Who: New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders
Where: Barclays Center
When: Thursday night at 7:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 6:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
******************************************
The Skinny:
Thursday
night in Brooklyn the Rangers (23-14-5, 51 pts) kick off a very
important three-game-in-four-days stretch, all against division rivals,
when they skate against the Islanders (23-15-5, 51 pts). That game will
be followed by weekend matinees Saturday in Philadelphia and Sunday in
Washington, and also is the start of a stretch in which the Rangers play
five of their next six games on the road. With the Rangers just 1-7-2
in their last ten games on the road, and sporting just a 7-9-3 road mark
so far this season, this next week and a half appears to be crucial to
New York’s seeding within the Metropolitan Division. Buoyed by home-ice
success the Rangers do enter play Thursday with points in three straight
games (2-0-1), and they are 4-2-1 in their previous seven games overall
dating to December 22. The Blueshirts are coming off Monday’s
come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins at Madison Square
Garden, which was hot on the heels of another impressive third-period
comeback, albeit in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on
Saturday. This past week scoring has come from all different sources. In
their last three games the Rangers have scored 11 goals, two each for
Derek Stepan, Derick Brassard, and Viktor Stalberg, and one apiece for
Keith Yandle, Jayson Megna, Oscar Lindberg, Kevin Hayes, and Jesper
Fast. Brassard, who is 2-1-3 in the past three games, did not practice
on Wednesday, but is expected to play against the Islanders. That likely
means Lindberg will be a healthy scratch for a second consecutive
contest. Defenseman Dan Girardi is a question mark after suffering a
lacerated right hand Monday night. He was able to practice on Wednesday,
but head coach Alain Vigneault said he’s unsure if Girardi or rookie
Dylan McIlrath will get the call in Brooklyn. New York will face an
Islanders team that, like the Blueshirts, is trying to find consistency
in its own game. The Islanders are 4-3-0 in their last seven games,
though their 5-2 win over Columbus Tuesday night was their first in
three games and only their second in the past five. Like the Rangers,
the Islanders have 51 points, though technically the Blueshirts are
ahead in the standings—in second place—because the Isles have played one
more game. After being shut out by the Flyers last weekend, the
Islanders came out flying Tuesday night, outshooting the Blue Jackets
11-0 to start the game, en-route to the 5-2 victory. They will be
seeking the same kind of start against a Rangers team that has scored a
first-period goal in only one of its last four contests. While the
Rangers may have to play without one of their regulars—Girardi—on
defense, the Islanders will definitely be without a pair of injured
veteran defensemen, Johnny Boychuk and Travis Hamonic. A key to this
game could be special teams where the Rangers power play has not scored
in six games, while the Islanders penalty kill is ranked second overall
in the entire National Hockey League. Henrik Lundqvist will make his
tenth straight start in goal for the Rangers,
while the Islanders will counter with Jaroslav Halak, who has lost four
of his last five starts.
Head To Head:
Thursday’s
game marks the second of four head-to-head meetings between the Rangers
and Islanders this season; and the remaining three have much to live up
to after the exciting first contest played between these two teams back
on December 2 at Barclays Center. In their first-ever visit to Brooklyn
the Rangers were defeated 2-1 by the Islanders in the shootout, a game
played with great pace and energy on both sides. The two teams combined
for 71 shots on goal, 44 blocked shots, and a whopping 104 hits—52 for
each side—in the extremely entertaining match. The Islanders broke
through first when John Tavares scored a 5-on-3 power play goal at 12:22
of the second period. The Rangers answered back six minutes later when
Viktor Stalberg scored from in front. Goaltenders Henrik Lundqvist and
Jaroslav Halak were outstanding throughout, respectively thwarting prime
scoring chance after prime scoring chance. Lundqvist finished with 36
saves, stopping all 15 shots he faced in the third period and overtime,
while Halak made 33 saves, including six in overtime when he stepped up
in a big way during a Rangers failed power play, before the Islanders
eventually won it in the shootout. The final two games of this season
series will take place at Madison Square Garden on March 6 and April 7.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Viktor Stalberg:
After being a healthy scratch in back to back games right before the
Christmas holiday break, Viktor Stalberg has played in all six games
since, finding chemistry with Dom Moore and Tanner Glass on an
ever-improving fourth line. Stalberg has scored three goals and added an
assist for four points in those six games, his most productive
offensive stretch as a Ranger since starting the season with three
assists in the season’s first three contests. Overall Stalberg has
recorded six goals to go along with seven assists for 13 points in 36
games while bouncing primarily between the third and fourth lines,
though with some Top Six opportunities, as well. Stalberg did not score
Monday against Boston, but he played a strong, smart game, logging 13:34
worth of ice time. At his best Stalberg uses his speed to his
advantage, and plays a physical game on the fore check, and chips in
offensively while also being a member of the team’s penalty kill unit.
