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Struggling Rangers set to host struggling Sabres

Jan 16, 2008 - 4:34 PM Buffalo (19-18-6) at NY Rangers (21-20-5) 7:00 pm EST

NEW YORK (Ticker) - Chris Drury faces his former team for the first time on Wednesday when the New York Rangers host the Buffalo Sabres in a battle of struggling teams.

After three seasons in Buffalo, Drury signed a five-year contract with the Rangers in the offseason worth $35 million.

The 31-year-old Connecticut native helped the Sabres beat New York in the second round of the playoffs last season with a memorable goal.

With the series tied two games apiece, Drury scored the tying goal in Game Five with seven seconds remaining. The Sabres won that contest in overtime and went on to eliminate the Rangers in six games.

Drury, however, has experienced limited success with his new team, registering only 31 points in 46 games.

The Rangers have dropped six of their last seven games, including a 4-1 defeat at Pittsburgh on Monday.

The Sabres enter the contest in the midst of a franchise-record nine-game losing streak, with five of the setbacks coming in shootouts.

Offense has been a major problem lately for the Sabres, who have been outscored 29-14 during their slide.

The Rangers rank last in the league in scoring, averaging just 2.37 goals per game. They have struggled offensively for most of the season despite the presence of All-Stars Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Gomez and Drury.

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is 1-4-1 with a 3.32 goals-against average in his last six starts.