Ales Kotalik News

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 New York Rangers recalled forward P.A. Parenteau from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Friday and assigned Dane Byers to the same club.

Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists in his first game back from a foot injury and Rich Peverley scored once and set up two goals in the Atlanta Thrashers' 5-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

If Dion Phaneuf wants to go looking for Sean Avery on the ice tonight, he had better be alert, with the winger unaccountably banished by coach John Tortorella to the bottom of the food chain on the Rangers' three-game western tour that concludes against the Flames.

Despite this being their last home game before going on the road for five games -- where they have just one win -- the Oilers played with little emotion, no jump and created few scoring chances.

Calgary Flames ' Jarome Iginla , left, hits New York Rangers' Vinny Prospal during the first period.

The New York City crowd was filled with excitement, while never-ending confetti fell from the sky during the New York Yankees' ticker-tape parade on Friday morning.

The New York Rangers' jerseys are the same, but the guys wearing them will be largely unfamiliar to the Calgary Flames.

Though Chris Drury talked about the critical nature of picking up a teammate in killing two penalties taken by Aaron Voros within the first 10:03 of last night's 4-2 victory here over the Oilers, head coach John Tortorella wasn't quite so sanguine in referring to the pair of infractions.

Oilers fall to Rangers New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik tries to stuff the puck past Edmonton Oilers' goalie Nikolai Khabibulin during the third period of their NHL hockey game in Edmonton, November 5, 2009.

Ales Kotalik #12 of the New York Rangers is congratulated by team mate Vinny Prospal #20 after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during their game on October 11, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Vancouver Canucks ' Shane O'Brien, left, checks New York Rangers' Artem Anisimov , of Russia, during second period NHL action in Vancouver, B.C. VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Four-time All-Star goaltender Roberto Luongo and six other Canucks regulars were sidelined.

Betts and Fredrik Sjostrom were not re-signed after helping anchor the league's No.

Shot on goal by Artem Anisimov saved by Dwayne Roloson 2nd Period 2:26 -1 Tim Jackman credited with hit on Christopher Higgins in offensive zone 2:11 -1 Ales Kotalik credited with hit on Bruno Gervais in offensive zone 2:02 -1 Matt Gilroy shot blocked by Mark Streit 1:45 -1 Giveaway by Chris Drury in defensive zone 1:36 -1 Sean Bergenheim shot ...

THE personnel is different this year, so is the head coach, and so is the role that Chris Drury has been assigned to fill on a Rangers team that brought an 8-3-1 record into last night's match against the Islanders at the Coliseum.

Less than two weeks have passed, yet the Rangers' seven-game winning streak seems like it happened centuries ago.

After ending a three-game skid Monday night with a 5-2 win over the Coyotes, the Rangers will try to make it two in a row tonight against the Islanders.

Ales Kotalik #12 of the New York Rangers is congratulated by team mate Vinny Prospal #20 after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during their game on October 11, 2009 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

So let's take stock: Now that the Rangers have gone so quickly from heroes to zeroes, not only losing their last three in a row, but also giving up more goals in those three losses than they allowed in winning their previous seven straight , what went right during the winning streak that is now going so wrong? Marian Gaborik is still scoring, and ...

The New York Rangers will try to put the brakes on a three- game losing streak tonight when they welcome the Phoenix Coyotes for an interconference battle at Madison Square Garden.