• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Rangers look for first win of new year vs. Canadiens

Jan 12, 2008 - 3:41 PM Montreal (22-13-8) at NY Rangers (20-19-5) 7:00 pm EST

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- The new year has not been kind to the New York Rangers.

The Rangers aim to snap their season-high five-game skid and pick up their first win of 2008 when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

New York's last win came on December 30 when it edged the Canadiens, 4-3, in overtime.

The Rangers seemed primed to end their losing streak on Thursday when Ryan Hollweg scored twice, but Henrik Lundqvist allowed six goals on 18 shots in a 6-2 loss to Philadelphia.

Lundqvist has been a big reason for New York's struggles in the new year. The 25-year-old Swede is 2-5-2 with a 3.81 goals-against average in his last nine games.

Also hurting the Rangers is their lack of scoring. New York has scored just 10 goals during its skid, compared to 14 during a three-game winning streak that closed out 2007.

Meanwhile, Montreal will look to take advantage of the slumping Rangers and pick up its sixth win in the last eight games.

Former Ranger Alexei Kovalev had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win over Boston on Thursday and has four tallies and six assists in the last seven games.