Rangers vs. Stars 2.27.16: Pregame Notes
NEW YORK RANGERS at DALLAS STARS
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, 4:00 p.m. ET
American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
Rangers: 35-20-6 (76 pts)
Stars: 38-18-6 (82 pts)
TONIGHT'S GAME
The
Rangers play their 62nd game of the 2015-16 season and conclude their
three-game road trip tonight, Feb. 27, against the Dallas Stars at
American Airlines Center (4:00 p.m. ET - TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN
98.7 FM). The Blueshirts are in second place in the Metropolitan
Division and third place in the Eastern Conference. New York has won
eight of its last 11 games (8-2-1), nine of its last 13 games (9-3-1),
and 11 of its last 16 games (11-4-1). The Rangers have earned at least
one point in 18 of their last 26 games (16-8-2), including 17 of their
last 24 games (15-7-2) and 16 of their last 22 games (14-6-2). The
Blueshirts enter the contest with a 35-20-6 record this season (76
points).
RANGERS VS. STARS
- All-Time*: 72-39-22-2 (39-18-11-1 at home; 33-21-11-1 on the road) *Note: All-time record includes games against the Minnesota North Stars from 1967-68 - 1992-93
- 2015-16: Tonight's game is the second of two meetings between the Rangers and Stars, and the only meeting between the two teams in Dallas. The Rangers have posted a 1-0-0 record (1-0-0 at home; 0-0-0 on the road) against Dallas, as the Blueshirts defeated the Stars, 6-2, on Jan. 5 at MSG. Five different Rangers tallied a goal and 10 different Blueshirts recorded a point in the game. Derek Stepan registered two goals, Rick Nash notched three assists, and Kevin Klein recorded two assists in the contest.
- The Rangers have earned at least one point in six of their last eight games against the Stars, dating back to Jan. 6, 2010 (5-2-1).
- Eight of the last 11 games between the Rangers and Stars, including six of the last seven meetings between the two teams, were decided by one goal.
RANGERS-STARS CONNECTIONS
- Glen Sather played his final NHL season with the Minnesota North Stars (1975-76).
- Stars Head Coach Lindy Ruff played parts of three seasons with the Rangers (1988-89 - 1990-91).
- Stars Assistant Coach James Patrick played parts of 11 seasons with the Rangers (1983-84 - 1993-94).
- Viktor Stalberg, Patrick Sharp, and Johnny Oduya were all teammates with the Blackhawks for parts of two seasons (2011-12 - 2012-13) and helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup in 2012-13.
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. STARS
- Henrik Lundqvist - 10 GP, 6-4-0, 2.10 GAA, .929 SV% - Lundqvist has posted a 5-2-0 record, along with a 1.99 GAA and a .931 SV% in his last seven appearances against the Stars.
- Derick Brassard - 23 GP, 5-5-10 - Brassard has registered six points (three goals, three assists) in his last 10 games against Dallas.
- Chris Kreider - 4 GP, 2-1-3 - Kreider has notched a point in three of four career games against the Stars.
WINNING WAYS
The
Rangers ranks second in the NHL in wins (12) and are tied for second in
the NHL in points (25) since Jan. 16 (12-5-1). The Rangers also lead
all Eastern Conference teams in wins and points over the span. The
Blueshirts have not lost two consecutive games (regulation and overtime
losses included) since Dec. 17 - Dec. 20, 2015.
HIGH FIVE
The
Rangers have posted a plus-36 goal differential at 5-on-5 this season
(123 goals for; 87 goals against). The Blueshirts rank second in the NHL
in goal differential at 5-on-5 in 2015-16 (Washington leads the NHL;
plus-39). New York is tied for the NHL lead in goals against and ranks
fourth in goals for at 5-on-5 this season.
GOALS GALORE
The
Blueshirts are one of four NHL teams that have eight players who have
tallied at least 11 goals in 2015-16 (along with Florida, Ottawa, and
Washington). The Rangers rank fifth in the NHL in goals per game this
season (2.82). New York has posted a 29-5-3 record when registering
three or more goals in 2015-16.
