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RANGERS AND WINGS – A GARDEN DELICACY

New York RangersNY RANGERS vs. DETROIT RED WINGS
Wednesday, Mar. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Rangers: 45-20-7 (97 pts.)
Red Wings: 44-25-4 (92 pts.)

* All information through NHL games on Mar. 19

TONIGHT’S GAME:

  • The Rangers will face-off against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m.; TV: NBC Sports Network; Radio: Bloomberg Radio), in an Original Six match-up. The Blueshirts currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, and rank second in the league overall, with a record of 45-20-7 (97 pts.). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the New Jersey Devils, 4-2, on Monday at Madison Square Garden, and are now 3-2-0 on their current seven-game homestand. The Red Wings enter the contest with a 44-25-4 (92 pts.) record to rank fifth in the Western Conference, and are winless in their last five games. Following the contest, the Rangers will face-off against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, Mar. 23, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), to conclude their seven-game homestand.

RANGERS vs. RED WINGS:
  • All-Time: 210-260-103-1 overall (134-94-58-0 at home; 76-166-45-1 on the road)
  • 2011-12: Tonight is the first and only meeting this season.
  • Last Season: New York was 0-1-0 overall (0-0-0 at home; 0-1-0 on the road). The Rangers dropped their only meeting against the Red Wings last season, 3-2, on Feb. 7 at Detroit. The Blueshirts out-shot the Red Wings, 47-35, in the contest, including an 18-5 margin in the third period. Brandon Dubinsky and Derek Stepan each tallied a goal, while Martin Biron made 32 saves.
  • The Rangers’ last win against the Red Wings was a 3-1 victory on Oct. 25, 2003, at Madison Square Garden
  • Each of the last nine meetings between the Rangers and Red Wings have been decided by two goals or less, including five games separated by one goal
  • New York ranks fourth with a 25-9-2 (52 pts.) record at home; Detroit is tied for 18th with a 16-20-2 (34 pts.) mark on the road
  • The Rangers are 2-3-0 vs. the Central Division; the Red Wings are 2-2-0 vs. the Atlantic Division
  • New York lists no former Red Wings on their roster
  • Detroit lists no former Rangers on their roster

INDIVIDUAL CAREER LEADERS vs. RED WINGS:

  • Henrik Lundqvist — 4 GP, 0-3-1, 3.78 GAA
  • Martin Biron — 5 GP, 1-3-0-0, 3.20 GAA
  • Brad Richards — 20 GP, 6-14-20
  • Marian Gaborik — 25 GP, 7-11-18
  • Brandon Dubinsky — 2 GP, 1-2-3
  • Jeff Woywitka — 21 GP, 1-4-5

SPECIAL TEAMS:

The Rangers penalty kill has held opponents scoreless in seven of the last 10 games (28-31, 90.3%), and are 33-37 (89.2%) in the last 12 contests. The Rangers are tied for sixth in the NHL with seven shorthanded goals. The Blueshirts have posted a record of 21-1-4 in games when tallying a power play goal, and are 30-11-3 when not allowing a power play goal.

  • Power Play: The Rangers tallied one goal in three power play attempts (4:24) on Monday vs. New Jersey. New York ranks 29th overall (35-242, 14.5%) and 23rd at home (20-131, 15.3%). The Rangers are 3-15 (11:31) in five-on-three situations (last – 3/13 vs. CAR), 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 held the Devils scoreless in three shorthanded situations (6:00) on Monday at MSG. New York ranks fifth overall (200-231, 86.6%) and seventh at home (92-108, 85.2%). 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 one four-on-four situation (2:00) on Monday vs. New Jersey. The Rangers are plus-six in 77 four-on-four situations (137:49), 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).

ORIGINAL SIX SHOWDOWN:

  • The Blueshirts have skated in 11 of 15 scheduled games against Original Six opponents this season, posting a record of 5-6-0 in those contests
  • Henrik Lundqvist is 4-4-0 with a 2.75 GAA and one shutout; Martin Biron is 1-2-0 with a 2.70 GAA and one shutout
  • Marian Gaborik leads the Rangers in scoring against Original Six opponents this season with four goals and nine points
  • Derek Stepan has tallied seven points against Original Six opponents this season, and is tied with Gaborik for the team lead with five assists
  • Michael Del Zotto leads all team defensemen in scoring with six points (two goals, four assists) against Original Six opponents this season
  • New York has posted a record of 51-31-12 against Original Six teams since 2005-06, including a 0-4-1 mark vs. Detroit over the span. The Rangers’ .606 win% over the span ranks third, trailing Detroit (.662, 44-21-6) and Montreal (.608, 75-46-13), and ahead of Chicago (.527, 34-30-11), Boston (.518, 61-56-20), and Toronto (.496, 57-58-18).

