NY FORECAST FOR TOMORROW – LEAFS BLOWING IN FROM TORONTO

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017, 7:00 p.m. ET
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Rangers: 19-12-4 (42 pts)
Maple Leafs: 21-14-1 (43 pts)

BY: The New York Rangers

The New York Rangers’ 2017-18 Media Guide can be found via the following link: HERE

TOMORROW’S GAME

The Rangers play their 36th game of the 2017-18 season tomorrow, Dec. 23, against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original Six matchup at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). The Rangers enter the contest with a four-game point streak (3-0-1 record) and have earned at least one point in six of their last seven games (4-1-2 record). New York has earned a win in 10 of its last 15 games (10-3-2 record), and the Rangers have outscored their opponents, 52-34, over the last 15 games. The Blueshirts have won 16 of their last 23 games (16-5-2 record) and 18 of their last 27 contests (18-7-2 record). In addition, the Rangers have earned at least one point in 22 of their last 29 games (18-7-4 record). 

RANGERS VS. MAPLE LEAFS

• All-Time*: 230-277-95-7 (132-113-56-4 at home; 98-164-39-3 on the road) *Note: The first three games between the two franchises were when the Maple Leafs franchise was called the Toronto St. Patricks. The franchise changed its name during the 1926-27 season.
• 2017-18: Tomorrow’s game is the second of three meetings between the Rangers and Maple Leafs, and the first of two meetings between the two teams at MSG. The Rangers have posted a 0-1-0 record (0-0-0 at home; 0-1-0 on the road), following Toronto’s 8-5 win in the first meeting between the two teams on Oct. 7 in Toronto. Mats Zuccarello established a single-game career-high with four points and tied a single-game career-high with three assists, while J.T. Miller, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Marc Staal each recorded one goal and one assist in the contest. Following tomorrow’s contest, the Rangers and Maple Leafs will play against each other on the following date: Feb. 1 (at MSG).
• The Rangers have won six of their last eight games against Toronto, dating back to Feb. 10, 2015 (6-2-0 record over the span).
• The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 13 of their last 18 games against the Maple Leafs, dating back to Jan. 14, 2012 (12-5-1 record over the span).

RANGERS-MAPLE LEAFS CONNECTIONS

• Michael Grabner played one season with Toronto (2015-16).
• Dominic Moore played parts of five seasons with the Rangers (2003-04 – 2005-06; 2013-14 – 2015-16).
• Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan played two seasons with the Rangers (2006-07 and 2007-08).
• The Rangers have three Ontario-born players on their roster: Rick Nash (Brampton, Ontario), Brendan Smith (Mimico, Ontario), and Marc Staal (Thunder Bay, Ontario).
• Jimmy Vesey’s father, Jim, is an Amateur Scout with the Maple Leafs.
• William Nylander is the son of former Ranger Michael Nylander, who played two seasons with the Blueshirts (2005-06 and 2006-07). Henrik Lundqvist and Michael Nylander were teammates with the Rangers in 2005-06 and 2006-07.
• Henrik Lundqvist and William Nylander helped Sweden win a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World Championship.
• Kevin Shattenkirk and James Van Riemsdyk were teammates with the U.S. National Team Development Program for two seasons (2005-06 and 2006-07). In addition, Shattenkirk and van Riemsdyk represented the United States in several tournaments together, including the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, and James van Riemsdyk all represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Michael Grabner and Matt Martin were teammates with the Islanders for five seasons (2010-11 – 2014-15).
• Rick Nash and Patrick Marleau helped Canada win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2010 and 2014.
• Brendan Smith’s first head coach in the NHL was Toronto’s current head coach, Mike Babcock (with Detroit for parts of four seasons; 2011-12 – 2014-15).
• Ondrej Pavelec and Ron Hainsey were teammates with Atlanta/Winnipeg for parts of five seasons (2008-09 – 2012-13).
• Rick Nash and Ron Hainsey were teammates with Columbus for three seasons (2005-06 – 2007-08).
• Ryan McDonagh and Jake Gardiner were teammates at the University of Wisconsin for two seasons (2008-09 and 2009-10).
• Chris Kreider and Jake Gardiner helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• J.T. Miller, Auston Matthews, and Morgan Rielly were teammates with Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• Brady Skjei and Auston Matthews represented the United States at the 2016 IIHF World Championship.
• Brady Skjei and Connor Carrick represented the United States at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• James van Riemsdyk was born in Middletown, New Jersey, and he was a Rangers fan as a kid.