He currently ranks fifth on the team—and fourth among the forwards—with
70 hits this season. In the Rangers first game against the Islanders on
December 2, Stalberg scored the club’s only goal, and was credited with
four hits, while playing 14:03, the third most ice-time he has had all
season.
Islanders-Brock Nelson:
The Islanders leading goal scorer with 17 on the season, Brock Nelson
is coming off his first Hat Trick in the National Hockey League, as
well. Nelson
recorded three goals—and added an assist for good measure—in the Isles
5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday night. The Hat Trick goal
was scored into an empty net with Nelson flat on his stomach after a
strong effort and battle for a loose puck with a Columbus defenseman.
Nelson’s career-best outing gives him an impressive eight goals in the
previous 12 games dating to December 15, making him the Islanders
hottest goal scorer coming into Thursday’s encounter with the Rangers.
Earlier this season Nelson had another hot stretch where he scored five
goals in four games; and the Rangers are plain unfortunate to be
catching him in another one of his hot runs right now. A first round
pick in 2010, the 24 year-old Nelson is just three goals shy of equaling
his career-high of 20 established last year when he also totaled 42
points. One interesting difference between this year and last for Nelson
is that a year ago ten of his 20 goals were scored on the power play
while this year he only has three power play tallies among his 17 goals
to date.
Rangers vs. Islanders 1.14.16: Pregame Notes
Photo by Bruce Bennett/ Getty Images
NEW YORK RANGERS at NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, 7:00 p.m. ET
Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
Rangers: 23-14-5 (51 pts)
Islanders: 23-15-5 (51 pts)
TONIGHT'S GAME
The
Rangers play their 43rd game of the 2015-16 season and begin a
three-game road trip tonight, Jan. 14, against the New York Islanders in
a Metropolitan Division matchup at Barclays Center (7:00 p.m. ET - TV:
MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). Tonight's contest marks the first
game of a stretch in which the Rangers play three games against
Metropolitan Division opponents in a span of four days (tonight at NY
Islanders, Jan. 16 at Philadelphia, and Jan. 17 at Washington). Starting
with tonight's contest, 19 of the Rangers' final 40 games this season
are against Metropolitan Division opponents. The Blueshirts enter the
contest with a three-game point streak (2-0-1 record over the span). New
York has also earned at least one point in five of its last seven games
(4-2-1 record), including four of its last five contests (3-1-1). The
Rangers enter the contest with a 23-14-5 record this season (51 points).
RANGERS VS. ISLANDERS
· All-Time: 124-104-19-8 (70-41-11-5 at home; 54-63-8-3 on the road)
· 2015-16:
Tonight's game is the second of four meetings between the Rangers and
Islanders, and the second of two meetings between the two teams in
Brooklyn. The Rangers have posted a 0-0-1 record (0-0-0 at home; 0-0-1
on the road) against the Islanders. The Rangers were defeated by the
Islanders, 2-1, in a shootout on Dec. 2 in Brooklyn. Henrik Lundqvist
stopped 36 of 37 shots he faced in the contest, and Viktor Stalberg
registered a goal in the game. Following tonight's game, the Rangers and
Islanders will face each other on the following dates: Mar. 6 (at MSG),
Apr. 7 (at MSG).
· The
Rangers have earned at least one point in nine of their last ten road
games against the Islanders (7-1-2 record), dating back to Nov. 15, 2011
(eight games played at Nassau Coliseum, one game played at Yankee
Stadium, and one game played at Barclays Center over the span).
· The
Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 14 of their last 20
contests against the Islanders (12-6-2 record), dating back to Nov. 15,
2011.
· Ten
of the last 17 games between the Rangers and Islanders, including each
of the last three games, have been decided by one goal. In addition, 15
of the last 21 meetings between the two teams have been decided by two
or fewer goals.
RANGERS-ISLANDERS CONNECTIONS
· Islanders
Senior Advisor to the General Manager and Assistant Coach Doug Weight
played 118 regular season games and eight playoff games over parts of
three seasons with the Rangers (1990-91 - 1992-93).
· Marek Zidlicky was selected by the Rangers in the sixth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
· Viktor Stalberg, Mikhail Grabovski, and Nikolay Kulemin were teammates with the Maple Leafs for part of one season (2009-10).
