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Lundqvist, Rangers blank Senators

Jan 11, 2009 - 3:55 AM OTTAWA (Ticker) -- Henrik Lundqvist proved why he is an All-Star.

Lundqvist made 33 saves to record his second shutout of the season and Brandon Dubinsky and rookie Lauri Korpikoski ended long goal-scoring droughts, leading the New York Rangers to a 2-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

"I thought we played an outstanding defensive game tonight," Lundqvist said. "They had some chances early, but for the most part, their shots were from the outside and the guys did a great job of letting me see everything. On top of that, we scored on a couple of our better chances and earned a big win here tonight."

Korpikoski also notched an assist for his first career multi-point game for the Rangers, who had lost six of their previous eight contests.

"We played a good game tonight from start to finish, and we capitalized on our chances," Korpikoski said. "Even though Ottawa has been struggling, they can still be a very tough team to beat."

Brian Elliott stopped 25 shots in his second career start for the Senators, who have lost five consecutive games.

"That's definitely not the result we needed," Elliott said. "It was a tight game, and with a few bounces, it could have gone our way. Unfortunately, it didn't, and we'll have to put this behind us and come out strong next time."

Lundqvist turned aside nine shots in the first period, 14 in the second and 10 in the third to complete his 19th career blanking.

"I think a big difference in our game tonight was not taking many penalties," Lundqvist said. "When you're playing a team that's finding it hard to score, giving them power-play opportunities is a good way to let them back in the game. But we played a disciplined game, and when we did take penalties, our PK came up big."

Dubinsky opened the scoring with 4:51 left in the opening session, converting Korpikoski's rebound to end a 19-game slump.

Petr Prucha started the play when he gained possession in the corner, outbattling two defenders before pushing the puck to Korpikoski, who drove to the net and unleashed a quick shot on Elliott. Dubinsky then lifted the puck over the sprawling netminder for his sixth goal of the season.

"I just went to the net when I saw (Korpikoski) coming out with (the puck)," Dubinsky said. "The puck bounced off their goalie and dropped in front of me, and I was able to get it over (Elliott's) pad."

After a scoreless second period, Korpikoski netted his second career goal at 5:22 of the final session. He had not scored since November 12.

"Obviously, it's nice to be able to score goals and do things that help the team win," Korpikoski said. "Every win is huge for us, and none of them are easy."

Nikolai Zherdev carried the puck into the offensive zone and made a sensational move around a defender before delivering a pass to Korpikoski, who fired a one-timer into the top corner of the net for a two-goal bulge.

"(Zherdev) was able to get the puck over to me and I just took my shot," Korpikoski said. "Fortunately, it went in. It was good to have that two-goal cushion after that."

It was more than enough offense for Lundqvist, who also shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

"Last night in Buffalo, we played a good game and came up empty. So it's nice to be rewarded for our efforts tonight," Lundqvist said.

"Coaches always like those kinds of games," Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "We didn't have to rely on any big heroics, we just did the things that winning teams do and we earned the two points. That's a good-looking win for us.

For Ottawa, which was coming off a road trip in which it earned just three of a possible 16 points, this was not the outcome it wanted.

"We had our chances and played a solid game tonight," Senators center Jason Spezza said. "But things aren't going our way right now, and it's frustrating. We just have to keep looking for ways to turn it around. Hopefully, we can do that on Tuesday night."