Rangers vs. Senators: Pregame Notes

The New York Rangers begin a three-game homestand with a Friday night meeting against the Ottawa Senators (7:00 PM ET - TV: MSG 2 - Radio: ESPN 1050 AM).

RANGERS RUNDOWN

• Including this contest, the Rangers will play five of their next six games at home. New York is 2-1-1 in its four home games this year.
• The Rangers have wins in five of their last seven games and points in seven of nine games this year. Their six-game point streak to begin the season set the franchise record for the longest point streak to begin a season.
• The Rangers’ plus-16 goal differential (37-21) ranks tied for second in the NHL.
• On the year, 15 players have scored a goal for New York, tied for the second most in the NHL. The Rangers have 19 different players who have notched a point, tied for the seventh most in the league.
• Against the Senators, the Rangers are 6-2-1 over their last nine contests dating back to the 2021-22 season.
• The Rangers’ 89.7 penalty kill percentage ranks third in the NHL while their 25.9 power play percentage is the seventh best.
• As a team, the Rangers’ .927 save percentage is the second best in the NHL.
• The Blueshirts’ 4.11 goals per-game are the fourth most in the NHL and its 2.33 goals-against per game ranks tied for second in the league. Additionally, the Rangers are tied for the NHL lead in 5-on-5 Goals For/Against Ratio (1.85).
• New York has scored first in six of its first nine games, boasting a 6-0-0 record in those games.

RANGERS AND SENATORS CONNECTIONS

Mika Zibanejad played parts of five seasons with the Senators (2011-12 – 2015-16) and was selected by Ottawa in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

PANARIN’S POINTS

Artemi Panarin has 15 points (6G-9A) on the year and points in eight of his nine games this season. He joined Nathan MacKinnon (13 GP in 2019-20 & 9 GP in 2018-19) as the second active player to record a season-opening point streak of at least eight games in consecutive seasons (also 15 GP in 2023-24).

Panarin ranks tied for ninth in the NHL in points (15).
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, has the second most assists (525) and fifth most points in the NHL (796).

In addition, Panarin’s 56 three-point games since joining the Rangers in 2019-20 are the third most among all players through that span. Connor McDavid (83) and Leon Draisaitl (66) rank first and second.

LIVE, LAF, LOVE

Alexis Lafreniere agreed to terms on a seven-year contract extension on October 25.

He has points (4G-4A) in seven of his nine games to start the season. With his five game point streak to begin the season, he tied Tomas Sandstrom (5 GP in 1986-87) and Mike McEwen (5 GP in 1978-79) for the second-longest season-opening point streak by a Rangers player age 23 or younger.

Among Rangers skaters this season, Lafrenière ranks first in even strength goals (4), second in even strength points (8), third in goals and tied for second in points.

On October 12 against Utah, Lafreniere skated in his 300th career NHL game.

Since his rookie season in 2020-21, he has the fifth most points on the Blueshirts (156) and in that same frame, ranks third on the Rangers in even strength goals (74) and even strength points (144).

Last year, Lafreniere had a career high in goals (28), assists (29) and points (57) in 2022-23 and was one of five players on New York to play in all 82 games. On the Rangers, he ranked second in even strength goals (26) and third in even-strength points (51).

PUCK STOPPING SHESTERKIN

Igor Shesterkin has four wins on the young season, allowing one or fewer goals in three of four victories.

Since the beginning of last season, the 21 games in which Shesterkin has allowed one or fewer goals rank first among NHL goaltenders.

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 eight 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 nine 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 nine games of the season, including his fourth career four-point game on October 17 at Detroit. Among skaters with 160 or more faceoffs, Trocheck ranks sixth in faceoff percentage (55.8).

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 seven games.

BLUESHIRT BULLETS

• Will Cuylle has 39 hits, tied for the sixth most in the NHL. Cuylle ranks tied for fourth in the NHL with a plus-10 rating. He has goals in consecutive games and points in four of his last five games (2G-3A).
• Filip Chytil ranks tied for second in the NHL with plus-11 rating. He has five points (3G-2A) in his last four games and seven points (4G-3A) in nine games this year.
• Kaapo Kakko is tied for 10th in the NHL with a plus-9 mark and has five points in his last four games (1G-4A).