Flames at Rangers
After four consecutive losses, the skidding New York Rangers vie for the first win of their nine-game homestand when they host the Calgary Flames on Sunday. Henrik Lundqvist received an early exit on Thursday as he was pulled midway through the first period in New York's 4-2 loss to Columbus. The 2012 Vezina Trophy winner has received scant catcalls from the home crowd while dropping seven straight (0-6-1) at Madison Square Garden.
"Confidence is such an important thing in this game, and right now, it's not very high," said Lundqvist, who has lost four of five decisions (1-3-1) since signing a seven-year, $59.5 million contract extension. The Flames have received a confidence boost by posting their third straight win and fifth in seven outings with a 2-1 overtime triumph versus Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. Matt Stajan tallied 42 seconds into the extra session as Calgary emerged victorious in the opener of its five-game road trip.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RSN (Calgary), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (13-15-4): Paul Byron has posted back-to-back two-point performances after failing to notch even one point in his previous four games. Byron collected a goal and an assist versus his former team in Buffalo after setting up both tallies in a 2-1 victory over Carolina. "Right now, he's flying," coach Bob Hartley said of Byron, who has assisted on both overtime tallies in the last two games. "He's smart with the puck and he's giving us great minutes on penalty killing. He's finding ways to spend Christmas in Calgary."
ABOUT THE RANGERS (15-17-1): Lundqvist's troubles haven't been helped by New York's ailing offense, which is mustering just 2.25 goals per contest. Derek Stepan has scored just one goal in his last 18 games - which is a far cry from when he led the team with 18 goals last season. "He’s getting some looks. He’s getting the right time - a lot of offensive-zone faceoffs, a lot of power-play time - but without a doubt his production has slipped a little bit, and he’s obviously concerned about it," coach Alain Vigneault said.
OVERTIME
1. New York C Brad Richards has 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 17 career contests versus Calgary.
2. Flames rookie C Sean Monahan returned to the ice Saturday for the first time since suffering a broken foot on Nov. 27.
3. The Rangers have allowed a third-period goal in each of their last 10 games.