For the New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist, the puck may be looking a little more like a beach ball than a BB these days; on Sunday night he made 20 saves in a 3-0 win over the visiting Ottawa Senators.
It was Lundqvist’s 63rd career shutout and second of the season.
“I think the last couple of weeks we’ve played with a little bit more urgency and determination because we knew we were in a tough spot,” Lundqvist said. “You can’t let it slide. We were in a really deep hole and now we’re climbing ourselves back in the race here. We needed to do it. I think that pressure helped us to bring up the level of play. It had to.”
Kevin Hayes, and Michael Grabner scored for the Rangers and Mika Zibanejad sealed it with a long-range empty netter.
“They were ready to play us, they were ready to pay the price and their goaltender was really good,” Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said. “We had our chances, but their goalie made the right saves at the right time and we didn’t have that push that we normally have.”
In the third, the Rangers’ Brendan Smith was whistled for a five-minute major and game misconduct on an interference call.
Overt he course of the major, the Senators managed only one shot on goal.
“Just not allowing them to get to their set up as often,” Ryan McDonagh said . “We’re trying to be aggressive at the right times. If you find guys alone and on an island, try to jump him, take away his time. Any kind of pucks below the goal line, keep them on the run.
“I think the big thing is we kept fresh legs. When we had a chance to clear we did so it allowed us to keep the changes going. Never got stuck out there too long and that’s when you get in trouble.”
In their last three losses, Ottawa has gone scoreless in 11 power play chances.
“As of right now it’s not going the way that we want it to,” the Sens’ Erik Karlsson said . “It’s obviously something that we know and that we’re trying to figure out. We’re going to have to find a way here to sort that out as soon as possible.”
[WATCH: All Senators vs. Rangers highlights]
Craig Anderson made 24 saves in taking the loss as the Sens dropped to 8-5-6 with the their third straight loss.
The NHL this season has a few teams running hot since the start and one or two at the bottom. But for the most part the entire league is inconsistent and failing to gain much traction; the Rangers and Senators are two of the latter.
“The last three weeks or so the record is pretty good, we’re playing better, but the most important thing in this league is your focus and determination. All teams are skilled. All teams can play fast. If you want it bad enough you’re going to have a much better chance of winning,” Lundqvist said after the win.
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