RANGERS VS. SHARKS
RANGERS-SHARKS CONNECTIONS
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. SHARKS
RANGERS CONNECTIONS (IN ADDITION TO CURRENTLY PLAYING WITH THE BLUESHIRTS)
POINT TAKEN
The Rangers enter the contest with a three-game point streak (1-0-2 record over the span). The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in four of seven home games in 2017-18.
GOALS GALORE
The Rangers have registered at least three goals in each of the last three games (11 goals over the span), and nine different Blueshirts have tallied a goal in the three contests. Through nine games this season, 14 different Rangers have registered at least one goal. The Blueshirts are one of five NHL teams that have at least 14 players who have tallied a goal this season, and the only teams that have more players who have recorded a goal than the Rangers have are Columbus (15) and Pittsburgh (15). The Rangers have averaged 3.04 goals per game at MSG since the start of last season (146 goals in regulation/overtime in 48 games).
EVEN IT UP
The Blueshirts have 12 players who have recorded an even strength goal this season. The Rangers are tied for second in the NHL in players who have tallied at least one even strength goal in 2017-18.
HOME COOKING
New York continues its season-long, six-game homestand tomorrow. The homestand is the Rangers' longest since their franchise-record, nine-game homestand from Dec. 7, 2013 - Dec. 23, 2013. The Rangers play 10 of their first 13 games, as well as 13 of their first 18 games, this season at MSG.
WHAT A LINE
The Jimmy Vesey-Kevin Hayes-Jesper Fast line registered five points (three goals, two assists) on Oct. 21 vs. Nashville, and each member of the line recorded a goal in the contest. Over the last two contests, each of the three players has posted a plus-four rating or better (Hayes - plus-five; Vesey - plus-four; Fast - plus-four), and each player has also registered at least two points (Hayes - two goals, one assist; Vesey - one goal, one assist; Fast - one goal, one assist).
HOW THE WEST WAS WON
The Rangers earned their first win against a Western Conference opponent this season on Oct. 21 vs. Nashville. New York posted an 11-2-1 record against Pacific Division opponents last season, including a 6-1-0 record against Pacific Division opponents at MSG.
CLOSE CALL
All of the Rangers' last seven games have been decided by two goals or fewer, and three of their last four contests have been decided by one goal.
SHOOTING GALLERY
The Blueshirts have registered at least 30 shots on goal in five of the last six games and in seven of nine games in 2017-18.
AV SQUAD
Alain Vigneault has earned 616 career wins as an NHL head coach, and he is one win away from tying Jacques Lemaire for 13th place on the league's all-time wins list among head coaches. Vigneault leads all Rangers head coaches (min. 100 games coached) in points percentage in franchise history (.620).
KING HENRIK
Henrik Lundqvist earned his 407th career NHL win on Oct. 21 vs. Nashville, tying Glenn Hall for ninth place on the NHL's all-time wins list. He has allowed two goals or fewer in four of his last six appearances, posting a 2.32 GAA, a .928 SV%, and 1 SO over the span. Lundqvist has been selected as one of the game's Three Stars in 299 of his 750 career NHL appearances (he has been selected as one of the game's Three Stars in 39.9% of his career appearances).
SHATT STATS
Kevin Shattenkirk enters the contest with 499 career NHL games played. Shattenkirk has tallied a point in six of nine games this season (two goals, five assists). He is tied for third among NHL defensemen in games with an assist (five) and games with a point (six) this season. Shattenkirk is also tied for third among NHL defensemen in power play points this season (four).
RICK ROLLING
Rick Nash enters the contest with 998 career NHL games played. He has recorded at least four shots on goal in seven of nine games this season, and he is one of three NHL players who have recorded four or more shots on goal in at least seven games in 2017-18 (along with Alex Ovechkin and Phil Kessel).
IT'S MILLER TIME
J.T. Miller has tallied an assist/point in five of the last eight games (two goals, six assists), and he leads the Rangers in assists (six) and points (eight) this season.
MIKA MAGIC
Mika Zibanejad recorded a goal/point in each of the Rangers' first four games in 2017-18. Zibanejad became the second player in Rangers history to record a goal in each of the team's first four games of a season (Rick Nash - 2014-15). He is tied for the NHL lead in power play goals (four) and is tied for sixth in power play points (five) this season.
CENTER OF ATTENTION
David Desharnais enters the contest with a four-game point streak (two goals, three assists), and he has recorded a goal in two of the last three games. He ranks second in the NHL (min. 50 faceoffs taken) in faceoff win percentage this season (62.6%; 52-for-83).
ON THE MARC
Marc Staal enters the contest with 698 career games played as a Ranger. With his next appearance, Staal will pass Mark Messier and Steve Vickers for sole possession of 12th place on the franchise's all-time games played list. The only Rangers' first round draft pick who has played in more career games with the Blueshirts than Staal has is Brian Leetch (1,129). *Note: The NHL Amateur/Entry Draft began in 1963
HEY HEY HAYES
Kevin Hayes tallied two points (one goal, one assist), including the game-winning goal, on Oct. 21 vs. Nashville. He has recorded a goal/point in each of the last two games (two goals, one assist, plus-five rating) and in three of the last five games (three goals, one assist).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power Play:
Penalty Kill:
UPCOMING MILESTONES
INJURIES (5 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
None
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Oct. 21 - Acquired Ryan Sproul from Detroit in exchange for Matt Puempel
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
- Oct. 22, 1966 - Rod Gilbert registered his first career NHL hat trick and tallied an assist as the Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs played to a 4-4 tie in Toronto.
- Oct. 22, 1967 - Vic Hadfield tallied three points (one goal, two assists) as the Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-4, at MSG in the first all-time meeting between the two teams.
- Oct. 23, 1955 - Bill Gadsby registered three assists and Wally Hergesheimer tallied two goals, including the game-winning goal, as the Rangers rallied to defeat the Chicago Black Hawks, 5-4, at MSG.
- Oct. 23, 1957 - Gump Worsley stopped all 26 shots he faced to earn a shutout and Dean Prentice tallied two goals as the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0, at MSG.
- Oct. 23, 1966 - Ed Giacomin stopped all 24 shots he faced to earn his first career NHL shutout, and Wayne Hillman registered the only goal of the game at 7:14 of the third period as the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 1-0, at MSG.
- Oct. 23, 1968 - Brad Park made his NHL debut as the Rangers defeated the Oakland Seals, 6-1, at MSG. Seven Rangers tallied two points in the game (including each member of the G-A-G Line), and Ed Giacomin stopped 33 of 34 shots he faced to earn the win.
