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Zherdev, Lundqvist help Rangers top Senators

Nov 18, 2008 - 4:23 AM By Larry Fleisher PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- The New York Rangers would prefer to win games with a good start. For now, they will just enjoy another comeback victory.

Nikolai Zherdev scored in the first round of the shootout and Henrik Lundqvist made a pair of saves to preserve the victory as the Rangers defeated the Ottawa Senators, 2-1, on Monday.

Fredrik Sjostrom tallied for the first time since October 11 as the Rangers won their third in a row and gained a point for the fourth straight game. They did so by coming back once again.

"We don't like to get down, but we're finding ways to come back - and that's a great sign," New York's Markus Naslund said. "But our starts have to be better. We can't keep doing this every game, it's going to take too much out of us. But it's great when we're able to get the win still."

"Even though we didn't play a complete game, we got the two points and that's what matters for us," Lundqvist said.

Against Edmonton and Boston, the Rangers had to overcome two-goal deficits. In this one, they had to rally from a one-goal deficit when Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson beat Lundqvist late in the second period.

Once Sjostrom guaranteed at least a point for the Rangers, they gained the extra point due to Zherdev's wrist shot in the bonus format and two more saves by Lundqvist.

After turning in a 27-save performance, Lundqvist picked up his league-leading 12th victory by stopping Jason Spezza and Antoine Vermette. Lundqvist's left pad save on Vermette gave the Rangers their first victory over the Senators in the last six home meetings and it came after Ottawa pest Jarkko Ruutu fanned on his attempt.

"A lot of times, I think about the extra point and how important it is and that kind of fires me up," Lundqvist said. "I like the challenge of facing the best players on the other team."

Lundqvist also allowed two goals or less for the 12th straight appearance and improved to 4-8-0 lifetime against the Senators.

"He made the difference for them, no question," Alfredsson said. "We had our chances and we couldn't make the most of it.

Ottawa gained a point for the first time in five games, but the loss was also the fifth in a row for the Senators, who just a year ago occupied the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

"We played a heckuva game," Ottawa coach Craig Hartsburg said. "I'm proud of every one of our guys. We battled and took a step forward."

That distinction now belongs to the Rangers, who have needed only 21 games to get 14 victories and 30 points. The comeback also gave them a 3-2-2 mark when trailing after 40 minutes.

"I think it's the fear of losing, which is an important thing," Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "That's an important thing for a team. That's the nature of the beast right now.

"We put ourselves in a situation where we had to battle back from behind again," Sjostrom said. "It was a difficult situation, but it shows how we can come back. Everybody is very happy with the win, but we could make it easier on ourselves."

Alfredsson opened the scoring with his first goal since October 24.

After taking a feed from Dany Heatley, Alfredsson skated out of the left corner, stickhandled around Sjostrom and got by defensemen Michal Rozsival and Dmitri Kalinin before putting a wrist shot from the low slot past Lundqvist.

Lundqvist kept it a one-goal contest by denying Vermette on a shorthanded breakaway early in the third. He also stopped Heatley during a goalmouth scramble and Spezza on a partial breakaway to keep the game tied.

Sjostrom forged the tie with hard work and good positioning. He outraced defenseman Chris Phillips to a loose puck behind the net and fed it to defenseman Marc Staal above the left circle.

Staal's initial shot was stopped by Auld, but Sjostrom skated to the right circle, gathered the rebound and put a wrister past Auld for his first goal in 17 games.

Auld made 26 saves for the Senators, who have scored two goals or fewer for the fifth straight contest and eighth time in nine games.