RANGERS SERVING DUCKS ON ICE TOMORROW AT MSG

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. ANAHEIM DUCKS
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, 7:00 p.m. ET
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Rangers: 18-12-3 (39 pts)
Ducks: 14-11-8 (36 pts)*

* The Ducks play against the New Jersey Devils tonight in New Jersey prior to facing the Rangers tomorrow 

The NY Rangers’ 17-18 Media Guide can be found via the following link: HERE

TOMORROW’S GAME

The Rangers play their 34th game of the 2017-18 season tomorrow, Dec. 19, against the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). New York has earned a win in nine of its last 13 games (9-3-1 record), and the Rangers have outscored their opponents, 45-29, over the last 13 games. The Blueshirts have won 15 of their last 21 games (15-5-1 record) and 17 of their last 25 contests (17-7-1 record). In addition, the Rangers have earned at least one point in 20 of their last 27 games (17-7-3 record). 

RANGERS VS. DUCKS

• All-Time: 15-16-1-1 (9-7-1-0 at home; 6-9-0-1 on the road)
• 2017-18: Tomorrow’s game is the first of two meetings between the Rangers and Ducks, and the only meeting between the two teams at MSG. Following tomorrow’s contest, the Rangers and Ducks will play against each other on the following date: Jan. 23 (at Anaheim).
• 2016-17: The Rangers posted a 1-1-0 record (1-0-0 at home; 0-1-0 on the road). Brady Skjei led all skaters with three points (one goal, two assists) in the season series, while Michael Grabner led the team with two goals. In addition, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Marc Staal, and Mika Zibanejad all registered two assists/points in two contests. Henrik Lundqvist made 43 saves in the Rangers’ 4-1 win on Feb. 7, 2017, at MSG, and the 43 saves are the most he has made in a win at MSG in his career.
• The Rangers have won five of their last six games against the Ducks (5-1-0 record), dating back to Jan. 7, 2015, and have outscored Anaheim, 23-13, in the six contests.
• The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 10 of their last 14 games against the Ducks, dating back to Dec. 16, 2008 (9-4-1 record).
• New York has won each of its last three games against Anaheim at MSG (dating back to Mar. 22, 2015), as well as six of its last seven games against Anaheim at MSG, dating back to Jan. 20, 2009 (6-1-0 record).

RANGERS-DUCKS CONNECTIONS

• Steven Kampfer was selected by Anaheim in the fourth round (93rd overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
• Darryl Williams served as an Assistant Coach with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (Anaheim’s AHL affiliate) for two seasons (2002-03 and 2003-04).
• J.T. Miller (born in East Palestine, Ohio) and John Gibson (born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) both played for the Pittsburgh Hornets in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL), were teammates with the U.S. National Team Development Program for two seasons (2009-10 and 2010-11), and won a gold medal while representing the United States at the 2010 World U17 Hockey Challenge and at the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championship.
• Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Miller have both won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s Best Goaltender (Lundqvist – 2011-12; Miller – 2009-10). Lundqvist and Miller rank second and fourth, respectively, among active NHL goaltenders in career wins. In addition, Lundqvist and Miller are two of seven NHL goaltenders who have appeared in at least one game in every season since 2005-06 (the other five are Craig Anderson, Marc-Andre Fleury, Kari Lehtonen, Roberto Luongo, and Cam Ward).
• Rick Nash and Antoine Vermette were teammates with the Blue Jackets for parts of four seasons (2008-09 – 2011-12).
• Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler were coached by Alain Vigneault for seven seasons with the Canucks (2006-07 – 2012-13).
• Brendan Smith and Patrick Eaves were teammates with Detroit for parts of three seasons (2011-12 – 2013-14), although both players did not appear in the same game with the Red Wings during the 2011-12 season.
• Michael Grabner, Ryan Kesler, and Kevin Bieksa were teammates for part of one season with the Canucks (2009-10).
• Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan Miller were teammates with the Blues for part of one season (2013-14).
• Steven Kampfer and Andrew Cogliano were teammates at the University of Michigan for one season (2006-07).
• Mika Zibanejad and Derek Grant were teammates in Ottawa’s organization (either with Ottawa or with the Binghamton Senators of the AHL) for parts of two seasons (2012-13 – 2013-14).
• Mika Zibanejad and Jakob Silfverberg were teammates with Ottawa for one season (2012-13).
• Steven Kampfer and Logan Shaw were teammates in Florida’s organization (either with Florida or the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL) for two seasons (2014-15 and 2015-16).
• Nick Holden and Francois Beauchemin were teammates with the Avalanche for one season (2015-16).
• Rick Nash and Francois Beauchemin were teammates with the Blue Jackets for part of one season (2005-06).
• Rick Nash, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry helped Canada win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2010 and 2014. Nash and Getzlaf also helped Canada earn a silver medal at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.
• Rick Nash and Corey Perry were teammates with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for one season (2001-02).
• Henrik Lundqvist and Jakob Silfverberg helped Sweden earn a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• J.T. Miller and Rickard Rakell were teammates with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for one season (2011-12). Miller and Rakell each tallied 62 points during the season.
• Mika Zibanejad and Rickard Rakell helped Sweden earn a gold medal at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Marc Staal and Andrew Cogliano helped Canada win a gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship in two consecutive years (2006 and 2007).
• Chris Kreider and Cam Fowler helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship. Kreider, Fowler, Ryan McDonagh, and Kevin Shattenkirk represented the United States at the 2011 IIHF World Championship.
• J.T. Miller, Jimmy Vesey, and John Gibson helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, Cam Fowler, Ryan Kesler, and Ryan Miller represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• Mika Zibanejad, J.T, Miller, and Rickard Rakell were all selected in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
• Brady Skjei and Hampus Lindholm were both selected in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
• Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Kase were both selected with the 205th overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft (Lundqvist – 2000; Kase – 2014).
• Lindy Ruff was Ryan Miller’s head coach with the Sabres for parts of 10 seasons (2002-03 – 2012-13).

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. DUCKS

• Henrik Lundqvist – 12 GP, 6-5-1, 2.55 GAA, .910 SV% – In his last five appearances against Anaheim at MSG (dating back to Jan. 20, 2009), Lundqvist has posted a 4-1-0 record, along with a 1.56 GAA and a .947 SV%.
• Rick Nash – 40 GP, 20-17-37 – Nash has tallied a point in 15 of his last 19 games against the Ducks, registering 20 points (13 goals, seven assists) over the span.
• Kevin Shattenkirk – 18 GP, 1-8-9 – Shattenkirk has recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in his last five games against Anaheim.
• J.T. Miller – 6 GP, 1-6-7 – Miller has registered a point in four of six career games against the Ducks, and he has posted three multi-point games in the six contests.
• Mika Zibanejad – 7 GP, 3-4-7 – Zibanejad has recorded a point in five of seven career games against Anaheim, and he has tallied three assists/points in his last three games against the Ducks.
• Mats Zuccarello – 10 GP, 3-4-7 – Zuccarello has registered a point in five of the last six games against the Ducks (three goals, four assists in the six contests).
• Michael Grabner – 12 GP, 5-1-6 – Grabner registered two goals against the Ducks on Feb. 7, 2017, at MSG, and he tallied his first career NHL hat trick on Apr. 2, 2010 at Anaheim as a member of the Vancouver Canucks.
• Nick Holden – 11 GP, 1-5-6 – Holden has tallied four points (one goal, three assists) in his last five games against Anaheim.
• Brendan Smith – 12 GP, 0-5-5 – Smith has notched two assists/points in his last three games against the Ducks.
• Brady Skjei – 2 GP, 1-2-3 – Skjei has registered a point in each of his two career games against Anaheim, and he recorded a goal on his birthday last year against the Ducks (Mar. 26, 2017).
• Chris Kreider – 7 GP, 1-2-3 – Kreider has notched an assist/point in each of his last two games against the Ducks (two assists).

