Rangers at Senators
The Ottawa Senators will be relieved to be in familiar surroundings on Wednesday as they return home from a disastrous road trip to face the New York Rangers. Ottawa completed its seven-game trek with a 1-5-1 record after dropping a 3-2 decision in Buffalo on Tuesday.
Defenseman Cody Ceci and Derick Brassard scored third-period goals, but the Senators' rally fell short as they lost for the ninth time in 10 road contests (1-8-1). The stretch of futility for Ottawa, which also has lost three straight at home, began on Nov. 19 with a 3-0 setback at the Rangers. New York is coming off its second defeat in three contests, a 2-1 shootout loss to Dallas at home on Monday. Former Maurice Richard Trophy winner Rick Nash scored the lone goal for the Rangers, ending his 10-game drought and giving him three points in his last two contests.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), Sportsnet, TVA (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (16-11-3): Top-line center Mika Zibanejad, who hasn't played since Nov. 26 due to a concussion, continued his recovery Tuesday by participating in practice as a defenseman and on the power play. "He's coming along real well," coach Alain Vigneault told the team's website. "I thought he looked real sharp, so I'm looking forward to trying him in the middle. ... He might get a couple laps in the middle there (during Thursday's practice)." Chris Kreider has gone three games without a point, leaving him one goal shy of 100 for his career and one point away from 200.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (9-13-7): Alex Burrows' nightmare offensive season continued Tuesday as he was kept off the scoresheet for the ninth consecutive game, keeping him one assist shy of 200 for his career. The 36-year-old former 35-goal scorer has recorded six points in 29 contests this campaign and notched just one assist over his last 15 games. The goal on Tuesday by Brassard, a former Ranger, ended his seven-game point drought and gave him 400 in the NHL.
OVERTIME
1. Rangers D Marc Staal will pass Andy Bathgate (719) for 11th place on the franchise list for games played with his next appearance.
2. Ottawa has been shut out three times and scored a total of five goals during its five-game slide (0-4-1).
3. New York D Nick Holden's next point will be his 100th in the NHL.