NYR TODAY Tuesday 1/17: Game Day Preview, Alumni Birthdays, Today in Rangers History

NEW YORK RANGERS GAME DAY PREVIEW

NEW YORK RANGERS (28-15-1) DALLAS STARS (18-19-8)
Madison Square Garden, NYC 7:00 PM TV: MSG, RADIO: WEPN 98.7 FM NY

Center Mika Zibanejad returns to the Rangers lineup after missing 25 games with a broken fibula when the Rangers take on the Dallas Stars tonight at MSG. Zibanejad is expected to slot between Rick Nash and Pavel Buchnevich who also recently returned to the lineup following stints on the Rangers IR.

Henrik Lundqvist will ge the start in net and will be backed up by Magnus Hellberg who was recalled yesterday to fill in for the injured Antti Raanta. Raanta will miss the next 7-10 days with a lower body injury suffered in the first period of Friday's loss in Montreal.

Both Marc Staal and Matt Puempel recovering from post concussion symptoms skated before practice yesterday, no timetable is set for either's return.

This is the second and final meeting between the Rangers and Stars. The Ranger won the first game in Dallas in a dual shutout, the first in team history for Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Raanta. The Game winning goal scored by Rick Nash came on a shorthanded opportunity.

NYR GAME DAY STATS:

NYR TEAM LEADERS:
GOALS: MICHAEL GRABNER 19
ASSISTS: RYAN McDONAGH 25
POINTS: DEREK STEPAN, KEVIN HAYES 33
+/-: NICK HOLDEN, MICHAEL GRABNER +22
GWG: DAN GIRARDI, BRANDON PIRRI, JIMMY VESEY, KEVIN HAYES, J.T. MILLER, MICHAEL GRABNER 3
PPG: RICK NASH, JIMMY VESEY, BRANDON PIRRI, CHRIS KREIDER 4
PPP: RYAN McDONAGH, DEREK STEPAN 10
SHG: J.T. MILLER 3

GOALIE STATS:
WINS: HENRIK LUNDQVIST 18
GAA: ANTTI RAANTA 2.23
SO: ANTTI RANTA 2
SV%: ANTTI RAANTA .923
HENRIK LUNDQVIST  18-11-1 GAA: 2.72 SV%: .907 SO: 1
ANTTI RAANTA 10-4-0 GAA: 2.23 SV%: .923 SO: 2

NYR TEAM STATS
28-15-1
7th Overall NHL
4th Metropolitan Division
WINS: 28 (Rank #3)
POINTS: 57 (Rank #7)
WIN%: 0.648 (Rank #7)
GOALS FOR: 150 (Rank #1)
GOALS AGAINST: 115 (Rank #10)
POWER PLAY GOALS: 30 (Rank #9)
POWER PLAY %: 22.39 (Rank #6)
POWER PLAY GOALS AGAINST: 22 (Rank #7)
PENALTY KILL: 82.26 (Rank #16)
SHORT HANDED GOALS: 6 (Rank #2)
SHUTOUTS: 4 (Rank #5)
EMPTY NET GOALS: 8
SHOOTOUTS: 2/3

NYR Alumni Birthdays January 17:

Led Bourgeault D (1927-1930) Fred Hunt RW (1944-1945) Jacques Plante G (1963-1965) Aaron Ward D (2006-2007) Viktor Stalberg LW (2015-2016)

Today in NYR History January 17:

1969: Emile Francise begins his second stint as head coach of the Rangers.