GettyImages-517756194

NEW YORK RANGERS at SAN JOSE SHARKS
Tuesday, Mar. 28, 2017, 10:30 p.m. ET
SAP Center at San Jose - San Jose, CA

Rangers: 46-26-4 (96 pts)
Sharks: 42-26-7 (91 pts)

TONIGHT'S GAME
The Rangers play their 77th game of the 2016-17 season and conclude a three-game road trip tonight, Mar. 28, against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose (10:30 p.m. ET - TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). The Rangers have earned at least one point in four of the last six games, five of the last eight games, and seven of the last 11 contests. The Blueshirts have won 15 of their last 26 games (15-8-3), as well as 18 of their last 31 contests (18-10-3). The Rangers have posted a 46-26-4 record this season.

RANGERS VS. SHARKS
RANGERS-SHARKS CONNECTIONS
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. SHARKS
CLINCHING A BERTH
The Rangers would clinch a berth in the 2017 NHL Playoffs by earning a win in tomorrow's game*. Entering 2016-17, the Rangers reached the playoffs in each of the previous six seasons (since 2010-11) and in 10 of the previous 11 seasons (since 2005-06).

*Note: The Rangers could clinch a playoff berth on Monday night if all of the following results occurred in games played on Monday:

  1. Islanders loss against Nashville in regulation
  1. Tampa Bay loss against Chicago in any fashion
  1. Carolina loss against Detroit in any fashion

FINAL COUNTDOWN
The Rangers have six regular season games remaining in the 2016-17 season. The Blueshirts' final six regular season games this season include three home games and three road games, as well as four contests against Metropolitan Division opponents.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Rangers lead the NHL in road wins this season (27) and since the start of the 2013-14 season (99). The Blueshirts have won eight of their last 11 road games (8-2-1), 12 of their last 16 road contests (12-3-1), and 20 of their last 26 road games (20-5-1). The Rangers' 27 road wins in 2016-17 are the second-most in one season in franchise history, and the only season in which the Blueshirts earned more than 27 road wins was 2014-15 (28). The Rangers' 27 road wins this season are also tied for the fifth-most any NHL team has earned in one season in league history.
*The Rangers' 28 road wins in 2014-15 are a single-season franchise record and are tied for the most any Eastern Conference team has earned in one season in NHL history

BOUNCE BACK
Since Dec. 22, 2015, the Rangers have posted a 38-10-2 record in the game following a loss (regulation or overtime/shootout). New York has posted a 21-6-2 record in games following a loss in 2016-17.

WINNING WAYS
The Rangers' 46 wins in 2016-17 are tied for the eighth-most in one season in franchise history (New York also earned 46 wins last season). The Blueshirts are tied for fourth in the NHL in wins this season. In addition, the Rangers rank third in the NHL - and lead the Eastern Conference - in wins since the start of the 2013-14 season (190). The Rangers' 190 wins since 2013-14 are the most in any four-season span in franchise history.

HOW THE WEST WAS WON
New York has posted a 21-6-0 record in games against Western Conference opponents this season, including an 11-2-0 record against teams in the Pacific Division. The Rangers lead all Eastern Conference teams in wins against teams in the Western Conference in 2016-17 and have earned at least one win against all 14 Western Conference teams this season.

AV SQUAD
Alain Vigneault enters tomorrow's contest with 612 career wins as an NHL head coach, and he is one win away from tying Jacques Martin for 14th place on the league's all-time wins list among head coaches.

KING HENRIK
Henrik Lundqvist earned his 30th win of the 2016-17 season and his 404th career NHL win on Mar. 7 at Florida. He is the first goaltender in NHL history who has earned at least 30 wins in 11 of his first 12 seasons, and he is only the third goaltender in NHL history who has registered 30 or more wins in at least 11 different seasons (Martin Brodeur - 14; Patrick Roy - 13). By earning his 404th career NHL win, Lundqvist passed Brodeur for the most wins by a goaltender in his first 12 seasons in NHL history. He is three wins away from tying Glenn Hall for ninth place on the NHL's all-time wins list.

RICK ROLLING
Rick Nash is one of two NHL players who have registered at least 20 goals in 12 different seasons since 2003-04 (Alex Ovechkin). He enters the contest with a four-game goal/point streak, which is tied for the longest goal streak any Ranger has posted in 2016-17. Nash is tied for the team lead in games with a goal this season (22), and he ranks third on the Rangers in goals this season (22). Nash has registered at least one goal in 108 of 311 games he has played as a member of the Rangers (34.7%).

MIKA MAGIC
Mika Zibanejad enters the contest with a three-game assist/point streak (one goal, four assists), and he has posted a multi-point game in each of the last two contests. He has recorded nine points (four goals, five assists) in the last 11 games, and he has posted a 60.6% faceoff win percentage over the last seven games (77-for-127).

STEP-AN UP
Derek Stepan has recorded at least 50 points in four consecutive seasons (2013-14 - 2016-17) and in five seasons in his career (2011-12; 2013-14 - 2016-17). Over the last 25 seasons (since 1991-92), the only Rangers who have posted more 50-point seasons than Stepan are Brian Leetch (eight), Mark Messier (seven), and Adam Graves (six). Stepan has recorded a goal in each of the last two games, and he enters the contest with a three-game point streak (two goals, one assist).

CAPTAIN MAC
Ryan McDonagh is one of three NHL defensemen who have recorded at least 40 points and a plus-19 rating in 2016-17. He leads team defensemen in assists (35) and points (40) in 2016-17, and he has posted two 40-point seasons in his NHL career (2013-14 and 2016-17).

WELCOME MATS
Mats Zuccarello leads the Rangers in assists (40), points (55), and even strength assists (33) this season, and he is the first Ranger who has registered at least 33 even strength assists in one season since Michael Nylander in 2006-07. In addition, Zuccarello's 40 assists this season are tied for his career-high. He enters the contest with a three-game point streak (one goal, three assists), and he has registered a point in seven of the last eight games (three goals, six assists over the span). Zuccarello has tallied 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 27 games against Western Conference opponents this season.

SKJEI HEY KID
Brady Skjei is one of three NHL defensemen who have recorded at least 30 even strength points in their rookie season over the last 23 seasons (since 1993-94), along with John Carlson and Tyler Myers. He is also one of four Rangers defensemen who have recorded at least 30 assists in his rookie season in franchise history (along with Leetch, Ruotsalainen, and Greschner). Skjei leads NHL rookie defensemen in even strength assists (25) and even strength points (30) in 2016-17.

IT'S MILLER TIME
J.T. Miller has registered the same amount of goals, assists, and points in the same number of games played at home as he has on the road thus far this season (10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 38 games played both at MSG and on the road).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Power Play:
Penalty Kill:
UPCOMING MILESTONES
INJURIES (186 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
- Mar. 27, 2006 - Jaromir Jagr tied Adam Graves' single-season franchise record for goals by tallying his 52nd of the 2005-06 season, and the Rangers rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the third period to defeat the Buffalo Sabres, 5-4, in a shootout. - Mar. 28, 1940 - Dave Kerr posted his second consecutive shutout as the Rangers defeated the Boston Bruins, 1-0, in Game 5 of the Semifinals in Boston.