Rangers vs. Penguins 3.13.16: Pregame Notes
NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Sunday, Mar. 13, 2016, 12:30 p.m. ET
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Rangers: 39-22-7 (85 pts)
Penguins: 35-24-8 (78 pts)
TONIGHT'S GAME
The
Rangers play their 69th game of the 2015-16 season and conclude a
back-to-back set tonight, Mar. 13, against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a
Metropolitan Division matchup at Madison Square Garden (12:30 p.m. ET -
TV: NBC Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). New York has won five of its last
eight games (5-2-1), seven of its last 11 games (7-3-1), 12 of its last
18 games (12-4-2), and 15 of its last 23 games (15-6-2). The Rangers
have earned at least one point in 23 of their last 33 games (20-10-3),
including 22 of their last 31 games (19-9-3) and 21 of their last 29
games (18-8-3). The Blueshirts enter the contest with a 39-22-7 record
this season (85 points).
RANGERS VS. PENGUINS
- All-Time: 124-106-23-11 (69-50-9-4 at home; 55-56-14-7 on the road)
- 2015-16: Tonight's game is the third of four meetings between the Rangers and Penguins, and the first of two meetings between the two teams at MSG. The Rangers have posted a 1-1-0 record (0-0-0 at home; 1-1-0 on the road) against Pittsburgh. The Blueshirts were defeated by the Penguins, 4-1, in the last meeting between the two teams on Mar. 3 in Pittsburgh. Nine different Rangers have tallied a point thus far in the season series. Henrik Lundqvist has posted a 1-1-0 record, along with a 1.80 GAA, a .946 SV% (53 saves on 56 shots), and 1 SO in two appearances. Following tonight's contest, the Rangers and Penguins will play against each other on the following date: Mar. 27 (at MSG).
- The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 10 of their last 12 contests against the Penguins, dating back to Apr. 3, 2013 (7-2-3). New York has also earned at least one point in six of its last seven games against Pittsburgh, dating back to Feb. 7, 2014 (5-1-1).
- The Rangers have registered at least one point in each of their last five home games against Pittsburgh, dating back to Apr. 3, 2013 (4-0-1). The Blueshirts have tallied at least three goals in each of the five contests, including five or more goals in three of those games. The Rangers have outscored the Penguins, 23-9, in the last five games between the two teams at MSG (23-8 in regulation/overtime).
RANGERS-PENGUINS CONNECTIONS
- Glen Sather played parts of two seasons with the Penguins (1969-70 - 1970-71).
- Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan served as an Assistant Coach with the Rangers for four seasons (2009-10 - 2012-13). Sullivan was also selected by the Rangers in the fourth round (69th overall) of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.
- Ulf Samuelsson played parts of five seasons with the Penguins (1990-91 - 1994-95) and won the Stanley Cup twice with Pittsburgh (1990-91 and 1991-92).
- Tanner Glass played two seasons with Pittsburgh (2012-13 - 2013-14).
- Dominic Moore played part of one season with the Penguins (2006-07).
- The Penguins list two former Rangers on their roster: Matt Cullen (2006-07) and Carl Hagelin (2011-12 - 2014-15).
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. PENGUINS
- Henrik Lundqvist - 57 GP, 29-20-8, 2.38 GAA, .917 SV%, 4 SO - Lundqvist's 57 career appearances against the Penguins are tied for the most he has made against one opponent in his career (he has also appeared in 57 games against New Jersey in his career). Lundqvist has posted a 7-2-3 record, along with a 1.99 GAA, a .935 SV%, and 2 SO in his last 12 appearances against Pittsburgh, dating back to Apr. 3, 2013.
- Eric Staal - 47 GP, 19-27-46 - Staal has tallied a point in 10 of his last 16 games against the Penguins, recording 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in those contests.
- Rick Nash - 22 GP, 11-8-19 - Nash has recorded a point in each of his last four games against Pittsburgh (four goals, three assists).
