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G Lundqvist faces Senators after earning weekly honor

Mar 13, 2007 - 2:48 PM Ottawa (39-23-7) at NY Rangers (34-27-8) 7:00 pm EDT

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- If the New York Rangers make the playoffs, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will deserve much of the credit.

One day after being named the NHL's First Star of the Week, Lundqvist will lead the Rangers in a pivotal game against the Ottawa Senators.

Lundqvist went 3-0-1 with a 1.43 goals-against average in four games last week. Two of the wins were in shootouts, including last Sunday's 2-1 triumph over Carolina.

The victory moved New York into an eighth-place tie with the Hurricanes for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and two points in back of the New York Islanders.

Jaromir Jagr netted the clincher in the shootout and leads the team with 78 points. He has 34 goals and 37 assists in 54 career games against Ottawa.

Ranked second in the East in goals (238), Ottawa has been in a slump. Following four losses in five contests, the Senators are in fourth place in the East, one point in front of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Dany Heatley has 10 goals and six assists in his last 10 outings. He netted his 42nd goal of the season - a shorthanded tally - for the Senators in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ottawa has taken two of the first three encounters against New York this season. Ray Emery made 27 saves in a 1-0 shutout on December 29 before the Senators took the most recent matchup on January 11.