"There was a time that we were playing really good hockey, but nothing was going our way," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I give the guys credit, and our leadership group, they're the ones that are continually pushing the message. They're leading by example."
Ending the Drought at MSG
For whatever reason, Madison Square Garden has been a house of horrors for the Hurricanes in their last 15 visits.
The Canes last win at The World's Most Famous Arena came on Oct. 29, 2010. Since then, the team has posted a 0-12-3 record and has been outscored 54-20.
PROJECTED LINEUP
It's not that this stat has any bearing on the outcome of this game - not one player who dressed for the Hurricanes in that game is even still on the roster - but it is an odd drought worth noting and maybe a head-scratching streak that can finally end.
"I know what the record is. The strange thing is, over the last few years we've actually played really well in there. Just, for whatever reason, couldn't come out with a win. Every year and every game, to me, is new. There's no carryover," Brind'Amour said. "It's irrelevant."
The Last Meeting
These two Metropolitan Division opponents last met in the Canes' third game of the regular season, on Sunday, Oct. 7 in what was maybe the wildest game of the first 45. The Canes and Rangers traded pairs of goals in the first (2-2) and second (4-4) before the Canes cracked the game wide open in the third period. Andrei Svechnikov's first career goal broke a 5-5 tie about midway through the third period, en route to an 8-5 victory for the Hurricanes.
The Opposition
The Rangers have won just one of their first seven games to begin the new year, and at 3-6-1 in their last 10 games, they're sliding in the opposite direction of the surging Hurricanes. Mika Zibanejad leads the team in scoring with 37 points (12g, 25a) in 45 games.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS KEYS TO THE GAME
