Pregame Notes: Rangers at Devils 04.01.19

NEW YORK RANGERS at NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Monday, Apr. 1, 2019, 7:00 p.m. ET
Prudential Center - Newark, NJ
TV: MSG 2, Radio: WNYM 970 AM
Rangers:31-34-13 (75 pts)
Devils: 29-40-10 (68 pts)
The Rangers play their 79th game of the 2018-19 season and conclude a back-to-back set on Monday, Apr. 1, against the New Jersey Devils in a Metropolitan Division matchup at Prudential Center (7:00 p.m. ET - TV: MSG 2, Radio: WNYM 970 AM). Including Monday's game, the Blueshirts conclude the 2018-19 season with four games over a six-day stretch, and three of the four contests are against teams in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers have won each of the last two games.

TOMORROW STARTS TODAY
Through seven trades made leading up to the NHL's Trade Deadline in both 2018 and 2019, the Rangers acquired 22 assets in exchange for eight players who were on the team's roster. Among the assets acquired were:
The Rangers either have made, or will make, seven selections in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft over a three-year period from 2017 - 2019. Since the start of the NHL Entry Draft Era in 1979 (following the NHL-WHA merger), no NHL team has made more than seven first-round selections in a three-year span. In addition, for the first time in franchise history (since the inception of the NHL Amateur/Entry Draft in 1963), the Rangers have had multiple first-round picks in three consecutive years (two first-round selections in 2017, three first-round selections in 2018, and two first-round selections in 2019).
In 2018, the Rangers selected three players in the first round of the same NHL Amateur/Entry Draft for the first time in franchise history. The Blueshirts used their three first-round picks to select Vitali Kravtsov, K'Andre Miller, and Nils Lundkvist.
The Rangers made 10 selections overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, which was the most the team made in one year since the NHL adopted a seven-round Draft format beginning in 2005. The Blueshirts currently have 10 picks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft (their own first-round pick, Winnipeg's first-round pick, their own second-round pick, eitherDallas' second-round pick or first-round pick, eitherTampa Bay's second-round pick or first-round pick, their own third-round pick, Columbus' fourth-round pick, their own fifth-round pick, their own sixth-round pick, and Columbus' seventh-round pick).
RANGERS VS. DEVILS
RANGERS-DEVILS CONNECTIONS
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. DEVILS
CONNECTING THE DOTS
Several Rangers players have connections with fellow members of the Blueshirts and/or members of the team's coaching staff in addition to being teammates with the Rangers:
SEVENTH HEAVEN
The Rangers have outscored their opponents, 7-0, over the last five periods (dating back to the start of the second period on Mar. 29 vs. St. Louis).
YOUTH SERVED
The Rangers are currently the youngest team in the NHL (average age is 25.7 years old). At least one Ranger who is 23 years old or younger has tallied a goal in 10 of the last 12 games and in 12 of the last 15 games.
ON POINT
At least one Rangers defenseman has recorded a point in 25 of the team's last 27 games, including all 25 games which the team has registered a goal over the span. Rangers defensemen have tallied 50 points (eight goals, 42 assists) in the last 27 games (note - does not include points recorded by Brendan Smith, who has played forward during the stretch).
CLOSE CALL
Six of the Rangers' last 14 games and 40 of their 78 games this season have been decided by one goal. The Blueshirts' 40 one-goal games are tied for the second-most in the NHL in 2018-19. The Rangers have played at least 40 one-goal games in a season for the first time since 2008-09 (43). In addition, the 2018-19 season is the seventh in the Rangers' 92-season history that the team has played at least 40 games decided by one goal or fewer.
RESILIENT RANGERS
The Blueshirts have won 15 games when allowing the first goal this season (tied for the eighth-most in the NHL). The Rangers have also won six games this season when trailing entering the third period (tied for the fifth-most in the NHL).
KING HENRIK
Henrik Lundqvist has earned 449 wins in his NHL career. Lundqvist ranks sixth on the NHL's all-time wins list, and his 449 career wins with the Rangers are the second-most a goaltender has earned with one franchise in NHL history.
