored shorthanded for the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist made 28 saves.

"[Pageau] was good tonight, he made some good plays," Lundqvist said. "But I wasn't good enough. I needed to make the extra save there at the end. That's my job."

The Rangers had a 5-3 lead after Skjei scored his second of the game at 5:10 of the third period. That came after Stone scored at 1:28 to make it 4-3.

New York led 4-2 entering the third period after the teams combined for four goals in 5:12 in the second.

Pageau, though, said the Senators never felt like they were out if it. They also came back after trailing by two goals in the third period in Game 2 against the Boston Bruins in the first round before winning it in overtime on a goal from defenseman Dion Phaneuf.

"It's easy in the room to get that energy when you have leaders like [captain Erik Karlsson], like our goalie who makes huge saves," Pageau said. "It's easy to get it going in the room and come back, and that shows a lot of character. I think we had faith in between periods that we were going to come back and we did."

Kreider gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 10:39 of the second. Stepan made it 3-1 scoring the second shorthanded goal of the game at 13:10. Grabner had the first one at 4:16 of the first period to put New York up 1-0.

Methot scored 50 seconds after Stepan to get the Senators within 3-2, but the Rangers regained their two-goal lead on Skjei's first of the game at 15:51.

"When you ask players who they want to play with, the No. 1 name that always comes is Pageau," Boucher said. "It doesn't matter if it's an offensive player, defensive player, that's always a name that comes up. Today is just one [more reason] why you know everybody wants to play with this guy."

Goal of the game

Pageau's double-overtime goal came off of a 2-on-1 rush set up by Alexandre Burrows, who chipped the puck out and down the left-wing wall. Pageau had Tommy Wingels on his right with Marc Staal back for New York. He kept the puck and scored on a high, glove-side shot from the left faceoff circle.

Save of the game

It goes down on the play-by-play sheet as a block, but the Rangers would have won the game in the first OT had it not been for Kyle Turris getting his stick in the way of Rick Nash's shot at 8:47 with Anderson out of the net.

Highlight of the game

Before Skjei scored his second goal, he broke up a 3-on-1 for Ottawa by blocking Stone's pass to Turris. The puck came to his defense partner, Brendan Smith. Skjei joined the rush, got the pass, made a quick move to the top of the left hash marks, and beat Anderson with a wrist shot.

Unsung performance of the game

Senators defenseman Ben Harpur played 20:45 and was on the ice for two of Ottawa's goals and none of New York's. Boucher continued to play the rookie in overtime. Harpur got 5:54 of ice time in the first overtime and one shift on a defensive-zone start in the second overtime.

They said it

"It is a special moment. I'll remember that, I think, for the rest of my life, for sure, but I want to stop there now. I really want to try to turn the page as quick as possible and focus on the next game." -- Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau

"Understand that it's still a race to four. You can lose two games in a row in a race to four. As long as you don't lose the fourth one, you're still in the series. The big key now is we've got to take care of business at home." -- Rangers center Derek Stepan

Need to know

Pageau is the second player in NHL history to score his fourth goal in overtime of a playoff game. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim forward Joffrey Lupul did it against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals. Pageau is the first player to score four goals in a playoff game since Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen in Game 4 the 2010 Western Conference Semifinals against the San Jose Sharks. ... Senators forward Clarke MacArthur didn't return after playing his second shift of the second period. Boucher said MacArthur aggravated an upper-body injury he sustained in Game 1 and is day to day. … Staal played in his 100th NHL postseason game, all with the Rangers.

What's next

Game 3 of Eastern Conference Second Round at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports)

NEW YORK RANGERS POST GAME WRAP UP: RANGERS vs SENATORS 4.8.17

Rangers Drop tilt in Ottawa 3-1

In what Rangers Fans were hoping would be a "welcome Home" Party for Mika Zibanejad ended in disappointment. The Rangers never got the ice tilted in their favor as Ottawa took an early second period lead 1-0 and didn't need much more to take the win.

The Rangers were once again without some of their top players as Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh, Nick Holden & Marc Stall all sat for today's Saturday Afternoon Matinee. All were scratches dealing with what Alain Vigneault termed as "Bumps & Bruises. Henrik Lundqvist started his final regular season game and looked good despite allowing 3 goals on 33 shots.

Zibanejad scored the lone goal for the Rangers with :44 to go to snap the shutout for Ottawa.

The Rangers Wrap Up the 2016-2017 Regular Season Tomorrow Night at home against Pittsburgh.

FINAL GAME REPORT 

NEW YORK RANGERS 0 OTTAWA SENATORS 3
POWER PLAY: NYR 0/3 OTT 0/3

SHOTS ON GOAL: NYR 19  OTT 33

GOALTENDERS:
New York - H. Lundqvist (30 SV)
Ottawa - C. Anderson (18 SV)

SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
No Scoring
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
03:04 Ottawa Mike Hoffman (26) ASST: Mark Stone (31), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (21) 0-1
09:24 Ottawa Derick Brassard (14) ASST: Viktor Stalberg (5), Alexandre Burrows (15) 0-2
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
06:19 Ottawa Jean-Gabriel Pageau (11) ASST: Mark Borowiecki (2), Mark Stone (32) 0-3
19:15 New York Mika Zibanejad (14) 1-3

PENALTY SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
11:49 Ottawa Mark Borowiecki - Fighting - 5 minutes
11:49 New York Tanner Glass - Fighting - 5 minutes
12:29 New York Brandon Pirri - Hooking - 2 minutes
14:00 New York Oscar Lindberg - Delay of Game - 2 minutes
14:55 Ottawa Alexandre Burrows - Spearing - 2 minutes
14:55 New York Brendan Smith - Cross-checking - 2 minutes
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
09:53 New York Kevin Hayes - High-sticking - 2 minutes
12:53 Ottawa Jean-Gabriel Pageau - High-sticking - 2 minutes
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
07:08 Ottawa Kyle Turris - Hooking - 2 minutes

NYR TODAY Saturday 4/8: Rangers vs Senators Preview, Alumni Birthdays, Today in Rangers History

NEW YORK RANGERS GAME DAY PREVIEW

Rangers look to take season series in Ottawa

NEW YORK RANGERS (47-27-6) vs OTTAWA SENATORS (43-27-10)
Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata, Ontario 12:30 PM, TV: MSG, NHLN RADIO: 98.7 WEPN

Heading into tonight's contest with 2 games remaining before the playoffs begin the Rangers look to win the regular season series against the Senators in Ottawa. In the third and final game between the two teams the series is even 1. Ottawa won the first game 2-0 on November 27 and the Rangers won the second a month later on December 27 by the score of 4-3, both games were played at MSG.

