RANGERS: GAME PREVIEW – BRING ON THE WINGS

NEW YORK RANGERS at DETROIT RED WINGS
Friday, Dec. 29, 2017, 7:30 p.m. ET
Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
Rangers: 20-13-4 (44 pts)
Red Wings: 13-16-7 (33 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 38th game of the 2017-18 season tomorrow, Dec. 29, against the Detroit Red Wings in an Original Six matchup at Little Caesars Arena (7:30 p.m. ET – TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). Tomorrow’s game is the Rangers’ first all-time contest at Little Caesars Arena. The Rangers have earned at least one point in five of the last six games (4-1-1 record) and in seven of the last nine games (5-2-2 record). New York has earned a win in 11 of its last 17 games (11-4-2 record), and the Rangers have outscored their opponents, 55-37, over the last 17 games. The Blueshirts have won 17 of their last 25 games (17-6-2 record) and 19 of their last 29 contests (19-8-2 record). In addition, the Rangers have earned at least one point in 23 of their last 31 games (19-8-4 record).

RANGERS VS. RED WINGS

• All-Time*: 220-262-103-3 (142-95-57-0 at home; 78-167-46-3 on the road) *Note: All-Time record includes games against the Detroit Cougars from 1926-27 – 1929-30 and the Detroit Falcons from 1930-31 – 1931-32
• 2017-18: Tomorrow’s game is the second of three meetings between the Rangers and Red Wings, and the only meeting between the two teams in Detroit. The Rangers have posted a 1-0-0 record (1-0-0 at home; 0-0-0 on the road) following their 2-1 win in overtime on Nov. 24 at MSG. Mats Zuccarello tallied the game-winning goal in overtime, Brady Skjei recorded two assists, and Henrik Lundqvist made 40 saves to earn the win. Following tomorrow’s contest, the Rangers and Red Wings will play against each other on the following date: Feb. 25 (at MSG).
• The Rangers have earned at least one point in 12 of their last 14 games against Detroit, dating back to Mar. 21, 2012 (10-2-2 record over the span).
• Nine of the last 17 contests between the Rangers and Red Wings, including eight of the last 14 games and five of the last eight games, have been decided in overtime.
• Nine of the last 10 games between New York and Detroit have been decided by one goal. In addition, 13 of the last 15 games and 17 of the last 21 meetings between the two teams have been decided by one goal.

RANGERS-RED WINGS CONNECTIONS

• Brendan Smith played parts of six seasons with the Red Wings (2011-12 – 2016-17) and was acquired by the Rangers from Detroit on Feb. 28, 2017.
• Michael Grabner and Frans Nielsen were teammates with the Islanders for five seasons (2010-11 – 2014-15).
• Henrik Lundqvist, Henrik Zetterberg, and Niklas Kronwall helped Sweden win a gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. In addition, Lundqvist, Zetterberg, Kronwall, Gustav Nyquist, and Jonathan Ericsson all helped Sweden earn a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Lundqvist, Zetterberg and Kronwall have represented Sweden at the Winter Olympics three times (2006, 2010, and 2014).
• Henrik Lundqvist and Jimmy Howard have both started in the same game six times. The scores of those six games were 3-1 Detroit (Dec. 6, 2009), 1-0 Rangers (Jan. 16, 2014), 3-0 Rangers (Mar. 9, 2014), 1-0 Rangers in overtime (Feb. 21, 2016), 2-1 Detroit (Oct. 19, 2016), and 2-1 Rangers in overtime (Nov. 24, 2017). At least one of the two goaltenders has been selected as one of the game’s Three Stars in each of the six games, and both goaltenders were two of the Three Stars in four of the six games.
• Steven Kampfer is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan and played four seasons of collegiate hockey at the University of Michigan (2006-07 – 2009-10), winning two CCHA Championships over the span (2007-08 and 2009-10).
• Boo Nieves played four seasons of collegiate hockey at the University of Michigan (2012-13 – 2015-16) and helped the Wolverines win the Big Ten Championship in 2015-16.
• Ryan McDonagh and Nick Jensen are both from St. Paul, Minnesota.
• Ondrej Pavelec and Petr Mrazek are two of five Czech-born goaltenders who have appeared in an NHL game this season. Pavelec and Mrazek represented the Czech Republic at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• Steven Kampfer and Luke Glendening were teammates at the University of Michigan for two seasons (2008-09 and 2009-10) and helped the Wolverines win the CCHA Championship in 2009-10.
• Boo Nieves and Dylan Larkin were teammates at the University of Michigan for one season (2014-15).
• Marc Staal and Darren Helm helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Rick Nash and Mike Green helped Canada earn a silver medal at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.
• Jimmy Vesey and Dylan Larkin helped the United States earn a bronze medal at the 2015 IIHF World Championship.
• Brady Skjei and Dylan Larkin represented the United States at the IIHF World Championship in both 2016 and 2017. In addition, Skjei, Larkin, Kevin Hayes, Danny DeKeyser, and Jimmy Howard all represented the United States at the 2017 IIHF World Championship.
• Mats Zuccarello, Frans Nielsen, and Tomas Tatar helped Team Europe finish as the runner-up at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Jimmy Howard were all members of the United States’ team at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• Ryan McDonagh and Justin Abdelkader represented the United States at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• J.T. Miller and Dylan Larkin were teammates with Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• Kevin Hayes, Justin Abdelkader, and Danny DeKeyser all represented the United States at the 2014 IIHF World Championship. 

