Pregame Notes: Rangers vs. Canadiens 03.01.19

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:

• Four picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft (including two first-round picks)
• Six picks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft (including one first-round pick and two second-round picks which could become first-round picks)
• Five players who are 22 years old or younger (Brett Howden, Brendan Lemieux, Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, and Yegor Rykov)

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.

• Kravtsov - led all KHL players younger than 20 years old in goals (eight), assists (13), and points (21) during the regular season in 2018-19; Kravtsov's 21 points are tied for the ninth-most by a KHL player younger than 20 years old in the league's history (tied with Artemi Panarin)
• Miller - leads NCAA freshmen defensemen in assists per game (0.65) and points per game (0.85) in 2018-19

• Lundkvist - leads SHL defensemen younger than 19 years old in assists (seven) and points (10) in 2018-19; over the last 30 seasons (since 1989-90) in the SHL, Lundkvist is one of 14 defensemen younger than 19 years old who have who have tallied 10 or more points in a single season, and his 10 points are tied for the 10th-most by a defenseman younger than 19 years old in the league over the span.

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, either Dallas' second-round pick or first-round pick, either Tampa 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. CANADIENS

• All-Time: 196-333-94-5 (130-127-54-2 at home; 66-206-40-3 on the road)
• 2018-19: Friday's game is the third of three meetings between the Rangers and Canadiens, and the second of two meetings between the two teams at MSG. The Rangers have posted a 1-1-0 record (1-0-0 at home; 0-1-0 on the road), following the Canadiens' 5-2 win on Dec. 1 at Montreal. Mika Zibanejad is tied for first among all skaters - and leads the Rangers - with four points (one goal, three assists) in the season series, while and Jimmy Vesey (one goal, two assists) has recorded three points in two games.
• Nine of the last 19 meetings between the Rangers and Canadiens have resulted in a shutout for one of the two teams, dating back to Feb. 23, 2013.
• Six of the last eight meetings between New York and Montreal have been decided by two or fewer goals, and three of those contests have been decided by one goal. Including playoff games, 12 of the last 14 meetings between the Rangers and Canadiens have been decided by two or fewer goals, and six of those games have been decided by one goal.
• The Rangers have recorded seven power play goals over their last 10 contests against Montreal (7-for-34; 20.6%).
• New York has not allowed a power play goal against in 11 of its last 16 meetings against Montreal (47-for-52; 90.4% over the span).
• Andy Bathgate is the Rangers' all-time leader in assists (76) and points (127) against the Canadiens. Harry Howell is the Blueshirts' all-time leader in games played against Montreal (221), and Camille Henry is the Rangers' all-time leader in goals against the Canadiens (55).
• Gump Worsley is the Rangers' all-time leader in appearances against the Canadiens (115).

