Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016, 8:00 p.m. ET
Bridgestone Arena - Nashville, TN
Rangers: 21-10-1 (43 pts)
Predators: 13-12-4 (30 pts)
TOMORROW'S GAME
The Rangers play their 33rd game of the 2016-17 season and begin a back-to-back set tomorrow, Dec. 17, against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena (8:00 p.m. ET - TV: MSG 2; Radio: ESPN 1050 AM). New York has won five of its last seven contests (5-2-0), including four of its last five games (4-1-0), and has allowed three goals over the last five games. The Rangers have posted a 21-10-1 record this season.
RANGERS VS. PREDATORS
• All-Time: 11-8-1-2 (5-5-1-1 at home; 6-3-0-1 on the road)
• 2016-17: Tomorrow's game is the first of two meetings between the Rangers and Predators, and the only meeting between the two teams in Nashville. Following tomorrow's contest, the Rangers and Predators will play against each other on the following date: Feb. 9 (at MSG).
• 2015-16: The Rangers posted a 1-1-0 record (1-0-0 at home; 0-1-0 on the road). Rick Nash tallied two goals in the season series, while Kevin Hayes, Derek Stepan, and Chris Kreider each recorded two points.
• The Rangers have earned at least one point in six of their last eight road games against Nashville, dating back to Jan. 23, 2003 (5-2-0-1 record).
• Overall, the Blueshirts have won five of their last eight contests against the Predators, dating back to Nov. 27, 2010 (5-3-0).
• New York has posted a shutout in three of its last seven games against Nashville.
RANGERS-PREDATORS CONNECTIONS
• Kevin Klein played parts of nine seasons with the Predators (2005-06 - 2013-14).
• Jimmy Vesey was selected by Nashville in the third round (66th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
• Peter Laviolette played 12 games with the Rangers during the 1988-89 season.
• Oscar Lindberg and Viktor Arvidsson are both natives of Skelleftea, Sweden. Lindberg, Arvidsson, and Petter Granberg helped Skelleftea win the SHL Championship in 2012-13.
• Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan, and Craig Smith were all teammates at the University of Wisconsin for one season (2009-10).
• J.T. Miller and Reid Boucher were teammates with the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2010-11 and helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championship.
• Kevin Hayes, Ryan Johansen, and Austin Watson were all selected in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
• Rick Nash and Ryan Johansen were teammates with the Columbus Blue Jackets for one season (2011-12).
• Colin Wilson's father, Carey, played parts of two seasons with the Rangers (1988-89 - 1989-90). Colin was born when his father was a member of the Rangers, and he is a native of Greenwich, Connecticut.
• Scott Arniel and Phil Housley were teammates with the Buffalo Sabres (1986-87 - 1989-90) and with the Winnipeg Jets for one season (1990-91). Arniel and Housley were both part of a trade between Buffalo and Winnipeg on June 16, 1990 that sent Dale Hawerchuk from the Jets to the Sabres and a first round pick that the Jets would use to draft Keith Tkachuk.
• Predators Assistant General Manager Paul Fenton skated in eight games with the Rangers during the 1986-87 season.
90TH SEASON NOTE: In the Rangers' first game in Nashville on Feb. 15, 1999, Wayne Gretzky tied a single-game franchise record by tallying five assists as the Blueshirts defeated the Predators, 7-4.
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. PREDATORS
• Henrik Lundqvist - 9 GP, 5-4-0, 1.91 GAA, .935 SV%, 2 SO - In his last seven appearances against Nashville (dating back to Mar. 12, 2009), Lundqvist has posted a 4-3-0 record, along with a 1.88 GAA, a .937 SV%, and 2 SO. He has posted a shutout in two of his last four appearances against Nashville.
• Rick Nash - 57 GP, 25-16-41 - Nash enters the contest with a five-game goal/point streak against the Predators (five goals).
• Nick Holden - 12 GP, 5-3-8 - Holden has tallied six points (five goals, one assist) in seven career games in Nashville.
• Mats Zuccarello - 6 GP, 0-5-5 - Zuccarello has notched three assists/points in three road games against Nashville in his career.
WINNING WAYS
This season, the Rangers have earned at least 21 wins in their first 32 games of a season for the fifth time in franchise history (1941-42, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1993-94, 2016-17), and their 21 wins in 2016-17 are tied for the third-most they have earned through the first 32 games of one season in franchise history. The only seasons in which the Rangers registered more than 21 wins in the first 32 games were 1941-42 (22) and 1993-94 (22). New York leads the NHL in wins this season and is the only NHL team that has earned at least 10 wins both at home and on the road.
SHUTTING THE DOOR
New York has posted a shutout in three of the last four games and has allowed three goals over the last five games (0.60 goals against per game over the span). The Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in regulation in 22 of 32 games this season and have posted an 18-3-1 record in the 22 contests. New York ranks sixth in the NHL in goals against per game in 2016-17 (2.22).
POINT TAKEN
The Blueshirts have not been held pointless in two consecutive games thus far this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Rangers went 32 games into a season without being held pointless in two or more consecutive games was 1971-72, when the team had its first two-game losing streak in games 68 and 69 of the season.
0 TO 100 (REAL QUICK)
The Rangers tallied their 100th goal of the 2016-17 season on Dec. 9 at Chicago. New York became the first NHL team to register 100 goals in 2016-17. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last season in which the Rangers were the first NHL team to tally 100 goals was 1990-91. New York ranks second in the NHL in goals per game in 2016-17 (3.38).
MAKING THE DIFFERENCE
The Rangers lead the NHL in goal differential this season (plus-36; 108 goals for, 72 goals against). The Blueshirts have posted a plus-36 goal differential or better through the first 32 games of a season for the first time since 1993-94.
TOP TEN
The Blueshirts are the only NHL team that has four players who have recorded 10 or more goals this season (Grabner, Hayes, Nash, and Vesey).
SHOOTING GALLERY
New York has registered 30 or more shots on goal in each of the last four contests and in five of the last six contests. The Rangers have outshot their opponent in each of the last six games.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Blueshirts lead in road wins this season (10) and have earned a win in nine of their last 12 road contests (9-3-0). New York also leads the NHL in road wins since the start of the 2013-14 season (82).
HOW THE WEST WAS WON
The Rangers have won 11 of 14 games against Western Conference teams this season (11-3-0), including six of seven games on the road against Western Conference teams (6-1-0). New York has allowed eight goals over seven games against teams in the Central Division in 2016-17.
KING HENRIK
Henrik Lundqvist is two wins away from tying Dominik Hasek for the most wins by a European-born goaltender in NHL history. He is one of 10 goaltenders in NHL history who have earned at least 350 career wins and 60 career shutouts (Brodeur, Roy, Sawchuk, Plante, Hasek, Hall, Belfour, Esposito, and Luongo). In his last 18 starts, Lundqvist has posted a 12-5-1 record with a 2.29 GAA and a .924 SV%.
RAISE THE ANTTI
Antti Raanta was selected as the NHL's Second Star of the Week for the week ending on Dec. 11. He has posted a 3-1-0 record, along with a 0.75 GAA, a .966 SV%, and 2 SO in his last four starts. In addition, Raanta has allowed two goals or fewer in each of his last 10 starts. Raanta is the only Rangers goaltender other than Lundqvist since expansion (1967-68 season) who has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 consecutive starts. He has posted an 8-2-0 record, along with a 1.57 GAA, a .944 SV%, and 2 SO in 11 starts this season. Raanta ranks second in the NHL in GAA (1.67) and SV% (.941) in 2016-17.
STEP-AN UP
Derek Stepan has recorded seven points (one goal, six assists) in the last eight games and 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the last 14 contests. Stepan is tied for the team lead - and leads Rangers forwards - in assists this season (16).
IT'S MILLER TIME
J.T. Miller is tied for the team lead in points in 2016-17 (22). Miller has tallied a point in 16 of the Rangers' 21 wins this season, and New York has posted a 16-1-0 record in games which he has tallied a point in 2016-17.
CAPTAIN MAC
Ryan McDonagh has registered an assist/point in three of the last four games he has played (three assists). McDonagh is tied for the team lead in assists this season (16), and he also leads Rangers defensemen in assists and points (17) in 2016-17.