HOMESTAND NOTES:

  • New York is 3-2-0 on their current seven-game homestand
  • The Rangers’ are 4-18 (22.2%) on the power play
  • Henrik Lundqvist is 2-1-0 with a 2.28 GAA; Martin Biron is 1-1-0 with a 3.50 GAA
  • Brad Richards leads the team in scoring with four goals and nine points
  • Marian Gaborik (three goals, four assists) and Carl Hagelin (two goals, five assists) have registered seven points apiece
  • 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’ 25-9-2 (52 pts.) mark at MSG is their best record at home through 36 games since 1991-92 (24-8-4, 52 pts.).

CALDER RACE

First-year forward Carl Hagelin continues to climb up the NHL rookie scoring charts despite only playing in 54 games this season. He currently ranks fifth in the league in rookie scoring with 37 points, fourth with 23 assists and seventh with 14 goals. He also leads all NHL rookies and is tied for 17th overall with a plus-22 rating, is tied for second among first-year players with two shorthanded goals/points, and ranks third among rookies who have played at least 50 games with a .69 points per game average. Since his NHL debut on November 25, Hagelin is tied for first among NHL rookies in points and assists, ranks second in goals and third in shots on goal (112).

PLACE IN HISTORY

The Rangers’ .674 win% is the team’s best record through 72 games in 39 years, when the 1972-73 Blueshirts began the season with a 46-19-7 record (.688 win%), and is 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 (97)
  • 2nd in win% (.674)
  • 2nd in wins (45)
  • T-1st in regulation/overtime wins (42)
  • 2nd in fewest regulation losses (20)
  • 3rd in fewest goals against (155)
  • 3rd in GAA (2.15)
  • 1st in hits (2,139)
  • 4th in blocked shots (1,169)
  • 4th in +/- rating (plus-37)
  • 6th in goal differential (plus-39)

QUICK HITS:

  • The Rangers became the first Eastern Conference team, and second in the league overall, to clinch a playoff spot with a 4-2 win on Monday vs. NJD (game #72); The last time the Blueshirts clinched a playoff berth that early was during the 1991-92 season, when New York clinched on March 8 (through game #68) following a Philadelphia defeat to Vancouver
  • This is the latest the Rangers have been in first place of the Eastern Conference standings since the team captured the Presidents’ Trophy during the 1993-94 season. *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau
  • New York has registered at least one point in 47 of their last 64 games (42-17-5), dating back to Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark
  • New York is 18-2-3 when leading after the first period and 28-0-3 when leading after the second
  • The Rangers rank third in the league with a .250 win% when trailing after two periods (5-14-1); The Blueshirts are tied for ninth in the NHL with five third period comeback wins, and have trailed entering the third in only 19 games this season (second fewest in the NHL)
  • New York leads the NHL with a .714 win% when out-shooting their opponent (25-9-1)
  • The Rangers rank second in the league when scoring first, posting a 32-4-3 mark (.821 win%) in those contests; Their 32 wins rank second in the NHL

THE HOT LIST:

  • Brad Richards — 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in the last 13 games; 11 points (five goals, six assists) in the last seven games
  • Marian Gaborik — 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in the last 11 games; eight points (three goals, five assists) in the last six games
  • Carl Hagelin — 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in the last 13 games; seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last four games
  • Dan Girardi — five points (one goal, four assists) in the last nine games; three points (one goal, two assists) in the last four games
  • Mats Zuccarello — three points (two goals, one assist) in the last five games

MILESTONES APPROACHING:

  • Martin Biron — 1 appearance from 500 NHL career

INJURIES:

  • Michael Sauer (concussion, 12/5) — 48
  • Artem Anisimov (injured, 3/15) — 2
  • Steve Eminger (injured, 3/15) — 2

Total Man-Games Lost: 209

Mitch Beck

Mitch Beck was a standup comedian and radio personality for over 25 years. His passion for hockey started with Team USA in 1980 when they defeated the Soviets at Lake Placid. He has also worked in hockey as a coach and administrator. He also works for USA Hockey as a Coach Developer. Mitch has been reporting on the New York Rangers, and exclusively on the Hartford Wolf Pack since 2005.

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