• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Rangers top slumping Senators

Dec 1, 2007 - 11:39 PM OTTAWA (Ticker) -- The New York Rangers' big names are starting to stir.

Brendan Shanahan netted two goals and captain Jaromir Jagr scored in his third straight game, leading the Rangers to a 5-2 victory over the slumping Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

Marcel Hossa added a pair of assists for New York, which extended its road points streak to seven games (6-0-1).

"We're playing better, but we caught this team at a time when their confidence is not real strong right now," Shanahan said. "We didn't want to be the team that helps give any back to them. The way we started the hockey game was important and made a big difference in the result."

The Rangers took control early, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first 12 minutes en route to handing the Senators their sixth straight defeat.

It is Ottawa's longest slide since a seven-game losing streak from February 22-March 9, 1996.

Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson was not pleased with the result, and knows that ending a losing streak is sometimes easier said than done.

"Everybody realizes we have to pull harder," Alfredsson said. "It's tough when you really want to go out there and do a good job and we end up being down 2-0 really quick.

"It's always tough when you give another team two, or even three, goals. For us, we need to score the first goal and put the pressure on them. But we've been getting behind a lot, and that doesn't help."

Counting a pair of shootout defeats, Ottawa has surrendered 28 goals during its slump.

Blanked in their last two trips here, the Rangers won for just the second time in their last 10 visits to the Canadian capital.

From the opening faceoff, the Rangers appeared to have an advantage over their hosts. New York carried the majority of the play in the opening minutes, and it did not take long before the Rangers generated results as they scored on their first two shots.

Defenseman Dan Girardi opened the scoring 3:37 into the game on a slap shot from the right point that managed to get through traffic and elude goaltender Martin Gerber.

The Rangers doubled their advantage nearly four minutes later, when Shanahan blasted a one-timer over Gerber's glove after taking a feed in the slot from Scott Gomez.

"The start was key," Gomez said. "They're such a powerhouse over there. But each guy did his part, and to get two points out of here on a Saturday, we should be pretty happy with ourselves right now."

Jagr added a power-play goal at 11:40 to make 3-0, beating Gerber with a wrist shot and sending him to the bench.

The 33-year-old Gerber, who finished with nine saves, has lost his last four games while allowing 17 goals in his last nine periods.

"There's no doubt about it, it's frustrating," the Swiss netminder said. "Nobody's happy right now. But everyone has to find a way to push through and get out of it. I can only speak for my part, and I have to do a better job. I have to find a way to get my game back and try to help the team."

Ray Emery replaced Gerber but gave up Shanahan's second goal at 9:34 of the second period. Shanahan tipped in Martin Straka's shot, giving the Rangers a 4-0 cushion.

New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist lost his shutout bid when defenseman Joe Corvo scored for the Senators with 5:32 left in the second period. The Swede finished with 31 saves.

"It was so important that we kept it 3-1 in the second and then had a good start in the third," Lundqvist said. "With a good team like Ottawa, you can never count them out. We know that, and I thought our guys did a great job containing them."

Dany Heatley scored with 5:58 left in the third before the Rangers clinched it with Blair Betts' empty-net goal with 42 seconds remaining.

"Hopefully, we can head out on this road trip and get our game back on track," Heatley said. "It's not so much who we're playing against, but more how we're playing. I don't think we care about what has happened in the past. But six losses in a row is something we want to fix."