Henrik Lundqvist will get his final start of the season tonight. Lifetime against Ottawa in 36 games played Lundqvist is 15-17-3, 2.08 GAA, .931 save percentage and has 1 Shutout. He has allowed two goals or fewer in each of his last five appearances against Ottawa, posting a 3-2-0 record, along with a 1.57 GAA and a .943 Save percentage.

Rangers Captain Ryan McDonagh skated yesterday at practice but will not play tonight.

The Rangers called up forward Tyler Beck from Hartford of the AHL yesterday. Beck was obtained earlier in the season from Edmonton for prospect Justin Fontaine.

UPCOMING RANGERS MILESTONES
Brandon Pirri - 2 points away from 100 in his NHL career

NYR GAME DAY STATS:

RANGERS TEAM LEADERS:

SKATERS:
GOALS: CHRIS KREIDER 28
ASSISTS: MATS ZUCCARELLO 44
POINTS: MATS ZUCCARELLO 59
+/-: MICHAEL GRABNER +23
GWG: J.T. MILLER 6
PPG: CHRIS KREIDER, RICK NASH 6
PPP: DEREK STEPAN 17
SHG: J.T. MILLER 3
SHP KEVIN HAYES 7
PIM: CHRIS KREIDER 56
FO%: BRANDON PIRRI 57.14

GOALIE STATS:
WINS: HENRIK LUNDQVIST 31
GAA: ANTTI RAANTA 2.26
SO: ANTTI RANTA 4
SV%: ANTTI RAANTA .922

ANTTI RAANTA 16-8-2 GAA: 2.26 SV%: .922 SO: 4
HENRIK LUNDQVIST  31-19-4 GAA: 2.74 SV%: .910 SO: 2

RANGERS TEAM STATS

GAMES PLAYED: 80
47-27-6
Home: 20-16-4
Away: 27-11-2
8th Overall NHL
4th Metropolitan Division
WINS: 47
POINTS: 100
WIN%: 0.633
GOALS FOR: 249
GOALS AGAINST: 209
POWER PLAY GOALS: 46
POWER PLAY OPPORTUNITIES: 230
POWER PLAY %: 20.00
POWER PLAY GOALS AGAINST: 44
TIMES SHORTHANDED: 217
PENALTY KILL: 79.72
SHORT HANDED GOALS: 9
SHORT HANDED GOALS AGAINST: 5
SHUTOUTS: 7
TIMES SHUT OUT: 2
EMPTY NET GOALS: 12
SHOOTOUTS: 3/7

NYR Alumni Birthdays April 9:

Drew Bannister D (2000-2001) Frank Waite C (1930-1931)

Today in NYR History April :

1973: Ed Giacomin records the lone playoff shutout of his career, a 4-0 win over the Bruins in Game 4 of the Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden.

1994: The Rangers clinch the second Presidents' Trophy in franchise history with a 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden.

2006: Jaromir Jagr scores his 53rd goal of the season, setting a new franchise record. Jagr would finish the campaign with 54, still a team record.

NEW YORK RANGERS POST GAME REPORT: RANGERS VS SENATORS 12/27

Hard Work Pays Off as Rangers defeat Sens 4-3

In what looked to be a replay of the past 2 games the Rangers gave up two early first period goals only to fight back twice from a 2-1 deficit and then a 3-1 deficit to score 3 unanswered goals for the win.

In a "Messier-esque" move Derek Stepan made his feelings clear to the rest of the team about their poor play and seemed to rally them together to pull a come from behind win tonight at MSG. Stepan tallied two goals in the contest and Nick Holden picked up two of his own including the first of the game along with the game winner. Captain Ryan McDonagh contributed with 3 assists and now leads the team with 21.

More strong play by Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller helped the Rangers stave off 5 Ottawa power plays and kept Sens Goalie Mike Condon busy with a few short hand chances of their own. Antti Raanta in for Henrik Lundqvist who was out with the flu backstopped the Rangers with 33 saves on the night, keeping the Rangers in the game long enogh to take the lead and eventually the win.

The Rangers now head to Arizona to take on the Coyotes on Thursday at 9:00 PM. The team will head west once they finish practice tomorrow in New York. Rick Nash is said to be making the trip but is day to day with a groin injury.

FINAL GAME STATS 

NEW YORK RANGERS 4 OTTAWA SENATORS 3 FINAL
SOG: NYR 25  OTT 36

POWER PLAY:  NYR  1/3 OTT 0/5

GOALTENDERS:
Ottawa - M. Condon (21 SV) L
New York - A. Raanta (33 SV) W

SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
02:02 Ottawa Mark Borowiecki (1) ASST: Mike Hoffman (13), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (8) 1-0
03:10 Ottawa Zack Smith (8) ASST: Erik Karlsson (25), Mark Stone (17) 2-0
11:37 New York Nick Holden (5) ASST: Ryan McDonagh (19), Kevin Hayes (13) 2-1
16:56 Ottawa Cody Ceci (1) ASST: Mike Hoffman (14), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (9) 3-1
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
02:45 New York Derek Stepan (8) ASST: Chris Kreider (14), Ryan McDonagh (20) 3-2
14:55 New York PPG - Derek Stepan (9) ASST: Mats Zuccarello (18), Ryan McDonagh (21) 3-3
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
06:31 New York Nick Holden (6) ASST: Brady Skjei (15), Matt Puempel (1) 3-4

PENALTY SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
10:25 Ottawa Kyle Turris - Holding - 2 minutes
10:25 New York Marc Staal - High-sticking - 2 minutes
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
00:43 Ottawa Ryan Dzingel - Hooking - 2 minutes
05:57 New York - Too Many Men - 2 minutes, Served by Chris Kreider
11:31 Ottawa Chris Neil - Roughing - 2 minutes
11:31 New York Mats Zuccarello - Roughing - 2 minutes
11:31 New York Kevin Klein - Roughing - 2 minutes
12:47 New York Marc Staal - Roughing - 2 minutes
12:47 Ottawa Dion Phaneuf - Roughing - 2 minutes
18:49 Ottawa Chris Kelly - Holding - 2 minutes
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
04:14 Ottawa Mark Stone - Fighting - 5 minutes
04:14 New York Jimmy Vesey - Fighting - 5 minutes
04:27 Ottawa Kyle Turris - Hooking - 2 minutes
10:07 New York Michael Grabner - Hooking - 2 minutes
13:32 New York Mats Zuccarello - Tripping - 2 minutes

