Rangers at Flyers 1.4.17: Pregame Notes
© Jared Silber
TONIGHT'S GAME
The Rangers play their 41st game of the 2016-17 season and conclude a back-to-back set tonight, Jan. 4, against the Philadelphia Flyers in a Metropolitan Division matchup at Wells Fargo Center (8:00 p.m. ET - TV: NBCSN; Radio: ESPN 1050 AM). New York has won 10 of its last 15 contests (10-5-0), including nine of its last 13 games (9-4-0) and six of its last nine games (6-3-0). The Rangers have posted a 26-13-1 record this season.
RANGERS VS. FLYERS
RANGERS-FLYERS CONNECTIONS
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. FLYERS
WINNING WAYS
The Rangers' 26 wins in 2016-17 are the fifth-most wins the team has earned through the first 40 games of one season in franchise history. The Blueshirts have earned at least 26 wins in their first 40 games of a season five times in franchise history (1970-71, 1971-72, 1993-94, 2011-12, 2016-17). The Rangers are the only NHL team that has earned at least 13 wins both at home and on the road this season.
BACK-TO-BACK
In their last 88 back-to-back sets (since the start of the 2010-11 season), the Rangers have posted a 59-23-6 record in the second game of the set. New York has posted a 6-0-0 record in the second game of a back-to-back set in 2016-17.
ROAD WARRIORS
New York leads the NHL in road wins this season (13) and leads the NHL in road wins since the start of the 2013-14 season (85). The Blueshirts have earned a win in 12 of their last 16 road contests (12-4-0), including six of their last seven road games (6-1-0).
STARS ON BROADWAY
In three of the last four weeks, a Ranger has been selected as the NHL's Second Star of the Week (Antti Raanta - week ending on Dec. 11; Henrik Lundqvist - week ending on Dec. 18; Chris Kreider - week ending on Jan. 1).
BOUNCE BACK
Since Dec. 22, 2015, the Rangers have posted a 28-5-1 record in the game following a loss (regulation or overtime/shootout). New York has posted an 11-1-1 record in games following a loss in 2016-17.
THREE'S COMPANY
The Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello line has tallied 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) over the last five games. The three players have registered 46 points - including 17 goals - in the Rangers' 16 games since Dec. 1.
TEAM EFFORT
The Rangers are the only NHL team that has nine players who have recorded 20 or more points this season, as well as the only NHL team that has six players who have tallied at least 10 goals in 2016-17.
GOALS GALORE
New York leads the NHL in goals (136 - includes two team goals awarded for shootout wins) and ranks third in the NHL in goals per game (3.35) this season. The Rangers have recorded 21 goals over the last five games, registering at least four goals in four of the five contests, and the Blueshirts have tallied six goals in two of the last three games.
AV SQUAD
Alain Vigneault enters the contest with 170 career wins as the Rangers' Head Coach, and he is one win away from tying John Tortorella for fourth place on the franchise's all-time wins list among head coaches.
KING HENRIK
Henrik Lundqvist earned his 390th career NHL win on Dec. 31 at Colorado, passing Dominik Hasek to become the all-time leader in wins by a European-born goaltender in NHL history. Lundqvist also passed Hasek for sole possession of 12th place on the NHL's all-time wins list. Lundqvist has played both games of a back-to-back 76 times in the regular season in his NHL career. In the second game of those back-to-back sets, Lundqvist has posted a 48-21-7 record, along with a 2.05 GAA, a .929 SV%, and 8 SO.
RAISE THE ANTTI
In 14 starts this season, Antti Raanta has posted a 10-3-0 record, along with a 2.17 GAA, a .926 SV%, and 2 SO. Since he joined the Rangers prior to the start of the 2015-16 season, Raanta has started the second game of the Rangers' back-to-back set 13 times. In those 13 games, he has posted a 9-3-1 record, along with a 1.93 GAA, a .934 SV%, and 2 SO.