RANGERS CONNECTIONS (IN ADDITION TO CURRENTLY PLAYING WITH THE BLUESHIRTS)

• Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Shattenkirk have represented the United States together in several tournaments, including the 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2011 IIHF World Championship, the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the 2007 IIHF World U18 Championship. McDonagh, Shattenkirk, and Chris Kreider were all teammates with Team USA at the 2011 IIHF World Championship.
• Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Brendan Smith were all selected in the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft (McDonagh – 12th overall by Montreal; Shattenkirk – 14th overall by Colorado; Smith – 27th overall by Detroit).
• Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith were teammates at the University of Wisconsin for three seasons (2007-08 – 2009-10).
• Paul Carey, Chris Kreider, and Kevin Hayes were all teammates at Boston College for two seasons (2010-11 and 2011-12) and helped Boston College win the National Championship in 2011-12; Carey and Kreider were teammates for three seasons (2009-10 – 2011-12) and helped Boston College win two National Championships (2009-10 and 2011-12).
• Kevin Hayes and Jimmy Vesey were friends growing up in Massachusetts.
• J.T. Miller and Jimmy Vesey helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Kevin Hayes and Brady Skjei represented the United States at the 2017 IIHF World Championship.
• Michael Grabner’s first head coach in the NHL was Alain Vigneault (2009-10 with Vancouver).
• Paul Carey and Nick Holden were teammates with Colorado for parts of two seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15).
• Paul Carey and Kevin Shattenkirk were teammates with Washington for part of one season (2016-17).
• Nick Holden and Rick Nash were teammates with Columbus for part of one season (2010-11).
• Kevin Shattenkirk is a native of New Rochelle, New York. He was a Rangers fan growing up, and his favorite player was Brian Leetch.

GAINING GROUND

Since Oct. 26, the Rangers…

• are tied for third in the NHL in wins (16); Nashville and Washington both have 17
• rank third in the NHL in goal differential (plus-23; 83 goals for, 60 goals against); trailing only Tampa Bay and Nashville
• rank third in the NHL in points percentage (.717); trailing only Nashville and Tampa Bay
• are tied for fourth in the NHL in points (33); trailing only Nashville, Winnipeg, and Washington
• The Rangers have played 23 games since Oct. 26, which are tied for the fifth-fewest in the NHL over the span. The Blueshirts, who were eight points out of first place in the Metropolitan Division and had played two more games than the team in first place (New Jersey) entering play on Oct. 31, are now only four points out of first place in the Metropolitan Division and have one game in hand on the team currently in first place (Washington).

HOME COOKING

The Rangers have earned at least one point in 12 of their last 13 home games, dating back to Oct. 26 (11-1-1 record over the span). The Blueshirts have outscored their opponents, 52-29, over the last 13 home games. The Rangers have earned at least one point in 16 of 21 home games this season (13-5-3 record). New York leads the NHL in points (29) and is tied for second in the NHL in wins (13) at home in 2017-18.

TEAM EFFORT

The Blueshirts are one of three NHL teams that have 14 players who have recorded 10 or more points this season (along with Chicago and Toronto). The Rangers are also one of two NHL teams that have eight players who have tallied seven or more goals (along with Tampa Bay).

GOALS GALORE

The Rangers have recorded at least three goals in 20 of the last 27 games, as well as four or more goals (including team goals awarded for a shootout win) in 16 of those contests (95 goals; 94 in regulation/overtime). The Blueshirts have tallied four or more goals in six of the last 10 games (34 goals) and in seven of the last 12 contests (42 goals). The Rangers rank sixth in the NHL in goals per game this season (3.24).

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE

The Blueshirts have posted a plus-12 goal differential this season, which is the best among Metropolitan Division teams and is tied for second among all Eastern Conference teams.

SAVING THE DAY

Over the Rangers’ last 14 games (dating back to Nov. 17 at Columbus), Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Pavelec have posted a .938 SV% (455 saves on 485 shots) and a 2.13 GAA.

ON POINT

The Rangers are the only NHL team that has two defensemen who have registered 17 or more assists this season (McDonagh – 18; Shattenkirk – 17). Prior to this season, the last time the Rangers had two defensemen who recorded 17 or more assists through the first 33 games of a season was 1993-94 (Leetch – 26; Zubov – 25).

AV SQUAD

Alain Vigneault has earned 632 career wins as an NHL head coach, and he is two wins away from tying Darryl Sutter for 11th place on the NHL’s all-time wins list among head coaches. Vigneault leads all NHL head coaches in wins since the start of the 2006-07 season (523). 