RANGERS STARS OF THE GAME: 

1. NICK HOLDEN

2. DEREK STEPAN

Rangers vs. Senators 12.27.16: Pregame Notes

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. OTTAWA SENATORS

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, 7:00 p.m. ET
Madison Square Garden - New York, NY

Rangers: 23-12-1 (47 pts)
Senators: 20-11-3 (43 pts)

TONIGHT'S GAME

The Rangers play their 37th game of the 2016-17 season tonight, Dec. 27, against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET - TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). New York has won seven of its last 11 contests (7-4-0), including six of its last nine games (6-3-0). The Rangers have posted a 23-12-1 record this season.

RANGERS VS. SENATORS

• All-Time: 39-41-3-4 (16-25-0-2 at home; 23-16-3-2 on the road)

• 2016-17: Tomorrow's game is the second of three meetings between the Rangers and Senators, and the second of two meetings between the two teams at MSG. The Rangers have posted a 0-1-0 record (0-1-0 at home; 0-0-0 on the road), as Ottawa earned a 2-0 win on Nov. 27 at MSG. Following tomorrow's contest, the Rangers and Senators will play against each other on the following date: Apr. 8 (at Ottawa).

• The Rangers have won six of their last 10 games against the Senators, dating back to Jan. 18, 2014 (6-4-0).

RANGERS-SENATORS CONNECTIONS

• Alain Vigneault's first coaching staff position in the NHL was as an Assistant Coach with the Senators. Vigneault joined the Senators for their first NHL season in 1992-93 and was a member of Ottawa's coaching staff for parts of four seasons (1992-93 - 1995-96).

• Mika Zibanejad played parts of five seasons with the Senators (2011-12 - 2015-16).

• Derick Brassard played parts of four seasons with the Rangers (2012-13 - 2015-16).

• Matt Puempel played parts of three seasons with Ottawa (2014-15 - 2016-17).

• Tom Pyatt was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round (107th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Pyatt was included in a trade between the Rangers and Canadiens on June 30, 2009 in which the Blueshirts acquired Ryan McDonagh's rights.

• Ryan McDonagh and Kyle Turris were teammates at the University of Wisconsin for one season (2007-08).

• Dan Girardi and Marc Methot were teammates with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for part of one season (2004-05) and helped London win the Memorial Cup.

90TH SEASON NOTE - Mike Richter extended his unbeaten streak to 20 games (17-0-3 record) by helping the Rangers defeat the Senators, 6-3, on Dec. 19, 1993 at MSG. Richter's 20-game unbeaten streak established a new franchise record, breaking the previous record held by Dave Kerr (19-game unbeaten streak in 1939-40).

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. SENATORS

• Henrik Lundqvist - 36 GP, 15-17-3, 2.08 GAA, .931 SV%, 1 SO - Lundqvist has allowed two goals or fewer in each of his last five appearances against Ottawa, posting a 3-2-0 record, along with a 1.57 GAA and a .943 SV%.

• Derek Stepan - 20 GP, 5-10-15 - Stepan has tallied seven points (two goals, five assists) in his last nine games against the Senators.

• Mats Zuccarello - 11 GP, 5-3-8 - Zuccarello has posted three multi-point games in his last eight contests against the Senators.

• Chris Kreider - 11 GP, 4-3-7 - Kreider has tallied seven points (four goals, three assists) in his last eight games against Ottawa.

• Ryan McDonagh - 17 GP, 3-4-7 - McDonagh has notched six points (two goals, four assists) in his last nine contests against the Senators.

WINNING WAYS

The Rangers' 23 wins in 2016-17 are tied for the fourth-most wins the team has earned through the first 36 games of one season in franchise history. The Blueshirts have earned at least 23 wins in their first 36 games of a season seven times in franchise history (1941-42, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1991-92, 1993-94, 2011-12, 2016-17), and the only seasons in which the team earned more than 23 wins through the first 36 contests were 1971-72 (25), 1993-94 (25), and 1941-42 (24). New York is tied for the NHL lead in wins this season (tied with Columbus) and is the only NHL team that has earned at least 11 wins both at home and on the road thus far in 2016-17.

BOUNCE BACK

Since Dec. 22, 2015, the Rangers have posted a 27-5-1 record in the game following a loss (regulation or overtime/shootout). New York has posted a 10-1-1 record in games following a loss in 2016-17.

TOP TEN

The Rangers are the only NHL team that has five players who have registered at least 10 goals this season (Michael Grabner, Rick Nash, Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, and Jimmy Vesey). New York has five players who have tallied 10 or more goals through the first 36 games of a season for the first time since 2001-02. The Blueshirts are the only team that has 11 players who have recorded 10 or more assists in 2016-17 and are one of two teams that have 15 players who have recorded 10 or more points.

ON POINT

The Rangers are the only NHL team that has four defensemen who have recorded 10 or more assists this season. Four Blueshirts defensemen have notched 10 or more assists through the first 36 games of a season for the first time since 1988-89.

GOALS GALORE

New York ranks second in the NHL in goals for (119 - includes two team goals awarded for shootout wins) and ranks third in the NHL in goals per game (3.25) this season. Including team goals awarded for shootout wins, the Rangers have tallied three or more goals in 22 games this season and have posted a 19-3-0 record in those games.

TWO GOOD

The Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in regulation in 24 of 36 games this season and have posted a 20-3-1 record in those 24 contests.

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE

The Rangers rank third in the NHL in goal differential this season (plus-30; 119 goals for, 89 goals against). The Blueshirts have posted a plus-30 goal differential or better through the first 36 games of a season 13 times in their 90-season history.

HOME COOKING

The Rangers have posted a 12-6-1 record at home this season and have outscored opponents, 68-50, in their 19 home contests in 2016-17. The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 44 of their 60 home games since the start of last season (39-16-5 record) and have averaged 3.28 goals per game at home over the span.

