Edmonton (7-6-1) at NY Rangers (11-5-1), 7:00 pm EDT
NEW YORK (Ticker) -- After winning 10 of their first 13 games,
the New York Rangers have shown an alarming amount of
vulnerability throughout a recent slump.
The Rangers hope to avoid losing for the fourth time in five
games when they host the surging Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
In their last three losses, the Rangers have scored just four
goals. Aside from a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on
Thursday, their offensive woes remained during their 3-1 loss to
the Washington Capitals just two days later.
The Rangers defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-1, on October
24 in their last contest against a Western Conference foe, and
are 2-1-1 against such teams this season.
Meanwhile, the Oilers ended a string of several defensive lapses
in their most recent contest.
After yielding 14 goals in a three-game stretch, Edmonton was
supported by rookie Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers' 37 saves in a 2-1
victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
Former Devil defenseman Sheldon Souray netted his fifth goal of
the season and Ales Hemsky tallied with the man advantage, while
Drouin-Deslauriers turned aside all 20 shots he faced in the
second period as Edmonton snapped a two-game losing skid.
Playing in his third career contest, the 24-year-old
Drouin-Deslauriers notched his second win, but may give way to
either Mathieu Garon or Dwayne Roloson in this game. Souray has
been impressed with all three netminders and sees the team's
strong depth chart as an advantage.
"A lot of teams are searching for a (top) guy,"
Drouin-Deslauriers said. "We got three really good top-quality
goaltenders who are competing for that spot. We've been getting
good goaltending. I think as a group, we're trying to
communicate with them, tell them when we're open. We're getting
a little more comfortable as time goes on."
Edmonton has been sparked by Hemsky, who also had an assist on
Sunday. The 25-year-old now has points in eight consecutive
games on the road, recording five goals and six assists in that
span.