RANGERS-CANADIENS CONNECTIONS

• Dale Weise played 10 games with the Rangers during the 2010-11 season and was selected by the Blueshirts in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
• Benoit Allaire served as Goaltending Coach with the Canadiens for one season (1996-97).
• Glen Sather played one season with Montreal (1974-75).
• Max Domi is the son of former Ranger Tie Domi, who played in parts of three seasons with the Blueshirts (1990-91 - 1992-93).
• Brendan Lemieux's father, Claude Lemieux, played parts of seven seasons with Montreal (1983-84 - 1989-90) and helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup in 1985-86.
• Brendan Smith and Tomas Tatar were teammates in the Red Wings organization for parts of seven seasons (2010-11 - 2016-17).
• Tony DeAngelo, Jonathan Drouin, and Matthew Peca were teammates with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) for part of one season (2015-16). Drouin and DeAngelo were selected by Tampa Bay in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft in back-to-back years (Drouin - 2013; DeAngelo - 2014).
• Vladislav Namestnikov and Jonathan Drouin were teammates with the Lightning for parts of three seasons (2014-15 - 2016-17). Namestnikov and Matthew Peca were teammates with the Lightning for parts of two seasons (2016-17 and 2017-18).
• Vladislav Namestnikov and Nate Thompson were teammates with the Lightning for part of one season (2013-14).
• Tony DeAngelo and Max Domi were teammates with the Coyotes for one season (2016-17).
• Fredrik Claesson and Nate Thompson were teammates with the Senators for part of one season (2017-18).
• Brady Skjei and Mike Reilly were teammates at the University of Minnesota for three seasons (2012-13 - 2014-15).
• Marc Staal and Carey Price were both selected in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (Staal - 12th overall by the Rangers; Price - fifth overall by Montreal). Of the 30 players selected in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Staal and Price are only two of four players who are still playing for the team that drafted them (Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh; Anze Kopitar - Los Angeles).
• Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price have both won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's Best Goaltender (Lundqvist - 2011-12; Price - 2014-15).
• Jimmy Vesey and Mike Reilly helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. Vesey and Reilly also helped the United States earn a bronze medal at the 2015 IIHF World Championship.
• Brett Howden and Victor Mete helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship. Dominique Ducharme was the team's Head Coach in the tournament.
• Ryan Strome and Brendan Gallagher helped Canada earn a bronze medal at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Ryan Strome, Mika Zibanejad, Vladislav Namestnikov, Phillip Danault, and Joel Armia were all selected in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Danault and Namestnikov were selected with consecutive picks (Danault - 26th overall by Chicago; Namestnikov - 27th overall by Tampa Bay).
• Vladislav Namestnikov and Max Domi were teammates with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for one season (2011-12) and helped London win the OHL Championship.
• Ryan Strome and Andrew Shaw were teammates with the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for part of one season (2009-10).
• Lindy Ruff and Claude Julien were members of the same coaching staff for Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• Lindy Ruff was one of Shea Weber's Assistant Coaches for Canada's gold medal-winning team at the Winter Olympics in both 2010 and 2014. Carey Price was also a member of Canada's gold-medal winning Olympic team in 2014.
• Lindy Ruff was Jordie Benn's Head Coach with the Stars for parts of four seasons (2013-14 - 2016-17) and Antti Niemi's Head Coach with Dallas for two seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17).
• Kirk Muller was one of Kevin Shattenkirk's Assistant Coaches with the Blues for two seasons (2014-15 and 2015-16).
• David Quinn was one of Jeff Petry's and Nate Thompson's Assistant Coaches with Team USA at the 2012 IIHF World Championship.
• Luke Richardson was one of Mika Zibanejad's Assistant Coaches with the Senators for part of the 2011-12 season. In addition, Richardson was the Head Coach for Zibanejad and Fredrik Claesson with the Binghamton Senators during his four seasons as Binghamton's Head Coach (2012-13 - 2015-16).
• David Oliver and Luke Richardson were teammates with the Oilers for parts of three seasons (1994-95 - 1996-97).
• Mario Leblanc was in his first season as the Canadiens' Video Coach when Benoit Allaire was the Canadiens' Goaltending Coach (1996-97).

