Post-game notes & quotes courtesy of the NYR:
Rangers 3, Hurricanes 0.
Click here for boxscore with links to Game Summary, etc.
– START ME UP – The Rangers have registered 11 wins and 24 points in the first 15 games of the 2015-16 season. The Blueshirts’ 11 wins and 24 points are both tied for the most they have recorded in the first 15 games of a season in franchise history. The Rangers also recorded 11 wins in their first 15 games of a season in 1990-91 (11-4-0). In addition, New York also registered 24 points in its first 15 games of a season in 1971-72 (10-1-4).
– WINNING WAYS – The Blueshirts extended their point streak to a season-high 10 games (8-0-2), and they extended their winning streak to a season-high six games. The Rangers have posted a point streak of 10 games or longer for the 16th time in franchise history and for the second time in the last two seasons (Feb. 8-26, 2015; 8-0-2). In addition, the Rangers have posted an 8-0-1 record in their last nine games. New York has earned at least one point in 13 of 15 contests thus far in 2015-16 (11-2-2).
– SHUTTING THE DOOR – The Blueshirts have allowed two goals or fewer in nine of their last 10 games (12 goals allowed over the span; 11 goals allowed in regulation and the five-minute overtime period). In addition, the Rangers have allowed one goal or fewer in seven of the last nine contests and in each of the last three games. The Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in regulation in each of the last 10 games. The Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in 12 of 15 games in 2015-16 and lead the NHL in goals against per game (1.60) this season (24 goals allowed in 15 games). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Rangers have allowed 24 goals or fewer in the first 15 games of a season for the first time since 1939-40 and for the sixth time in franchise history (1926-27, 1928-29, 1933-34, 1937-38, 1939-40, and 2015-16. The Blueshirts have allowed two or fewer goals in all 11 of their wins this season and have posted an 11-0-1 record in games which they have allowed two goals or fewer in 2015-16.
– HOME COOKING – The Blueshirts extended their winning streak at home to six games, and they have outscored their opponent, 23-5, in the six contests. In addition, the Rangers have earned at least one point in each of their last seven home games (6-0-1) and in eight of nine home games in 2015-16 (7-1-1). Dating back to last season, the Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 38 of their last 48 home contests (32-10-6), including 21 of their last 26 home games (18-5-3).
– SAVING THE DAY – Over the last 11 games (dating back to Oct. 15 at Montreal), Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Raanta have combined to post a .962 SV% (332 saves on 345 shots). In 2015-16, Lundqvist and Raanta have combined to post a league-best 1.46 GAA (22 goals allowed in 905:57 of ice time) and a league-best .954 SV% (457 saves on 479 shots). The Blueshirts’ .954 SV% is the best the team has posted in the first 15 games of a season since the NHL began tracking the statistic in 1975-76.
– HIGH FIVE – The Rangers have posted a plus-23 goal differential during 5-on-5 play thus far in 2015-16 (36 goals for; 13 goals against).
– FIRST IN SCORE – The Rangers have tallied the first goal of the game in 10 of 15 contests in 2015-16. The Rangers have posted an 8-1-1 record when registering the first goal of the game in 2015-16. In addition, New York has posted a 49-7-4 record in games which they have tallied the first goal since the start of last season.
– FINISHING THE JOB – The Rangers have posted a 159-1-9 record in their last 169 regular season games when leading after two periods, dating back to Feb. 6, 2010 vs. New Jersey. New York has also posted a 64-0-3 record in its last 67 regular season games when leading after two periods, dating back to Nov. 30, 2013 vs. Vancouver. In addition, the Blueshirts have posted a 45-0-1 record in 46 regular season contests in which they have held a lead after two periods since the start of the 2014-15 season.
– TAKING THE METRO – The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in all six games they have played against teams in the Metropolitan Division this season (4-0-2). The Rangers have earned at least one point in 30 of their last 34 games against Metropolitan Division opponents (27-4-3), and they have won 24 of their last 30 intra-division games (24-4-2).
