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NEW YORK RANGERS at TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015, 8:00 p.m. ET
Amalie Arena – Tampa, FL
Rangers: 20-13-4 (44 pts)
Lightning: 18-15-4 (40 pts)
TONIGHT'S GAME
The
Rangers play their 38th game of the 2015-16 season and continue a
three-game road trip tonight, Dec. 30, against the Tampa Bay Lightning
at Amalie Arena (8:00 p.m. ET - TV: NBCSN; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM).
Tonight's contest is the Rangers' final game of the 2015 calendar year.
The Blueshirts enter the contest with a 20-13-4 record this season (44
points).
RANGERS VS. LIGHTNING
· All-Time: 43-35-5-7 (24-16-2-4 at home; 19-19-3-3 on the road)
· 2015-16:
Tonight's game is the second of three meetings between the Rangers and
Lightning, and the second of two meetings between the two teams at Tampa
Bay. The Rangers have posted a 0-1-0 record (0-0-0 at home; 0-1-0 on
the road) against the Lightning. New York was defeated by the Lightning,
2-1, on Nov. 19 at Tampa Bay. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 26 of 28 shots
he faced in the contest, while Dominic Moore tallied the only goal of
the game for the Blueshirts. Following tonight's game, the Rangers and
Lightning will face each other on the following date: Apr. 5 (at MSG).
RANGERS-LIGHTNING CONNECTIONS
· Alain
Vigneault and Lightning Associate Coach Rick Bowness were members of
the same coaching staff in Ottawa and Vancouver. Vigneault was an
assistant coach on Bowness' staff with the Senators for parts of four
seasons (1992-93 - 1995-96), and Bowness was an assistant coach on
Vigneault's staff for seven seasons with the Canucks (2006-07 -
2012-13).
· Dan
Boyle played parts of six seasons with the Lightning (2001-02 -
2007-08) and helped the team capture the Stanley Cup in 2003-04. Boyle
is Tampa Bay's all-time leader in assists (187) and points (253) by a
defenseman.
· Dominic
Moore played parts of two seasons with Tampa Bay (2010-11 - 2011-12)
and helped the Lightning advance to the Eastern Conference Final in
2010-11.
· The
Lightning have three former Rangers on their roster: Brian Boyle
(2009-10 - 2013-14), Ryan Callahan (2006-07 - 2013-14), and Anton
Stralman (2011-12 - 2013-14).
· Jonathan
Marchessault played one season with the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the
Connecticut Whale (now the Hartford Wolf Pack), in 2011-12.
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. LIGHTNING
· Henrik
Lundqvist - 36 GP, 17-13-6, 2.40 GAA, .914 SV%, 2 SO - Lundqvist has
allowed two goals or fewer in 23 of 36 career regular season appearances
against the Lightning.
· Rick
Nash - 20 GP, 8-8-16 - Since joining the Rangers prior to the start of
the 2012-13 season, Nash has recorded nine points (five goals, four
assists) in ten regular season games against Tampa Bay.
· Derek
Stepan - 18 GP, 6-9-15 - Stepan has registered an assist/point in four
of his last six regular season games against Tampa Bay, including three
of his last four regular season contests.
· Ryan
McDonagh - 13 GP, 0-10-10 - McDonagh has notched six assists/points in
his last seven regular season games against the Lightning.
YEAR IN REVIEW
The
Blueshirts have earned more regular season and playoff wins combined
than any other NHL team in 2015 (64). The Rangers rank second in the NHL
in regular season wins in the 2015 calendar year (53; 53-24-7 record in
84 regular season games in 2015). The Rangers led the NHL in regular
season and playoff wins combined in the 2014 calendar year (58).
ON POINT
Five
Rangers defensemen have recorded at least ten points this season (Keith
Yandle, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Boyle, Marc Staal, and Dan Girardi).
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, five Rangers defensemen have
tallied ten or more points through the first 37 games of one season for
the first time since 1984-85. The Rangers are one of three NHL teams
that have five defensemen who have recorded at least ten points in
2015-16. In addition, the Rangers rank fourth in the NHL - and lead
Eastern Conference teams - in points by defensemen this season (77; 17
goals, 60 assists). Blueshirts defensemen have registered 20 points
(five goals, 15 assists) over the last eight games.
