New York Rangers look to rebound at home against Ottawa Senators

Antti Raanta and the New York Rangers will look to rebound at Madison Square Garden when they take on the Ottawa Senators.

• New York Rangers (23-12-1, 47 pts)
• Ottawa Senators (20-11-3, 43 pts)
• NHL, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 7 p.m. ET, MSG Network
• Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]wo straight blowout losses that saw the opponent put up seven goals apiece currently has these New York Rangers reeling. In the last contest, a 7-4 home loss to the Minnesota Wild last Friday, starting goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was pulled in the second period.

Via Stats LLC:

“The first one (goal) — bad goal,” Lundqvist said. “The fourth one, I have to try more to be in good position on that; it’s a hard shot. They just took advantage of some breakdowns. Personally, I have to play more on my toes. But I’m not going to blame anything; I just have to find a way to be more on my toes in a game like this.”

Tonight, when the Rangers welcome in the Ottawa Senators to the World’s Most Famous Arena, it’ll be Antti Raanta who receives the call.

.@ARaanta31 in net for #NYR tonight with Lundqvist dealing with the flu, plus thoughts from @BradySkjei. Full story: https://t.co/QkH5gDjgsX pic.twitter.com/ZlrIKls6e9

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 27, 2016

"I think everyone was eager to come back and start playing again." – @ARaanta31 speaks before starting for #NYR tonight against Ottawa. https://t.co/ufCmHcSTnx

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 27, 2016

The Senators come into the game on a different note. They weren’t expected to do much this season, but have been solid all the way around with 43 points. They’ve won four straight games under the direction of head coach Guy Boucher.

“We want to do better,” he said. “We want to keep growing. We want to make those playoffs. We can’t let down. The guys know that. Since Day 1 there hasn’t really been a long letdown. We had a game and a half drift. The rest I think we’ve done really good. I’ve been really impressed with the dedication of the players.”

Opening puck drop comes your way at 7 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden.

Hear from J.T. and @19Vesey after today's #NYR morning skate. https://t.co/J6UbstfPdw

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 27, 2016

After a month of waiting, we finally get our shot at payback. #NYRonMSG #NYR #LGR pic.twitter.com/6T3olJTaFx

— MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) December 27, 2016

[sc name=”Rangers Link Next” link=”elitesportsny.com/2016/12/25/2016-17-new-york-rangers-proven-semi-fraudulent/” text=”Rangers expose themselves as semi-fraudulent” ]