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. RED WINGS

• Henrik Lundqvist – 13 GP, 7-4-2, 1.90 GAA, .938 SV%, 4 SO – Lundqvist has posted a better GAA and SV% against Detroit than against any other opponent in his NHL career. In his last nine appearances against the Red Wings (dating back to Mar. 21, 2012), Lundqvist has posted a 7-1-1 record, along with a 1.09 GAA, a .963 SV% (258 saves on 268 shots), and 4 SO.
• Ondrej Pavelec – 5 GP, 3-2-0, 2.95 GAA, .917 SV%, 1 SO – Pavelec has allowed two goals or fewer in three of his five career appearances against Detroit, and he has made at least 40 saves in two of the five contests.
• Rick Nash – 66 GP, 27-23-50 – Nash has played in more career games and has tallied more career goals against the Red Wings than against any other NHL team.
• Kevin Shattenkirk – 23 GP, 3-12-15 – Shattenkirk has tallied nine points (three goals, six assists) in his last 13 games against Detroit.
• David Desharnais – 16 GP, 4-7-11 – Desharnais has notched an assist/point in four of his last eight games against the Red Wings (four assists).
• Mats Zuccarello – 14 GP, 3-5-8 – Zuccarello has registered five points (one goal, four assists) in his last five games against Detroit, as well as six points (one goal, five assists) in his last seven games against the Red Wings.
• Ryan McDonagh – 11 GP, 2-4-6 – McDonagh has tallied three points (two goals, one assist) in his last three games against the Red Wings and has notched five points (two goals, three assists) in his last seven contests against Detroit.
• Kevin Hayes – 10 GP, 2-3-5 – Hayes has registered three points (two goals, one assist) in the last five contests against Detroit.

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).
• Brady Skjei and Vinni Lettieri were teammates at the University of Minnesota for two seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15).
• 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 the NHL lead in wins (18); tied with Nashville, Tampa Bay, and Washington
• rank second in the NHL in goal differential (plus-25; 93 goals for, 68 goals against); trailing only Tampa Bay (plus-30)
• rank third in the NHL in points percentage (.704); trailing only Tampa Bay (.740) and Nashville (.722)
• are tied for third in the NHL in points (38); trailing only Winnipeg (40) and Nashville (39)

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 the only NHL team that has eight players who have registered eight or more goals thus far in 2017-18.

SAVING THE DAY

Over the last eight games (since Dec. 11), Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Pavelec have posted a .950 SV% (285 saves on 300 shots).