· Mats
Zuccarello and Nikolay Kulemin were teammates with Metallurg
Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for one season
(2012-13).
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. ISLANDERS
· Henrik
Lundqvist - 51 GP, 29-15-6, 2.20 GAA, .922 SV%, 5 SO - In his last six
road appearances against the Islanders, Lundqvist has posted a 4-1-1
record, along with a 1.47 GAA, a .954 SV%, and 1 SO.
· Rick
Nash - 23 GP, 10-8-18 - Nash has registered ten points (six goals, four
assists) in his last 13 games against the Islanders.
· Derick
Brassard - 17 GP, 2-8-10 - Since he joined the Rangers, Brassard has
recorded seven points (two goals, five assists) in 12 games against the
Islanders.
ROAD WARRIORS
The
Rangers have posted a 17-3-2 record in games which have been part of
road trip three games or longer in length since the start of last
season.
TAKING THE METRO
The
Rangers have earned at least one point in nine of 11 games against
Metropolitan Division opponents this season (5-2-4 record). The
Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 33 of their last 39 games
against Metropolitan Division opponents (28-6-5) and have won 25 of
their last 35 intra-division games (25-6-4).
Starting with tonight's contest, 19 of the Rangers’ final 40 games this season are against Metropolitan Division opponents.
GAMES REMAINING AGAINST METROPOLITAN DIVISION OPPONENTS
| |
OPPONENT
|
GAMES REMAINING
|
Carolina
|
2
|
Columbus
|
2
|
New Jersey
|
3
|
NY Islanders*
|
3
|
Philadelphia
|
3
|
Pittsburgh
|
4
|
Washington
|
2
|
*Includes tonight's game against the Islanders
FRESH START
The
Blueshirts have posted a 20-9-2 record in 31 games in January since the
start of the 2013-14 season. Since Alain Vigneault became the Rangers
head coach prior to the start of the 2013-14 season, the Rangers have
posted a 60-24-8 record in regular season games played in January,
February, March, and April.
ON POINT
Five
Rangers defensemen have recorded at least ten points this season (Keith
Yandle, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Boyle, Marc Staal, and Dan Girardi), and six
defensemen have tallied nine or more points. Blueshirts defensemen have
registered 90 points (19 goals, 71 assists) thus far in 2015-16 and
have registered 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists) over the last 13
games.
GOALS GALORE
The
Blueshirts have tallied three or more goals in six of the last
eight games, in nine of the last 13 games, and in 26 of 42 games in
2015-16. New York ranks fourth in the NHL in goals per game this season
(2.90).
FIRST IN SCORE
The
Rangers have registered the first goal of the game in 20 contests this
season and have posted a 17-1-2 record in those games.
THIRD PERIOD IS THE CHARM
The
Blueshirts have tallied two or more goals in the third period in each
of the last three games (eight goals over the span) and have registered
11 goals in the third period in the last five contests. The Rangers rank
third in the NHL in third period goals this season (50).
AV SQUAD
Alain
Vigneault will coach his 1,013th game as an NHL head coach in tonight's
contest, passing Terry Murray for sole possession of 20th place on the
NHL's all-time games coached list.
NHL ALL-TIME GAMES COACHED LEADERS
|
19. Pat Burns – 1,019
|
T-20. Alain Vigneault – 1,012
|
T-20. Terry Murray – 1,012
|
KING HENRIK
Henrik
Lundqvist has registered 19 wins thus far in 2015-16. Entering this
season, Lundqvist was the only goaltender in NHL history who earned at
least 20 wins in each of his first ten seasons (2005-06 - 2014-15).
With his next win this season, Lundqvist would...
· become the first goaltender in NHL history to earn at least 20 wins in each of his first 11 seasons
· establish a Rangers record for the most 20-win seasons in franchise history (he and Mike Richter are currently tied with ten)
· become the third goaltender in NHL history to earn at least 20 wins in 11 or more consecutive seasons (along with Martin Brodeur and Tony Esposito)
· become the 15th goaltender in NHL history to earn at least 20 wins in 11 or more seasons
Lundqvist
is expected to make his tenth consecutive start in tonight's contest
(the streak dates back to Dec. 18, 2015 at Winnipeg). He has started at
least ten consecutive games in one season 11 times in his career.
Lundqvist has not started 10 consecutive games in one season since he
started each of the final 14 games of the 2012-13 regular season.
