Pregame Notes: Rangers vs. Devils 04.15.21

TODAY'S GAME
The Rangers play their 43rd game of the 2020-21 season and continue a four-game set today, Apr. 15, against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET - TV: MSG Network, Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). The Blueshirts enter the contest with a three-game point streak (2-0-1 record) and have earned at least one point in seven of the last eight games (5-1-2 record), in 10 of the last 13 games (8-3-2 record), and in 13 of the last 17 games (10-4-3 record).

RANGERS VS. DEVILS
- All-Time\: 123-96-27-10 (67-35-20-4 at home; 56-61-7-6 on the road) \Note: All-time record includes games against the Kansas City Scouts from 1974-75 - 1975-76 and the Colorado Rockies from 1976-77 - 1981-82 - 2020-21: The Rangers are playing New Jersey in the sixth of eight games between the two teams and the third of four meetings at MSG. The Blueshirts have posted a 3-2-0 record and won the last meeting between the two teams, 3-0, on Apr. 13 at New Jersey. Pavel Buchnevich leads all skaters with seven points (three goals, four assists) in five games. Chris Kreider leads all skaters with four goals in the season series, and he tallied a hat trick on Mar. 4 at New Jersey. New York is 4-for-13 (30.8%) on the power play thus far in the season series. The Rangers are also scheduled to play against the Devils on the following dates: Apr. 17 (at MSG), Apr. 18 (at New Jersey). - The Rangers are scheduled to play four consecutive team games against the Devils from Apr. 13 - Apr. 18, which will be the most consecutive team games against one opponent in franchise history. - The Rangers and Devils are in the same division for the 38th consecutive season (1982-83 - 2020-21) - Patrick (1982-83 - 1992-93), Atlantic (1993-94 - 2012-13), Metropolitan (2013-14 - 2019-20), MassMutual NHL East (2020-21).

GOALS GALORE
The Rangers have tallied three or more goals in nine of the last 13 games and in 12 of the last 17 games. The Blueshirts rank eighth in the NHL in goals per game this season (3.21). Including team goals awarded for a shootout win, the Rangers have tallied three or more goals in each of their 20 wins this season.
TEAM EFFORT
The Blueshirts are the only NHL team that has five players who have tallied 33 or more points this season (Panarin, Fox, Strome, Buchnevich, Zibanejad). The Rangers are one of two NHL teams that have six players who have recorded 12 or more goals this season (Colorado).
HART-EMI
Artemi Panarin ranks second in the NHL (min. two games played) in assists per game (0.97) and ranks third in the NHL in points per game (1.39) this season, and he also leads the NHL (min. 20 games played) in points per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5 (3.24) and assists per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5 (2.43) in 2020-21. He skated in his 100th game with the Rangers on Apr. 13 at New Jersey, and he recorded 138 points (45 goals, 93 assists) in his first 100 games; according to NHL Stats and Information, Panarin's 138 points and 93 assists are the most by a player within his first 100 games with the Rangers in franchise history (Mark Messier previously held the record in each category with 137 points and 92 assists). In 17 games since returning to the Rangers' lineup on Mar. 13, Panarin has recorded 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) and a plus-12 rating, and he has been on the ice for 33 of the Rangers' 68 goals. He is the only NHL player who has recorded 43 or more points and has been assessed two or fewer penalty minutes this season. The Rangers have earned at least one point in 22 of the 31 games Panarin has played this season (16-9-6 record) and have posted a 15-3-4 record in the games he has notched a point. He has been selected as one of the game's Three Stars in 15 of 31 games he has played this season. Panarin, who averaged 1.38 points per game last season, is on pace to become the second player in franchise history to average at least 1.30 points per game in two different seasons (Messier - 1991-92 and 1995-96) and the first to do so in back-to-back seasons.
WHAT THE FOX SAYS
Adam Fox leads NHL defensemen in points (39) and assists (34), ranks second among NHL defensemen in power play assists (18) and power play points (20), and is tied for third among NHL defensemen in takeaways (27) in 2020-21, and he is the only NHL defenseman who ranks tied for third or better among NHL defensemen in all of those categories this season. Fox has logged 1,005:02 of ice time this season and has only taken five penalties; among NHL defensemen who, like Fox, have played at least 40 games and have averaged at least 20:00 of ice time in 2020-21, only one defenseman has taken fewer penalties than Fox (Heiskanen - four). He is also the only NHL player who has logged at least 150:00 of power play ice time and at least 100:00 of shorthanded ice time in 2020-21. Fox is averaging 0.83 assists per game and 0.95 points per game this season. He is currently on pace to become the fourth defenseman in Rangers history to average at least 0.80 assists per game in a season (min. 10 games played), along with Brian Leetch (four times), Brad Park, and Sergei Zubov; Leetch was the last one to do so in 1995-96 (0.85 assists per game). The last Rangers defenseman who averaged at least 0.90 points per game in a season (min. 10 games played) was Leetch in 2000-01 (0.96); since Leetch's rookie year in 1988-89, he and Zubov are the only Rangers defensemen who have averaged at least 0.90 points per game in a season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Rangers have outscored their opponent on special teams in 17 games in 2020-21 and have posted a 12-3-2 record in those 17 games.
Power Play:
Penalty Kill: