Rangers Vs. Senators: Rangers Get Shutout By Senators 3-0
The Ottawa Senators were all over the New York Rangers tonight, and held them scoreless in a 3-0 victory.
After nearly torching the Philadelphia Flyers just 48 hours earlier, the New York Rangers couldn't generate any sort of offensive in a 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Henrik Lundqvist was phenomenal throughout the game, but his supporting cast wasn't able to get the job done for him tonight.
While it wasn't the greatest of starts for the New York Rangers, the Ottawa Senators weren't generating much of anything either. Eric Gyrba took an early slashing penalty on Rick Nash, which would hopefully give the Rangers some life, and the opportunity to go ahead early in the game. However, even though they are playing with one less man on the penalty kill, the Senators are absolute hounds on the kill, and they literally give the puck carrier no room at all. With the Rangers power play not being so hot to begin with, every time they went to the man-advantage tonight, it got pretty ugly.
The first period provided no score, and so did a 99% of the second period until Anton Stralman took a penalty on the speedy Mike Hoffman, to send the Senators to their second power play of the game. Mind you, these guys are still missing Jason Spezza, and Erik Karlsson, but they can still find the back of the net more often than not. Andre Benoit was the recipient of the power play goal for the Senators, as he ripped one through a screen, and passed Henrik Lundqvist. Speaking of Lundqvist, he wasn't very happy that Chris Neil gave him and Ryan McDonagh little room on the screen in front, but nonetheless, it was 1-0 Ottawa at the end of the second period.
The Rangers had another early power play in the beginning of the third period, but that didn't nothing more than provide an already surging Senators team with more momentum. Guilliaume Latendresse would eventually put the Senators ahead by a score of 2-1, as he fooled Lundqvist with a delayed shot, and placed it right under his blocker hand. Just a few seconds prior, the Rangers had their best opportunities of the night, including a sprawling shoulder from Ben Bishop as he was down and out.
Another failed Rangers power play shortly after, would lead to the empty net goal from Colin Greening, to seal the 3-0 victory for the Ottawa Senators. It was a disappointing loss to the say least, but it's one of those games that you put in your back pocket, and move onto the next one.