– EYE OF THE STORM – The Rangers have won 17 of their last 18 games against the Hurricanes (17-1-0), dating back to Feb. 22, 2011. In addition, New York has posted a seven-game winning streak against Carolina, dating back to Apr. 8, 2014. The Rangers have outscored the Hurricanes, 61-29, in the last 18 games between the two teams (56-29 in regulation/overtime). The Blueshirts have also won each of their last 10 home games against Carolina, dating back to Jan. 5, 2011. New York has allowed two or fewer goals in all 10 games, including one goal or fewer in nine of the 10 contests (nine goals against in the 10 games).
– KILL ZONE – New York was 6-for-6 (11:57) on the penalty kill in the game. The Rangers have not allowed a power play goal in nine of their last 11 games, killing off 32 of 34 power play opportunities for their opponent over the stretch (94.1%).
– Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 33 shots he faced to earn his fourth consecutive win and his eighth win of the season, as well as his first shutout of the season. Lundqvist appeared in his 743rd career game with the Rangers/in his NHL career (regular season + playoffs) in tonight’s contest, passing Mike Richter for the most overall appearances by a goaltender in franchise history. Lundqvist is also the all-time leader in combined regular season and playoff appearances by an NHL goaltender who only played with one team in his career. With 33 saves in the contest, Lundqvist passed Richter to become the franchise’s all-time leader in regular season and playoff saves combined (19,430). In his first 12 appearances this season, the Rangers’ all-time wins and shutouts leader has posted an 8-2-2 record, along with a 1.65 GAA, a .949 SV% (374 saves on 394 shots), and 1 SO. Lundqvist’s 1.65 GAA and .949 SV% are the best totals he has posted in each category over the first 12 games of any season in his career, and his eight wins are tied for the most he has recorded to start one season in his career. In addition, Lundqvist’s .949 SV% is the best any Rangers goaltender has posted in his first 12 games of a season since the NHL began tracking the statistic in 1975-76. Lundqvist has been named one of the game’s Three Stars in 10 of the 12 contests he has played in 2015-16, including 10 of his last 11 appearances and each of his last eight appearances. He has been named the game’s First Star six times and the game’s Third Star four times. In addition, he has been named the game’s First Star in six of the eight games he has won this season. He has allowed two goals or fewer in 11 of 12 appearances this season, including each of his last eight appearances, and he has made at least 30 saves in seven of his 12 appearances. In games which he has made at least 30 saves, Lundqvist has posted a 6-0-1 record, along with a 1.56 GAA, a .957 SV%, and 1 SO. In his last eight home games against the Hurricanes, Lundqvist has posted an 8-0-0 record, along with a 0.85 GAA, a .972 SV%, and 1 SO, and he has allowed one goal or fewer in all eight games.
– Rick Nash registered two points (one goal, one assist), led all Rangers with four shots on goal, and posted a plus-two rating in 16:46 of ice time. He has posted a multi-point game in two of his last three contests, recording five points (one goal, four assists) over the span. In addition, Nash has notched seven points (two goals, five assists) in his last seven games.
– Mats Zuccarello tallied an assist, tied for the game-high with two takeaways, and posted a plus-two rating in 17:17 of ice time. He extended his assist/point streak against Carolina to 10 games (12 assists over the span). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Zuccarello is the first Ranger to record a 10-game point streak against one opponent since Mark Messier tallied a point in 11 straight games against Philadelphia from Nov. 2, 1991 to Jan. 9, 1993. In addition, he is the first Ranger who has posted a 10-game assist streak against one opponent since Brian Leetch recorded an assist in 12 consecutive games against Pittsburgh from Dec. 3, 1990 to Apr. 16, 1992. Zuccarello has registered 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in the last 14 games, including nine points (four goals, five assists) in the last nine games and six points (three goals, three assists) in the last five games. He leads the team in points (12) this season.
– Jesper Fast tallied his first career NHL game-winning goal and recorded the first goal of the game for the second consecutive contest, was credited with two blocked shots, and posted a plus-one rating in 13:37 of ice time. In addition, Fast logged 5:17 of ice time while shorthanded in the contest. Fast has registered a goal in two consecutive games for the third time in his career (Nov. 29 – Dec. 1, 2015; Mar. 21-22, 2015). He has tallied five points (three goals, two assists) in his last nine games.
– Ryan McDonagh recorded a goal, tied for the game-high with four blocked shots, registered two shots on goal, recorded two hits, and posted a plus-two rating in 20:24 of ice time. The Rangers captain has tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in the last three games, and he has registered four points (one goal, three assists) in the last six games.
