RANGERS RUNDOWN
- The New York Rangers cap off their two-game road swing and close out the month of October when they face the Coyotes in Arizona (8:00 PM ET - TV: MSG Sportsnet - Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM).
- Tonight, the Blueshirts will play their first game at Mullett Arena, the 89th unique venue the Rangers have contested at least one game in (regular season and playoffs).
- New York completes its third back-to-back of 16 sets this season with tonight's matchup. The Rangers look for their first back-to-back sweep since Mar. 29-30, 2022 (at PIT, at DET).
- New York has earned at least one point in 13 of its last 14 games against the Coyotes, dating back to Mar. 24, 2014 (11-1-2). ; the Blueshirts posted a nine-game winning streak against the Coyotes from Mar. 24, 2014 to Jan. 6, 2018 and a 10-game point streak from Mar. 24, 2014 to Dec. 14, 2018 (9-0-1).
- Against the Coyotes, Chris Kreider has registered a goal/point in eight of his last 11 games (10 goals, five assists). In his last matchup against Arizona on January 22, 2022, Kreider posted a four-point game (3G-1A).
- The Rangers have potted six or more goals three times this season, tied for the second most six-plus goal occurrences in the NHL. Pittsburgh leads with four.
Pregame Notes: Rangers at Coyotes - 10.30.22
RANGERS AND COYOTES CONNECTIONS
• Benoit Allaire was the Coyotes Goaltending Coach for seven seasons (1997-98 - 2003-04) before joining the Rangers organization.
• Patrik Nemeth played for the Rangers during the 2021-22 season, before being traded to the Coyotes on July 13, 2022
• Adam Fox and Clayton Keller were teammates with the USNTDP in 2014-15 and 2015-16 and helped the United States win a silver medal at the 2014 World U17 Hockey Challenge, a bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship, and a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship.
NEW DIGS
Tonight, the Rangers will play at Mullett Arena for the first time, marking the 89th unique venue the Rangers have contested at least one game in (regular season and playoffs). Since 2011-12, the Rangers have played in a new arena six times and are 4-1-1 in their first game in those arenas.
SPECIAL TEAMS
On Saturday in Dallas, the Rangers scored twice on the power play for their second multi-power play goal game of the season (3 vs. ANA, Oct. 17). New York has scored eight power play goals in their first nine games (PPGs in 5-of-9 contests). Its eight PPGs rank tied for sixth in the NHL.
The Blueshirts have done their part on the penalty kill lately, going 100 percent on the kill in each of their last two games and four of their last six contests.
SHOOTING GALLERY
New York has registered 40 or more shots in two of its last three games and four times in its first nine games of the season. All of last year, the Blueshirts collected 40 or more shots in four contests. In the NHL, the Rangers rank fourth in total shots with 326.
Individually, Mika Zibanejad ranks third in the NHL with 47 shots. Timo Meier leads the league with 53.
CIRCLE GAME
The Blueshirts have been over 50 percent in the faceoff circle in six of their nine games this season and over 60 percent on two occasions (10/11 vs. TBL, 10/23 vs. CBJ). New York's 53.4 faceoff percentage is the seventh-best in the NHL after finishing 24th in that category last season.
Vincent Trocheck leads the Rangers (min. 100 faceoffs) with a 57.2 percent faceoff percentage. Last season, Trocheck ranked 13th in the league with a 54.6 faceoff percentage.
ROAD LESS TRAVELED
So far, the Rangers are 2-2-0 on the road this year. On the road against Central Division opponents in the last two seasons, the Blueshirts are 7-4-0.
Away from Madison Square Garden in 2021-22, the Rangers were 25-14-2 for 52 points, ranking tied for first in road wins and tied for seventh in road points. Their 25 wins were tied for the third most in team history.
On the road, the Rangers' 27.8 power play percentage ranked second in the league and second in franchise history for a single season (1978-79 - 28.9).
I-GOR
Igor Shesterkin has earned a point in each of his six starts (4-0-2) this season. With his latest win, he became the first Rangers goaltender to start the season with points in each of his first six or more appearances of a season since Eddie Mio (5-0-2 in 1981-82).
Shesterkin's start against Colorado on October 25 was the 100th of his career. Shesterkin's 63 wins are the most by a goalie through their first 100 regular-season starts with the Rangers and he is one of 16 goaltenders in NHL history with 63 or more wins through the first 100 regular-season starts of his NHL career.
MIKA OCTOBER
Mika Zibanejad has five goals and six assists for 11 points in nine games this season. His 11 points this month are tied for the second most in the month of October in his career (13 in 2018-19).
Zibanejad has notched his 11 points spread across only four games, which also happen to be the four games the Rangers have won this season.
In the month of October over his career, Zibanejad has recorded 73 points (30G-43A) in 94 games.
AN ART PROJECT
Artemi Panarin is tied for the fourth most points in the NHL with 13 and ranks tied for fifth in the league with nine assists.
Panarin's 13 points through the first nine games of a season are the most by a Ranger since Jaromir Jagr (14) and Michael Nylander (13) did it in 2006-07.
FOX'S FURY
Adam Fox has one goal and five assists for six points in his last six games. His eight points on the year are tied for the fourth most among NHL defensemen.
Fox has skated over 20 minutes of ice time in each of his nine games and has led the Blueshirts in ice time in all but two games this season (Oct. 11 vs. TBL, Oct. 25 vs. COL). Fox has averaged 24:13 of TOI this season after averaging 23:54 last year.
Since 2019-20, only four defensemen in the NHL have more points than Adam Fox's 171 (26G-145A).
TRO-CHECK THE BOX SCORE
Vincent Trocheck has four goals and five assists for nine points this season, including a three-point contest against Dallas on October 29. His nine points are third most on the Rangers this season and his two power play goals are the second most on the club.
In the faceoff dot, Trocheck has been over 60 percent in the circle in five of nine games.
