(SAT) RANGERS PLAY CATCH UP AND THEN GIVE IT AWAY 

Game Summary                 NYR: H. Lundqvist (ND), O. Pavelec (L)        TOR: F. Andersen (W)
Event Summary

–       POWER SURGE – The Rangers were 2-for-3 (3:07) on the power play in tonight’s contest. New York has tallied four goals on nine power play opportunities through the first two games this season (44.4%). The Blueshirts have registered four power play goals in their first two games of a season for the first time since 2000-01. Mika Zibanejad (three goals), Kevin Shattenkirk (one goal, two assists), and Mats Zuccarello (three assists) have all recorded three power play points over the first two games of the 2017-18 season.

–       HIGH FIVE – Five Blueshirts tallied at least two points in tonight’s contest (Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Marc Staal). In addition, five different Rangers recorded a goal in tonight’s game.

–       WHAT A LINE – The line of Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in tonight’s contest. At least one of the three players has tallied a point on five of the Rangers’ seven goals through the first two games this season.

–       SHOOTING GALLERY – The Rangers registered 35 shots on goal in tonight’s game, and 16 of 18 skaters recorded at least one shots on goal. New York has recorded at least 35 shots on goal in each of the first two games in 2017-18 (74 shots on goal over the first two games).

–       ON POINT – Rangers defensemen tallied five points (two goals, three assists) in tonight’s contest, and at least one Rangers defenseman notched a point on four of the team’s five goals in the game.

–       Mats Zuccarello established a single-game career-high with four points (one goal, three assists), tied a single-game career-high with three assists, and recorded two power play assists in tonight’s contest. He is the first Ranger who has registered five points in the first two games of a season since Bernie Nicholls in 1990-91, and he is also the first Ranger who has recorded four assists in the first two games of a season since Brian Leetch in 1990-91. Zuccarello has registered three power play assists through the first two games of the 2017-18 season, and two of the three assists have been primary assists. In addition, three of his four assists thus far this season have been primary assists. Zuccarello has recorded a point in eight of his last nine games against the Maple Leafs, registering 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) over the span.

–       Kevin Shattenkirk registered two points (one goal, one assist), including his first goal as a Ranger, led the team with three hits, and tied for the game-high with two blocked shots in 25:05 of ice time. Shattenkirk’s power play goal in the first period was also the 300th point of his NHL career. Shattenkirk has tallied at least one point in each of the first two games of the season (one goal, two assists), and all three points were recorded on power play goals. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Shattenkirk ranks second among NHL defensemen in power play points (134), and ranks third among NHL defensemen in power play goals (33) and power play assists (101); he is the only NHL defenseman who ranks third or higher in all three categories over the span.

–       Mika Zibanejad tallied a power play goal, led the Rangers with eight faceoff wins, and recorded two shots on goal. Zibanejad has registered a goal in each of the Rangers’ first two games this season, recording three goals (all on the power play) in the two contests. He is one power play goal away from tying his single-season career-high (he tallied four power play goals in both 2014-15 and 2016-17). Zibanejad has notched 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 58 games since joining the Rangers prior to the start of last season.

–       Chris Kreider notched two assists, registered two shots on goal, and posted a plus-one rating in tonight’s game. He has recorded a point in eight of 13 career games against Toronto (three goals, seven assists). Kreider established career-highs in goals (28) and points (53) and tied his career-high in assists (25) in 2016-17.

–       J.T. Miller registered two points (one goal, one assist), recorded two shots on goal, and tied for the game-high with two blocked shots. Miller extended his goal streak against the Maple Leafs to four games and his point streak against the Maple Leafs to five games (four goals, four assists). He established career-highs in assists (34) and points (56) and tied his career-high in goals (22) last season.

–       Marc Staal tied a single-game career-high with two points (one goal, one assist) and was credited with two hits. He posted a multi-point game for the 17th time in his NHL career and for the first time since Oct. 19, 2015, vs. San Jose.

–       Kevin Hayes recorded an assist, won seven of 13 faceoffs (53.8%), and registered two shots on goal. He led the Rangers in points on the road last season (30; 11 goals, 19 assists). Hayes established career-highs in assists (32) and points (49) and tied his career-high in goals (17) in 2016-17.

–       Ryan McDonagh tallied an assist and posted a plus-two rating while skating in a game-high 27:03 of ice time. The Rangers captain established a career-high with 36 assists last season.

–       Ondrej Pavelec made 21 saves, and stopped all 11 shots he faced in the second period while making his Rangers debut in a relief appearance in tonight’s contest.

–       Morning Skate Schedule: The Rangers will not have a morning skate prior to tomorrow’s contest. Rangers Head Coach Alain Vigneault will be available to the media at 5:00 p.m. in the fifth-floor press conference room at Madison Square Garden. *Schedule and availability subject to change

–       Next Game: Tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 8 vs. Montreal (7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG+)

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