Senators 3, Rangers 0
OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators have successfully exacted a season's worth of revenge on their first round playoff opponents from last spring.
Ben Bishop made 24 saves for his second career shutout as the Senators dumped the New York Rangers 3-0 Thursday night at Scotiabank Place. The victory was the Senators' third over the Blueshirts, completing a season sweep against the team that eliminated them in a first-round series that went the distance last April.
Andre Benoit, Guillaume Latendresse and Colin Greening scored for the Senators, who improved their league-leading home record to 13-2-3.
The Rangers had won six of their previous eight visits to Ottawa.
Benoit's second goal of the season finally interrupted the Lundqvist-Bishop goaltending dual with 49 seconds left in the middle period.
The Senators were on a power play after Anton Stralman had hauled down Mike Hoffman on a semi-break. Compounding matters for the Rangers was the fact Ryan Callahan was without a stick as Ottawa controlled inside the blue line. Benoit was able to get a shot through while Lundqvist was being screened by Chris Neil.
Latendresse scored on a shot to Lundqvist's stick side to give Ottawa some breathing room in the third. Greening's goal was with Lundqvist on the bench for an extra attacker.
The Senators outshot the Rangers 9-4 in a quiet first period.
NOTES: Sidelined with a high-ankle sprain since the previous Rangers visit to Ottawa on Feb. 21, Senators goalie Craig Anderson practiced for the second day in a row but couldn't put a timetable on his return. "Physically, the pain is going to be there, so that's part of it," said Anderson, who still leads the NHL in save percentage and goals against average. "Mentally, it's telling myself I'm able to do the job I'm supposed to do. Every day there seems to be less and less pain; I can do more and more. I look forward to day I can go out there and there is no limitations." ... Rangers center Brian Boyle played his 300th NHL game. ... Henrik Lundqvist made his ninth consecutive start in the New York net. ... The Senators recalled Mike Hoffman from Binghamton for just his second NHL game (first since December, 2011) and put him on the first line with Kyle Turris and Daniel Alfredsson.
