GAME DAY: New York Rangers @ Ottawa Senators :: 2:00pm ET :: Sat. Jan. 18th, 2014

RANGERS (25-21-3) at SENATORS (21-18-9)

TV: CBC, NHLN-US, MSG, TVA

Last 10: New York 7-2-1; Ottawa 7-1-2

Season series: This is the first of three games between the New York Rangers and the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa won all three games last season and has won five in a row during the regular season.

Big story: Each team has seven wins in its past 10 games. The Rangers are looking for their fifth win in their past six road games. The Senators have recorded a point in eight straight games (6-0-2) and haven't lost back-to-back games since Dec. 19 and 21.

Team Scope:

Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding in the Rangers' 1-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, making 38 saves to earn his third shutout of the season. He has allowed seven goals in five games and owns a .957 save percentage during that span.

"We've come to expect that form Hanky. It seems like he's doing that every night for us, and again tonight you had two good goalies going at it and it looked like whoever scored first was going to get the win and it happened to be us," Ryan Callahan said after the win.

Despite how well Lundqvist played and his 8-4-1 mark with a 1.73 goals-against average in 14 career games at Ottawa, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said after practice Friday that Cam Talbot will get the start.

"Hank's the guy. The schedule being what it is, the demands of it, we are playing back-to-back, [Saturday's'] an afternoon game, I'm going to go with Cam," Vigneault said. "Every time we've asked him to play, he's played real well for us."

Talbot, who hasn't started since Jan. 4, is 9-3-0 with a 1.66 GAA and .938 save percentage. Lundqvist will likely get the start Sunday night against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden.

Senators: The game against the Rangers ends a two-game homestand; the Senators start a four-game trip next week and face only one non-conference opponent before the Olympic break.

"All the games we play right now seem to be against all the teams we're lumped in there with," coach Paul MacLean told the media after practice Friday. "Every game that's played heading into the Olympic break, everybody has a real focus on this stretch of games of getting yourself in a position so after the Olympic break you either have something to play for or you don't have something to play for. It's going to be way harder after the Olympic break to get yourself into a good position."

MacLean said Craig Anderson will start against the Rangers after surrendering five goals in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Who's hot: Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello, who had New York's lone goal Thursday has points in four of five games. Forward Benoit Pouliot has three assists in four games. … Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson has five points in two games. Center Kyle Turris has goals in four consecutive games.

Injury report: Rangers forward Derek Dorsett (fibula) is on injured reserve. … Senators forward Chris Neil (lower body) did not play Thursday, didn't skate Friday and is questionable.

LeKing wrote:Neil is in

shabbs wrote:Chris Neil = WIN.

LeKing wrote:

shabbs wrote:Chris Neil = WIN.

Based on this season...not so much