- Mats Zuccarello - 16 GP, 3-10-13 - Zuccarello has notched a point in eight of his last 10 games against Pittsburgh (three goals, seven assists).
BOUNCE BACK
The
Rangers have earned 13 straight wins in the game immediately following
either a regulation loss or an overtime loss, dating back to Dec. 22,
2015 vs. Anaheim. The Blueshirts have not lost two consecutive games
(regulation and overtime losses included) since Dec. 17 - Dec. 20, 2015.
BACK-TO-BACK
The
Rangers have posted an 8-4-1 record in the second game of back-to-back
sets this season. The Blueshirts have posted an 18-5-2 record in the
second contest of their last 25 back-to-back sets. In addition, the
Rangers have posted a 27-11-2 record in the second game of back-to-back
sets since the start of the 2013-14 season and a 52-22-4 record in the
second game of back-to-back sets since the start of the 2010-11 season.
HOME COOKING
The
Rangers have earned at least one point in 14 of their last 17 home
games (12-3-2), including 12 of their last 14 home games (10-2-2). New
York has posted a 22-6-2 record in its last 30 home games. The
Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 25 of their last 31 home
games (22-6-3) and in 26 of 33 home games in 2015-16 (23-7-3). The
Rangers rank third in the NHL in wins (23) and points (49) at home this
season.
HIGH FIVE
The Rangers
have posted a plus-35 goal differential at 5-on-5 this season (135 goals
for; 100 goals against). The Blueshirts rank second in the NHL in goal
differential at 5-on-5 in 2015-16 (Washington leads the NHL; plus-38).
TWO GOOD
The
Blueshirts have allowed two goals or fewer in 12 of the last 18 games,
in 19 of the last 33 games, and in 39 games this season. New York has
posted a 34-3-2 record when allowing two goals or fewer in 2015-16.
THIRD PERIOD IS THE CHARM
The
Rangers have tallied at least one goal in the third period in 17 of
their last 20 games, including two or more goals in the third period in
eight of those contests (27 third period goals over the span). New York
ranks third in the NHL in third period goals this season (78).
ON POINT
At
least one Rangers defenseman has registered a point on 17 of the team's
last 24 goals. Blueshirts defensemen have recorded 136 points (31
goals, 105 assists) in 2015-16 and have tallied 79 points (19 goals, 60
assists) in the last 39 games.
KING HENRIK
Henrik
Lundqvist made 40 saves today at Detroit. He has allowed two goals or
fewer in 17 of his last 26 appearances, including 15 of his last 22
appearances and 14 of his last 20 appearances. He has posted a 14-6-2
record, along with a 2.05 GAA, a .929 SV%, and 2 SO in his last 22
appearances, including a 13-6-1 record, along with a 1.96 GAA, a .933
SV%, and 2 SO in his last 20 appearances. Lundqvist leads the NHL in
even strength SV% this season (.940). Lundqvist has started both games
of a back-to-back set in the regular season 72 times in his NHL career.
In the second game of those back-to-back sets, Lundqvist has posted a
45-20-7 record, along with a 2.03 GAA, a .929 SV%, and 8 SO. In
Lundqvist’s last 10 appearances following a game in which he earned
a regulation or overtime loss, he has posted a 9-0-1 record, along with
a 1.76 GAA, a .935 SV%, and 1 SO (dating back to Dec. 22, 2015 vs.
Anaheim).
WELCOME MATS
Mats
Zuccarello is the first Ranger to register at least 30 assists in three
consecutive seasons since Jaromir Jagr (2005-06 - 2007-08). He has
notched 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in the last 18 games,
including five points (one goal, four assists) in the last two games. He
has registered all of his 22 goals and 49 of his 53 points this season
when the Rangers have either led by one goal, trailed by one goal, or
were tied in the contest. In addition, 46 of Zuccarello's team-leading
53 points in 2015-16 have either been a goal or a primary assist.