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. MAPLE LEAFS

• Henrik Lundqvist – 30 GP, 15-9-5, 2.86 GAA, .899 SV%, 2 SO – Lundqvist has earned a win in three of his last five appearances against Toronto, and he has allowed two goals or fewer in three of the five contests.
• Ondrej Pavelec – 17 GP, 10-5-2, 3.17 GAA, .889 SV% – Pavelec has earned a win in seven of his last nine appearances against the Maple Leafs, dating back to Dec. 31, 2011.
• Mats Zuccarello – 14 GP, 10-10-20 – 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.
• J.T. Miller – 11 GP, 5-5-10 – Miller enters the contest with a five-game point streak against Toronto (four goals, four assists over the span), including a four-game goal streak.
• Rick Nash – 23 GP, 6-13-19 – Nash has tallied nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his last nine contests against Toronto.
• Michael Grabner – 19 GP, 9-5-14 – Grabner has notched 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in his last 11 contests against the Maple Leafs, including six points (five goals, one assist) in his last seven games against Toronto. He has posted three multi-point games in his last seven contests against the Maple Leafs.
• David Desharnais – 30 GP, 7-11-18 – Desharnais has recorded a goal/point in four of his last nine games against Toronto (five goals over the span) and has tallied 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his last 15 games against the Maple Leafs.
• Kevin Shattenkirk – 10 GP, 3-5-8 – Shattenkirk has registered a point in each of his last four games against Toronto (two goals, three assists).
• Chris Kreider – 13 GP, 3-7-10 – Kreider has tallied a point in eight of 13 career games against Toronto.
• Ryan McDonagh – 20 GP, 3-6-9 – McDonagh has recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in the last six games against the Maple Leafs.

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 second in the NHL in wins (17); Washington has 18
• rank second in the NHL in goal differential (plus-25; 90 goals for, 65 goals against); trailing only Tampa Bay
• are tied for second in the NHL in points percentage (.720); trailing only Tampa Bay (.729)
• are tied for second in the NHL in points (36); trailing only Winnipeg (38)

The Rangers have played 25 games since Oct. 26, which are tied for the sixth-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 three points out of first place in the Metropolitan Division.

HOME COOKING

The Rangers have earned at least one point in 13 of their last 14 home games, dating back to Oct. 26 (12-1-1 record). The Blueshirts have outscored their opponents, 56-30, over the last 14 home games. The Rangers have earned at least one point in 17 of 22 home games this season (14-5-3 record). New York leads the NHL in points (31) and is tied for the NHL lead in wins (14) at home in 2017-18.

LEADING THE WAY

The Rangers have led for 136:19, have been tied for 108:04, and have only trailed for 2:33 in a total of 246:56 of playing time over their current four-game point streak.

TEAM EFFORT

The Rangers are the only NHL team that has 14 players who have recorded 13 or more points this season. The Blueshirts are also one of two NHL teams that have nine players who have tallied seven or more goals (along with Carolina).

GOALS GALORE

The Rangers have recorded at least three goals in 22 of the last 29 games, as well as four or more goals (including team goals awarded for a shootout win) in 17 of those contests (102 goals; 101 in regulation/overtime). The Blueshirts have tallied four or more goals in seven of the last 12 games (41 goals) and in eight of the last 14 contests (49 goals).

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE

The Blueshirts have posted a plus-14 goal differential this season, which is the best among Metropolitan Division teams and ranks third among all Eastern Conference teams.

AV SQUAD

Alain Vigneault has earned 633 career wins as an NHL head coach, and he is one win 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 (524). 

