Rangers vs. Islanders: Pregame Notes

The New York Rangers continue a three-game homestand with a Sunday matinee against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden (1:00 PM ET - TV: MSG Network - Radio: ESPN 880 AM). New York will wear their third jerseys for the second time this season.

RANGERS RUNDOWN

• Including this contest, the Rangers will play four of their next five games at home. New York is 3-1-1 in its five home games this year.
• Last season, the Blueshirts were 10-1-0 in day games (contests that start before 5 PM).
• Since 2015-16, the Rangers have 70 wins in the month of November, the second most in the NHL behind Toronto (72).
• The Rangers have wins in six of their last eight games and points in eight of 10 games this year. New York hit the 15-point mark through 10 games for the 12th time in franchise history and third in the past 30 years following 2023-24 (8-2-0, 16 points) and 2008-09 (7-2-1, 15 points).
• New York leads the league in goals-against per game with a 2.20 clip. Its 3.90 goals per game are tied for the fourth most in the NHL.
• As a team, the Rangers’ .933 save percentage is the best in the NHL.
• The Rangers’ plus-17 goal differential (39-22) ranks tied for second in the NHL.
• The Rangers’ 91.2 penalty kill percentage ranks tied for first in the NHL. The team has a perfect PK in seven of 10 games this year, including their last four contests.
• The Blueshirts have won four of their last five games against the Islanders and three in a row on home ice.
• On the year, 15 players have scored a goal for New York, tied for the fourth most in the NHL. The Rangers have 19 different players who have notched a point.
• New York has scored first in seven of its first 10 games, boasting a 7-0-0 record in those games.

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.
• Islanders forward Anthony Duclair was drafted by the Rangers in 2013 and played one season for the team (2014-15).
• Goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Illya Sorokin are close friends, growing up together in Russia.

PANARIN’S POINTS

Artemi Panarin has 16 points (7G-9A) on the year and points in nine of his 10 games this season. Only three Rangers players in the past 20 years have had more through their first 10 games of a campaign: Jaromir Jagr (10 in 2005-06), Rick Nash (9 in 2014-15) and Brendan Shanahan (9 in 2006-07).

Panarin ranks tied for eighth in the NHL in points and tied for 10th in goals. He currently sits three points away from 800 in his career.

Panarin’s 38 multi-point games since the beginning of last season are the fifth most in the NHL.

Among NHL skaters since 2015-16, Panarin has the second most assists (525) and fifth most points in the NHL (797).

LIVE, LAF, LOVE

Alexis Lafreniere has points (5G-5A) in eight of his 10 games to start the season. Among Rangers skaters this season, he ranks third in goals, second in points, tied for first in even strength goals (4), and second in even strength points (9)

On Friday night, Lafreniere scored his 80th career NHL goal. Among Rangers players to make their NHL debut in the past 30 years, only two others required fewer games to reach the mark: Chris Kreider (292) and Ryan Callahan (294).

Since his rookie season in 2020-21, he has the fifth most points on the Blueshirts (158) and in that same frame, ranks third on the Rangers in even strength goals (74) and even strength points (145).

PUCK STOPPING SHESTERKIN

Igor Shesterkin has five wins on the young season, allowing one or fewer goals in four of five victories. He ranks tied for fourth in the NHL in wins and among goaltenders who have played five or more games, ranks second in save percentage (.931) and fourth in GAA (2.25).

On Friday night, Shesterkin made 40 saves in a game for the 15th time in his career. In those games, the Rangers are 13-1- 1.

Since the beginning of last season, the 22 games in which Shesterkin has allowed one or fewer goals rank first among NHL goaltenders. Since 2021-22, his 59 games allowing one or fewer goals is the most in the NHL.

Since the 2021-22 season, Shesterkin has ranked among the best in the NHL.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX

Adam Fox has eight assists in his last nine games, including two three-assist games.

Since 2019-20, Fox ranks tied for second in the NHL in assists (263) and fifth in points (316). In that span, he has 75 multi- point games, which ranks fourth among NHL defensemen.

Last season, Fox set a career-high in 17 goals and posted 56 assists and 73 points last season. He scored the most goals by a Rangers defenseman since Brian Leetch in 2000-01 (21). Among NHL blueliners, he ranked tied for sixth in goals, sixth in points, and eighth in assists.

KREIDING INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS

Chris Kreider has six goals in his first 10 games of his 13th season, including his 46th career game-winning goal which tied Jean Ratelle for the second most in franchise history.

Kreider has 112 career power play goals, the second most in franchise history.

Since 2021-22, Kreider’s 10 shorthanded goals are tied for the most in the NHL (Travis Konecny, Adrian Kempe) and his 54 power play goals rank third.

FORECHECK, BACKCHECK, TROCHECK

Vincent Trocheck has eight points (2G-6A) through the first 10 games of the season, including his fourth career four- point game on October 17 at Detroit. Among skaters with 180 or more faceoffs, Trocheck ranks fifth in faceoff percentage (56.9).

Trocheck sits one goal away from 200 in his career.

In 2023-24, Trocheck posted a career-high in assists (52) and points (77). On New York, he finished fifth in goals, third in assists and second in points. With a 58.7 percent clip in the faceoff dot, Trocheck had the fourth highest percentage in the NHL among players who took 700 or more draws.

Trocheck was named last year’s winner of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, which is presented annually to the Ranger who, as chosen by the fans, “goes above and beyond the call of duty.”

MIKA’S MISSION

Mika Zibanejad is in his ninth season with the Rangers after being acquired ahead of the 2016-17 season. In that time frame, Zibanejad ranks fifth in the NHL in power play goals with 101 which is also the fifth most in Rangers history.

On October 19 in Toronto, Zibanejad became the 13th player in Rangers history to notch 300 assists with the team. He has seven points (2G-5A) in his last eight games.

BLUESHIRT BULLETS

• Filip Chytil ranks tied for fourth in the NHL with plus-11 rating. He has six points (3G-3A) in his last five games and eight points (4G-4A) in 10 games this year.
• Will Cuylle has 42 hits, the sixth most in the NHL. Cuylle ranks tied for ninth in the NHL with a plus-10 rating. He has goals in two of his last three games and points in four of his last six games (2G-3A).