KING HENRIK

Henrik Lundqvist enters the contest one win away from passing Dominik Hasek to become the all-time leader in wins by a European-born goaltender in NHL history. Lundqvist is also one win away from passing Hasek for sole possession of 12th place on the NHL's all-time wins list. Lundqvist's next appearance will be his 711th career appearance with the Rangers, and he will tie Olaf Kolzig for the fourth-most appearances by a goaltender with one franchise in NHL history.

STEP-AN UP

Derek Stepan leads the Rangers in assists (19), points (26), and primary assists (13) this season. He enters the contest with a three-game point streak (two goals, three assists), and he has recorded 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in the last 18 games, including 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in the last 12 contests. Stepan is also tied for ninth in the NHL in primary assists in 2016-17.

KREID-ING HIGH

Chris Kreider has recorded 10 of his 11 goals and 18 of his 24 points in 2016-17 in situations when the Rangers have either led by one goal, trailed by one goal, or were tied. Kreider leads the Rangers in multi-point games this season (seven). He has tallied 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in the last 12 games, and he is tied for fourth in the NHL in goals since Dec. 1. Kreider tied single-game career-highs with three points (two goals, one assist) and a plus-three rating, and established a single-game career-high with eight shots on goal in the Blueshirts' last contest on Dec. 23 vs. Minnesota.

WELCOME MATS

Mats Zuccarello tied single-game career-highs with three assists and three points on Dec. 23 vs. Minnesota. He enters the contest with a three-game assist/point streak (five assists), and he has registered 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in the last 11 games. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, 154 of Zuccarello's 194 points have either been a goal or a primary assist. Zuccarello leads the Rangers in even strength assists (15) and even strength points (21) this season.

CAPTAIN MAC

Ryan McDonagh leads Rangers defensemen in assists (18) and points (20) in 2016-17. He is tied for second among NHL defensemen in even strength assists (13), is tied for fifth in primary assists (11), is tied for sixth in even strength points (14), and is tied for seventh in assists this season. He is also tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in games with an assist in 2016-17 (16). This season, 12 different Rangers have recorded a goal that was assisted by McDonagh. He has led the Rangers in ice time in 33 of 35 games he has played in 2016-17.

ON THE MARC

Marc Staal enters the contest tied for 16th place on the Rangers' all-time games played list (653 - tied with Don Maloney).

SPECIAL TEAMS

• The Rangers are one of three teams that have a 20.0% power play efficiency and a 83.0% penalty kill efficiency or better in 2016-17.

Power Play:

• The Rangers were 0-for-2 (4:00) on Dec. 23 vs. Minnesota.

• The Blueshirts rank 10th in the NHL in power play efficiency this season (20.0%; 21-for-105).

Penalty Kill:

• The Rangers were 0-for-1 (1:06) on Dec. 23 vs. Minnesota.

• The Blueshirts are tied for ninth in the NHL in penalty kill efficiency this season (83.5%; 81-for-97).

• The Rangers have not allowed a power play goal against in six of the last nine games and in 17 of the last 25 games.

• The Blueshirts have killed off 58 of their opponents' last 68 power play opportunities, dating back to Nov. 3 (85.3%).

• New York is tied for second in the NHL in shorthanded goals in 2016-17 (five).

UPCOMING MILESTONES

• Kevin Klein - 1 game away from 600 in his NHL career

• J.T. Miller - 2 points away from 100 in his NHL career/as a Ranger
• Kevin Hayes - 6 games away from 200 in his NHL career/as a Ranger

INJURIES (83 Man-Games Lost to Injury)

• Pavel Buchnevich (back) - has missed 21 games

• Mika Zibanejad (broken fibula) - has missed 17 games

• Rick Nash (groin) - has missed two games

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

None

WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Two of the Rangers' prospects are representing their respective countries at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship: defenseman Sergey Zborovskiy (Russia) and goaltender Adam Huska (Slovakia).

Zborovskiy, 19, has skated in 28 games with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL) this season, registering six goals and 26 assists for 32 points, along with a plus-51 rating and 26 penalty minutes. The Rangers' third round pick (79th overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft leads the WHL in plus/minus rating this season. In addition, Zborovskiy is tied for fifth among WHL defensemen in assists and ranks sixth among WHL defensemen in points in 2016-17. The Moscow, Russia, native also represented Team Russia at the 2016 Canada Russia Series.

Huska, 19, has appeared in 10 games with the University of Connecticut this season, posting a 4-3-3 record, along with a 2.54 GAA, a .926 SV%, and 1 SO. The Rangers' seventh round pick (184th overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft has made at least 30 saves in seven of his 10 appearances in 2016-17. In seven games against Conference opponents this season, Huska has posted a 4-1-2 record, along with a 1.95 GAA, a .940 SV%, and 1 SO. He ranks 10th in the NCAA - and second among goaltenders in Hockey East - in SV% this season. Huska represented Slovakia at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship and was selected as one of the top three players on his team during the tournament.

QUICK HITS

• Antti Raanta has posted an 8-3-0 record, along with a 2.03 GAA, a .931 SV%, and 2 SO in his 12 starts this season, and he has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 his 12 starts in 2016-17.

• Adam Clendening has posted a plus minus rating of even or better in each of the nine games he has played this season.

• Dan Girardi ranks fourth in the NHL in blocked shots this season (87).

• Kevin Klein is one of four NHL players who have recorded at least 70 hits and 70 blocked shots in 2016-17. He has notched 10 assists/points in his last 24 games (since Nov. 5), and he leads Rangers defensemen in assists over the span.

• J.T. Miller is tied for the NHL lead in shorthanded goals this season (two). He has tallied a point in 16 of the Rangers' 23 wins this season, and the Blueshirts have posted a 16-1-0 record in games which he has notched a point this season.

• Matt Puempel has posted a plus/minus rating of even or better in 17 of 23 games this season, including eight of 10 games with the Rangers.

• Kevin Hayes is one of eight NHL players who have registered at least 23 points and a plus-12 rating this season. The Rangers have posted a 10-0-0 record in games which he has registered a goal this season.

• Jesper Fast is tied for fourth in the NHL - and ranks third among NHL forwards - in games with a plus/minus rating of even or better this season (30).