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. CANADIENS

• Henrik Lundqvist - 37 GP, 16-17-3, 2.79 GAA, .901 SV%, 3 SO - Lundqvist has earned a win in each of his last five appearances against Montreal (regular season and playoffs included), and he has posted a 1.34 GAA, a .955 SV% (149 saves on 156 shots), and 1 SO in the five contests.
• Mika Zibanejad - 24 GP, 8-6-14 - Zibanejad has registered a point in four of the last five games against the Canadiens (three goals, four assists) and in five of his last eight contests against Montreal (four goals, four assists). He has also posted a multi-point game in each of the last two contests (one goal, three assists) and in three of the last four games (two goals, four assists) against Montreal.
• Chris Kreider - 18 GP, 4-5-9 - Kreider has tallied seven points (four goals, three assists) in his last eight games against Montreal.
• Vladislav Namestnikov - 16 GP, 3-5-8 - Namestnikov posted his first career multi-goal game in the NHL and established a single-game career-high with three points on Mar. 30, 2015 at Montreal as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
• Ryan Strome - 12 GP, 3-5-8 - Strome has recorded a point in each of his last four games against Montreal (two goals, three assists).
• Kevin Shattenkirk - 13 GP, 0-5-5 - Shattenkirk has recorded three assists/points in his last five games against Montreal.
• Brady Skjei - 8 GP, 2-2-4 - Skjei has recorded a point in three of the last five games against the Canadiens (two goals, one assist), as well as in four of the last seven games against Montreal (two goals, two assists).
• Pavel Buchnevich - 7 GP, 2-2-4 - Buchnevich has recorded three points (two goals, one assist) in his last four games against Montreal.
• Jimmy Vesey - 8 GP, 1-3-4 - Vesey has tallied an assist/point in each of the last two games against Montreal (one goal, two assists).
• Connor Brickley - 3 GP, 1-1-2 - Brickley registered two points (one goal, one assist) on Dec. 30, 2017 against the Canadiens.
• Tony DeAngelo - 3 GP, 1-1-2 - DeAngelo has tallied a point in each of his last two games against Montreal.

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:

• Pavel Buchnevich and Alexandar Georgiev were teammates while representing Russia in international competition during the 2014-15 season.
• Fredrik Claesson and Mika Zibanejad were teammates with several teams prior to joining the Rangers:
  • The two were teammates in Sweden with Djurgardens' U18 team, U20 team in SuperElit, and professional team in the SHL over the course of three seasons (2009-10 - 2011-12).
  • Zibanejad and Claesson helped Sweden earn a gold medal at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • Claesson and Zibanejad were both selected by the Ottawa Senators in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and were teammates in the Senators' organization (either with Ottawa or with Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Binghamton Senators) for parts of three seasons (2012-13 - 2013-14; 2015-16).
• Fredrik Claesson and Jesper Fast represented Sweden in several tournaments over the course of three seasons (2009-10 - 2011-12).
• Chris Kreider and Neal Pionk helped the United States earn a bronze medal at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.
• Chris Kreider and Kevin Shattenkirk represented the United States at the 2011 IIHF World Championship.
• Kevin Shattenkirk was coached by David Quinn on several teams throughout his career before Quinn became the Rangers Head Coach:
  • Quinn was an Associate Head Coach at Boston University for two seasons while Shattenkirk attended the school (2007-08 and 2008-09), and Boston University won the National Championship in 2008-09.
  • Quinn was Shattenkirk's first Head Coach in professional hockey, as he coached Shattenkirk for parts of two seasons (2009-10 and 2010-11) with the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL).
• David Oliver served as the Avalanche's Director of Player Development for two seasons (2009-10 and 2010-11) while Kevin Shattenkirk was in the organization. Shattenkirk made his professional hockey debut in 2009-10 and his NHL debut with Colorado in 2010-11.
• Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith were both selected in the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (Shattenkirk - 14th overall by Colorado; Smith - 27th overall by Detroit).
• Kevin Shattenkirk is a native of New Rochelle, New York. He was a Rangers fan growing up, and his favorite player was Brian Leetch.
• Kevin Shattenkirk was coached by Rangers TV/Radio Analyst Dave Maloney when he was in high school.
• Brady Skjei was coached by David Quinn at the 2016 IIHF World Championship (Quinn was an Assistant Coach with Team USA).
• Brady Skjei was coached by Greg Brown at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship (Brown was an Assistant Coach with Team USA).
• Ryan Strome and Mika Zibanejad were selected with back-to-back picks in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (Strome - fifth overall by the NY Islanders; Zibanejad - sixth overall by Ottawa). Vladislav Namestnikov was also selected in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
• Jimmy Vesey and Connor Brickley both attended Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts; Brickley's final season at the school was in 2008-09, and Vesey's final season at the school was in 2010-11.
• Lias Andersson's uncle, Mikael Andersson, was teammates with Lindy Ruff as members of the Buffalo Sabres (1985-86 - 1988-89).
• Lias Andersson's father, Niklas Andersson, was teammates with Henrik Lundqvist as members of Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for four seasons (2001-02 - 2004-05).
• Lias Andersson and Mika Zibanejad helped Sweden earn a gold medal at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.
• Filip Chytil and Libor Hajek represented the Czech Republic at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.