GOALS GALORE
The
Rangers have tallied three or more goals in each of the last three
games, in six of the last eight games, and in 23 of 37 games in 2015-16.
New York is tied for fifth in the NHL in goals per game this season
(2.86).
SHOOT TO SCORE
The
Rangers have registered three or more goals while recording 30 or fewer
shots on goal in the same contest in 19 of 37 games this season. New
York is tied for fourth in the NHL in shooting percentage in 2015-16
(10.2; 106 goals on 1,037 shots on goal).
BLOCK PARTY
New York ranks third in the NHL - and leads the Eastern Conference - in blocked shots this season (569).
AV SQUAD
Alain
Vigneault enters tonight's game tied with Colin Campbell for ninth
place on the Rangers' all-time wins list among head coaches (118). He is
one win away from tying Phil Watson for eighth place on the franchise's
all-time wins list among head coaches. Vigneault also enters tonight's
contest tied with Jacques Demers for 21st place on the NHL's all-time
games coached list (1,007).
KING HENRIK
Henrik
Lundqvist ranks second in the NHL in saves (857), is tied for fifth in
wins (16), and is tied for ninth in even strength SV% (.935) and SO
(two) in 2015-16. Lundqvist has been selected as one of the game's Three
Stars more times than any other NHL player this season (17). Entering
this season, Lundqvist, who has posted a .922 SV% thus far in 2015-16,
was the only NHL goaltender who registered a save percentage of .920 or
better in each of the previous six seasons (2009-10 - 2014-15).
RICK ROLLING
Rick
Nash tallied his 100th goal as a Ranger on Dec. 28 at Nashville. Among
players who have skated in at least 200 career games with the Rangers in
franchise history, Nash is tied for fourth in goals per game with the
Blueshirts (0.45), trailing only Mike Gartner (0.54), Pierre Larouche
(0.49), and Bill Cook (0.48).
WELCOME MATS
Mats
Zuccarello is tied for fourth in the NHL in goals when the score is
tied this season (eight). Zuccarello has tallied all of his 15 goals and
28 of his 30 points in 2015-16 when the Rangers have either led by one
goal, trailed by one goal, or were tied in the contest, and he is also
tied for fourth in the NHL in goals when the score differential in the
game is one goal or fewer.
BRASS BONANZA
Derick
Brassard is one of four NHL players who have registered at least 10
goals, 20 takeaways, and a 50.0 faceoff win percentage (min. 600
faceoffs taken) this season (along with Jonathan Toews, Patrice
Bergeron, and John Tavares). Brassard has recorded 13 points (seven
goals, six assists) in the last 13 games and has notched 25 points (12
goals, 13 assists) in the last 29 games. He is tied for fifth among NHL
centers in goals (12) and is tied for ninth among NHL centers in points
(25) since Oct. 24.
BOYLE-ING POINT
Dan
Boyle has tallied a goal in four of the last nine contests and has
recorded seven points (four goals, three assists) over the span. Boyle
is tied for first among NHL defensemen in goals (four) since Dec. 9, and
he has registered five of his seven points over the span in either the
third period or overtime. He has been on the ice for 16 of the Rangers'
22 power play goals this season (including each of the team's last seven
power play goals), and he has recorded a point on five of the
Blueshirts' last six power play goals (two goals, three assists).
IT'S MILLER TIME
J.T.
Miller leads the Rangers in points (13) and plus/minus rating
(plus-four), and is tied for the team lead in goals (six) and assists
(seven) on the road this season. Miller has notched a goal in three of
the last four games and has recorded six points (four goals, two
assists) in the last seven contests.
TOO HOT TO YANDLE
Keith
Yandle is tied for ninth among NHL defensemen in assists (18) this
season. Yandle leads the Rangers in assists and leads team defensemen in
points (19) in 2015-16.
CAPTAIN MAC
Ryan
McDonagh has recorded seven points (two goals, five assists) in the
last ten games and 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in the last 25
contests. McDonagh has led the Blueshirts in ice time in each of the
last seven contests and in 22 of 37 games this season.
