By Arthur Staple

Greenburgh, N.Y.- Alex Kovalev isn't about to start taking a new driving route to Madison Square Garden, or eating fried chicken before each game. There's nothing off the ice Kovalev can do to break his season-long scoring drought.

"You start trying to do stuff like that and you can only end up more confused," he said.

It's hard to imagine Kovalev even more befuddled than he's been with the puck on his stick and a scoring chance in front of him. Since Glen Sather brought Kovalev from the Penguins on Feb. 10, Kovalev has 15 goals in 56 games, and just five this season, on a pace for a measly 13, which would be his lowest healthy season total in his 12 NHL seasons.

"It's probably the worst streak I've had ever, sure," Kovalev said of his goal-scoring woes this season. He still leads the team with 19 assists and 24 points, but he has just one goal and one assist in his last six games with 16 shots on goal. He hasn't lacked for scoring chances, like the one in the second period of Saturday's loss in Ottawa. Bobby Holik set up Kovalev, who couldn't lift the puck over Patrick Lalime.

"It's never happened to me before, with as many chances as I've had in the last 5-6 games," he said. "You don't get that many chances to score, so maybe I just need to focus on the chances I get instead of trying to create more and do more."

Sather has removed Kovalev from the point on the first power play unit during Kovalev's recent rough patch, shifting the creative forward down to the side boards to give him more room to operate but to no good result. Kovalev has no power-play goals this season.

Of course, Kovalev does not shoulder all the responsibility for the Rangers' occasional scoring woes.

"I think our whole line has been a little sluggish lately," said Martin Rucinsky, who has been Kovalev's opposite wing since the first month of the season. "Goal-scorers like Alex go through rough times, but they find ways to get out of it. You're not going to be hot for 82 games. He's a great player, he's mature, experienced, he knows what to do. He just has to go out and do it."

Sather had Kovalev watching film after yesterday's optional skate at the MSG Training Center in preparation for tonight's home game with the sliding Bruins. Maybe a little history will help Kovalev - his 21 goals against the Bruins are the most for Kovalev against any NHL club.

"I could starting shooting from the red line, but it wouldn't make any difference," he said. "I just have to focus on making the most of my chances when I get them."