I don’t think I’m alone in saying that Steve Valliquette did not deserve the loss he took last night. Stevie V played amazingly well, but at least we got a point. That being said, why wasn’t Sjostrom one of the first three shooters in the shootout? Stupid move on Renney’s part.
I couldn't find a picture of Valli from last night, so here's one of Petr Prucha. 
Anyway – the Rangers are facing the Ottawa Senators tonight in Ottawa. Lundqvist will be back in net, and Michael Roszival is out for tonight, and Bobby Sanguinetti has been called up from the Hartford Wolfpack to play his first NHL game tonight.
For anyone not watching, Rozy got checked hard into the side of the boards, due to the door to the Sabres bench being open during a line change. Personally, I think there should have been a penalty called. The check was away from the play, there was no need for it, and the door had been open for a good 10 seconds before Gaustad delivered the check – clearly he had seen that the door was open. Anyway, Rozy is said to be doing fine, he doesn’t have a concussion, and x-rays were negative for any broken facial bones. He’s apparently got a doozy of a headache, and you can’t fault the guy for taking a night off after he ate wall like that.
Ottawa is returning home from a road trip on which they went 1-6-1. If there was ever a time to bounce back from two straight losses, it’s tonight.
Another note – Ottawa’s goalie tonight will be Brian Elliot, who is playing in just his second NHL game. Here’s hoping the Rangers don’t make him look like Patrick Roy, like they’ve had a habit of doing against back-ups this season.
Numbers breakdown:
Senators record: 13-20-6 – 2-7-1 in their last 10 - 9-6-3 at home
Rangers record: 24-15-4 – 4-4-2 in their last 10 - 10-7-2 on the road
Average goals scored in a game:
Senators: 2.36
Rangers: 2.51
Average goals allowed in a game:
Senators: 2.92
Rangers: 2.67
Power Play
Senators: 18.2%
Rangers: 14.2%
Penalty Kill:
Senators: 82%
Rangers: 87.5%