RESILIENT RANGERS

Since their loss on Jan. 10, the Rangers have posted an 8-0-2 record in the game immediately following their last 10 losses (either regulation loss or overtime loss).

HOME SWEET HOME

The Rangers have earned at least one point in 14 of the last 20 home games, in 21 of the last 28 home games, and in 23 of 33 games at MSG this season.

THREE'S COMPANY

The Blueshirts have tallied at least three goals in seven of the last nine games, in 14 of the last 19 games, and in 15 of the last 21 games. Including team goals awarded for a shootout win, New York has recorded three or more goals in 40 of 63 games this season. In addition, the Rangers have registered three goals in a period in each of the last three games (first period on Feb. 23 vs. New Jersey, third period on Feb. 24 at Washington, and second period on Feb. 27 vs. Tampa Bay).

IN A NEW YORK MINUTE

Over the last two games, the Rangers have tallied a goal within the first minute of a period in three separate periods (first period on Feb. 24 at Washington - Chris Kreider at 0:21; third period on Feb. 24 at Washington - Jimmy Vesey at 0:21; second period on Feb. 27 vs. Tampa Bay - Mika Zibanejad at 0:56).

YOUTH SERVED

Tony DeAngelo and Neal Pionk have both registered at least 20 points this season. Over the last 30 seasons (since 1988-89), DeAngelo and Pionk are the third pair of Blueshirts defensemen 23 years old or younger who have tallied at least 20 points in the same season (2009-10 - Michael Del Zotto and Marc Staal; 2011-12 - Michael Del Zotto and Ryan McDonagh). The Rangers are one of two NHL teams that have two defensemen 23 years old or younger who have recorded at least 20 points this season.

ONE AND WON

Twelve of the Rangers' last 17 games and 34 of their 63 games this season have been decided by one goal. The Blueshirts have posted a 16-8-10 record in one-goal games in 2018-19 and are tied for second in the NHL in wins in one-goal games this season. In addition, each of the Rangers' last two games, and 17 of their 63 games this season, have been decided in either overtime or a shootout.

KING HENRIK

Henrik Lundqvist has made at least 30 saves in four of his last five appearances and in 23 of his 43 appearances this season. He ranks third among NHL goaltenders in games with 30 or more saves this season.

MIKA MAGIC

Mika Zibanejad leads the Rangers in goals (27), assists (36), and points (63) this season; he has established career-highs in assists and points, and he has tied his career-high in goals (he also recorded 27 goals last season). Zibanejad is the first Ranger who has registered at least 27 goals in back-to-back seasons since Jaromir Jagr (2005-06 and 2006-07), as well as the first Rangers center who has done so since Mark Messier (1995-96 and 1996-97). Since the Rangers' first game following last season's trade deadline (Feb. 28, 2018), Zibanejad has recorded 79 points (37 goals, 42 assists) in 81 games; he ranks eighth among NHL centers in goals over the span, trailing only Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, John Tavares, Brayden Point, Joe Pavelski, and Matt Duchene. He logged a single-game career-high 26:02 of ice time on Feb. 27 vs. Tampa Bay, becoming the first Rangers forward to log at least 26:00 of ice time in a game since Ryan Callahan on Apr. 25, 2013.

