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
- All-Time: 24-9-3-0 (12-4-1-0 at home; 12-5-2-0 on the road)
- 2016-17:
Tomorrow's game is the second of two meetings between the Rangers and
Sharks this season, and the only meeting between the two teams in San
Jose. The Rangers have posted a 1-0-0 record (1-0-0 at home; 0-0-0 on
the road) and defeated the Sharks, 7-4, on Oct. 17 at MSG. Seven
different Rangers tallied a goal in the contest, while Mats Zuccarello registered three points (one goal, two assists) and a plus-four rating.
- New
York has earned at least one point in 12 of its last 17 games against
San Jose, dating back to Dec. 28, 2001 (11-5-1-0 record over the span).
RANGERS-SHARKS CONNECTIONS
- Oscar Lindberg
and Melker Karlsson were teammates with Skelleftea in Sweden for six
seasons (2007-08 - 2012-13) and helped the team win the SHL Championship
in 2012-13.
- Rick Nash
and Joe Thornton were teammates with Team Canada at the 2006 Winter
Olympics and the 2010 Winter Olympics, and they helped Team Canada win a
gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In addition, Nash and Thornton were teammates with HC Davos of National
League A (NLA) in Switzerland in 2004-05 and 2012-13.
- Micheal Haley played part of one season with the Rangers (2012-13).
- Kevin Klein and Joel Ward were teammates with the Predators for three seasons (2008-09 - 2010-11).
- Nick Holden and Mikkel Boedker were teammates with Colorado for part of one season (2015-16).
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. SHARKS
- Henrik Lundqvist
- 9 GP, 4-4-0, 2.34 GAA, .934 SV%, 1 SO - Lundqvist has allowed one
goal or fewer in three of his last four starts/appearances against the
Sharks, posting a 1.57 GAA, a .957 SV%, and 1 SO in those contests.
- Rick Nash - 40 GP, 20-8-28 - Nash has recorded 18 points (14 goals, four assists) in his last 22 games against the Sharks.
- Derek Stepan - 8 GP, 1-5-6 - Stepan has registered three assists/points in four career road games in San Jose.
- Chris Kreider - 6 GP, 2-3-5 - Kreider has tallied five points (two goals, three assists) in his last four games against San Jose.
- Mika Zibanejad - 6 GP, 2-2-4 - Zibanejad has notched a point in three of six career contests against the 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
2. Tampa Bay loss against Chicago in any fashion
3. 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.
NHL LEADERS - SINGLE-SEASON ROAD WINS
|
|
|
|
TEAM
|
SEASON
|
WINS
|
1. Detroit Red Wings
|
2005-06
|
31
|
T-2. New York Rangers
|
2014-15
|
28*
|
T-2. New Jersey Devils
|
1998-99
|
28
|
T-2. San Jose Sharks
|
2015-16
|
28
|
T-5. New York Rangers
|
2016-17
|
27
|
T-5. Montreal Canadiens
|
1976-77
|
27
|
T-5. Montreal Canadiens
|
1977-78
|
27
|
T-5. San Jose Sharks
|
2007-08
|
27
|
T-5. St. Louis Blues
|
1999-00
|
27
|
T-5. Vancouver Canucks
|
2010-11
|
27
|
T-5. Washington Capitals
|
2015-16
|
27
|
*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:
- The Rangers were 0-for-2 (3:27) on Mar. 26 at Anaheim.
- The
Blueshirts are 8-for-25 (32.0%) on the power play over the last nine
games (since Mar. 9) and rank third in the NHL in power play efficiency
over the span.
- New York ranks fourth in the NHL in power play efficiency on the road this season (22.5%; 25-for-111).
Penalty Kill:
- The Rangers were 2-for-3 (3:08) on Mar. 26 at Anaheim.
- The Blueshirts are tied for fourth in the NHL in SHG in 2016-17 (nine).
UPCOMING MILESTONES
- Brandon Pirri - 2 points away from 100 in his NHL career
- Nick Holden - 3 games away from 300 in his NHL career
INJURIES (186 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- Mar. 23 - Assigned Magnus Hellberg to Hartford (AHL); Agreed to terms with free agent goaltender Chris Nell
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.