• Nick Holden is one of four NHL defensemen who have registered at least 16 points and a plus-13 rating this season (along with Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, and Justin Schultz).

• Oscar Lindberg has posted a faceoff win percentage of 50.0% or better in nine of the last 12 games, and has posted a 53.1% faceoff win percentage this season (94-for-177).

• Jimmy Vesey ranks third among NHL rookies in goals this season (10), trailing only Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews.

• Michael Grabner ranks third in the NHL in even strength goals (14), is tied for ninth in plus/minus rating (plus-16), and is tied for 12th in the NHL in goals (14) this season, and he leads the Rangers in all three categories.

• Marek Hrivik has posted a plus-minus rating of even or better in eight of 10 NHL games he has played this season.
Brandon Pirri is tied for the team lead in game-winning goals (three), power play goals (four), and power play points (six) this season.

• Brady Skjei is tied for sixth among NHL defensemen (min. 10 games played) in assists per 60 minutes of ice time this season (1.43).

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY

• Dec. 26, 1993 - Mike Gartner registered his 600th career NHL goal as the Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils, 8-3, at MSG.

• Dec. 27, 1974 - The line of Steve Vickers-Jean Ratelle-Rod Gilbert registered five goals and 13 points as the Rangers defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 9-5, at MSG. Ratelle tallied five points (one goal, four assists), while Gilbert and Vickers each recorded four points (two goals, two assists). Brad Park tallied two assists to tie Harry Howell's then-franchise record for points by a defenseman (345).

• Dec. 27, 1992 - Trailing by three goals with seven minutes remaining in regulation, the Rangers registered four unanswered goals to defeat the Boston Bruins, 6-5, at MSG. 19-year-old rookie Alexei Kovalev recorded his first career NHL hat trick and registered the game-winning goal with 35.9 seconds remaining in regulation.

• Dec. 27, 1996 - Brian Leetch tallied his 611th career point as a Ranger, passing Ron Greschner to become the franchise's all-time leader in points by a defenseman. Leetch recorded two assists as the Blueshirts defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 3-2, at MSG.

NYR TODAY Tuesday 12/27: Game Day Preview, Alumni Birthday, Today in Rangers History

NEW YORK RANGERS GAME DAY PREVIEW

NEW YORK RANGERS (23-12-1) OTTAWA SENATORS (20-11-3)
Madison Square Grden, NYC 7:00 PM TV: MSG, RADIO: WEPN 98.7 FM NY

The Rangers return to action tonight against the Ottawa Senators after the 3 day Holiday break. This is the second meeting between the two teams, Senators took the first game 2-0.

New York is coming off the worst two defeats of the season so far surrendering 14 goals in 2 games while Ottawa has won it's last 4.

The Rangers will once again be without the services of Rick Nash. Teams were not permitted to practice during the holiday break and therefore there is no word on who will start for the Rangers against the Senators.


NYR GAME DAY STATS:

NYR TEAM LEADERS:
GOALS: MICHAEL GRABNER 14
ASSISTS: DEREK STEPAN 19
POINTS: DEREK STEPAN 26
+/-: MICHAEL GRABNER +16
GWG: DAN GIRARDI, BRANDON PIRRI, JIMMY VESEY, KEVIN HAYES 3
PPG: RICK NASH, JIMMY VESEY, BRANDON PIRRI 4
PPP: RICK NASH, DEREK STEPAN, CHRIS KREIDER, JIMMY VESEY, RYAN McDONAGH, BRANDON PIRRI 6
WINS: HENRIK LUNDQVIST 15

GOALIE STATS:
HENRIK LUNDQVIST  15-8-1 GAA: 2.47 SV%: .915 SO: 1
ANTTI RAANTA 8-4-0 GAA: 2.17 SV%: .926 SO: 2

NYR TEAM STATS
23-12-1
4th Overall NHL
3rd Metropolitan Division
WINS: 23 (Rank TIE #1)
POINTS: 47 (Rank #4)
WIN%: 0.653 (Rank #4)
GOALS FOR: 117 (Rank #2)
GOALS AGAINST: 88 (Rank #11)
POWER PLAY GOALS: 21 (Rank #11)
POWER PLAY RANK: 20.00 (Rank #10)
POWER PLAY GOALS AGAINST: 16 (Rank #6)
PENALTY KILL: 83.51 (Rank #10)
SHORT HANDED GOALS: 5 (Rank #2)
SHUTOUTS: 4 (Rank #3)
EMPTY NET GOALS: 6
SHOOTOUTS: 2/3

NYR Alumni Birthday December 27:

Brad Brown D (2000-2001)

Today in NYR History December 27:

1992: 19-year-old Alexei Kovalev records a hat trick in a 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins at MSG.

1996: Brian Leetch establishes a franchise record for points by a defenseman, tallying his 611th career point with an assist to pass Ron Greschner. The Rangers beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 3-2, at MSG.

Rangers vs. Senators 11.27.16: Postgame Notes

Team Notes

TWO GOOD - The Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in regulation/overtime in 15 of their last 20 games, dating back to Oct. 19 vs. Detroit.

SHOOTING GALLERY - The Rangers registered 33 shots on goal in tonight's contest. New York has recorded at least 30 shots on goal in three of the last five games and in 10 of 23 contests in 2016-17.

HOT AT THE DOT - New York won 30 of 55 faceoffs in tonight's contest (54.5%).

FULL HOUSE - Tonight's game was the Rangers' 198th consecutive regular season sellout and the Blueshirts' 239th consecutive sellout (regular season and playoffs combined). The Rangers' sellout streak dates back to Nov. 3, 2011.

• Antti Raanta stopped 18 of 20 shots he faced in the contest. Raanta has posted a 4-1-0 record, along with a 1.71 GAA and a .945 SV% in his last six starts. In addition, he has posted a 2.05 GAA and a .934 SV% over his seven starts in 2016-17.

• Derek Stepan led all skaters with 16 faceoff wins and won 76.2% of faceoffs he took (16-for-21) while logging 20:46 of ice time. Stepan's 16 faceoff wins in tonight's contest were tied for the third-most he has registered in one game in his NHL career. He has won 62.7% of faceoffs he has taken over the last four games (47-for-75).