STEP-AN UP
Derek
Stepan enters the contest with a four-game point streak (two goals,
three assists), and he has recorded a point in six of the last seven
games (three goals, four assists). He has tallied 14 points (seven
goals, seven assists) in the last 15 games, as well as 21 points (eight
goals, 13 assists) in the last 25 contests. The Rangers have posted a
36-17-5 record in games which Stepan has played this season, including a
23-3-3 record in games which he has notched a point in 2015-16.
TOO HOT TO YANDLE
Keith
Yandle is one of four NHL defensemen who have tallied at least 30
assists, 21 primary assists, and 20 even strength assists this season
(along with Erik Karlsson, P.K. Subban, and Andrei Markov). He enters
the contest with a four-game point streak (one goal, three assists), as
well as a three-game assist streak (three assists). In addition, each of
the four points he has tallied over his four-game point streak has been
a power play point. Yandle has registered a point in 37 of 68 games in
2015-16, and he leads the Rangers in games with a point this season. In
addition, he leads Blueshirts defensemen in points (39) in 2015-16.
Yandle has notched a point in 16 of the last 23 games (three goals, 13
assists), including 11 of the last 15 games (one goal, 10 assists).
CAPTAIN MAC
Ryan
McDonagh is the only NHL defenseman who has recorded at least 30 points
and a plus-19 rating in 2015-16. The Rangers captain has registered a
point in four of the last seven games (one goal, four assists) and has
tallied 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in his last 22 contests.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power Play:
- The Rangers were 1-for-3 (4:27) today at Detroit.
- The Blueshirts have recorded a power play goal in each of the last four games (4-for-10; 40.0%) and in nine of the last 14 games (10-for-32; 31.3%).
Penalty Kill:
- The Rangers were 3-for-4 (6:45) today at Detroit.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
- Kevin Klein - 4 assists away from 100 in his NHL career
- Mats Zuccarello - 5 points away from 200 in his NHL career
INJURIES (79 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
· Dylan McIlrath (knee; injury suffered on Mar. 6) - week-to-week
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
· Mar. 7 - Recalled Brady Skjei from Hartford (AHL) on an emergency basis
· Mar. 9 - Assigned Brady Skjei and Magnus Hellberg to Hartford (AHL)
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
· Mar.
13, 1954 – Camille Henry established a single-game Rangers record by
tallying four power play goals as the Blueshirts defeated the Detroit
Red Wings, 5-2.
Mar 12 - 8:45pm by MattCalamia
W2W4: Rangers vs. Penguins 3.13.16
Who: New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Where: Madison Square Garden
When: Sunday afternoon at 12:30 PM
Watch: NBC with post-game on MSG Network
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
*************************************
The Skinny:
Coming off Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss in Detroit less than 24 hours before, the Rangers (39-23-6, 84 pts) face a stiff test Sunday afternoon when they face off with the Pittsburgh Penguins (35-24-8, 78 pts) at Madison Square Garden. In a way it’s almost like the Penguins are the rested home team awaiting its next opponent. The Penguins beat the Blue Jackets, 3-2, in Columbus on Friday and then flew directly to New York where they practiced at the MSG Training Center on Saturday while the Rangers were away playing in Detroit. It would seem that will be an advantage for the Penguins, especially with such an early (12:30 PM) start time and with the clocks pushed back the night before, as well. Still the Rangers have had a fairly restful week—their previous game was Tuesday in Buffalo, a 4-2 win, and they are fully healthy again should Derick Brassard (flu) be able to play Sunday after sitting out the Red Wings game. Rick Nash returned from a 20-game injury absence and looked solid on Saturday, while Marc Staal played his usual sturdy game after missing two straight with back spasms. And Henrik Lundqvist was in top form, stopping 40 of 43 shots, in a spectacular effort against the Red Wings after missing three in a row with neck spasms. Also on the positive front was the production of Chris Kreider, who had a goal and an assist, and Mats Zuccarello, whose two assists upped his team-leading point total to 53 on the season. Still it was troubling how much time the Rangers spent in their own end of the rink and how few genuine scoring chances they seemed to generate. They will need to be better against a hungry Penguins team that currently sits three points up on the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. However the Penguins, who have split their six games this month (3-3-0), suffered a major blow Saturday when it was announced that superstar forward Evgeni Malkin will be sidelined six to eight weeks with a lower body injury. Malkin, who missed time earlier in the year due to injury, is second on the Penguins with 27 goals and 58 points. Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 28 goals and 67 points.