TWO GOOD
The
Blueshirts have allowed two goals or fewer in eight of the last 11
games, in 15 of the last 26 games, and in 35 games this season. New York
has posted a 30-3-2 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 11 of
their last 13 games, including two or more goals in the third period in
seven of those contests (20 goals in the third period). New York ranks
third in the NHL in third period goals this season (71).
ROAD WARRIORS
The
Rangers have won four of their last five road games (4-1-0) and six of
their last 10 road contests (6-4-0). The Blueshirts lead the NHL in road
wins since the start of the 2013-14 season (66).
ON POINT
Blueshirts
defensemen have registered 121 points (28 goals, 93 assists) in 2015-16
and have tallied 64 points (16 goals, 48 assists) over the last 32
games.
KING HENRIK
Henrik
Lundqvist earned his 30th win of the 2015-16 season in his last
appearance on Feb. 25 at St. Louis. He became the first goaltender in
NHL history to earn at least 30 wins in 10 of his first 11 NHL seasons,
as well as the third goaltender in NHL history to earn 30 or more wins
in at least 10 different seasons (along with Martin Brodeur and Patrick
Roy).
MOST CAREER 30-WIN SEASONS AMONG NHL GOALTENDERS
| |
1. Martin Brodeur
|
14
|
2. Patrick Roy
|
13
|
3. Henrik Lundqvist
|
10
|
Lundqvist
has allowed two goals or fewer in 16 of his last 23 appearances,
including 14 of his last 19 appearances and 13 of his last 17
appearances. He has posted a 13-5-1 record, along with a 1.93 GAA, a
.930 SV%, and 2 SO in his last 19 appearances, including a 12-5-0
record, along with a 1.81 GAA, a .935 SV%, and 2 SO in his last 17
appearances. Lundqvist has also allowed two goals or fewer in seven of
his last nine appearances, including one goal or fewer in five of his
last seven appearances (7-2-0 record, 1.65 GAA, .938 SV%, 2 SO in his
last nine appearances). Lundqvist has allowed seven even strength goals
in 10 appearances in February, posting a .968 SV% at even strength
during the month. He leads the NHL in even strength SV% this season
(.941). Lundqvist is one win away from passing Tom Barrasso for sole
possession of 16th place on the NHL's all-time wins list.
NHL ALL-TIME WINS LIST
| |
14. John Vanbiesbrouck
|
374
|
15. Andy Moog
|
372
|
T-16. Henrik Lundqvist
|
369
|
T-16. Tom Barrasso
|
369
|
TOO HOT TO YANDLE
Keith
Yandle is the first Rangers defenseman to register at least 30 assists
and 20 even strength assists in one season since Brian Leetch in
2000-01. He is tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in even strength
assists (20), is tied for sixth in primary assists (18), and is tied for
10th in assists (30) in 2015-16. Yandle has recorded a point in 11 of
the last 16 games (two goals, nine assists), including six of the last
eight games (six assists). He has notched a point in 32 of 61 games this
season, and he leads the Rangers in games with a point. Yandle is one
of four NHL defensemen who have tallied at least 30 assists, 20 even
strength assists, and 10 power play assists in 2015-16 (along with Erik
Karlsson, John Klingberg, and P.K. Subban).
HEY HEY HAYES
Kevin
Hayes enters the contest with a three-game point streak (one goal, two
assists). He has tallied a point in six of the last eight games,
recording eight points (four goals, four assists) over the span. He has
also registered 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the last 15 games
and 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in the last 21 games.
KEVIN HAYES – STATS FOLLOWING THE ALL-STAR BREAK IN HIS NHL CAREER
| |||||
SEASON
|
GP
|
G
|
A
|
P
|
P/GP
|
2014-15
|
38
|
11
|
18
|
29
|
0.76
|
2015-16
|
12
|
4
|
4
|
8
|
0.67
|
TOTAL
|
50
|
15
|
22
|
37
|
0.74
|
ON THE MARC
Marc
Staal is expected to skate in his 600th career NHL game in tonight's
contest. He has led the Rangers in ice time in three of his last four
games and has logged at least 20:00 of ice time in each of his last nine
games.
