Rangers vs. Coyotes 10.23.16: Pregame Notes
© Jared Silber
TONIGHT'S GAME
The Rangers play their sixth game of the 2016-17 season and conclude a back-to-back set tonight against the Arizona Coyotes at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET - TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). Including tomorrow's game, the Blueshirts play seven of their next nine games at MSG. The Rangers enter the contest with a 3-2-0 record this season.
HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER NIGHT
The Rangers and the Garden of Dreams Foundation are hosting "Hockey Fights Cancer" Night tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. As part of the evening's efforts to raise awareness and money for the fight against cancer, Rangers players will wear lavender jerseys and use lavender tape on their sticks during warm-ups, and they will also sport Hockey Fights Cancer decals on the back right of their helmets during the game. In addition, Rangers coaches will wear commemorative lavender ties and pocket squares during the game. A limited selection of Hockey Fights Cancer merchandise will be available for purchase at MSG Retail Stores, and a portion of the proceeds from wholesale purchase benefits Hockey Fights Cancer. The jerseys and sticks used by the players in warm-ups will be auctioned at newyorkrangers.com/hockeyfightscancer to benefit the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
Fans are also encouraged to join the fight tomorrow by downloading Hockey Fights Cancer placards courtesy of Northwell Health and sharing their messages on social media using #NYRHFC and through snapchat by using the custom Rangers Hockey Fights Cancer filter. Visit newyorkrangers.com/hockeyfightscancer to learn more.
RANGERS VS. COYOTES
RANGERS-COYOTES CONNECTIONS
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. COYOTES
BACK-TO-BACK
Tomorrow, the Rangers conclude the first of their 16 back-to-back sets this season. In 2015-16, New York posted a 9-5-3 record in the second game of a back-to-back set. In their last 82 back-to-back sets (dating back to the start of the 2010-11 season), the Rangers have posted a 53-23-6 record in the second game of the set.
GOALS GALORE
The Rangers have tallied 19 goals in their first five games this season (3.80 goals per game). Through the first five games, 10 different Rangers have recorded at least one goal and 19 different Rangers (including goaltender Antti Raanta) have tallied at least one point.
SHOOTING GALLERY
The Blueshirts have outshot their opponents, 162-123, through the first five games this season (32.4 shots on goal per game; 24.6 shots on goal against per game). New York has recorded at least 30 shots on goal in three of the five contests. In addition, the Blueshirts have held their opponent to 18 shots on goal in two of the five contests.
HOT AT THE DOT
The Blueshirts have posted a 54.4% faceoff win percentage this season (160-for-294). New York has won at least 51.6% of faceoffs in four of its first five games in 2016-17. Four of six Rangers who have taken at least 10 faceoffs this season have posted a faceoff win percentage of 50.0 or better.
HOME COOKING
The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 63 of their last 83 home games, dating back to Oct. 16, 2014 (54-20-9 record). In addition, the Blueshirts have posted a 29-11-4 record at MSG since the start of the 2015-16 season.
SMOOTH SAILING ON THE PACIFIC
Since the start of last season, the Rangers have earned at least one point in each of their eight home games against Pacific Division opponents (7-0-1 record).
AV SQUAD
Alain Vigneault leads all NHL head coaches in regular season wins since the start of the 2006-07 season (460).
VESEY DOES IT
Jimmy Vesey registered two goals, including the game-winning goal, on Oct. 22 at Washington. Vesey became the third Rangers rookie to post a multi-goal game since the start of the 2013-14 season. In addition, he became the third NHL rookie (at the time of his second goal of the game against the Capitals) to post a multi-goal game in 2016-17 (the first two were Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine). Vesey has recorded the game-winning goal in each of the two games in which he has tallied a goal in 2016-17. He leads the Rangers in game-winning goals (two) and is tied for the team lead in goals (three) this season.
KREID-ING HIGH
Chris Kreider has registered seven points (three goals, four assists) in the first five games of the season. Kreider posted a multi-point game in each of New York's first three games this season. In addition, Kreider established career-highs with a three-game goal streak over the first three games of the season and a four-game assist streak over the first four games of the season.
MIKA MAGIC
Mika Zibanejad has recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in five games thus far in 2016-17. He has won 59.8% of faceoffs he has taken this season (64-for-107).
KING HENRIK
Henrik Lundqvist is one of three goaltenders in NHL history who have earned at least 30 wins in 10 different seasons (along with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy). He is the Rangers' all-time leader in several categories, including wins (376), appearances (689), shutouts (59), and save percentage (.920).
Lundqvist has started both games of a back-to-back set 74 times during the regular season in his NHL career. In the second game of those 74 back-to-back sets, Lundqvist has posted a 46-21-7 record, along with a 2.05 GAA, a .929 SV%, and 8 SO.
RAISE THE ANTTI
Among NHL goaltenders who have appeared in at least 25 games since the start of the 2014-15 season, Antti Raanta ranks second in GAA (2.16) and ranks fifth in SV% (.924). He has posted a 20-4-4 record, along with a 1.88 GAA, a .931 SV%, and 4 SO in 32 career NHL appearances at home.
Last season, Raanta started 10 games which were the second half of a back-to-back set for the Rangers. In those contests, he posted a 6-3-1 record, along with a 2.22 GAA, a .922 SV%, and 1 SO. In the 19 games Raanta has started as a member of the Rangers, the team has registered 63 goals (3.32 goals per game).
CAPTAIN MAC
The Rangers have posted a 22-1-2 record in the last 25 games which Ryan McDonagh has logged at least 25:00 of ice time, dating back to Oct. 16, 2014. McDonagh enters the contest with a three-game assist/point streak (four assists over the span). McDonagh has notched 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in his last 38 games, dating back to Jan. 9, 2016. The Rangers captain has led the team in ice time in each of the first five games of the 2016-17 season, averaging 25:51 of ice time per game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Rangers have posted a 34-2-3 record in games which they have outscored their opponent on special teams.
Power Play:
Penalty Kill:
UPCOMING MILESTONES
INJURIES (14 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
- Oct. 23, 1966 - Ed Giacomin earned his first career NHL shutout, stopping all 29 shots he faced as the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 1-0, at MSG. (50th anniversary)
- Oct. 23, 1968 - Brad Park made his NHL debut as the Rangers defeated the Oakland Seals, 6-1, at MSG.
- Oct. 23, 1988 - Tony Granato registered his first NHL goal and added two assists as the Rangers defeated the Quebec Nordiques, 8-2, at MSG. The goal was the first of 36 in 1988-89 for Granato, who established a single-season Rangers record for goals by a rookie.