Pregame Notes: Rangers vs. Islanders

RANGERS RUNDOWN

• The New York Rangers host the Islanders for the first time this season and complete their 12th and final back-to-back set of the season (1:00 PM ET - TV: TNT, MAX - Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). The Rangers will play their 41st game on St. Patrick’s Day.
• In the second half of back-to-backs, the Blueshirts are 10-1-0, the third best mark in the NHL.
• New York has win in four of its last five games and points in 18 of its last 22 contests (16-4-2). The Blueshirts’ 44 wins are the second most in the NHL while their 92 points rank tied for third in the league.
• At home, the Rangers have a 23-8-0 record for 46 points, ranking tied for second in the NHL in home wins. Their 31 home games thus far are the fewest in the league.
• Against Metropolitan Division teams, the Rangers are 14-5-0 this season and have led the division for 145 days straight.
• The Rangers have a league-high tying five players (Zibanejad, Kreider, Trocheck, Panarin, Fox) with 50 or more points this season, three players with 60-plus points, and four players with 20 or more goals.
• New York has the NHL’s sixth best power play percentage (25.5), fourth best at home (27.0), and fifth best penalty kill percentage (83.2).
• New York has accumulated 166 points from defensemen this season, the third most in the NHL.
• In the last 35 games (since Dec. 27), Artemi Panarin (49 pts - 20G-29A) and Vincent Trocheck (36 pts - 16G-20A) have recorded a combined 85 points (36G-49A).
• The Rangers’ .875 win percentage (7-1) in five-minute overtime session ranks first in the league.

RANGERS AND ISLANDERS CONNECTIONS

• Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette began his head coaching career with the Islanders, heading the team from 2001-02 - 2002-03.
• Rangers assistant coach Michael Peca played for the Islanders from 2001-02 to 2003-04.
• Goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Illya Sorokin are close friends, growing up together in Russia.

PANARIN’S POINTS

On Saturday afternoon, Artemi Panarin tallied his fifth-career five point game (first since Feb. 11, 2023 at CAR) and fourth with the Rangers. The only other players in franchise history with as many are Rod Gilbert (6), Ulf Nilsson (4) and Jean Ratelle (4).

His fifth point was his 500th career assist and he became the third-fastest (657 GP) active player to reach the milestone behind Connor McDavid (527 GP) and Sidney Crosby (554 GP).

Additionally, Panarin reached the 90-point plateau for the fourth time in five seasons. He is the first player in team history to notch the feat four times and is also the first to do so in three consecutive seasons.

In Panarin’s last 14 games, he has 25 points (7G-18A), seven games with 2+ points and five games with 3+ points.

With 38 goals and 55 assists, Panarin is looking to become the first Rangers player since Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06 to have 40+ goals and 50+ assists.

Panarin ranks fifth in points (93) and seventh in the NHL in goals (38). His 38 goals are a career-high.

He has notched a point in 53 games this year, tied for the third most in the NHL and his 27 multi-point games rank fifth in the league.

KREIDING HIGH

Chris Kreider played in his 800th career NHL game on Mar. 16 at Pittsburgh, becoming the 10th skater in team history to reach the feat. His 298 goals are the second highest total by any Rangers player through their first 800 games with the franchise, trailing only Jean Ratelle (306).

Kreider has 33 goals this season, nine in his last 14 games and 10 in his last 16 games. He has points in seven of his last 

eight contests (4G-5A) and 15 points (9G-6A) in his last 14 games.

Since the 2021-22 season, Kreider’s 121 goals rank tied for sixth in the NHL and in that same time frame, his 47 power play goals rank third.

He is one power play goal from tying Brian Leetch (106) for the third most in franchise history. This season, Kreider has changed the Rangers record books:

• Surpassed Adam Graves for the third most goals in Rangers history (281)
• Surpassed Adam Graves for the 10th most points in team history (508)
• Recorded his 500th career point
• Surpassed Camille Henry for the fourth most road goals in franchise history (137)
• Tied Bill Cook for the third most game-winning goals in franchise history (42)
• Became the fifth Ranger to tally 100 career power play goals
• Recorded his 166th career goal at MSG (regular season and playoffs) to surpass Rod Gilbert for the most in the building’s history
• Notched his ninth 20-goal campaign in his career. Only two players in franchise history have recorded as many: Rod Gilbert (12x) and Jean Ratelle (9x).

NEW YORK NETMINDERS

The Rangers rank fifth in the NHL in save percentage with a .909 mark and their 180 goals allowed this season are tied for the fifth most in the league.

In his last 11 games (since Feb. 12), Igor Shesterkin has posted a 8-2-1 record and three shutouts. He has allowed one or fewer goals in seven of his last 11 contests.

Shesterkin has earned points in 12 of his last 15 starts and his 28 wins rank tied for sixth in the NHL.

Since 2021-22, Shesterkin has allowed one or fewer goals when facing 40-plus shots on seven occasions, the second most in the NHL.

Jonathan Quick has won six of his last seven starts, allowing two or fewer goals in four of them. Among NHL goalies who have played 20 or more games this season, Quick ranks eighth in goals-against average (2.46) and tied for eighth in save percentage (.916).

Quick holds a 15-5-2 record this season. He is one win from tying Ryan Miller for the most wins among American-born goaltenders (391).

NEXT ON FOX

Adam Fox has 15 points (4G-11A) in his last 14 games and 17 points (4G-13A) in his last 16 games. He ranks eighth among NHL defensemen in points (55) and eighth in assists (43).

Fox’s 12 goals this season are tied for a career-high originally set last season.

Fox recorded his 40th assist on Feb. 9 to reach his fourth 40-assist season. The only other defensemen with as many 40-assist campaigns for the Rangers are Brian Leetch (10), James Patrick (5) and Brad Park (4).

Fox scored his 10th goal of the season on Feb. 28, making him the first Rangers defenseman since Brian Leetch (4 from 2000-01 – 2003-04) to record three straight 10-goal campaigns.

Since the 2019-20 season, Fox ranks fifth among NHL defensemen in points (290) and second in assists (242).

SLAP SHOTS

• Mika Zibanejad has points in three of his past four games (2G-1A). He has double-digit power play goals for a seventh straight season. The only other player that has reached 10-plus power play goals in the last seven seasons is Steven Stamkos.
• Vincent Trocheck has points in seven of his last eight games (4G-5A) and points in 12 of his last 14 games (9G-8A). He ranks second in the NHL (min. 700 FO) in faceoff percentage (59.2). His 64 points are tied for his total last year and his second most in his career (75 in 2017-18 with FLA).
• Alexis Lafreniere has 10 points in his last 13 games (4G-6A) and 14 points (7G-7A) in his last 19 games. The Blueshirts are 15-0-1 when he scores a goal this season.
• Will Cuylle ranks first among rookies and seventh in the NHL in hits with 212.
• The Rangers have a regular season record of 46-11-6 when Kreider and Zibanejad score a goal in the same game.