KING HENRIK

In his last 11 home appearances (since Oct. 31), Henrik Lundqvist has posted a 10-0-0 record, along with a 2.22 GAA, a .927 SV%, and 1 SO. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Lundqvist is one of two goaltenders in Rangers history who have posted a 10-game home winning streak (Dave Kerr – 14 games from Dec. 19, 1939 – Feb. 25, 1940). Over the last month (since Nov. 19 vs. Ottawa), Lundqvist has posted an 8-2-0 record, along with a 2.12 GAA, a .934 SV%, and 1 SO in 11 appearances. Lundqvist has posted a 14-4-0 record, along with a 2.43 GAA, a .926 SV%, and 1 SO in 19 appearances since Oct. 31, and he is tied for the NHL lead in wins over the span. He enters the contest with 421 career NHL wins, and he is two wins away from tying Tony Esposito for eighth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.

40/40 CLUB

Ondrej Pavelec has made at least 40 saves in each of his last two appearances (Dec. 5 at Pittsburgh and Dec. 11 vs. Dallas). He made a season-high 44 saves and was selected as the game’s First Star in his last appearance on Dec. 11 vs. Dallas. Pavelec is the first Rangers goaltender who has made 40 or more saves in two consecutive appearances since Dan Blackburn in 2001-02. He has stopped 85 of 89 shots he has faced over his last two appearances (.955 SV%).

UP FOR GRABS

Michael Grabner ranks third in the NHL in even-strength goals this season (16), only trailing Nikita Kucherov (20) and Alex Ovechkin (17). Grabner is tied for eighth in the NHL – and leads the Rangers – in goals in 2017-18 (16), and he also leads the Rangers in plus/minus rating this season (plus-13). He is tied for the NHL lead in goals since Oct. 26 (15).

WELCOME MATS

Mats Zuccarello registered the game-winning goal in overtime on Dec. 16 at Boston. He has recorded two overtime goals this season, and he leads the Rangers with three game-winning goals. Zuccarello has tallied a point in 10 of the last 13 games (five goals, eight assists), and he has recorded 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) and a plus-13 rating in the last 21 contests.

CAPTAIN MAC

Ryan McDonagh enters the contest with a three-game assist/point streak (three assists). He ranks second among NHL defensemen in even strength assists this season (14), trailing only John Klingberg (16). McDonagh is one of five NHL defensemen who have registered at least 18 points and a plus-10 rating this season (Doughty, Hedman, Pietrangelo, and Sergachev).

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Rangers are one of two NHL teams that rank tied for eighth or better in both power play efficiency and penalty kill efficiency in 2017-18 (along with Nashville).

Power Play:

• The Rangers were 2-for-5 (5:21) on Dec. 16 at Boston.
• The Blueshirts rank sixth in the NHL in power play efficiency this season (21.3%; 23-for-108).
• New York has tallied a power play goal in each of the last two games (3-for-8; 37.5%).

Penalty Kill:

• The Rangers were 6-for-7 (11:45) on Dec. 16 at Boston.
• New York is tied for eighth in the NHL in penalty kill efficiency this season (83.2%; 89-for-107).
• The Blueshirts have not allowed a power play goal in five of the last six games (19-for-20; 95.0%) and in six of the last eight games (23-for-25; 92.0%).
• The Rangers have killed off 59 of their opponents’ last 67 power play opportunities (88.1%).

UPCOMING MILESTONES

• Nick Holden – 1 point away from 100 in his NHL career
• Ryan McDonagh – 4 games away from 500 in his NHL career
• Mats Zuccarello – 5 assists away from 200 in his NHL career

INJURIES (23 Man-Games Lost to Injury)

• None

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• None

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY

• Dec. 18, 1996 – Mark Messier registered his 15th shorthanded goal as a Ranger, establishing a franchise record for career shorthanded goals. In addition, Wayne Gretzky tallied three assists and Mike Richter stopped all 37 shots he faced as the Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 4-0, at MSG.
• Dec. 19, 1939 – The Rangers began two franchise-record streaks – a 10-game winning streak and a 14-game home winning streak – by defeating the Montreal Canadiens, 5-2, at MSG. Dutch Hiller registered two goals, while brothers Mac Colville and Neil Colville each tallied a goal for the Blueshirts.
• Dec. 19, 1993 – Mike Richter extended his unbeaten streak to 20 games (17-0-3 record), breaking the franchise record established by Dave Kerr during the 1939-40 season. Richter made 22 saves as the Rangers defeated Ottawa, 6-3, at MSG.

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