John Tortorella started looking down his bench as the New York Rangers began going deeper and deeper into a shootout standoff. Fresh from the minors, Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau was ready to step up and deliver.
Parenteau scored the deciding goal in the seventh round of the shootout to give New York a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Parenteau, who missed a shot at an open net late in regulation, put a shot into the top right corner on the Rangers' seventh attempt against Brian Elliott.
"It's a good feeling," said Parenteau, who was recalled from Hartford of the AHL on Friday. "Torts asked me if I was doing well in the minors in the shootout and I said, 'I do pretty well, decent,' so he gave me a shot. I think I pretty much redeemed myself for the goal I missed with a minute left so I'm pretty happy right now. I've got a lot of family and friends in town so it's a good moment for me."
Henrik Lundqvist stopped five Ottawa shooters, including Milan Michalek on the Senators' seventh and final attempt.
Vinny Prospal scored a short-handed goal midway through the second for New York, which had lost two in a row.
Brian Lee opened the scoring with his second of the season earlier in the middle period for Ottawa. The Senators have lost two straight and five of seven.
The Rangers finished the extra period short-handed after Ales Kotalik was sent off for tripping Milan Michalek 3:37 into overtime.
New York's Ryan Callahan blocked consecutive point shots by Daniel Alfredsson during the ensuing 4-on-3 power-play.
"You know, he's one of our key guys when it comes to the PK," Lundqvist said. "He's been there for a couple of years and the big part is reading the game, to be in the right lane when they pass the puck."
Faced with an opportunity at an open net moments later, the Ottawa captain fanned on a swipe at a bouncing puck off the end boards.
"I thought I had it for sure and it just took a wicked bounce straight over my stick," Alfredsson said. "I saw it coming and I thought I timed it pretty good but it just took off and I didn't get a piece of it."
Lundqvist made 35 saves in his second straight start after missing two games because of a lower body injury.
"It's tough to get a 4-on-3 at the end of the game but the guys were unbelievable, blocking big shots and it was tough to see the puck," Lundqvist said. "That's what you need. We were ready to pay the price and we did a lot of great things out there, especially on the PK."
Elliott stopped 27 shots in his first appearance in six games.
Rangers captain Chris Drury missed his second game in a row. Drury sustained a concussion one week earlier on a hit to the head by Curtis Glencross in a 3-1 loss in Calgary that went unpenalized in the game, but drew the Flames forward a three-game suspension from the league on Monday.
After a scoreless opening period, Ottawa outshot New York 17-7 in the second, yet remained in a 1-1 tie after the two teams each scored once in the middle period.
Lee finished off a nice passing play with Chris Kelly and Jarkko Ruutu for his second goal 4:29 into the second.
Kelly carried the puck into Rangers' zone and dished off to Ruutu on the left side. The pesky Finn fed a return pass to the slot where Lee was left alone to drive a slap shot under Lundqvist's right pad.
"It was a great pass from (Ruutu) and (Kelly) took away the goalie's eyes so I think you guys could have put that one in," Lee said.
Prospal teamed up with Marian Gaborik to draw the Rangers even at 1 with a short-handed goal 10:58 into the second. Prospal finished off a 2-on-1 when he redirected Gaborik's centering pass beyond Elliott into an open left side, ending a personal seven-game goal drought.
Both teams survived close calls late in regulation. Chris Higgins hit the post and Parenteau put a shot over an open net on a Rangers power play after the Senators were called for too many men 14:51 into the third.
"I'd just made one save and I guess it bounced across to (Parenteau) and I just dove," Elliott said. "I don't know what happened, whether somebody got a stick on it or a glove, but he missed the net and we got that big point."
Lundqvist stopped Ottawa's Chris Neil from in close with less than 1 minute remaining after Rangers defenseman Marc Staal turned over the puck behind his own net.
NOTES: Parenteau had a two-game stint earlier this season and scored in his Rangers debut in a 3-1 road loss to the New York Islanders on Oct. 28. ... Kotalik and Prospal also scored for New York in the shootout. Alfredsson and Jason Spezza scored for Ottawa. ... Prospal's goal was the Rangers' third short-handed effort of the season and their first since Oct. 11, when Dan Girardi scored short-handed in a 3-0 win over Anaheim. ... Senators G Pacal Leclaire is 2-3-1 with a 3.55 goals-against average in his last seven starts, including Thursday's 5-1 loss in Philadelphia.