• Ryan McDonagh was credited with four blocked shots and registered two takeaways while skating in a team-high 26:00 of ice time. McDonagh has led the Rangers in ice time in 22 of the team's 23 games this season.

• Alain Vigneault coached his 269th career game with the Rangers in tonight's contest, tying Colin Campbell for ninth place on the franchise's all-time games coached list.

- New York Rangers

NEW YORK RANGERS POST GAME REPORT

Rangers Blanked by Sens 2-0, Home Skid Extends to Four

Rangers could never seem to get going in this one. Ottawa backstopped by Craig Anderson's 33 save performance handed the Rangers their first shutout loss of the season. Ottawa took control in the second period with two goals and never looked back.

The Rangers, six games in ten days look slow and lethargic from the start of the game and could never seem to get their legs under them but managed to get 33 shots on goal during the contest. Special teams hurt the Rangers, surrendering a power play goal in the second and going 0 for 4 on the power play.

The Rangers return to action on Tuesdat when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at MSG, 7:00 PM.


FINAL GAME STATS 

NEW YORK RANGERS 0 OTTAWA SENATORS 2
SOG: NYR 33  OTT 20

POWER PLAY:  NYR  0/4  OTT 1/2

GOALTENDERS:
Ottawa - C. Anderson (33 SV)
New York - A. Raanta (18 SV)

SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
No Scoring
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
01:54 Ottawa Jean-Gabriel Pageau (3) ASST: Tom Pyatt (4), Zack Smith (3) 1-0
16:11 Ottawa PPG - Mark Stone (6) ASST: Mike Hoffman (8) 2-0
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
No Scoring

PENALTY SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
11:28 Ottawa Curtis Lazar - Roughing - 2 minutes
11:28 New York Derek Stepan - Cross-checking - 2 minutes
12:41 New York Rick Nash - Roughing - 2 minutes
14:31 Ottawa - Too Many Men - 2 minutes, Served by Curtis Lazar
17:00 Ottawa Tom Pyatt - Holding - 2 minutes
2ND PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS SCORE
01:54 Ottawa Jean-Gabriel Pageau (3) ASST: Tom Pyatt (4), Zack Smith (3) 1-0
11:24 Ottawa Zack Smith - Hooking - 2 minutes
14:35 New York Marc Staal - High-sticking - 2 minutes
3RD PERIOD
TIME TEAM DETAILS
No Penalties

NYR Today Sunday 11/27: Game Day Preview, Alumni Birthdays, Today in Rangers History

NEW YORK RANGERS GAME DAY PREVIEW

NEW YORK RANGERS (15-6-1) OTTAWA SENATORS (13-7-1)
Madison Square Garden, NYC 7:00 PM TV: MSG, NHLN-US; RADIO: WEPN 98.7 FM NY

Tonight the Rangers take on the Ottawa Senators for the first time this season at Madison Square Garden. A familiar face for Rangers fans will be in the opposing lineup, Center Derick Brassard. Brassard will be making his first return to the Garden Ice since July's trade to Ottawa however Mika Zibanejad who the Rangers acquired in the trade is still out for at least 5 more weeks with a broken fibulia.

The Rangers are coming off a 3-2 Win over Philadelphia on Friday Afternoon where Henrik Lundqvist shined with 40 saves in the contest. Lundqvist needs one win to tie Mike Vernon for 13th on the career victories list with 385.

The Rangers have won six of their last nine against Ottawa, but the three losses all came at MSG and will be looking to halt a 3 three game home losing skid tonight.

This will be the Rangers sixth game in the past ten days. Over that span the Rangers have gone 2-2-1.

NYR TEAM LEADERS:
GOALS: MICHAEL GRABNER 12
ASSISTS: RYAN McDONAGH 13
POINTS: J.T. MILLER, KEVIN HAYES 19
FACE OFF%: MATS ZUCCARELLO 75.0%
+/-: MICHAEL GRABNER +20
GWG: DAN GIRARDI 3
PPG: RICK NASH, BRANDON PIRRI 3

GOALIE STATS:
HENRIK LUNDQVIST  10-6-1 GAA: 2.43 SV%: .915
ANTTI RAANTA 5-0-0 GAA: 2.22 SV%: .934

NYR TEAM STATS
2nd Overall NHL
1st Metropolitan Division
POINTS: 31 (Rank #2)
WIN%: 0.705 (Rank #2)
GOALS FOR: 85 (Rank #1)
GOALS AGAINST: 54 (Rank #15)
POWER PLAY GOALS: 14 (Rank #10)
SHORT HANDED GOALS: 3 (Rank #1)
POWER PLAY GOALS AGAINST: 8 (Rank #3)
POWER PLAY RANK: 21.54 (Rank #6)
PENALTY KILL: 86.21 (Rank #7)
SHUTOUTS: 1
EMPTY NET GOALS: 5
SHOOTOUTS: 0/1

NYR Alumni Birthdays November 27: 

Bob Jones LW (1968-1969) Chris Kotsopoulos D (1980-1981) Ken Schinkel RW ((1959-64,1966-67)

Today in NYR History November 27:

1926: The Rangers play the Montreal Canadiens for the first time, and defeat them, 2-0, in Montreal.

1960: Rod Gilbert makes his NHL debut in a 3-3 tie against the Chicago Blackhawks at MSG. 

RANGERS BLANKED IN OTTAWA

POST GAME RECAP:

Rangers Beaten 3-0 By Senators In Sunday Matinee

Jim Cerny

Lacking the speed, energy, and all-around solid play they had displayed in recent games, the Rangers were beaten 3-0 by the Ottawa Senators Sunday afternoon at the Canadian Tire Centre. The loss prevented the Rangers from securing their first three-game winning streak since they won nine in a row from October 25-November 15.

The Rangers, who had defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in overtime at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday and followed with a solid 4-1 road win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, played without Rick Nash, who was hurt in the third period of Friday's contest. His spot in the lineup was taken by Chris Kreider, who had missed the previous contest due to neck spasms.

Head coach Alain Vigneault said that he was hopeful Nash would be available to play Monday when the Blueshirts host the Buffalo Sabres in their final game before the All Star break.

Craig Anderson stopped all 35 shots he faced Sunday for his third shutout of the season. Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves for the Rangers.

The Rangers and Senators nearly reached the second intermission scoreless, but Ottawa found a way to break through with 19.9 seconds remaining in the middle stanza to put New York in a 1-0 hole.