ALEXANDAR THE GREAT
Alexandar Georgiev has an active shutout streak of 104:58 (dating back to 15:02 of the first period on Mar. 29 vs. St. Louis), and his active shutout streak is a career-high. Over the shutout streak, Georgiev has stopped 67 consecutive shots. He has earned a win in each of the last two games, and he has posted a 1.00 GAA, a .973 SV% (73 saves on 75 shots), and 1 SO in the two games. Georgiev has also earned a win in three of his last four appearances (3-1-0 record), posting a 1.99 GAA, a .949 SV% (148 saves on 156 shots), and 1 SO in those four appearances. Dating back to his 55-save win on Feb. 10 vs. Toronto, Georgiev has allowed two goals or fewer in eight of his last 13 appearances, and he has posted a 6-4-3 record, along with a 2.59 GAA, a .928 SV%, and 1 SO in those 13 appearances.
MIKA MAGIC
Mika Zibanejad leads the Rangers in goals (30), assists (42), and points (72) this season, and he has established career-highs in all three categories. He is the first Rangers center who has recorded at least 30 goals in a season since Eric Lindros (37 in 2001-02). Zibanejad is one of five NHL players who have registered 30 or more goals and have won 800 or more faceoffs this season (Barkov, Crosby, Larkin, Toews).
BUCH BOOST
Pavel Buchnevich enters the contest with a career-high seven-game point streak (four goals, four assists). He has also established a career-high in goals this season (20). Buchnevich tallied his 20th goal of the 2018-19 season and his 100th career NHL point today at Philadelphia. Buchnevich is the fifth Russian player who has registered at least 100 points as a member of the Rangers (along with Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Nemchinov, Sergei Zubov, and Artem Anisimov). He is also the fourth Russian who has recorded at least 20 goals in a season with the Rangers in franchise history (Kovalev - four times; Nemchinov - three times; Nikolai Zherdev - once).
STROME SURGE
Ryan Strome has recorded 17 goals since he was acquired by the Rangers on Nov. 16; his 17 goals with the Rangers are the most any NHL player acquired during the 2018-19 season has tallied with his new team. Strome enters the contest with a three-game goal/point streak (three goals, two assists), and his three-game goal streak is a career-high. He has established a career-high in goals this season (18; 17 with the Rangers and one with Edmonton).
DE-FENSE
Tony DeAngelo has recorded an assist/point in 14 of his last 22 games (15 assists) and in 16 of his last 26 games (17 assists). DeAngelo's 15 assists since Feb. 12 are tied for the second-most among NHL defensemen.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power Play:
Penalty Kill:
UPCOMING MILESTONES
INJURIES (178 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
REMEMBERING 1993-94
The Rangers defeated the Devils, 4-2, on April 2, 1994 in New Jersey to finish the 1993-94 regular season with a 6-0-0 record against the Devils. The 1993-94 season was the first time the Blueshirts won all of their meetings against New Jersey in one season.
RANGERS VS. DEVILS - 1993-94
The Rangers posted a 6-0-0 record against the Devils during the regular season in 1993-94, outscoring New Jersey, 24-9, in the six games. Sergei Zubov led the Rangers with eight assists and tied for the team lead with nine points in the season series, while Sergei Nemchinov registered eight points (four goals, four assists). Mike Gartner led the Blueshirts with five goals, and he recorded his 600th career NHL goal on Dec. 26, 1993 against the Devils at MSG.
During the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Rangers defeated the Devils, four games to three, in the Eastern Conference Finals to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Three of the seven games - including Game 7 - were decided in the second overtime. Mark Messier led the Rangers in goals (four), assists (seven), and points (11) during the series and tallied a natural hat trick in the third period of Game 6 after guaranteeing that the Rangers would win the game. Messier's 11 points in the series are tied for the most a Ranger has tallied in one playoff series in franchise history, and he also became the first player in franchise history to record three goals in one period of a playoff game. Stephane Matteau tallied two overtime goals in the series, including the game-winning goal in the second overtime of Game 7. Mike Richter posted a 4-3 record, along with a 1.94 GAA, a .923 SV%, and 1 SO in the series.