Getting off to a good start was a priority for the Rangers in their match up in Ottawa. How’s this for a rousing beginning to a game? They were killing penalties for the first six out of eight minutes. They didn’t get a shot off until roughly 13 minutes into the first period. Chris Drury and Michal Rozsival let Dany Heatley skate right between to set up a Jason Spezza goal to fall behind 1-0. They were flatfooted, lifeless, had no aggression, no energy, no nothing. They just flat out stunk. And they deservedly lost, 4-1.

Coming off the disaster against Vancouver, you’d think the Rangers would show a little more effort and heart. But you’d be wrong. With the exception of their goaltending and penalty killing, they’re not particularly good at anything, so if they don’t out-work the other team, they’re going to lose. And they didn’t even come close to out-working the Senators. Were they mesmerized by Ottawa’s new alternate jersey? That’s the only excuse I can think of. They turned the low-scoring Senators into the 1980s Oilers.

Stephen Valiquette did his best Henrik Lundqvist impression by trying to keep the hapless Blueshirts in the game, but by the end of the second period, things fell apart. The black cloud that floats over Rozsival’s head was with him again this afternoon. Before helping the Senators score their first goal, he committed a hooking penalty on his first shift of the game. Nice start. And when the Rangers are on the power play, are there any scarier words for Rangers fans than these: “And Rozsival and Kalinin are on the ice.” With no seventh defenseman on the roster, there aren’t any consequences for the D-men. They’re going to play every shift of every game, and Tom Renney keeps on throwing Rozsival and Kalinin out on the power play. Even Dan Girardi had a bad game, letting Charles Emerson Winchester III skate right by him in the offensive zone and cruise in to score a goal. And he had another turnover that almost led to another one.

Jarkko Ruutu was up to his old tricks. Paul Mara forgot about the game in the first period, and just decided to tackle him. That led to a penalty and a goal for Ottawa. Colton Orr got a few punches in near the end of the game, leading to 14 minutes in penalties. And when Ruutu was penalized for a late hit, he was thrown down by one of the linesman. Even they don’t like him. While it would be great to see the Ottawa agitator get his face punched in, Mara could have picked a better spot to rough him up than he did.

Once New York was down 3-0 in the third period, they showed signs of life. But it was way too late. Markus Naslund got them on the board, but when Ottawa netted their fourth goal, it was all over. They miss Scott Gomez and his speed and stickhandling. Hopefully he’ll be back sometime next week. But with the way they’re playing, they’re going to need more than that. They can’t score, their power play stinks and their turnovers and mistakes are the gifts that keep on giving for their opponents.

This was Wade Redden’s big homecoming. And like Naslund facing his old team on Wednesday, it was the former Senator’s turn to be embarrassed by his new team. Next game: Monday against Wayne Gretzky’s Phoenix Coyotes. Hopefully the Rangers will show up for that one. And maybe someone will remind them that the game starts at 7 PM, not 9.