Derek Stepan, Nick Holden push Rangers past Senators

NEW YORK -- Nick Holden and Derek Stepan each scored two goals to help the New York Rangers rally for a 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
New York (24-12-1) , which ended a two-game skid, trailed 2-0 and 3-1.
Holden scored his second goal at 6:31 of the third period, four seconds after a New York power play ended, to break a 3-3 tie. It was his first two-goal game since March 2, 2014, when he played for the Colorado Avalanche.
"Getting the win the way we did means more to me than scoring two goals," Holden said. "Obviously, my game's not scoring goals; it's more playing good defensively. But obviously when you score, it's a bonus. I was happy with how the team responded after the first two goals."

WATCH: All Senators vs. Rangers highlights
The Senators scored on their first two shots of the game. Mark Borowiecki beat goalie Antti Raanta at 2:02 to make it 1-0, and Zack Smith scored his eighth goal at 3:10 to make it 2-0.
Holden got the comeback started for the Rangers when he scored to make it 2-1 at 11:37 of the first period.
Cody Ceci scored his first goal in 36 games to give the Senators a 3-1 lead with 3:04 left in the first.
Stepan made it 3-2 when he scored his first of the night at 2:45 of the second period, two seconds after a Rangers power play ended. He scored again to tie it 3-3 at 14:55 of the second, six seconds into a Rangers power play after Jean-Gabriel Pageau was penalized for goalie interference on Raanta.
"We responded extremely well tonight. The last two games, we had none of it, and tonight we had all of it," Stepan said.

It was the first loss in five games for Ottawa (20-12-3).
"We definitely started strong enough, and coming off a break, that's always tough to do, especially in a building like this, but we got it done," Ceci said of the Senators' four-day Christmas break. "From there, we kind of tailed off a bit and got into a little bit on penalty trouble."
After allowing goals on Ottawa's first two shots, Raanta made 33 saves, including all 14 he faced in the second period. He allowed seven goals on 47 shots in a 7-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last Tuesday in his most recent start.
"Of course it's a great feeling after the game because you know that those saves [in the second and third period] probably made a difference today," Raanta said.
Condon made 21 saves.

Goal of the game

After Holden took a pass from Ryan McDonagh, skated up ice and faked out Senators defenseman Marc Methot, his shot from a sharp angle hit Condon's shoulder and deflected into the net for his first goal of the night.

Save of the game

Raanta made a right-pad save on Ceci's point-blank chance at 8:03 of the second period to keep the Rangers within one goal. Ceci took a pass from Bobby Ryan and had an open net on the left side, but Raanta went into the splits and got his pad on it.

Unsung performance of the game

With the Senators leading 2-0 early in the first period, Stepan was extremely vocal on the bench, trying to motivate the Rangers. Stepan also addressed his teammates during the first intermission, and the Rangers credited his speech with sparking the comeback. "It's so important to have good chatter on the bench, and we had none of it, no emotion," Stepan said. "I know our coaching staff really expects our leadership group to step up at times, and in that moment, I felt it was a good time for me to step up and try to light a fire on somebody and try to turn things around and get people thinking the right way."

Highlight of the game

With Ottawa leading 3-2, Ryan Dzingel's shot hit the post and bounced under Raanta's left pad at 9:27 of the second period. Raanta closed his legs to smother the puck and prevent it from going over the goal line, keeping the Rangers within one.

They said it

"[Antti Raanta] made some incredible saves, especially in the second period and down in the last five minutes there. It was great to see him rebound and refocus. It can be tough to give up the first two shots in the game like that, but he stayed with it like he always does."-- Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh on Raanta remaining sharp after allowing two early goals
"I don't know, I was lost. I ended up down there and got two lucky ones." -- Rangers defenseman Nick Holden on his two goals
"We missed two or three opportunities where we could have put the game away, where it would be [4-2 or 5-2]. ... We made plays and almost tied the game at the end, but we did everything but put the puck in the net." -- Senators center Derick Brassard

Need to know

McDonagh had three assists and has eight in his past nine games. ... Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein played in his 600th NHL game. ... New York is 11-1-1 following a loss this season. ... It was the third straight game the Rangers allowed at least three goals in one period. ... Mike Hoffman and Pageau each had two assists for the Senators.

What's next

Senators: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; RDSI, TSN5, FS-D, NHL.TV)
Rangers: At the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A PLUS, MSG, NHL.TV)