DAN'S THE MAN
Dan
Girardi has recorded five assists and a plus-nine rating in the last 11
games. He is tied for third in the NHL (min. 10 games played) in blocked
shots per game this season (2.5; 140 blocked shots in 55 games).
Girardi is also tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in plus/minus
rating this season (plus-17).
CAPTAIN MAC
Ryan
McDonagh is one of three NHL defensemen who have registered at least
seven goals, 26 points, and a plus-15 rating this season (along with
Drew Doughty and Colton Parayko).
IT'S MILLER TIME
J.T.
Miller leads the Rangers in goals (11), points (22), and plus/minus
rating (plus-eight) on the road this season. He is tied for sixth in the
NHL in goals since Jan. 16 (nine).
BRASS BONANZA
Derick
Brassard has tallied 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) and has
posted a plus-10 rating in the last 13 games. Brassard has established a
career-high - and leads the Rangers - in goals this season (22).
WELCOME MATS
Mats
Zuccarello has tallied an assist/point in six of the last 11 games,
recording 11 points (two goals, nine assists) over the span. Zuccarello
has registered all of his 20 goals and 42 of his team-leading 46 points
this season when the Rangers have either led by one goal, trailed by one
goal, or were tied in the contest.
STEP-AN UP
Derek
Stepan has tallied seven points (four goals, three assists) in the last
eight games. He has recorded 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in
the last 22 games, including 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in the
last 18 contests.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power Play:
- The Rangers were 0-for-2 (4:00) on Feb. 25 at St. Louis.
- The Blueshirts have recorded a PPG in four of the last seven games (5-for-16; 31.3%).
Penalty Kill:
- The Rangers were 2-for-3 (4:55) on Feb. 25 at St. Louis.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
- Marc Staal - 1 game away from 600 in his NHL career
- Dan Boyle - 2 points away from 600 in his NHL career
INJURIES (63 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
· Rick Nash (bone bruise; injury suffered on Jan. 22) - week-to-week
· Jesper Fast (broken nose; injury suffered on Feb. 26)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
· Feb. 21 - Recalled Marek Hrivik from Hartford (AHL); Assigned Daniel Paille to Hartford (AHL)
· Feb. 23 - Recalled Brady Skjei from Hartford (AHL)
· Feb. 24 - Assigned Brady Skjei to Hartford (AHL)
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
· Feb.
26, 1929 – John Ross Roach established a single-season franchise record
by posting his 12th shutout of the 1928-29 season in a 2-0 win against
the Ottawa Senators. Roach finished the season with 13 shutouts, and he
still holds the single-season Rangers record for shutouts.
· Feb.
27, 2012 – Henrik Lundqvist extended his own record by becoming the
first goaltender in NHL history to earn at least 30 wins in each of his
first seven seasons.
Feb 26 - 9:00pm by MattCalamia
W2W4: Rangers vs. Stars 2.27.16
Who: New York Rangers vs. Dallas Stars
Where: American Airlines Arena
When: Saturday at 4:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 3:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
******************************
The Skinny:
It's
another tough test on the road Saturday night in Dallas as the Rangers
(35-20-6, 76 pts) skate against the Western Conference-leading Stars
(38-18-6, 82 pts). The Rangers are finishing off a three-game road trip
which has already seen them lose 5-2 in New Jersey to the Devils and
then follow that up with a 2-1 win Thursday in St. Louis over the Blues.