After turning the puck over at the Senators blue line, the Rangers seemed to avert disaster when Ottawa sloppily failed to generate a shot on goal during the ensuing odd-man rush back into the Rangers zone. However the Senators stayed with the play, winning a key puck battle behind the goal, and after defenseman Jared Cowen hit the post with a screened slap shot, Bobby Ryan beat Kevin Klein to the rebound and found the back of the net for his 17th goal of the season.

In a way the goal was symbolic of the Rangers play Sunday afternoon to that point, seemingly a step behind in all three zones even though Ottawa was far from on top of its game.

Lundqvist had bailed the Rangers out in the game's opening minutes with several clutch saves, many after giveaways by New York in its own end of the ice. Just 1:12 into the game Lundqvist denied Matt Puempel one-on-one after the rookie was sent in alone after a Mark Stone takeaway. Later in the first period Lundqvist robbed Stone who was alone at the right post looking to convert at the end of a neat tic-tac-toe passing sequence during a Senators power play.

The Rangers seemed to turn the game's momentum late in the opening period after their first power play of the afternoon, and started the second period strong. However after their initial surge, which included Kevin Hayes fanning from a couple feet out on a slick Jesper Fast pass with Anderson well out of his crease, the Rangers played with less jump in their game, and they and the Senators settled into a defensive battle until Ryan's goal late in the second.

The intermission did not slow Ottawa's momentum. They came out strong in the third period, and Mike Hoffman doubled the Senators lead just 2:40 in when his uncontested right-wing snap shot beat Lundqvist glove side off an odd-man rush.

Ottawa put the game away with 2:22 to play when Jean-Gabriel Pageau scaled the puck from his own zone into the empty Rangers net after Lundqvist was pulled for an extra attacker and New York on the power play.

Derek Stepan played in his 400th NHL game Sunday. Centering a line with Kreider and J.T. Miller on the wings, he recorded one shot on goal while logging 19 minutes of ice time.

FINAL STATS:

Scoring Summary

1st Period
NONE
2nd Period
19:40	OTT	Bobby Ryan (17) Wrist shot - ASST: Jared Cowen (4), Mike Hoffman (17)	1 - 0 OTT
3rd Period
02:40	OTT	Mike Hoffman (22) Wrist shot - ASST: Mika Zibanejad (20)	2 - 0 OTT
17:38	OTT	SHG - EN - Jean-Gabriel Pageau (11) Wrist shot - ASST: NONE	3 - 0 OTT

Penalty Summary

1st Period
11:28	NYR	Kevin Hayes  Hooking  - 2 min against  Chris Neil
16:57	OTT	Zack Smith  Hooking  - 2 min against  Dan Girardi
2nd Period
06:33	OTT	Bobby Ryan  Holding  - 2 min against  Tanner Glass
3rd Period
08:31	NYR	Mats Zuccarello  Hooking  - 2 min against  Jean-Gabriel Pageau
16:37	OTT	Mark Borowiecki  Slashing  - 2 min against  J.T. Miller

shots by period

Period	NYR	OTT
1st	13	12
2nd	8	11
3rd	14	10
Total	35	33

Team Stats

Category	NYR	OTT
Power Plays	0/3	0/2
Hits	28	20
Faceoff Wins	31	21
Giveaways	16	13
Takeaways	6	10
Blocked Shots	27	14
Penalty Minutes	4	6

NEXT GAME:

Tomorrow Monday January 25 New York Rangers vs Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 PM

W2W4: Rangers vs. Senators 1.24.16

COURTESY BLUESHIRTS UNITED

Who: New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators
Where: Canadian Tire Centre
When: Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 2:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
*************************************
The Skinny:
Having won consecutive games for the first time since November 21-23, the Rangers (26-16-5, 57 pts) try to make it three in a row Sunday afternoon in Ottawa when they face off with the Senators (22-20-6, 48 pts). The Rangers backed up their dominating 3-2 overtime win at The Garden Tuesday against the Canucks with a solid 4-1 road victory over the Hurricanes on Friday, a pair of games where New York used its team speed and solid fore checking ability to its distinct advantage, while defending better in its own end and receiving quality goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, who says that he feels his game has been rounding back into shape the past few weeks. In addition, after being burned badly on the penalty kill much of December and January, the Rangers have been shorthanded only twice combined in the previous two games. With the team cutting back on its time shorthanded, and having played really well 5-on-5 for the better part of the past month, it can be seen why the Blueshirts are beginning to once again be rewarded more consistently with points in the standings. The strong play of J.T. Miller--four goals in his last four games, two on Friday night, and a career-high 12 on the season--has been a major boost as has been the work of bottom-six forwards like Kevin Hayes and Viktor Stalberg, both of whom were praised extensively by head coach Alain Vigneault following Friday's victory. Daniel Paille played a solid 15 minutes in his Rangers debut on Friday; and now Vigneault will have to figure out who to remove from the lineup if, as expected, Chris Kreider is able to return from neck spasms for Sunday's matinee. There has been no update on Rick Nash, who took a nasty fall and crash into the boards early in the third period Friday only to return and take a slap shot off the knee while killing a penalty later on. Ottawa comes in following Friday's 5-2 home-ice loss to the Islanders in which the Senators let a 2-1 second-period lead evaporate into their second consecutive loss, prompting angry talk from forward Bobby Ryan and head coach Dave Cameron after the game. Thursday night the Senators surrendered five first-period goals in a 6-3 road loss to the Devils, and then on Friday they allowed three in the third to the Islanders. Overall the Senators--who remain three points out of a playoff spot in the East--have lost four of six and eight of their last 12, and their -18 goal differential is second-worst in the Atlantic Division and fourth-worst in the Eastern Conference. The Senators are one of the most penalized teams in the NHL, which is very bad considering they own the league' second-worst penalty kill. Should the Rangers use their speed and fore check as well as they have recently, they could be rewarded with a string of power play opportunities against this Ottawa team.

