• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Anderson, Sens take 3-2 series lead over Rangers

Apr 22, 2012 - 4:10 AM New York, NY (Sports Network) - Craig Anderson posted 41 saves for his first shutout of these playoffs and the Ottawa Senators took a 2-0 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at Madison Square Garden.

The Senators, seeded eighth, now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and can finish the upset of top-seeded New York in Ottawa on Monday night.

Jason Spezza scored both goals for his first two markers of the postseason for the Senators, who have won two of the three games on the road.

Henrik Lundqvist did all he could with 28 saves, but it wasn't enough to keep the Rangers from losing and they now face the prospect of a first-round exit for their third consecutive postseason.

"We played well and did a lot of good things, but unfortunately we couldn't score today," said Lundqvist. "It hurts. It was a big game. We did a lot of good things, but it comes down to that last touch, and we didn't have it tonight."

Ottawa scored the first goal of the game for the first time in this series at the 9:18 mark of the opening period. After getting the puck and gaining the zone down the right side, Mark Stone sent a soft pass down to a skating Spezza, who quickly snapped a shot between the pads of Lundqvist for his first goal of the playoffs at the 9:18 mark.

Anderson was busy in the first period as he turned aside 14 shots from the Rangers, helping his team kill off three penalties in the process.

"I thought the penalty kill in the first period was outstanding and Anderson was equally as good," said Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean. "We really didn't control much in the game, but he was strong from start to finish."

The goaltenders put on a show in the second frame as each made 12 stops in the frame. Lundqvist was key in stopping three Ottawa power plays while Anderson made a stretched out left pad save on a Brandon Dubinsky backhand down low about seven minutes in.

Anderson saved his best for the last period as he stopped 15 shots, including a stop on a Brian Boyle wrister in the slot with 10 1/2 minutes left and a save on a Derek Stepan one-timer with six minutes to play.

Spezza scored his second with the net empty and Anderson posted the second shutout of his playoff career.

Game Notes

Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson sat out a third straight game with a concussion...Both squads went 0-for-4 on the power play...New York's last playoff series victory came in the 2008 quarterfinals against New Jersey...Ottawa hasn't won a playoff series since advancing to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007...Anderson lowered his goals against in the playoffs to 1.79 and raised his save percentage to .943...Boyle was hit hard by Chris Neil in the third period and left the contest a bit later. After the game, New York head coach John Tortorella said that Boyle was "concussed" and will be out for the next game. Tortorella also compared the hit to a recent hit by Phoenix's Raffi Torres on Chicago's Marian Hossa. Hossa has been out since the hit and Torres received a 25-game ban on Saturday from the NHL.