STEPAN UP
Derek
Stepan leads Rangers forwards in average ice time over the four games
he has played since returning from injury on Dec. 18 (18:38).
KREID-ING HIGH
Chris
Kreider has tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in the last
three games and seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last ten
contests.
SPECIAL TEAMS
· The Rangers have posted a 6-1-2 record when outscoring opponents on special teams this season.
· New York has posted a 23-2-3 record when outscoring opponents on special teams since the start of the 2014-15 season.
Power Play:
· The Rangers were 0-for-1 (2:00) on Dec. 28 at Nashville.
· The Blueshirts are tied for fifth in the NHL on the power play in 2015-16 (21.4%; 22-for-103).
· New
York has tallied a PPG in three of the last four games (3-for-13;
23.1%), in six of the last eight games (6-for-27; 22.2%), in 14 of the
last 22 games (16-for-66; 24.2%), and in 19 of the last 31 games
(21-for-87; 24.1%).
· Over the last 31 games, the Rangers rank second in the NHL on the power play.
Penalty Kill:
· The Rangers were 0-for-2 (1:46) on Dec. 28 at Nashville.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
· Rick Nash - 3 games away from 900 in his NHL career
· Derek Stepan - 5 goals away from 100 in his NHL career
INJURIES (35 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
· None
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
· Dec. 23 - Assigned Magnus Hellberg and Chris Summers to Hartford (AHL)
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
· Dec. 29, 2007 – The Rangers tallied five power play goals in a 6-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
· Dec.
30, 1983 – Pierre Larouche and Anders Hedberg each tallied two goals as
the Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3, at MSG.
At the Rink: Rangers at Lightning
Wednesday, 12.30.2015 / 1:44 PM
By Corey Long - NHL.com Correspondent / 2015-16 At the Rink blog
TAMPA -- Forward Jonathan Drouin was activated off injured reserve Tuesday and will return to the lineup for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they play the New York Rangers at Amalie Arena on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN).
Drouin has not played since Dec. 10 and has two goals and six assists in 18 games this season. He said he doesn't expect he will need much time to get his legs back.
"It's definitely nice to feel good again," Drouin said. "I'm ready to go. It's up to me to get [my legs] again and I'm sure it'll be fine."
Drouin's role will change upon his return as Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov have taken the wing spots on Steven Stamkos' line and are producing good results. Drouin will likely take Erik Condra's spot in the lineup.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he's going to continue to give ice time to "the guys that are rolling" but is happy to have more healthy bodies in the locker room.
Forwards Brian Boyle and Tyler Johnson returned the lineup Monday and Ondrej Palat is aiming for a return during the Lightning's four-game road trip next week.
"These guys have missed extended periods of time, there's always a little bit of the rust factor coming back, so you have to ease these guys in and make sure they get the pace of the game and get some of the rust off," Cooper said. "So we'll get a feel for how these guys are playing and kind of inch them along."
The Lightning (18-15-4) are currently 2-1-1 on their six-game homestand after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
The Rangers (20-13-4) are 1-4-0 in their past five games and the slump has forced coach Alain Vigneault to change lines and bench forward Kevin Hayes.
Vigneault said the Hayes move was in the best interest of the Rangers. Hayes hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 23 and has three assists in his past 16 games. Emerson Etem will take Hayes' spot in the lineup.
"I think Kevin has had an extra-long leash, especially considering [Derek Stepan] was out for quite some time, but there's just nothing going on," Vigneault told the Rangers website Tuesday. "At the end of the day we're at the point now where we have to make some decisions in the best interest of the team."
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who has been pulled in three of his past six starts, will start for the Rangers and goalie Ben Bishop will make his 31st start of the season for the Lightning.