HENRIK LUNDQVIST – 10 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE STARTS IN ONE SEASON
| |
CONSECUTIVE STARTS
|
DATES
|
26
|
Feb. 11, 2011 – Apr. 9, 2011
|
19
|
Jan. 13, 2007 – Mar. 1, 2007
|
17
|
Mar. 5, 2007 – Apr. 7, 2007
|
17
|
Nov. 30, 2009 – Jan. 6, 2010
|
17
|
Mar. 7, 2010 – Apr. 11, 2010
|
16
|
Oct. 4, 2007 – Nov. 8, 2007
|
15
|
Feb. 16, 2008 – Mar. 19, 2008
|
14
|
Apr. 1, 2013 – Apr. 27, 2013
|
13
|
Feb. 9, 2009 – Mar. 8, 2009
|
11
|
Jan. 5, 2008 – Jan. 29, 2008
|
10
|
Mar. 17, 2012 – Apr. 3, 2012
|
CAPTAIN MAC
Ryan
McDonagh was selected to represent the Rangers at the 2016 NHL All-Star
Game. McDonagh is the first Rangers captain to be selected to play in
an NHL All-Star Game since Mark Messier in 2004. He is one of five NHL
defensemen who have registered at least five goals, 20 points, and a
plus-ten rating this season (along with John Klingberg, Ryan Suter, Drew
Doughty, and Zdeno Chara). McDonagh has registered 19 points (five
goals, 14 assists) in the last 30 games, including ten points (two
goals, eight assists) in the last 15 contests. Since he made his NHL
debut on Jan. 7, 2011, McDonagh leads the Rangers in plus/minus rating
(plus-98), ranks second in games played (359) and assists (117), and
ranks fourth in points (156).
WELCOME MATS
Mats
Zuccarello is tied for fourth in the NHL in goals (nine) and is tied
for 11th in points (15) when the score is tied this season. Zuccarello
has tallied all of his 16 goals and 30 of his team-leading 32 points in
2015-16 when the Rangers have either led by one goal, trailed by one
goal, or were tied in the contest. In addition, 29 of Zuccarello's 32
points this season have either been a goal or the primary assist on a
goal. He has registered a point in 15 of the Rangers' 23 wins this
season, and the Blueshirts have posted a 15-3-1 record when he has
notched a point in 2015-16.
BRASS BONANZA
Derick
Brassard is one of four NHL players who have registered at least 15
goals, 25 takeaways, and a 50.0 faceoff win percentage (min. 600
faceoffs taken) this season (along with Jonathan Toews, Patrice
Bergeron, and John Tavares). Brassard enters the contest with a
three-game point streak (two goals, one assist). He has recorded a point
in 22 games this season, and he has not gone more than three
consecutive games without recording a point. The Rangers have posted a
39-7-4 record in the last 50 games in which Brassard has tallied a
point, dating back to Dec. 8, 2014. New York has also posted a 25-2-1
record in the last 28 games in which Brassard has record a goal, dating
back to Oct. 16, 2014.
IT'S MILLER TIME
J.T.
Miller leads the Rangers in points (14) and plus/minus rating
(plus-five), is tied for the team lead in assists (eight), and is tied
for second on the team in goals (six) on the road this season.
BOYLE-ING POINT
Dan
Boyle has recorded nine points (five goals, four assists) in the last
14 games. Boyle ranks third among NHL defensemen - and leads all
defensemen in the Eastern Conference - in goals over the span. 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).
BIRTHDAY BOY
Marc Staal is celebrating his 29th
birthday today (born on Jan. 13, 1987). The Rangers’ alternate captain
established a single-game career-high by recording seven blocked shots
in the Rangers’ last contest on Jan. 11 vs. Boston. Staal ranks second
on the Rangers in total ice time (824:32) and total even strength ice
time (726:47), and he is tied for third on the team in blocked shots
(61) in 2015-16.
SPECIAL TEAMS
· The Rangers have posted a 7-1-2 record when outscoring opponents on special teams this season.
Power Play:
· The Rangers did not have a power play opportunity on Jan. 11 vs. Boston.
· The Blueshirts rank 13th in the NHL on the power play (18.8%; 22-for-117).
· New York has tallied a PPG in 14 of the last 27 games (16-for-80; 20.0%) and in 19 of the last 36 games (21-for-101; 20.8%).
Penalty Kill:
· The Rangers were 1-for-1 (2:00) on Jan. 11 vs. Boston.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
· Derek Stepan - 3 goals away from 100 in his NHL career
INJURIES (37 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
· Dan Girardi (lacerated hand; suffered on Jan. 11) - day-to-day
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
· Jan. 8 - Acquired Nicklas Jensen and a sixth round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft from Vancouver in exchange for Emerson Etem
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