Overall the Rangers are now 13-14-3 on the road this season, though
it's been better of late away from The Garden as New York has won four
of its last five road contests. It's a good thing that the Rangers are
getting things together on the road since, after Saturday, seven of
their next ten games are away from MSG. Henrik Lundqvist starts in goal
again for New York on Saturday. He is coming off another terrific
performance, making 35 saves in Thursday's win, and has now won 30 games
for the tenth time in his 11-year NHL career. His GAA is down to 2.29
on the season, and he has thrived on a heavier workload, having started
25 of the previous 28 games. He will need to be at his best, and need a
stout defensive effort from his teammates, on Saturday because the
Rangers will be facing the top scoring team in the entire NHL. The Stars
feature two of the top three leading scorers in the NHL--Jamie Benn is
second with 70 points and Tyler Seguin is third with 67--and John
Klingberg is the second leading point producer among defensemen with 52
points. Benn and Seguin also each have 32 goals this season, tied for
third most in the league. Dallas has scored three or more goals in ten
of their last 12 games; but has also hit a rough patch in going 1-3-1 in
their last five games after having won seven of eight. The main reason
for that is the Stars struggles defensively of late. Including
Thursday's 6-3 home-ice loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the Stars have
surrendered six goals or more three times in the past eight days, and
nine times on the season. Thursday both of Dallas' goaltenders--starter
Antti Niemi and back up Kari Lehtonen--surrendered three goals in that
loss to Winnipeg. The Stars will be without Patrick Eaves, who is out
with an illness, on Saturday, while Rangers forward Jesper Fast is a
question mark after suffering a broken nose in practice on Friday.
Head To Head:
This
is the second and final meeting this season between the Rangers and
Stars. Back on January 5 at Madison Square Garden the Rangers hammered
Dallas 6-2, scoring three times in the third period to put the game
away. Derek Stepan scored twice, including a shorthanded goal, for New
York, while Keith Yandle, Derick Brassard, Viktor Stalberg and Jayson
Megna also found the back of the net, and Henrik Lundqvist made 21
saves. Though Jason Spezza picked up a pair of assists and John
Klingberg scored a goal for the Stars, the Rangers did a solid job
shutting down Dallas' top guns as Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Patrick
Sharp all were held off the score sheet. This contest in early January
snapped a string of six consecutive games played between the Rangers and
Stars that were decided by one goal. In their most recent visit to
Dallas, back on December 29 last season, the Rangers dropped a 3-2
decision. J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes scored in that game for New York.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Marek Hrivik:
The rookie forward will be playing his fourth straight game since being
recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack last Sunday. He has done an
extremely solid job at both ends of the ice in each game he has played,
and he received some praise from head coach Alain Vigneault following
Friday's practice. Rangers brass has been intrigued by Hrivik since he
signed with the organization as an undrafted free agent four years ago.
He has size, strength, and some offensive skill to go along with good
speed, a physical style of play, and a high hockey I.Q. Since being
called up from Hartford Hrivik has one assist and a +2 plus/minus
rating, and has also contributed on the team's penalty killing unit.
Most importantly he has played a confident game and limited his mistakes
to minor ones, while adding some jump to the fourth line. The question,
though, is with the NHL trade deadline looming on Monday, have the
Rangers seen enough of Hrivik to believe he can be an NHL regular on a
team with Stanley Cup aspirations or will they go out and trade for a
more veteran player to kill penalties and play on the fourth line?
Saturday's game is the club's last before the deadline, so Hrivik has
one more chance to make a positive impression.
Stars-Patrick Sharp:
There are so many reasons why Patrick Sharp is such an important member
of the Dallas Stars. First and foremost, he is among the top offensive
threats on the NHL's highest scoring team. The 34 year-old Sharp is
Dallas' fourth-leading scorer with 47 points--a total which would
actually be tops on the Rangers--and is fourth with 17 goals and third
with five power play tallies. He is also tied for the club lead with
five game-winning goals. A four-time 30-goal scorer, Sharp may not be as
prolific as he once was, but he is still an important cog in the Stars
offense. Perhaps his most important quality he brings to Dallas in his
first year with the organization is that he is a proven winner, a
three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks and a 2014
Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada. That is tremendously important
to a Stars club that is fancying itself as legitimate Cup contender this
season. Sharp has 129 games of playoff experience under his belt, with
81 points in those games including 15 in 23 games last spring as he
helped Chicago to another title. The Rangers need to be aware of Sharp
on Saturday, as well, as he is coming off a three assist performance
Thursday night and has a four-game point-scoring streak (1-5-6) coming
in to play.
Feb 26 - 8:58pm by MattCalamia
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