Pregame Notes: Rangers at Islanders 

RANGERS RUNDOWN

• The New York Rangers and Islanders play in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets and Giants (3:00 PM ET - TV: ABC, ESPN Plus - Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). This is the 41st outdoor game in NHL history.
• The Blueshirts are 4-0-0 in outdoor games and can become the first team in NHL history with five wins outdoors.
• Seven Rangers players have skated in an outdoor game before (full list below). If Matt Rempe makes his NHL debut against the Islanders, he would become the first player in NHL history to make his debut in an outdoor game.
• The Rangers have been involved in a one-goal game in three of their four outdoor contests, including a head-to-head meeting with the Islanders at Yankee Stadium in the 2014 Stadium Series.
• New York has wins in six-straight games, tied for the longest streak of the season (Oct. 21-Nov. 2), and points in eight of its last nine games (7-1-1). The Rangers are tied with the 2014-15 Kings for the longest winning streak heading into an outdoor game in NHL history.
• The Blueshirts’ 35 wins are the third most in the NHL and their 73 points rank fifth in the league.
• The Islanders are the only team the Rangers have yet to play this season and the teams have not played since Dec. 22, 2022. The Rangers have earned 135 regular-season wins against the Islanders, their third-most against a non-Original Six opponent behind the Flyers (143) and Penguins (138).
• New York has the NHL’s sixth best power play percentage (25.6) and fifth best in penalty kill percentage (83.6).
• New York has six players (Kreider, Zibanejad, Panarin, Trocheck, Fox, Lafreniere) with 30 or more points and four players (Kreider, Panarin, Trocheck, Zibanejad) with 15-plus goals, tied for the fourth most in the NHL.
• In the last 22 games (since Dec. 27), Artemi Panarin (27 pts) and Vincent Trocheck (20 pts) have recorded a combined 47 points (21G-26A).
• When allowing three goals or fewer in a game this season, the Rangers have a 32-2-2 record.
• The Rangers’ 54.0 faceoff percentage is the fourth highest in the NHL. Since 1997-98 when the league started tracking FOW%, the team hasn’t finished a season over 53.3 percent.
• New York has accumulated 134 points from defensemen this season, tied for the third most in the NHL.
• The Blueshirts have 17 comeback wins this season and eight when trailing in the third period, both rank third in the NHL.

RANGERS AND ISLANDERS CONNECTIONS

• Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette began his head coaching career with the Islanders, heading the team from 2001-02 – 2002-03.
• Rangers assistant coach Michael Peca played for the Islanders from 2001-02 to 2003-04.
• Goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Illya Sorokin are close friends, growing up together in Russia.

TAKING IT OUTDOORS

The Rangers will play in their fifth outdoor game when they face the Islanders (4-0-0), becoming one of five teams in the NHL to play in five or more outdoor games (PIT, CHI, BOS, PHI). In those games, they have a 15-8 goal differential.

Peter Laviolette is set to appear in his fifth outdoor NHL game, following the 2010 Winter Classic (w/ PHI), 2012 Winter Classic (w/ PHI), 2020 Winter Classic (w/ NSH) and 2023 Stadium Series (w/ WSH). His five such appearances will tie Joel Quenneville for the most by a head coach.

PANARIN’S POINTS

Artemi Panarin has points in six of his last nine games (4G-6A) and 21 points in his last 19 games (8G-13A). He has notched a point in 43 games this year, the second most in the NHL.

Panarin ranks seventh in the NHL in goals (31) and tied for sixth in points (71).

He has reached 30 goals in a season for the fourth time in his career and is the only active undrafted player to accomplish the feat.

His 31 goals are tied for the second most of his career.

NEW YORK NETMINDERS

Igor Shesterkin has 21 win on the season and has earned points in four of his last five starts. Shesterkin has allowed two or fewer goals in 16 of his 21 wins. Shesterkin’s 21 wins rank sixth in the NHL.

Jonathan Quick has won four-straight starts, allowing two or fewer goals in three of them. Quick is the oldest goaltender in franchise history with a three-or-more game winning streak and the second active netminder with a run of that length at age 38 or older, joining Marc-Andre Fleury (7 GP & 3 GP in 2022-23).

Quick holds a 13-4-2 record this season. Among goaltenders with 18 or more starts, he ranks third in goals-against average (2.36) and tied for sixth in save percentage (.917). His 13 wins tie Dave Kerr, Lorn Chabot and Igor Shesterkin for the most wins through 20 career games with the Rangers.

He is one win away from tying Dominik Hasek for 15th most in NHL history (389) and three wins from tying Ryan Miller for the most wins among American-born goaltenders (391).

NEXT ON FOX

Adam Fox is coming off a four-assist night and has points in seven of his last 10 games (1G-12A). Despite missing 10 games with injury, he ranks tied for seventh among NHL defensemen in points (43).

With his 40th point of the season, he joined Phil Housley (1982-83 to 1992-93), Mark Howe (1979-80 to 1987-88) and Gary Suter (1985-86 to 1992-93) as the fourth U.S.-born defenseman to record at least 40 points in each of his first five seasons. He

Fox recorded his 30th assist of the season on Feb. 9 at Chicago and became the sixth player, second defenseman, in Rangers history to record 30 assists in each of his first five seasons with the franchise, joining Mark Messier (6), Phil Goyette (6), Artemi Panarin (5), Reijo Ruotsalainen (5) and Phil Esposito (5).

Since the 2019-20 season, Fox ranks fifth among NHL defensemen in points (278) and second in assists (234).

FORECHECK, BACKCHECK, TROCHECK

Vincent Trocheck ranks first in the NHL (min. 700 FO) in faceoff percentage (61.9) and is the only player in the NHL to have 45 or more points, 60 or more hits, and 40 or more blocked shots.

Trocheck has 15 points in his last 18 games (7G-8A).

KREIDING TO MAKE HISTORY

Chris Kreider has 27 goals this season, has points in eight of his last 12 contests (7G-7A) and 10 of his last 15 games (7G-9A). This season, Kreider has changed the Rangers record books:

• Surpassed Adam Graves for the third most goals in Rangers history (281)
• Surpassed Adam Graves for the 10th most points in team history (508)
• Recorded his 500th career point
• Surpassed Camille Henry for the fourth most road goals in franchise history (137) - Tied Bill Cook for the third most game-winning goals in franchise history (42)
• Became the fifth Ranger to tally 100 career power play goals
• Recorded his 166th career goal at MSG (regular season and playoffs) to surpass Rod Gilbert for the most in the building’s history
• Notched his ninth 20-goal campaign in his career. Only two players in franchise history have recorded as many: Rod Gilbert (12x) and Jean Ratelle (9x).

SLAP SHOTS

• Mika Zibanejad has points in eight of his last 12 games (3G-9A) and seven points (2G-5A) in his last six games.
• Will Cuylle ranks first among rookies and sixth in the NHL in hits with 173. He has a plus/minus rating of even or better in 44 of 54 games this season (44 games with a plus/minus rating of even or better are most on the Rangers and most among all NHL rookies). He also has points in four of his last six games (2G-3A).
• Jacob Trouba’s 151 blocked shots are the third most in the NHL. Trouba is the only player in the NHL to have 125+ blocked shots and 125+ hits.
• Alexis Lafreniere has goals in three of his last six games.
• Jonny Brodzinski has points in three of his last four games (2G-1A) and has five points in his last six games (3G-2A). His four goals match a career-high originally set in 2017-18 with Los Angeles.
• The Rangers have a regular season record of 43-11-6 when Kreider and Zibanejad score a goal in the same game.