Here are the projected lineups:
RANGERS
J.T. Miller – Derick Brassard – Mats Zuccarello
Rick Nash – Derek Stepan – Jesper Fast
Chris Kreider - Oscar Lindberg – Emerson Etem
Tanner Glass – Dominic Moore – Viktor Stalberg
Ryan McDonagh – Dan Girardi
Keith Yandle – Kevin Klein
Marc Staal – Dan Boyle
Henrik Lundqvist
Antti Raanta
Injured: None
Scratched: Kevin Hayes, Dylan McIlrath
LIGHTNING
Vladislav Namestnikov - Steven Stamkos - Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn - Tyler Johnson - Jonathan Marchessault
Jonathan Drouin - Valtteri Filppula - Ryan Callahan
J.T. Brown - Cedric Paquette - Erik Condra
Victor Hedman - Anton Stralman
Braydon Coburn - Jason Garrison
Matthew Carle - Andrej Sustr
Ben Bishop
Kristers Gudlevskis
Injured: Ondrej Palat (undisclosed), Joel Vermin (hand surgery).
Scratched: Nikita Nesterov, Erik Condra
Status report: Some of the other moves Vigneault will make include moving Miller to the line with Brassard and Zuccarello, where he will replace Nash, who will now skate with Stepan and Fast.
Who's hot: Kucherov has a six-game point streak (two goals, seven assists). … Miller has scored two goals in the past three games.
Drouin has not played since Dec. 10 and has two goals and six assists in 18 games this season. He said he doesn't expect he will need much time to get his legs back.
"It's definitely nice to feel good again," Drouin said. "I'm ready to go. It's up to me to get [my legs] again and I'm sure it'll be fine."
Drouin's role will change upon his return as Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov have taken the wing spots on Steven Stamkos' line and are producing good results. Drouin will likely take Erik Condra's spot in the lineup.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he's going to continue to give ice time to "the guys that are rolling" but is happy to have more healthy bodies in the locker room.
Forwards Brian Boyle and Tyler Johnson returned the lineup Monday and Ondrej Palat is aiming for a return during the Lightning's four-game road trip next week.
"These guys have missed extended periods of time, there's always a little bit of the rust factor coming back, so you have to ease these guys in and make sure they get the pace of the game and get some of the rust off," Cooper said. "So we'll get a feel for how these guys are playing and kind of inch them along."
The Lightning (18-15-4) are currently 2-1-1 on their six-game homestand after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
The Rangers (20-13-4) are 1-4-0 in their past five games and the slump has forced coach Alain Vigneault to change lines and bench forward Kevin Hayes.
Vigneault said the Hayes move was in the best interest of the Rangers. Hayes hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 23 and has three assists in his past 16 games. Emerson Etem will take Hayes' spot in the lineup.
"I think Kevin has had an extra-long leash, especially considering [Derek Stepan] was out for quite some time, but there's just nothing going on," Vigneault told the Rangers website Tuesday. "At the end of the day we're at the point now where we have to make some decisions in the best interest of the team."
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who has been pulled in three of his past six starts, will start for the Rangers and goalie Ben Bishop will make his 31st start of the season for the Lightning.
Here are the projected lineups:
RANGERS
J.T. Miller – Derick Brassard – Mats Zuccarello
Rick Nash – Derek Stepan – Jesper Fast
Chris Kreider - Oscar Lindberg – Emerson Etem
Tanner Glass – Dominic Moore – Viktor Stalberg
Ryan McDonagh – Dan Girardi
Keith Yandle – Kevin Klein
Marc Staal – Dan Boyle
Henrik Lundqvist
Antti Raanta
Injured: None
Scratched: Kevin Hayes, Dylan McIlrath
LIGHTNING
Vladislav Namestnikov - Steven Stamkos - Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn - Tyler Johnson - Jonathan Marchessault
Jonathan Drouin - Valtteri Filppula - Ryan Callahan
J.T. Brown - Cedric Paquette - Erik Condra
Victor Hedman - Anton Stralman
Braydon Coburn - Jason Garrison
Matthew Carle - Andrej Sustr
Ben Bishop
Kristers Gudlevskis
Injured: Ondrej Palat (undisclosed), Joel Vermin (hand surgery).
Scratched: Nikita Nesterov, Erik Condra
Status report: Some of the other moves Vigneault will make include moving Miller to the line with Brassard and Zuccarello, where he will replace Nash, who will now skate with Stepan and Fast.
Who's hot: Kucherov has a six-game point streak (two goals, seven assists). … Miller has scored two goals in the past three games.
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