GOALS GALORE

The Rangers have recorded at least three goals in 22 of the last 31 games, as well as four or more goals (including team goals awarded for a shootout win) in 17 of those contests (105 goals; 103 in regulation/overtime). The Blueshirts have tallied four or more goals in seven of the last 14 games (44 goals) and in eight of the last 16 contests (52 goals).

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE

The Blueshirts have posted a plus-14 goal differential this season, which is the best among Metropolitan Division teams.

CLOSE CALL

Ten of the Rangers’ last 15 games, including six of their last eight games and each of their last three contests, have been decided by one goal.

AV SQUAD

Alain Vigneault has earned 634 career wins as an NHL head coach, and he is one win away from passing Darryl Sutter for sole possession of 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 (525). 

KING HENRIK

Among NHL goaltenders who have made at least 20 starts this season, Henrik Lundqvist is tied for seventh in SV% (.921). He has posted a 3-1-1 record, along with a 2.16 GAA and a .944 SV% (184 saves on 195 shots) in his last five appearances. Lundqvist has also posted a 15-5-1 record, along with a 2.41 GAA, a .929 SV%, and 1 SO in 22 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.

Lundqvist has made 20,207 saves in his NHL career, and he ranks 15th in NHL history in career saves (since the NHL began to track saves during the 1955-56 season). Lundqvist is 51 saves away from tying Nikolai Khabibulin for the most career saves by a goaltender who was born outside of North America in NHL history. Lundqvist is also 26 appearances away from tying Khabibulin for the most career appearances by a goaltender who was born outside of North America in NHL history.

UP FOR GRABS

Michael Grabner is tied for second in the NHL in even-strength goals this season (17), only trailing Nikita Kucherov (21). He is tied for eighth 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).

WELCOME MATS

Mats Zuccarello has registered a point in five of the last seven games (one goal, four assists). In addition, Zuccarello has tallied a point in 12 of the last 17 games (five goals, 10 assists), and he has recorded 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in the last 25 contests. He leads the Rangers in assists (21) and points (29) this season.

CAPTAIN MAC

Ryan McDonagh skated in his 500th career NHL game, as well as his 500th game as a Ranger, on Dec. 27 vs. Washington. He became the 39th player (including goaltenders) – and the 13th defenseman – to play at least 500 games with the Rangers in franchise history. McDonagh is tied for third in the NHL in blocked shots this season (94), and he leads the NHL in blocked shots since he returned to the Rangers’ lineup on Dec. 1 (49).

PAV’S PARTY

Ondrej Pavelec has posted a 2-0-1 record, along with a 1.26 GAA, a .966 SV% (115 saves on 119 shots), and 1 SO in his last three appearances. In addition, Pavelec has stopped 74 of 75 shots he has faced in his last two appearances (.987 SV%).

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Rangers are one of five NHL teams that have posted a 19.0% 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 (4:25) on Dec. 27 vs. Washington.

Penalty Kill:

• The Rangers were 2-for-2 (4:00) on Dec. 27 vs. Washington.
• New York is tied for sixth in the NHL in penalty kill efficiency this season (83.5%; 101-for-121).
• The Blueshirts have not allowed a power-play goal in seven of the last 10 games (31-for-34; 91.2%) and in eight of the last 12 games (35-for-39; 89.7%).
• The Rangers have killed off 71 of their opponents’ last 81 power play opportunities (87.7%).

UPCOMING MILESTONES

• 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 (25 Man-Games Lost to Injury)

• Jesper Fast (quad strain) – has missed two games
• Chris Kreider (blood clot – right arm)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• Dec. 28 – Recalled Vinni Lettieri from Hartford (AHL)

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY

• Dec. 28, 1962 – Red Sullivan was named the 10th head coach in Rangers history.
• Dec. 29, 1974 – Brad Park tallied his 346th career point as a Ranger, passing Harry Howell to become the franchise’s all-time leader in points by a defenseman (at the time).
• Dec. 29, 2014 – Mats Zuccarello registered his 112th career NHL point and became the all-time leader in points by a Norwegian-born player in NHL history.

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