Head To Head:
The Rangers and Senators close out their three-game season series Sunday afternoon with New York looking to finish off a sweep of Ottawa in 2015-16. Back on November 14 the Rangers edged the Senators 2-1 in a shootout up in Ottawa. Hometown boy Dan Boyle netted the game-deciding goal in the shootout, while Chris Kreider scored New York's only goal early in the first period of this tight contest. Both teams scored once on the power play and were shut out at even strength, while Craig Anderson made 33 saves for the Sens and Henrik Lundqvist countered with 22 for the Rangers. Then on December 6 at Madison Square Garden the Rangers went 2-for-2 on the power play en-route to a 4-1 victory over the Senators. Derick Brassard scored twice for New York, including once on the power play, and Ryan McDonagh had a goal and two assists. Jesper Fast also scored into an empty net for the Rangers, who have won four of their last five overall meetings against Ottawa. Lundqvist stopped 23 of 24 shots in that December match up, while Anderson finished with 27 saves.

Players To Watch:
Rangers-Ryan McDonagh: The last time these two teams met back in December Ryan McDonagh was a beast, on ice for all four New York goals and finishing with a career-high-tying three points (1-2-3). If that memory isn't bad enough for the Senators, they will now have to face McDonagh playing his best and most consistent two-way hockey of the season when the teams hook up on Sunday. After a slow start to the season, and some up and down play in the Rangers' rough month of December, McDonagh has played markedly better at both ends of the rink in the month of January, and it's no surprise that the team has followed suit and is playing much better, as well. Offensively McDonagh has become much more involved of late, and he enters play with a season-best four-game point-scoring streak (1-3-4). He also has seven points in his last seven games (1-6-7). Friday night in Carolina, McDonagh read things perfectly by intercepting a John-Michael Liles pass at center ice and then flying past the flat-footed Hurricanes before rifling a wicked shot under the cross bar for his sixth goal of the season. It was a terrific individual effort by the Rangers captain, who next week will make his first NHL All Star Game appearance, and it came at the perfect time--opening the scoring and setting the tone in what ultimately would be a 4-1 victory.

Senators-Mika Zibanejad: Coming off his first 20-goal season a year ago, much was expected of 22 year-old Mika Zibanejad this season in Ottawa. However, like the team itself, Zibanejad's season has been largely disappointing so far. The former first round pick (sixth overall in 2011) has scored just ten goals this season and has 29 points--though his 19 assists are fourth-most on the team. After his 20 goal, 46 point campaign last season, though, better numbers were expected from this highly-skilled youngster in 2015-16. Perhaps he is turning a corner now, though. Zibanejad enters play on a four-game point-scoring streak (2-3-5) after picking up an assist against the Islanders on Friday night, and three of his ten goals this season have come in the past seven games. In fact half of his goals this season--five--have been scored since December 27, a span of just 13 games. That's a spark of optimism since he only scored five goals in his first 34 contests this year. Zibanejad admits to getting extra juiced when facing fellow Swede Henrik Lundqvist, so there are many reasons to keep an eye on him Sunday afternoon.

NYR TODAY 1/24

NEW YORK RANGERS GAME DAY
The New York Rangers look to make it 3 wins in a row vs the Ottawa Senators today 3:00 PM, MSG Network.

RANGERS (26-16-5) at SENATORS (22-20-6)

TV: MSG, RDS2, TSN5
 Season series: The New York Rangers have won the first two games against the Ottawa Senators. Defenseman Dan Boyle had the decisive shootout goal in a 2-1 win Nov. 14 at Canadian Tire Centre. Forward Derick Brassard scored twice in a 4-1 win Dec. 6 at Madison Square Garden. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist has an 0.96 goals-against average and .957 save percentage in two starts.

Team Stats

	GP	Record	Home	Road	L10	G/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	PIM/GP	S/GP	SA/GP	FO%
	47	26-16-5	17-5-2	9-11-3	6-3-1	2.85	2.57	17.7	79.0	8.6	29.1	30.0	49.8
	48	22-20-6	11-7-4	11-13-2	4-6-0	2.71	3.08	18.4	75.2	11.2	28.1	33.3	50.2

New York Rangers

Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PP	GW
M. Zuccarello	47	17	17	34	+4	14	4	3
R. Nash	45	12	21	33	+7	24	4	3
D. Brassard	46	15	16	31	+7	16	3	3
K. Yandle	47	3	22	25	+3	18	1	1
J. Miller	47	12	12	24	+7	25	2	3
R. McDonagh	47	6	18	24	+12	16	2	0
C. Kreider	44	9	14	23	+4	41	1	0
K. Hayes	45	7	14	21	+1	14	2	2
O. Lindberg	44	11	9	20	+7	28	1	1
D. Stepan	37	9	11	20	+8	10	1	1
J. Fast	45	7	8	15	+3	8	0	2
D. Boyle	41	5	9	14	+5	26	2	0
V. Stalberg	41	6	7	13	+10	8	0	0
M. Staal	47	2	10	12	+1	18	0	1
D. Girardi	41	2	9	11	+8	12	0	1
D. Moore	45	4	6	10	+2	14	0	2
K. Klein	35	3	6	9	+16	13	0	1
J. Stoll	29	1	2	3	+3	20	0	0
E. Etem	19	0	3	3	-4	2	0	0
T. Glass	24	1	1	2	-4	27	0	0
D. McIlrath	19	1	1	2	+3	42	0	0
J. Megna	5	1	1	2	+0	2	0	0
C. Summers	3	0	0	0	-2	4	0	0
B. Skjei	2	0	0	0	+0	2	0	0
D. Paille	1	0	0	0	+1	0	0	0

Goalie	GP	Rec.	GA	SA	GAA	Sv%
H. Lundqvist	39	22-12-4	92	1177	2.41	.922
A. Raanta	12	4-4-1	20	220	2.30	.909
M. Hellberg	1	0-0-0	2	6	6.00	.667

				Team Leaders Goals Zuccarello 17 Hoffman 21 Shots Nash 149 Karlsson 132 Hits Miller 110 Borowiecki 208 Assists Yandle 22 Karlsson 41

 RANGERS MILESTONE:

New York Rangers Center Derek Stepan set to play his 400th NHL Career Game today against the Ottawa Senators

 NYR Alumni Birthdays 1/24 Bill Chalmers C (1953-1954) Chris Ferraro C (1996-1997) Peter Ferraro (1995-1998)

TODAY IN NYR HISTORY January 24
1999: Wayne Gretzky records a goal and two assists and is named MVP of the 1999 NHL All-Star Game.

2008: Brian Leetch's No. 2 is retired by the Rangers.