GARDEN PARTY II A HURRICANE COMES TO TOWN 

NY RANGERS vs. CAROLINA HURRICANES
Tuesday, Mar. 13, 7:30 p.m.
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Rangers: 43-18-7 (93 pts.)
Hurricanes: 26-28-15 (67 pts.)

* All information through NHL games on Mar. 11

TONIGHT’S GAME:
The Rangers will face-off against the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m.; TV: MSG Network; Radio: 1050 ESPN Radio), as they continue their seven-game homestand. The Blueshirts currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, and rank second in the league overall, with a record of 43-18-7 (93 pts.). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the New York Islanders, 4-3, in overtime on Sunday at Madison Square Garden to begin their seven-game homestand, and are now 14-6-3 in their last 23 games. The Hurricanes enter the contest with a 26-28-15 (67 pts.) record to rank 13th in the Eastern Conference, and have lost four of their last six games. Following the contest, the Rangers will face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, Mar. 15, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in an Atlantic Division match-up.

RANGERS vs. HURRICANES:

• All-Time: 58-48-7-2 overall (35-17-4-2 at home; 23-31-3-0 on the road)

• 2011-12: Tonight is the fourth and final meeting this season, and the second at Madison Square Garden. New York is 3-0-0 overall (1-0-0 at home;2-0-0 on the road) following a 3-2 win on Mar. 1 at Carolina. The Rangers have out-scored the Hurricanes, 13-6, in the series, including a 6-1 advantage in the third period. New York is 2-10 (20.0%) on the power play in three games. Marian Gaborik leads the Rangers in scoring with four points (two goals, two assists). Henrik Lundqvist is 1-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .971 Sv%, while Martin Biron is 2-0-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .907 Sv%.

• Last Season:  New York was 2-2-0 overall (1-1-0 at home; 1-1-0 on the road). Three of their four meetings were decided by one goal, including two that required extra time. The Rangers’ power play was 3-14 (21.4%) in the series. Ryan Callahan tied for the team-high with two goals and three points in two games, while Brandon Dubinsky (one goal, two assists) and Ryan McDonagh led the team with two assists apiece. Henrik Lundqvist was 2-2-0 with a 2.92 GAA and .915 SV%.

• The Blueshirts have won five of their last six games against the Hurricanes

• New York ranks seventh with a 23-7-2 (48 pts.) record at home; Carolina ranks 27th with a 9-15-9 (27 pts.) mark on the road

• The Rangers are 13-2-2 vs. the Southeast Division; the Hurricanes are 3-12-3 vs. the Atlantic Division

• New York lists no former Hurricanes on their roster

• Carolina lists no former Rangers on their roster

INDIVIDUAL CAREER LEADERS vs. HURRICANES:

• Henrik Lundqvist — 20 GP, 11-8-1, 2.37 GAA, 1 SO

• Martin Biron — 21 GP, 12-4-1-2, 2.53 GAA, 1 SO

• Brad Richards — 49 GP, 12-30-42

• Marian Gaborik — 17 GP, 9-9-18

• Ruslan Fedotenko — 48 GP, 14-8-22

• Ryan McDonagh — 5 GP, 1-3-4

SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Rangers penalty kill has held opponents scoreless in five of the last six games (17-18, 94.4%), and are 22-24 (91.7%) in the last eight contests. The Rangers are tied for sixth in the NHL with seven shorthanded goals. The Blueshirts have posted a record of 20-1-4 in games when tallying a power play goal, and are 29-10-3 when not allowing a power play goal.

• Power Play: The Rangers tallied three goals in six power play attempts (9:17) on Sunday vs. the Islanders. New York is tied for 27th overall (34-230, 14.8%) and ranks 21st at home (19-119, 16.0%). The Rangers are 3-14 (11:24) in five-on-three situations (last – 3/2 at TBL), and 2-9 (12:08) when four-on-three (last – 3/11 vs. NYI). Shorthanded goals allowed (3): 12/5 vs. TOR (Steckel); 12/8 vs. TBL (Moore); 12/17 at PHX (Korpikoski).

• Penalty Killing: The Blueshirts surrendered one goal to the Islanders in four shorthanded situations (7:43) on Sunday at MSG. New York ranks fifth overall (189-218, 86.7%) and seventh at home (81-95, 85.3%). The Rangers are 8-9 (4:34) in three-on-five situations (last – 2/16 vs. CHI), and 2-3 (2:24) when three-on-four (last – 2/16 vs. CHI). Shorthanded goals for (7): 10/20 at CGY (Prust); 12/8 vs. TBL (Anisimov); 12/10 at BUF (Hagelin); 12/10 at BUF (Callahan); 12/20 at NJD (Hagelin); 1/6 at PIT (Dubinsky); 2/12 vs. WSH (Prust).