DE-FENSE

Tony DeAngelo enters the contest with an eight-game assist/point streak (nine assists); his eight-game assist streak and eight-game point streak are both career-highs, and his eight-game assist streak is the longest a Ranger has posted this season. DeAngelo's eight-game assist streak is tied for the fourth-longest in the NHL this season (tied for the longest by a defenseman), and it is also the longest active assist streak in the league. His eight-game point streak is tied for the longest active point streak in the NHL. DeAngelo is the first Ranger (as well as the first Rangers defenseman) who has posted an eight-game assist streak since Ryan McDonagh did so during the 2016-17 season. He has also recorded an assist/point in 10 of the last 12 games (11 assists), and his 11 assists since Feb. 4 are the second-most among NHL defensemen over the span. DeAngelo's 23 points in 2018-19 are the 12th-most by an NHL defenseman who is 23 years old or younger this season. In addition, he is tied for 29th among all NHL defensemen (min. 40 games played) in points per game in 2018-19 (0.52).

VESEY DOES IT

Jimmy Vesey has posted a multi-point game in each of the last three games (three goals, three assists). He has posted a multi-point game in three consecutive contests for the first time in his NHL career. Vesey's three-game goal streak is a career-high, while his three-game assist streak and three-game point streak are both tied for his career-high. He has also registered seven points (three goals, four assists) in the last five games and 10 points (five goals, five assists) in the last 11 games. Vesey has established career-highs in assists (18) and points (34) this season, and he is one goal away from tying his career-high (17 - 2017-18). Of Vesey's 34 points thus far in 2018-19, 30 have either been a goal or the primary assist on a goal.

HAJ GROUND

The Rangers recalled Libor Hajek from Hartford on Feb. 28. Hajek, who turned 21 years old on Feb. 4, leads all AHL players who are in their U21 season or younger in games played this season (58), and he also leads all AHL rookies (regardless of age) in games played in 2018-19.

When Hajek makes his NHL/Rangers debut, he would become the sixth player 21 years old or younger who has played in at least one game with the Rangers this season (along with Filip Chytil, Brett Howden, Lias Andersson, Tim Gettinger, and Ryan Lindgren). Prior to 2018-19, the last time the Blueshirts had six players 21 years old or younger all play at least one game in the same season was 1989-90 (Brian Leetch, Darren Turcotte, Mark Janssens, Troy Mallette, Dave Archibald, and Jeff Bloemberg).

LEMIEUX IN BLUE

The Rangers acquired Brendan Lemieux in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 25. He led all skaters with seven hits (tied for a single-game career-high) and logged a single-game career-high 15:24 of ice time while making his Rangers debut on Feb. 27 vs. Tampa Bay. Lemieux ranks second among NHL rookies (min. 10 games played) in goals per 60 minutes of ice time (1.58; Elias Pettersson ranks first - 1.60), and he also ranks 16th among NHL rookies (min. 10 games played) in points per 60 minutes of ice time (1.93) this season. In addition, he is tied for first among all NHL players (min. 10 games played) in minor penalties drawn per 60 minutes of ice time in 2018-19 (2.81).

KREID-ING HIGH

Chris Kreider has tallied a goal in two of the last three games, and he has registered seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last nine games. He is averaging a career-high in time on ice per game this season (17:44). In addition, Kreider has registered 26 goals in 2018-19 and is two goals away from tying his career-high of 28 (2016-17). He is one of three NHL players who have registered at least 26 goals and 120 hits this season (along with Alex Ovechkin and Evander Kane).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Power Play:

• The Rangers were 0-for-6 (10:32) on Feb. 27 vs. Tampa Bay.
• The Blueshirts have recorded a power play goal in three of the last four games, as well as in five of the last seven games which they have had at least one power play opportunity (6-for-27; 22.2%).
• The Rangers have tallied 14 power play goals over the last 18 games (14-for-53; 26.4%).
• New York has registered 22 power play goals over the last 33 games (22-for-95; 23.2%).

Penalty Kill:

• The Rangers were 2-for-3 (2:56) on Feb. 27 vs. Tampa Bay.
• The Blueshirts have not allowed a power play goal in seven of the last 13 games (25-for-31; 80.6%) and in 12 of the last 20 games (49-for-59; 83.1%).

