Pregame Notes: Game Three vs. Hurricanes

TODAY'S GAME
RANGERS VS. HURRICANES HISTORY
All-Time Postseason Record: 0-1 in series, 0-5 in games (0-0 at home, 0-2 on the road, 0-3 on neut. site)
All-Time Regular Season Record: 86-57-7-2 (77-51-20-4 at home, 35-37-3-0 on road) - Includes Hartford Whalers
2021-22 Regular Season: The Rangers went 1-3-0 (0-2-0 at home, 1-1-0 on the road) against the Hurricanes during the regular season.

FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Rangers host the Hurricanes for the first time in this series and look to win their fourth-straight home game (Games 2, 5, 7 of First Round).
With a win, New York would have a four (or more) game playoff home winning streak for the 12th time in team history and fifth time in the last 25 years:
2017 (4) - Games 4, 6 of First Round vs. MTL &Games 3, 4 of Second Round vs. OTT
2015 (4) - Games 2, 5, 7 of Second Round vs. WSH &Game 1 of Eastern Conference Final vs. TBL
2007 (4) - Games 3, 4 of Conference QF vs. ATL &Games 3, 4 of Conference SF vs. BUF
1997 (4) - Games 3, 4 of Conference QF vs. FLA &Games 3, 4 of Conference SF vs. NJD
KILLING IT
The Blueshirts are 4-for-4 on the penalty kill in this series and 21-for-27 (77.8) in these playoffs. New York has been perfect on the penalty kill in four of its last five games and five times in nine playoff games. K'Andre Miller leads all Rangers with 22:20 of shorthanded time on ice:
K'Andre Miller - 22:20
Andrew Copp - 20:12
Jacob Trouba - 19:29
Adam Fox - 17:24
Mika Zibanejad - 15:47
DEFENSIVE EFFORT
New York has allowed two goals in each of the first two games of the series and has allowed 30 or fewer shots on goal (22 G2, 26 G1) in each of the first two games of the series.
The last time the Rangers allowed 26 or fewer shots in back-to-back playoff games was Games 1-2 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Final.
Carolina was held to 26 or fewer shots in consecutive games only once in the 2021-22 regular season (Nov. 20-22, 2021).
Jacob Trouba leads all NHL skaters with 42 hits in the playoffs.
NO QUIT IN NEW YORK
The Blueshirts are attempting to comeback to win a series after trailing 2-0 in a series for the third time in franchise history.
In the First Round, the Rangers became the first team in Stanley Cup Playoff history to record three consecutive comeback wins in elimination games within the same series. New York won a series after trailing 3-1 for the third time in team history (2015 R2 vs. WSH, 2014 R2 vs. PIT) after coming into these playoffs with a 2-18 series record when trailing 3-1.
In the regular season, New York had 27 comeback victories, the second most in the NHL in 2021-22 and most in franchise history.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
This Rangers team has an average age of 27 years old, the youngest remaining team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Alexis Lafrenière (20 YO - 2G-3A), Filip Chytil (22 YO - 2G-1A) and Kaapo Kakko (21 YO 1G-1A) have a combined 10 points in these playoffs. With his five points, Lafrenière is the fourth player in Rangers history to collect at least five points in a single postseason at age 20 or younger, joining Don Maloney (7G-13A-20 PTS in 1979), Niklas Sundstrom (4G-3A-7 PTS in 1996) and Rod Gilbert (2G-3A-5 PTS in 1962).
Excluding the 2020 playoff bubble, 12 Rangers have made their playoff debut this postseason (Motte, Brodzinski, Shesterkin, Georgiev, Fox, Lindgren, Chytil, Kakko, Miller, Schneider, Rooney, Lafrenière).
Four players (Miller, Kakko, Schneider, Lafreniere) who have played in these playoffs were born in 2000 or later.
OFFENSIVE DEFENSEMEN
The Rangers had the most points among NHL teams by defensemen (23) and tied for the most goals (6) by defensemen in the First Round.
Adam Fox and Cale Makar were tied for the most points (10) among League defensemen in Round 1.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
New York had 13 different goal scorers in the First Round, tied for the most in the NHL, and 16 different point getters, tied for the sixth most in the league. 15 different players had multiple points in the First Round, tied for the most in the NHL.