Head To Head:
This will be the first time the Rangers and Penguins have played at Madison Square Garden since current Penguins forward Carl Hagelin, then with the Rangers, scored the series-deciding goal in overtime on April 24, 2015 as the Rangers ousted Pittsburgh in five games in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Rangers won the series 4 games to 1 and took two of three at The Garden, including the fifth and final game, 2-1. So far this season the Rangers and Penguins have met twice, with games played at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 34 shots in a 3-0 Rangers victory on February 10; and the Penguins gained revenge by beating the Rangers 4-1 ten days ago. That second contest will be best remembered for Lundqvist angrily shoving the net into the back boards during a second-period disagreement with the officials, as well as the neck injury suffered by Lundqvist in a collision with teammate Ryan McDonagh. Nine different Rangers have registered one point so far in this season series, while Evgeni Malkin, who is currently out injured, leads Pittsburgh with 1-2-3 scoring against the Rangers.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Rick Nash: While it was Henrik Lundqvist who stole the show with a grand performance in his return to the lineup from a three-game injury absence Saturday in Detroit, equally as important to the Blueshirts was the return to action of Rick Nash, who had missed 20 games and nearly two months of action after suffering a bad bone bruise in his leg on January 22 in Carolina. Nash showed life in his legs with several bursts down the wing on Saturday, and was engaged physically, in particular with several get togethers with Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader. In Detroit Nash played in all game situations—even strength on a line with Eric Staal and Viktor Stalberg, on the power play, and on the penalty kill, sometimes paired with Staal and at others with Derek Stepan. He logged 17:12 worth of ice time, recorded two shots on goal—including an in-tight power play shot that was one of New York’s better scoring chances—and attempted six shots in total. It will be interesting to see how Nash responds so soon in a back to back situation on Sunday, though he has stressed this past week that his conditioning is at a very high level despite the injury layoff.
Penguins-Marc-Andre Fleury: The Penguins star goaltender won his 350th career game Friday, becoming the 20th goalie to reach that plateau in league history. He also became the fourth fastest goalie to reach 350 wins, doing so in his 645th career game. Only Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist, and Chris Osgood reached 350 win quicker than Fleury, who is in the midst of a real solid season. Fleury is second in the NHL this season with five shutouts and tied for sixth with 28 victories, leaving him two shy of his eighth 30-win season. However he will also be a marked man Sunday at The Garden after his post-game comments calling Lundqvist “a baby” following Henrik’s tirade against officials when these two teams last met ten days ago in Pittsburgh. Though Lundqvist shrugged off Fleury’s comments, it’s hard to believe that the Blueshirts Faithful have forgotten the 31 year-old Fleury’s words. It should make for an interesting afternoon for Fleury, who will need to keep his focus in a game that is hugely important to the Penguins.