UPCOMING MILESTONES

• Brendan Smith - 2 games away from 400 in his NHL career
• Mika Zibanejad - 2 points away from 300 in his NHL career
• Henrik Lundqvist - 6 wins away from tying Curtis Joseph for fifth place on the NHL's all-time wins list (454); 4 saves away from passing Ed Belfour (22,433) for sole possession of seventh place on the NHL's all-time saves list; 319:49 away from 50,000:00 minutes played in his NHL career/as a Ranger
• Kevin Shattenkirk - 9 games away from 600 in his NHL career

INJURIES (156 Man-Games Lost to Injury)

• Brett Howden (MCL sprain) - has missed 14 games

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• Feb. 28 - Recalled Libor Hajek from Hartford (AHL)
• Feb. 25 - Acquired a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Brendan Lemieux, and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft from Winnipeg in exchange for Kevin Hayes; Re-signed Boo Nieves and Steven Fogarty; Acquired Julius Bergman, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft from Columbus in exchange for Adam McQuaid
• Feb. 23 - Acquired a conditional second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft from Dallas in exchange for Mats Zuccarello

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY

• Feb. 28, 1928 - The Rangers earned a shutout for the fourth consecutive game, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs, 1-0, at MSG. The Blueshirts' four consecutive shutouts from Feb. 23, 1928 vs. Pittsburgh to Feb. 28, 1928 vs. Toronto remain a franchise record, and Lorne Chabot is the only goaltender in franchise history who has posted four straight shutouts.
• Feb. 28, 1929 - John Ross Roach registered his 13th shutout of the 1928-29 season. Roach's 13 shutouts in 1928-29 are a single-season franchise record.
• Feb. 28, 1963 - Gump Worsley earned his 200th career NHL win and became the first goaltender to register 200 career wins with the Rangers in franchise history as the Blueshirts defeated the Chicago Black Hawks, 6-1, in Chicago.
• Feb. 28, 1976 - Dave Maloney registered his first career NHL goal.
• Feb. 28, 1988 - The Rangers signed Mike Richter to his first NHL contract.
• Feb. 28, 1994 - Mike Richter earned his 100th career NHL win, stopping 26 of 27 shots he faced as the Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1, at MSG.
• Feb. 28, 2001 - Brian Leetch registered his 200th career NHL goal, becoming the first defenseman to tally 200 career goals with the Rangers in franchise history, and the Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers, 4-2, at MSG.
• Feb. 28, 2002 - Brian Leetch skated in his 1,000th career NHL game, becoming the third player to skate in at least 1,000 games with the Rangers in franchise history (along with Harry Howell and Rod Gilbert).
• Feb. 28, 2018 - Henrik Lundqvist made 50 saves as the Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks, 6-5, in overtime.
• Mar. 1, 1989 - Darren Turcotte recorded a hat trick while skating in his 11th career NHL game, and Tony Granato registered the 35th goal of his rookie season, as the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-4, at MSG. Granato became the first Ranger to tally 35 goals in his rookie season in franchise history.

REMEMBERING 1993-94

Alexei Kovalev led the Rangers with nine goals in 15 games in March of the 1993-94 season. Brian Leetch also led the Blueshirts with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) during the month. 

RANGERS VS. CANADIENS - 1993-94

The Rangers posted a 1-2-1 record in four games against the Canadiens in 1993-94, including a 1-0-1 record in two contests at MSG. Sergei Zubov led the Rangers with six points (three goals, three assists) in four games, while Adam Graves (four goals, one assist), Mark Messier (two goals, three assists), and Brian Leetch (five assists) each tallied five points in the season series. Zubov (one goal, one assist), Leetch (two assists), Mike Gartner (one goal, one assist), and Sergei Nemchinov (two assists) each posted a multi-point game in the Rangers' 5-4 win against the Canadiens on November 23, 1993 at MSG.