• Four-on-Four: New York did not tally/yield a goal in three four-on-four situations (5:00) on Sunday vs. the Islanders. The Rangers are plus-six in 74 four-on-four situations (132:48), and even in two three-on-three situations (0:38). Four-on-four goals for (9): 10/18 at VAN (Gaborik); 10/20 at CGY (McDonagh); 10/27 vs. TOR (Girardi); 1/2 vs. FLA (Gaborik); 2/9 vs. TBL (Stepan); 2/9 vs. TBL (Richards); 2/14 at BOS (Anisimov); 2/19 vs. CBJ (Stepan), 2/25 vs. BUF (Callahan). Four-on-four goals allowed (3): 2/9 vs. TBL (Lecavalier); 2/25 vs. BUF (Stafford); 3/2 at TBL (Malone).

HOMESTAND
The Rangers began their seven-game homestand with a 4-3 overtime win on Sunday vs. the Islanders. The seven-game homestand is tied as the longest in franchise history, and is their longest since 2001-02. The Blueshirts’ previous seven-game homestands were in 1969-70 (4-0-3-0), 1972-73 (4-3-0-0), 1977-78 (3-3-1-0), and 2001-02 (3-2-1-1). The Rangers are one of five teams with a homestand of seven or more games on their 2011-12 regular season schedule (Winnipeg – 8, Colorado – 8, Tampa Bay – 7, Vancouver – 7).

HOME SWEET HOME
The Blueshirts’ 23-7-2 (48 pts.) mark at MSG is their best record at home through 32 games since 1993-94 (22-6-4, 48 pts.).

SOUTHEAST FEAST
The Rangers have posted a record of 13-2-1 against Southeast Division opponents this season, having out-scored their opponents, 58-34, in those contests.

SIBLING RIVALRY
Rangers’ defenseman Marc Staal has faced off against his older brother, Carolina forward Eric Staal, 17 times in his career, amassing a 9-7-1 record with five points (two goals, three assists) and 10 penalty minutes. Eric has registered an 8-6-3 mark with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) and 10 penalty minutes.

PLACE IN HISTORY
The Rangers’ .679 win% is the team’s best record through 67 games in 18 years, when the 1993-94 Blueshirts began the season with a 43-19-5 record (.679 win%), and is tied as the fourth best mark in franchise history. The Rangers reached the 40-win mark in 61 games, which is tied as the second fastest to 40-wins in franchise history.

MEASURING UP
The Rangers rank among the NHL leaders in several statistical categories…

• 2nd in points (93)

• 2nd in win% (.684)

• 3rd in wins (43)

• 2nd in regulation/overtime wins (40)

• T-1st in fewest regulation losses (18)

• 2nd in fewest goals against (143)

• T-2nd in GAA (2.10)

• 1st in hits (2,027)

• 4th in blocked shots (1,109)

• 4th in +/- rating (plus-37)

• 6th in goal differential (plus-40)

QUICK HITS:

• This is the latest the Rangers have been in first place of the Eastern Conference standings since the 1995-96 season, when New York held the top position through games played on Mar. 15, 1996 (NYR game #68). *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau

• New York has registered at least one point in 45 of their last 60 games (40-15-5), dating back to Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark

• New York is 16-2-3 when leading after the first period and 26-0-3 when leading after the second

• The Rangers rank second in the league with a .278 win% when trailing after two periods (5-12-1); The Blueshirts are tied for eighth in the NHL with five third period comeback wins, and have trailed entering the third in only 18 games this season (second fewest in the NHL)

• New York leads the NHL with a .727 win% when out-shooting their opponent (24-8-1)

• The Rangers lead the league when scoring first, posting a 30-3-3 mark (.833 win%) in those contests; Their 30 wins are tied for third in the NHL

THE HOT LIST:

• Marian Gaborik — 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in the last 26 games; eight points (four goals, four assists) in the last seven games

• Brad Richards — three-game point streak (three goals, two assists over the span); 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in the last 17 games; 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the last nine games

• Derek Stepan — six points (two goals, four assists) in the last seven games

• Ryan Callahan — 12 points (nine goals, three assists) in his last 13 games; three goals in his last five games

• Carl Hagelin — nine points (four goals, five assists) in the last 13 games; seven points (three goals, four assists) in the last nine games

• Michael Del Zotto — 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in his last 19 games; nine assists in his last 14 games

• Anton Stralman — eight assists in his last 16 games; four assists in his last five games

INJURIES:

• Michael Sauer (concussion, 12/5) — 44

• Michael Del Zotto (injured, 3/8) — 2

• Ryan Callahan (injured, 3/9) — 1

Total Man-Games Lost: 195

RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

• Mar. 11 — Recalled forward Mats Zuccarello from Connecticut (AHL)