KING HENRIK

Among NHL goaltenders who have made at least 20 starts this season, Henrik Lundqvist ranks sixth in SV% (.921). In his last 12 home appearances (since Oct. 31), Lundqvist has posted an 11-0-0 record, along with a 2.12 GAA, a .933 SV%, and 1 SO. Lundqvist is one of two goaltenders in franchise history who have posted an 11-game home winning streak (Dave Kerr – 14 games during the 1939-40 season). He has posted a 3-0-1 record, along with a 1.94 GAA and a .949 SV% (150 saves on 158 shots) over the last four games. Lundqvist has also posted a 15-4-1 record, along with a 2.38 GAA, a .929 SV%, and 1 SO in 21 appearances since Oct. 31, and he is tied for the NHL lead in wins over the span. He enters the contest with 422 career NHL wins, and he is one win away from tying Tony Esposito for eighth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list. Among all players (skaters and goaltenders included), Lundqvist is tied with Adam Graves for the 10th-most regular season appearances as a Ranger in franchise history (772).

UP FOR GRABS

Michael Grabner is tied for second in the NHL in even-strength goals this season (17), only trailing Nikita Kucherov (20). In addition, Grabner is tied with Kucherov and Auston Matthews for the NHL lead in even strength goals since the start of last season (43). He is tied for seventh in the NHL – and leads the Rangers – in goals in 2017-18 (17), and he also leads the Rangers in plus/minus rating this season (plus-14). Grabner is tied for the NHL lead in goals at home this season (13).

WELCOME MATS

Mats Zuccarello enters the contest with a five-game point streak (one goal, four assists). Zuccarello has tallied a point in 12 of the last 15 games (five goals, 10 assists), and he has recorded 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in the last 23 contests.

HEY HEY HAYES

Kevin Hayes enters the contest with a four-game point streak (three goals, one assist), and he has recorded a goal in each of the last two games. He ranks second on the Rangers in even-strength goals this season (nine).

CAPTAIN MAC

Ryan 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). He has tallied six assists/points in 10 games since returning to the lineup on Dec. 1 vs. Carolina. Over the span, McDonagh is tied for sixth among NHL defensemen in assists, and he leads all NHL players in blocked shots (36).

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Rangers are one of five NHL teams that have posted a 20.0% or better efficiency on the power play and an 83.0% or better efficiency on the penalty kill this season.

Power Play:

• The Rangers were 0-for-3 (4:03) on Dec. 21 at New Jersey.
• The Blueshirts are tied for 11th in the NHL in power play efficiency this season (20.4%; 23-for-113).
• New York has tallied a power play goal in two of the last four games (3-for-13; 23.1%).

Penalty Kill:

• The Rangers were 3-for-4 (5:54) on Dec. 21 at New Jersey.
• New York ranks sixth in the NHL in penalty kill efficiency this season (83.2%; 94-for-113).
• The Blueshirts have not allowed a power play goal in six of the last eight games (24-for-26; 92.3%) and in seven of the last 10 games (28-for-31; 90.3%).
• The Rangers have killed off 64 of their opponents’ last 73 power play opportunities (87.7%).

UPCOMING MILESTONES

• Ryan McDonagh – 2 games away from 500 in his NHL career
• Mats Zuccarello – 3 assists away from 200 in his NHL career; 6 goals away from 100 in his NHL career; 9 points away from 300 in his NHL career

INJURIES (23 Man-Games Lost to Injury)

• Jesper Fast (quad strain; suffered on Dec. 21 at New Jersey) – out 2-3 weeks

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• None

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY

• Dec. 22, 1996 – Mark Messier registered four points (two goals, two assists) and became the fifth player in NHL history to tally 1,500 career points as the Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers, 7-3, at MSG. Brian Leetch also recorded four assists in the contest.
• Dec. 23, 1930 – Bill Cook tallied his second hat trick of the month as the Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 5-1, at MSG.
• Dec. 23, 1948 – Lynn Patrick earned a win in his first game as the Rangers’ Head Coach, as the Blueshirts defeated the Chicago Black Hawks, 3-2, in Chicago.
• Dec. 23, 1991 – Brian Leetch extended his assist streak to 11 games, breaking Rod Gilbert’s record for the longest assist streak in franchise history. Leetch registered two assists, Mike Gartner tallied two goals, and Mike Richter stopped all 25 shots he faced as the Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils, 3-0, at MSG.

Related articles

• Penguins can’t overcome horrible start, fall to Maple Leafs, 4-3