KREID-ING HIGH
Chris Kreider was selected as the NHL's Second Star of the Week for the week ending on Jan. 1. He tied for the NHL lead in goals in December (11 - tied with Sidney Crosby), and he became the first Ranger to tally 10 or more goals in one calendar month since Rick Nash in January of 2014. Kreider has recorded eight points (six goals, two assists) in the last five games, and he leads the Rangers in goals this season (15).
CAPTAIN MAC
Ryan McDonagh leads the Rangers in assists this season (23), and he also leads team defensemen in points (25) in 2016-17. He has tallied an assist/point in four of the last five games, registering seven points (one goal, six assists) over the span. In addition, the Rangers captain has registered 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in his last 12 contests. The Rangers have posted a 27-4-3 record in the last 34 games which he has logged at least 25:00 of ice time, dating back to Oct. 16, 2014.
STEP-AN UP
Derek Stepan leads the Rangers in points this season (30; nine goals, 21 assists). He has recorded 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in the last 22 games, including 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in the last 16 contests and nine points (four goals, five assists) in the last seven games. Stepan is the fourth Ranger in franchise history to tally 20 or more assists in each of his first seven NHL seasons (playing all seven seasons with the Rangers), along with Ron Greschner, Brad Park, and Steve Vickers.
WELCOME MATS
Mats Zuccarello registered a six-game assist/point streak from Dec. 18 to Dec. 31 (nine assists over the span), and his six-game assist streak was a career-high. Zuccarello has registered 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) in the last 15 games, and he leads the Rangers in even strength assists (17) and even strength points (23) in 2016-17.
HOLDEN STEADY
Nick Holden leads Rangers defensemen in goals this season (eight). He has tallied nine points (five goals, four assists) in the last 12 games, including five points (four goals, one assist) in the last four contests.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Rangers are the only NHL team that has a 22.0% power play efficiency and an 83.0% penalty kill efficiency or better in 2016-17.
Power Play:
The Rangers were 0-for-1 (2:00) tonight vs. Buffalo.
New York has tallied a PPG in three of the last four games (7-for-17; 41.2%) and has recorded six PPG over the last three games (6-for-13; 46.2%).
The Blueshirts rank fourth in the NHL in power play efficiency this season (22.9%; 28-for-122).
Penalty Kill:
The Rangers were 4-for-5 (8:52) tonight vs. Buffalo.
The Blueshirts rank ninth in the NHL in penalty kill efficiency this season (83.9%; 94-for-112).
The Rangers have not allowed a PPG against in eight of the last 13 games and in 19 of the last 29 games.
New York is tied for second in the NHL in SHG in 2016-17 (five).
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Kevin Hayes - 2 games away from 200 in his NHL career
Ryan McDonagh - 5 points away from 200 in his NHL career
INJURIES (97 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
Pavel Buchnevich (back) - has missed 25 games
Mika Zibanejad (broken fibula) - has missed 21 games
Rick Nash (groin) - has missed six games
Matt Puempel (concussion symptoms) - has missed one game
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 2 - Recalled Nicklas Jensen from Hartford (AHL)
Dec. 28 - Assigned Brandon Halverson to Hartford (AHL)
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
- Jan. 4, 1940 - The Rangers extended their winning streak to seven games and their unbeaten streak to 16 games with a 6-2 victory against the New York Americans.
- Jan. 4, 1947 - Chuck Rayner stopped all 45 shots he faced to earn a win/shutout as the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-0.
- Jan. 4, 1956 - The Rangers rallied from a 3-0 deficit after the second period and registered five goals in the third period to defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-4, at MSG.
- Jan. 4, 1984 - Reijo Ruotsalainen tallied two goals, including the game-winning goal in overtime, as the Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils, 4-3, at MSG.
- Jan. 4, 1997 - Wayne Gretzky tied a franchise record for assists in one period, tallying four in the second period of a 6-4 Rangers win over the Ottawa Senators at MSG.