DEADLINE DARLINGS
Andrew Copp finished the First Round series with four goals and three assists for seven points in seven games. In a combined 25 games (regular season and playoffs) with New York since being acquired at the trade deadline, Copp has tallied 25 points (12G-13A).
Frank Vatrano has five points in seven games (2G-3A) in the First Round. His five points are the most he has recorded in a playoff year in his career. In a combined 31 games with New York since being acquired by the team, Vatrano has notched 18 points (10G-8A)
After missing 15 games (10 in regular season, 5 in playoffs), Tyler Motte played in Games 6 and 7 of the First Round, recording a plus-1 rating.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
In the First Round, Adam Fox became the fourth defenseman in NHL history with at least one point in all seven games of a series (3G-7A), joining Miro Heiskanen (DAL - 2020 - R2), Larry Murphy (PIT - 1995 - CQF), and Paul Reinhart (CGY - 1984 - Div. Finals). Fox was the first skater (defenseman or forward) in Rangers history to accomplish the feat.
In Game 6 of the First Round, Fox tallied four assists, becoming the fifth player in Rangers history to record four-plus assists in a playoff game, joining Jaromir Jagr (April 17, 2007), Dave Maloney (April 9, 1983), Mikko Leinonen (April 8, 1982) and Jean Ratelle (April 22, 1971). The last NHL defenseman to notch four or more assists in a playoff game before Fox was Kris Letang on May 22, 2013.
MIKA MAGIC
Mika Zibanejad had a combined seven points (3G-4A) in his last two games of the First Round. His 11 points in the First Round were tied for the most in a single series by a Rangers skater in playoff history and ranked tied for third in the NHL:
MOST FIRST ROUND POINTS
Connor McDavid (EDM) - 14
Carter Verhaeghe (FLA) - 12
Mika Zibanejad (NYR) - 11
Brad Marchand (BOS) - 11
Zibanejad is the fifth Ranger in playoff history to notch three-plus points in back-to-back games and first since Brian Leetch in 1995. The others besides Leetch to accomplish the feat are Ron Duguay (1981), Phil Esposito (1979) and Rod Gilbert (1972).
KREIDING RIGHT INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Chris Kreider had five goals in the First Round and added two assists to finish the series with seven points. In Game 6, Kreider scored his eighth career playoff game-winning goal, surpassing Mark Messier for the most in Rangers history.
One of Kreider's two goals in Game 6 was on the power play, giving him a combined 31 special teams goals (PP + SH) this season, the most since Mario Lemieux's 43 in 1995-96.
Kreider has 57 total goals this season, regular season and playoffs combined. The only Rangers players with more in a season is Adam Graves (62 in 1993-94).
PANARIN MAN
Artemi Panarin had three goals and four assists for seven points in seven games in the First Round, including the Game 7 overtime winner to put the Blueshirts in the Second Round.
Panarin, in scoring his second career playoff overtime goal (Apr. 12, 2018 with CBJ), joins Derek Stepan (2015 R2) and Stephane Matteau (1994 ECF) as the only Game 7 overtime goal scorers in team history. He is the 13th player in franchise history to net a series-clinching goal in overtime.
Panarin has a combined 103 points throughout the regular season and playoffs. The last Rangers skater to record at least 100 points in the regular season and postseason combined was Jaromir Jagr in 2006-07 (107 PTS).
ROUND ONE RECAP
The Rangers are in the Second Round for the first time since 2017 (vs. Ottawa) after a seven-game series win against Pittsburgh in the First Round. Pittsburgh won Games 1, 3, 4 while the Rangers earned victories in Game 2, 5, 6, 7.
Igor Shesterkin concluded the First Round with 252 saves - the sixth most in a single round (since 1955-56 when shots on goal began being tracked), trailing Curtis Joseph (277 in 1993 DF w/ STL), Jonas Hiller (274 in 2009 CSF w/ ANA), Ken Dryden (260 in 1971 QF w/ MTL), Ed Belfour (258 in 2003 CQF w/ TOR) and Kelly Hrudey (254 in 1987 DSF w/ NYI).
UPCOMING PLAYOFF MILESTONES
Chris Kreider
- 1 point from tying Ron Duguay for the ninth most points (47) in Rangers playoff history.