Rangers vs. Bruins: Pregame Notes

The New York Rangers kick off 2025 by hosting the Boston Bruins at MSG on Thursday night (7:00 PM ET - TV: MSG - Radio: ESPN 880 AM). The Blueshirts will play 14 games in the month of January, including eight at MSG.

RANGERS RUNDOWN

• Last season, the Rangers swept the regular season series with the Bruins, outscoring them 14-7. It marked the fifth time the Blueshirts won all games in a season series against Boston (min. 3 GP).
• With a 54.1 percent clip, the Blueshirts rank second in the NHL in faceoff percentage and have been 50 percent or better in 26 of 36 games this season.
• The Rangers have 25 or more hits in eight of their last 10 games, including five games with 33 or more hits. Since December 9, the Blueshirts’ 305 hits are the most in the NHL.
• Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle are two of seven NHL players with 10+ goals and 100+ hits.
• Over the last two games, the Rangers have posted 89 shots on goal, the most shots per game (39.5) in the NHL over that span. New York’s 30 shots per game this season rank ninth in the NHL.
• New York’s 84.8 penalty kill percentage is the second best in the NHL and its five shorthanded goals are tied for the third most in the NHL.
• When the Blueshirts score four or more goals in a game, they are 10-1-1 and when they allow two or fewer goals, they are 14-2-0. The Rangers have allowed two or fewer goals in 14 of 16 victories this season.
• Since the start of last season, the Rangers have posted a 52-2-0 record in 54 regular season games in which they have allowed two goals or fewer (not counting team goals awarded for shootout win).
• On the year, New York is 10-2-0 when leading after one period and 14-1-0 when leading after the second period. The Blueshirts are 12-3-0 when scoring the first goal of the game.
• At this year’s World Junior Championships in Ottawa, the Rangers are being represented by Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue (Team USA) along with Rico Gredig (Team Switzerland).

RANGERS AND BRUINS CONNECTIONS

• Rangers forward Reilly Smith played the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons with Boston, recording 91 points (33G-58A) in 163 games.
• Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen was drafted by the Bruins with the 18th selection in the 2017 NHL Draft and play parts of his first four NHL seasons with the team.
• Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren was selected by the Bruins in the second round (49th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
• Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy is a native of Long Beach, New York. He was a Rangers fan as a kid and idolized Brian Leetch. His sister is Rangers assistant sports scientist Kayla McAvoy.

PANARIN’S POINTS

Artemi Panarin has a team-leading 16 goals and 39 points while having points in nine of his last 12 games (4G-9A).

Panarin collected 109 points in 2024, the third most in a calendar year in franchise history. The only players with more are Jaromir Jagr (114 in 2006) and Mike Rogers (113 in 1982).

He is the franchise’s all-time leader in points per game (1.30) and assists per game (0.87).

He has at least one point in 25 of 34 games this year and dating back to last season, he has points in 92 of 116 games. The only NHL players who have tallied a point in more games over the span are Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (99) and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (96).

With his latest multi-point game (143rd), Panarin moved past Ron Greschner and into a tie with Mika Zibanejad for the eighth most in franchise history.

Among NHL skaters since his debut in 2015-16, Panarin has the fourth most assists (539) and fifth most points in the NHL (820).

TROCHECK IN THE CIRCLE

Vincent Trocheck has 11 points (4G-7A) in his last 12 games and five points in his last five games (2G-3A).

Trocheck ranks third in the NHL among players with 400 or more faceoffs with a 61.0 FOW% and ranks third in the NHL in faceoffs won (422) this season.

Trocheck has won 189 of 299 faceoffs he has taken over the last 14 games (63.2%); he leads the NHL in faceoffs win over the span (since Nov. 30).

Trocheck ranks sixth among NHL forwards in average ice time (21:35). He is the only NHL forward averaging at least 16:00 of even strength ice time, 3:00 of PP ice time, and 2:00 of SH ice time per game this season.

ADAM’S APPLES

Adam Fox has 27 assists on the season, the fifth most among NHL defensemen. He has assists in his last two games and in three of his last five games.

He has logged over 25 minutes of ice time in five of his last six games and 24:00+ in 13 of his last 14 contests, including single-game, season-high 27:15 on Dec. 20 in Dallas. Since Nov. 30, Fox’s 25:22 TOI/GP ranks ninth among all NHL skaters.

Fox has 58 multi-assist games since his debut season in 2019-20, the fourth most among defenseman over that span. In that time frame, he ranks third among defensemen in the NHL in assists (282) and fifth in points (336).

Fox is one assist away from tying Park for fourth place on the franchise’s all-time assists list among defensemen and nine points away from tying Harry Howell for fifth place on the franchise’s all-time points list among defensemen

Fox is one of only three defensemen in Rangers history to register 25 or more points in each of their first six NHL seasons (along with Brad Park and Ron Greschner).

TOO COOL

Will Cuylle has established a career-high of 24 points (11G-13A) and on New York ranks third in goals, third in points, first in plus/minus (9), and tied for fourth in assists (13).

His team-leading 134 hits rank fifth in the NHL.

Cuylle required the fewest games (23 GP) to 20 points in a season by a Rangers player under the age of 23 since Alex Kovalev (20 GP in 1995-96).

KREIDING INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS

Chris Kreider, with 115 career power play goals, sits one power play goal away from tying Camille Henry for the most in franchise history.

He ranks second on the Rangers with 12 goals this season, with four of his 12 goals being game-winning tallies. His career total of 48 GWGs are the second most in Rangers history behind Rod Gilbert’s 52.

Kreider has 100 regular season goals on tips/deflections in his NHL career (92 tipped, 8 deflected). No NHL player has more since Kreider’s first NHL regular season game in 2012-13 (Pavelski is second - 96).

Kreider has 41 career multi-goal games, one shy of tying Camille Henry (42 GP) for the sixth most in Rangers history.

Since 2021-22, Kreider’s 11 shorthanded goals are the most in the NHL. His 11 career shorthanded goals are tied with Walt Tkaczuk and Mika Zibanejad for fifth place on the franchise’s all-time list. In that same span, his 57 power play goals rank for third in the NHL.

MIKA’S MISSION

Mika Zibanejad is one assist from 400 and one point from 700. He would be the fourth active Swedish player to record 400 assists in their career.

With 312 assists in a Rangers sweater, Zibanejad has surpassed Steve Vickers for the 11th most in franchise history.

Zibanejad has 143 multi-point games with the Rangers, the eighth most in franchise history.

Since Zibanejad joined the Rangers in 2016-17, he ranks sixth in the NHL in power play goals with 103 which is also the sixth most in Rangers history.

BLUESHIRT BULLETS

• Braden Schneider has logged 43:36 of shorthanded ice time this year and has not been on the ice for a power play goal against. He is one of only two NHL players (and the only defenseman) who has been on the ice for 40:00+ of shorthanded ice time without being on the ice for an opposition’s power play goal (along with Philipp Kurashev).
• The Rangers have posted a 64-11-2 record in the 77 regular season games which Alexis Lafrenière has scored a goal in his NHL career.
• Reilly Smith has 16 points (7G-9A) on the year and the Rangers are 12-2-0 this season when he notches a point.