– Emerson Etem notched an assist on the game-winning goal, recorded two hits, and posted a plus-one rating. Both of Etem’s assists in 2015-16 have been primary assists on the game-winning goal. He has tallied two assists in his last five games.
– Keith Yandle recorded an assist, registered two shots on goal, and posted a plus-one rating in 17:41 of ice time. He has tallied an assist/point in each of the last two games (two assists) and in three of the last four games (three assists). Yandle has registered six points (one goal, five assists) in the last nine games, and he leads the Rangers in assists (eight) in 2015-16.
– Dan Girardi tallied an assist tied for the game-high with four blocked shots, and posted a plus-two rating in 19:33 of ice time. The Rangers alternate captain has recorded an assist/point in each of the last two games (two assists). In addition, he has notched an assist/point in three of the last four contests (three assists), and he has registered four points (one goal, three assists) in the last six games. Girardi skated in his 666th career game with the Rangers in tonight’s contest, tying Dean Prentice for 14th on the franchise’s all-time games played list.
· Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers head coach
On tonight’s game…
“It was tough to get any rhythm because of all the penalties that were called on us tonight. Obviously, you need good goaltending to kill off the number of penalties we had, and we got that tonight. It took us a while to find our legs in the first period and once we got that, we capitalized quickly with two quick goals. From there, they played hard. They spent a lot of time in our end. We didn’t give up that much and we were able to capitalize on a lucky bounce in the third that gave us a three-goal lead.”
On the team’s hot start…
“Our record is pretty good. We still have areas that we are working on and need to improve. We are very aware of that. We’re like any team in the NHL, you have to get better as the season moves forward and that’s what we’re going to continue to strive for.”
On goals from McDonagh and Nash…
“You expect that from the leaders of your team. You’re talking about a captain and an impact player on our team. It was good to see [Nash] get one that he put in himself. Ryan has had some good looks this year, and he finally got one tonight. I expect those guys to continue to play well for us.”
· Bill Peters, Carolina Hurricanes head coach
On tonight’s game…
“There is a little bit of a microcosm there for sure. I thought we had a lot of good things that we gave up on in 5-on-5. Their specialty teams gave them momentum.”
On the first two goals of the game…
“You look at it as the game-winning goal, and then the insurance marker right there. Obviously that was the ball game, when you look back at it in hindsight. I didn’t mind our start. You know there was a little bit of a breakdown on the first (goal), and then there was a straightforward 2-on-2 on the bump up.”
On the team’s reaction to the first two goals…
“I didn’t think it was frazzled, but I knew right then the game is on the line from that point on. We needed the next goal and we never found a way to get that next goal. I thought if we could have scored at some point there probably halfway through the third before the next one to make it a one-goal game, then you’ve got a chance. But we never did that.”
· Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers goaltender
On tonight’s game…
“I think they came out really hard. They were definitely on their toes. It took us a few minutes to get going. It was nice to get rewarded when we got a couple chances there. The fun part about playing with this group is you know we will get to where we need to be sooner or later. As a goalie, you just need to be ready, do your job, and try to make the saves that we need to get going. Then, they just take over and it’s fun. I feel like we are there for each other. Sometimes Antti (Raanta) and I need to step up and sometimes the team needs to step up to save us. We are just finding ways right now to win games and we talked about it last week – it’s not going to be perfect all the time, but after the first I think we all felt a little lucky to be up 2-0, but we improved as a group and played a lot better after that.”
On the team’s confidence…
“I think the key for us is that we are not making a big deal about winning a lot of games right now. We know we have to come back here and do it again. There’s a lot of hockey ahead of us. We also know that we have to improve to get where we want to go, so we just try to stay humble and realize there are a lot of good teams out there that are going to come in here desperate and try to win games, so you just have to match that. It doesn’t matter if you feel like you’re the better team; it comes down to will and how badly you want to win every night.”
On the penalty kill…
“I think the last couple weeks, it’s the best I’ve seen it in a long time – just the timing, the reads they’re making. It gives a lot of confidence to the group, knowing that if you take a penalty, it’s not going to cost you every time. Obviously you have to be careful and try to play a disciplined game but when we do take penalties, that group has been outstanding for us. It brings a lot of confidence that you can play on the edge and know the guys will take care of it.”
· Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers defenseman
On tonight’s game…
“They had a couple of good chances right off the hop there, spent some time in our zone. We weathered it, some big saves. I think we had three shots in the first period and two goals. We spent some quality time in the second half of the first period and wanted to try and create something more off of it. I think as the game progressed, we put a lot more pucks to the net. Obviously it was a challenge to sustain some momentum because of the penalties that we had to kill off, but special teams had to be huge tonight and they were.”
On the penalty kill…
“You get a handful of games, you know now we are in the thick of the season. You get the same pairings. The forwards and defensemen kind of get their feeling of when everyone is attacking or aggressive, or holding their position. So it’s just good chemistry there, good communication and everyone being on the same page.”
On his goal…
“They’re only down 2-0 going into the third. That’s somewhat of a good spot for a road team. We wanted to try to take away the energy or any kind of momentum right off the hop of the period for them. We obviously talked about trying to get that next goal and working off that. I just put a puck towards the net and got a lucky bounce. I thought guys continued to make plays still and didn’t spend a lot of time in our zone which is good.”
· Rick Nash, New York Rangers forward
On scoring tonight…
“It’s no secret it’s been a frustrating start. I’m lucky I’m at a point in my career where I’m interested in wins and winning games and being on a winning team, but you always try to help out. It was finally nice to get one; it was a great pass by Zuke [Mats Zuccarello].”
On his feelings after scoring tonight…
“Definitely relief. It’s frustrating when you’re supposed to score goals on a great team and you can’t achieve that. I think Zuke and Brass [Derick Brassard] have been looking for me for a while and finally one went in.”
On the team’s confidence…
“Confidence is high. A lot of us have been together for three-plus years, four-plus years, some guys longer. I think the confidence rolls down right from your goalie. I think Hank’s one of the best goalies in the world and it kind of flows that way. We have the best defense corps in the league, in my opinion, and from there it just rolls on to our forwards.”
On the team’s penalty kill…
“I think the main thing is Ulf [Samuelsson] is giving us a great game plan and as long as we follow it we have success. I enjoy playing out there on the penalty kill. It’s fun playing out there with a man down and it’s fun that your team puts trust in you to be out there.”
On whether it’s been easier on him not scoring goals because of the team’s hot start…
“It helps for sure, it’s no lie. If we had a losing record I think it’d be a lot different but I’m at the point in my career – obviously I want to score and I want to help my team win – but 11-2 means a lot more than if I had 10 goals right now and we were 2-11.”
· Dan Girardi, New York Rangers defenseman
On the team’s depth…
“I definitely agree that this team is very deep. We have four lines, roll six D (defensemen), and have two great goalies. We can mix a couple guys in and out of the lineup and that’s a luxury that we have. If it’s a back-to-back game, we can roll four lines, six D, and we are lucky to have that right now. Everyone is playing well and helping us out to get the wins.”
On the six-game win streak…
“The play has been up and down and there have been some breaks in between the games, some longer stretches with some days off and practices. I think maybe it’s good that it doesn’t feel like a six game win streak so you don’t get complacent. You want to just keep getting better every game and we are still trying to get that 60 minute, real good game. Obviously it’s hard to have a 60 minute perfect game in this league. You are going to have teams get opportunities, have some momentum changes, but it’s all how you handle it and we’ve been doing a good job of that. When something goes wrong, we get a big save or a big play, get the play going back the other way and have some momentum in our favor.”
· Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes forward
On Henrik Lundqvist’s performance tonight…
“He was good early on. We had some good looks, a good start. They started to find their legs a bit better and obviously capitalized. They’ve been like that all year. They’ve been opportunistic, they can score. They have a good defensive team and a good goalie.”
On the team losing a competitive game…
“It’s definitely frustrating but it is what it is. It’s kind of been like that all year. They’ve found ways to score goals at opportune times and they did tonight again. Like I said, our start was real good but they found their legs as the game went on and they got up by two.”
On playing his brother Marc…
“It’s fun every time. It’s competitive and he’s a good player. He has played real well this year. They’re off to a good start and are a good team. It’s fun every time.”
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