Rangers  2    Senators  1

New York Rangers (10-8-1) at Ottawa Senators (8-6-2), 2 p.m.

Sports Network | November 14, 2009

(Sports Network) - A struggling and banged-up New York Rangers team heads north of the border today to battle the Ottawa Senators in the second meeting between the clubs of the 2009-10 campaign.

The Rangers will be entering Scotiabank Place having dropped two straight and eight of their last 11 games following a sizzling 7-1-0 start to this season, and without their top two centermen as well. New York learned this week that Brandon Dubinsky will be sidelined from 4-to-6 weeks due to a broken right hand, while captain Chris Drury isn't expected to return today from a concussion sustained in a 3-1 loss at Calgary on November 7.

Neither player dressed when the Rangers took the ice against Atlanta Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was back in action after sitting out a pair of games with a sore groin, but wasn't sharp in the team's 5-3 loss to the Thrashers.

Lundqvist stopped just 22-of-26 shots and was beaten by Colby Armstrong 19 seconds in to give Atlanta a quick 1-0 lead. The game was tied 2-2 late in the second period before the Thrashers scored twice within a 25-second span to move ahead for good.

"I could feel I hadn't played in a while, and then to start the game with a goal right away it was tough," Lundqvist said. "I battled, the whole night was a big battle. I tried to stay in there and play my game. I could feel I made a couple of technical mistakes. It's something I'll have to work on."

Marian Gaborik netted his team-high 13th goal of the season and added an assist for New York, which also received a pair of helpers out of Ales Kotalik.

Ottawa has also regressed after a strong beginning to the season, having recorded losses in six of its past nine games after going 5-2-0 out of the gates. The Senators were handed their most lopsided loss of the year Thursday in Philadelphia, where Danny Briere scored a pair of goals to lead the Flyers to a 5-1 victory.

Philadelphia erupted for four unanswered goals, three of which came in the third period, to break a 1-1 deadlock. Mike Fisher came up with Ottawa's lone tally when he scored on the power play with 5:01 remaining in the middle stanza.

"They pressured us hard the whole night," said Senators head coach Cory Clouston. "The two goals in the second [period] was a little bit deflating. The third one and the goals at the end didn't help either."

Pascal Leclaire finished with 22 saves for Ottawa, which starts up a five-game homestand this afternoon and owns a 5-3-2 record at Scotiabank Place thus far in 2009-10.

The Rangers and Senators faced off in New York back on October 3, with Dubinsky registering two goals and an assist in a 5-2 triumph for the Blueshirts. New York has also left with wins in two of its past three visits to Ottawa.