NEW YORK _ In a game that turned on special teams, the Rangers were shut out for the first time this season Sunday in a 2-0 loss to Ottawa, which is ranked 28th in the NHL in goals.
The Blueshirts' power play had been sliding downhill with just one goal in 11 opportunities in the previous five games, and it slowed to a crawl Sunday, going 0-for-4 against the Senators, who were quick with their sticks on pokechecks and to break up passes that the sluggish Rangers continued to try, rather than shoot at goaltender Craig Anderson.
In the two power plays of the second period, for example, with Dion Phaneuf off at 5:20 for slashing and Zack Smith whistled for hooking at 11:24, the Rangers had no shots on Anderson, who finished with 33 saves.
Meanwhile, Ottawa _ ranked sixth on the penalty kill and 29th on the power play _ made the most of their second man-advantage at 16:11 of the second when an attempted clearing pass deflected off a referee, two Rangers moved toward Mike Hoffman, and Mark Stone took his pass and beat Antti Raanta with Marc Staal in the penalty box for high-sticking.
It was the second goal on just five shots in the period for the Senators, who shut down the Rangers (15-7-1) in the third and won their fourth straight and fifth in the last seven and raised their record to 14-7-1. They closed on shooters in a hurry, and stacked their defenseman in front, making it fairly easy for Anderson.
The closest the Rangers came was with about 7:35 left in regulation, when a puck got behind Anderson, but defenseman Mark Borowiecki swept it away.
After a scoreless first period, defenseman Brady Skjei had chased Tom Pyatt behind the net, leaving space in front, as Kevin Klein took a stride toward Pyatt, leaving Jean-Gabriel Pageau alone for the pass on the doorstep and he quickly beat Raanta at 1:54 of the second. It was only the eighth shot of the game for the Senators and the first time in 12 games that they had scored first.
Anderson, who had played on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Carolina, made a kick save on Mats Zuccarello after Rick Nash's feed in one of the times that the Rangers had numbers in the offensive zone, because the Senators had controlled the neutral zone.
But the Rangers, missing injured Mika Zibanejad on the power play, who sets up for one-timers from the circle, couldn't break through.
During the morning skate at the Rangers training center, coach Alain Vigneault altered his lines, which had Jesper Fast on the first line. It didn't produce, and in the third period, Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan were reunited with Zucacarello, who had started with J.T. Miller at center, and Nash. Brandon Pirri initially was shifted to left wing, on a line with Kevin Hayes and Michael Grabner.
