Matt Puempel;
On the Hat Trick, "it caught me off guard with only 25 seconds left. I knew that the goalie wasn't pulled so I didn't expect it. First one for me in a while, I don't think I had one in the American league ever. First one tonight is nice and my teammates helped me a lot getting that one."
When was your last Hat Trick, "I think it was in the OHL, one of my last years in the OHL. I haven't thought about a Hat Trick in a while. It was nice to see some hats on the ice here."
On the Hat Trick with his brother at the game, "he came to two of my games last year and I scored in both, it was the only two goals I had all year. I think he is good luck for me right now. It's nice to have the siblings on the trip and a good to get a win for them."
On the game winner, "we got out there, it was 3-3, close game and I was just trying to take the goalies eyes away for any shots that came at him. I didn't see it when it left Mac's stick but I waived at it and it changed direction and went in. The PP was moving the puck really well tonight and I was just trying to do an easy job of taking away his eyes and fortunately that paid off."
On being more comfortable, "Confidence goes a big way. Coming here was a fresh start and then having a little concussion there. It's 10/11 games now and the guys play a big part in welcoming me and the coaching staff and being in the lineup and having a role is a big part of it. I need to thank them for how they have treated me and that helps on the ice too."
Alain Vigneault;
"The guys executed," Vigneault said of the power play. "We had good net front [presence]. Got pucks at the net and were able to obviously score the one that got us the win there when Pumps tipped that one in. There's no doubt that power play wise, it was a good night for us."
Antti Raanta;
"We knew they were going to come hard in the third period," "They didn't have lots of shots in the first two periods so we knew they were going to start throwing pucks at the net, so it was nice to get that save. I think that was the first time in the game where you felt like you get going. You get that feeling again. It was a little bit easier to play the third period when you get that save."
NYR Alumni Birthday December 30:
Lester "The Silver Fox" Patrick (December 31, 1883 – June 1, 1960) Seasons with Rangers: 20 (13 as head coach; 20 as general manager) Regular-Season Games with Rangers: 1 Playoff Games with Rangers: 0
Today in NYR History December 30:
1934: Goaltenders Dave Kerr of the New York Rangers and Tiny Thompson of the Boston Bruins are flawless in a scoreless tie at Madison Square Garden.
1996: Wayne Gretzky scores two goals, and Mike Richter makes 31 saves as the Rangers defeat the Dallas Stars, 3-2. It’s the Rangers first victory in Dallas in franchise history.