Where: Madison Square Garden
When: Sunday afternoon at 12:30 PM
Watch: NBC with post-game on MSG Network
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
*************************************
The Skinny:
Coming off Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss in Detroit less than 24 hours before, the Rangers (39-23-6, 84 pts) face a stiff test Sunday afternoon when they face off with the Pittsburgh Penguins (35-24-8, 78 pts) at Madison Square Garden. In a way it’s almost like the Penguins are the rested home team awaiting its next opponent. The Penguins beat the Blue Jackets, 3-2, in Columbus on Friday and then flew directly to New York where they practiced at the MSG Training Center on Saturday while the Rangers were away playing in Detroit. It would seem that will be an advantage for the Penguins, especially with such an early (12:30 PM) start time and with the clocks pushed back the night before, as well. Still the Rangers have had a fairly restful week—their previous game was Tuesday in Buffalo, a 4-2 win, and they are fully healthy again should Derick Brassard (flu) be able to play Sunday after sitting out the Red Wings game. Rick Nash returned from a 20-game injury absence and looked solid on Saturday, while Marc Staal played his usual sturdy game after missing two straight with back spasms. And Henrik Lundqvist was in top form, stopping 40 of 43 shots, in a spectacular effort against the Red Wings after missing three in a row with neck spasms. Also on the positive front was the production of Chris Kreider, who had a goal and an assist, and Mats Zuccarello, whose two assists upped his team-leading point total to 53 on the season. Still it was troubling how much time the Rangers spent in their own end of the rink and how few genuine scoring chances they seemed to generate. They will need to be better against a hungry Penguins team that currently sits three points up on the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. However the Penguins, who have split their six games this month (3-3-0), suffered a major blow Saturday when it was announced that superstar forward Evgeni Malkin will be sidelined six to eight weeks with a lower body injury. Malkin, who missed time earlier in the year due to injury, is second on the Penguins with 27 goals and 58 points. Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 28 goals and 67 points.
Head To Head:
This will be the first time the Rangers and Penguins have played at Madison Square Garden since current Penguins forward Carl Hagelin, then with the Rangers, scored the series-deciding goal in overtime on April 24, 2015 as the Rangers ousted Pittsburgh in five games in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Rangers won the series 4 games to 1 and took two of three at The Garden, including the fifth and final game, 2-1. So far this season the Rangers and Penguins have met twice, with games played at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 34 shots in a 3-0 Rangers victory on February 10; and the Penguins gained revenge by beating the Rangers 4-1 ten days ago. That second contest will be best remembered for Lundqvist angrily shoving the net into the back boards during a second-period disagreement with the officials, as well as the neck injury suffered by Lundqvist in a collision with teammate Ryan McDonagh. Nine different Rangers have registered one point so far in this season series, while Evgeni Malkin, who is currently out injured, leads Pittsburgh with 1-2-3 scoring against the Rangers.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Rick Nash: While it was Henrik Lundqvist who stole the show with a grand performance in his return to the lineup from a three-game injury absence Saturday in Detroit, equally as important to the Blueshirts was the return to action of Rick Nash, who had missed 20 games and nearly two months of action after suffering a bad bone bruise in his leg on January 22 in Carolina. Nash showed life in his legs with several bursts down the wing on Saturday, and was engaged physically, in particular with several get togethers with Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader. In Detroit Nash played in all game situations—even strength on a line with Eric Staal and Viktor Stalberg, on the power play, and on the penalty kill, sometimes paired with Staal and at others with Derek Stepan. He logged 17:12 worth of ice time, recorded two shots on goal—including an in-tight power play shot that was one of New York’s better scoring chances—and attempted six shots in total. It will be interesting to see how Nash responds so soon in a back to back situation on Sunday, though he has stressed this past week that his conditioning is at a very high level despite the injury layoff.
Penguins-Marc-Andre Fleury: The Penguins star goaltender won his 350th career game Friday, becoming the 20th goalie to reach that plateau in league history. He also became the fourth fastest goalie to reach 350 wins, doing so in his 645th career game. Only Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist, and Chris Osgood reached 350 win quicker than Fleury, who is in the midst of a real solid season. Fleury is second in the NHL this season with five shutouts and tied for sixth with 28 victories, leaving him two shy of his eighth 30-win season. However he will also be a marked man Sunday at The Garden after his post-game comments calling Lundqvist “a baby” following Henrik’s tirade against officials when these two teams last met ten days ago in Pittsburgh. Though Lundqvist shrugged off Fleury’s comments, it’s hard to believe that the Blueshirts Faithful have forgotten the 31 year-old Fleury’s words. It should make for an interesting afternoon for Fleury, who will need to keep his focus in a game that is hugely important to the Penguins.
Mar 12 - 6:42pm by JimCerny
No comments:
Post a Comment