VESEY DOES IT
Jimmy Vesey is one of three NHL rookies who have registered at least 10 goals this season (with Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews).
FAST FACTS
Jesper Fast has posted a plus/minus rating of even or better in 28 of 32 games this season. He ranks second in the NHL - and leads NHL forwards - in games with a plus/minus rating of even or better in 2016-17.
SPECIAL TEAMS
New York has outscored its opponent on special teams in 15 of 32 games in 2016-17 and has posted a 12-3-0 record in those contests.
Power Play:
• The Rangers were 0-for-3 (8:09) on Dec. 15 at Dallas.
• The Blueshirts are tied for seventh in the NHL in power play efficiency this season (21.9%; 21-for-96).
• New York has recorded a power play goal in 15 of 32 games in 2016-17.
Penalty Kill:
• The Rangers were 5-for-5 (9:59) and tallied a shorthanded goal on Dec. 15 at Dallas.
• The Blueshirts rank third in the NHL in penalty kill efficiency this season (86.9%; 73-for-84).
• The Rangers have not allowed a power play goal against in each of the last five games (15-for-15) and in 16 of the last 21 games.
• The Blueshirts have killed off 50 of their opponents' last 55 power play opportunities, dating back to Nov. 3 (90.9%).
• New York ranks second in the NHL in shorthanded goals this season (five).
QUICK HITS
• Dan Girardi ranks fourth in the NHL in blocked shots this season (78), and he has been credited with at least three blocked shots in 16 of the last 20 games.
• Kevin Klein is one of five NHL players who have registered at least 60 hits and 60 blocked shots this season (along with Johnny Boychuk, Cody Ceci, Ian Cole, and Shea Weber).
• The Rangers have posted a 10-0-0 record in games which Kevin Hayes has tallied a goal this season.
• Marc Staal enters the contest with 649 career games played. He has posted a plus-11 rating over the last 24 games.
• Chris Kreider is one of two NHL players who have registered at least 50 goals, 100 points, a plus-30 rating, and 150 penalty minutes since the start of the 2014-15 season (along with Brad Marchand).
• Nick Holden is one of four NHL defensemen who have recorded at least 14 points and a plus-12 rating this season (along with Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Justin Schultz).
• Oscar Lindberg has posted a faceoff win percentage of 50.0% or better in each of the last three games (26-for-43; 60.5%) and in seven of his last eight games (50-for-87; 57.5%).
• Ryan McDonagh has led the Rangers in ice time in 29 of the 31 games he has played this season.
• Since the start of the 2013-14 season, 150 of Mats Zuccarello's 189 points have either been a goal or the primary assist on a goal (79.4%).
• Michael Grabner leads Rangers forwards in shorthanded ice time this season (56:45), and the Blueshirts have only allowed three power play goals against while he has been on the ice in 2016-17.
• Rick Nash leads the Rangers in goals (116), game-winning goals (26), and shots on goal (1,001) since he joined the Rangers prior to the start of the 2012-13 season.
• Brandon Pirri leads the Rangers in faceoff win percentage this season (55.4%; 87-for-157).
• Brady Skjei ranks fourth among NHL defensemen (min. 10 games played) in assists per 60 minutes of ice time (A/60) this season (1.47), trailing only Andrei Markov, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
• J.T. Miller - 2 points away from 100 in his NHL career/as a Ranger
• Brandon Pirri - 2 games away from 200 in his NHL career
• Kevin Klein - 5 games away from 600 in his NHL career
INJURIES (73 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
• Pavel Buchnevich (back) - has missed 17 games
• Mika Zibanejad (broken fibula) - has missed 13 games
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
• Dec. 14 - Assigned Nicklas Jensen to Hartford (AHL)
• Dec. 11 - Josh Jooris claimed off waivers by Arizona
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
• Dec. 16, 1956 - Andy Bathgate registered his first career NHL hat trick, tallying two of his three goals in the final minute of the game to help the Rangers defeat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2, at MSG.
• Dec. 17, 2011 - Brad Richards recorded the game-winning goal with 0.1 seconds remaining in regulation as the Rangers defeated the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2.
- New York Rangers
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