Antti Raanta gets the start in goal for the Rangers tonight.
Pre-game notes courtesy of the NYR.
NEW YORK RANGERS vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, 7:00 p.m. ET
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Rangers: 13-2-2 (28 pts)
Maple Leafs: 5-8-4 (14 pts)
TONIGHT’S GAME
The Rangers play their 18th game of the 2015-16 season and conclude a back-to-back set with an Original Six matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). New York enters the contest with a 12-game point streak (10-0-2) and an eight-game winning streak. In addition, the Rangers have won 10 of their last 11 games (10-0-1). The Blueshirts enter the contest with a 13-2-2 record, following a 2-1 shootout win this afternoon against the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa.
FAST START
The following are notes regarding the Rangers’ start to the 2015-16 season:
- The Rangers’ 13 wins are the most recorded through the first 17 games of one season in franchise history.
- New York’s 28 points thus far are tied for the most recorded through the first 17 games of a season in franchise history. The Blueshirts also recorded 28 points in the first 17 games of the 1971-72 season (12-1-4).
- Rangers goaltenders Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Raanta have combined to post a league-best 1.51 GAA (26 goals allowed in 1,030:57 of ice time) and a league-best .951 SV% (510 saves on 536 shots) this season.
- The Blueshirts are the first team that has recorded at least 28 points in the first 17 games of a season in the season after winning the Presidents’ Trophy since Detroit recorded 29 points in the first 17 games of the 2005-06 season (the Red Wings won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2003-04 and 2005-06).
RANGERS VS. MAPLE LEAFS
- All-Time: 226-275-95-7 (131-112-56-4 at home; 95-163-39-3 on the road)
- 2015-16: Tonight’s game is the second of three meetings between the Rangers and Maple Leafs, and the second/final meeting between the two teams at MSG. The Rangers have posted a 1-0-0 record (1-0-0 at home; 0-0-0 on the road) following a 3-1 win on Oct. 30 at MSG. Mats Zuccarello registered his first career NHL hat trick in the contest, while Derick Brassard and Rick Nash each recorded three assists. Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves to earn the win. The Rangers and Maple Leafs will play again Feb. 18 (at Toronto).
- The Rangers have earned at least one point in nine of their last 12 games against Toronto, dating back to Jan. 14, 2012 (8-3-1). New York has registered three or more goals in 10 of those 12 contests.
- New York has earned at least one point in 11 of its last 14 home games against the Maple Leafs, dating back to Oct. 17, 2008 (8-3-3). The Rangers have posted a 4-1-1 record in their last six home games against Toronto, dating back to the start of the 2012-13 season.
RANGERS-MAPLE LEAFS CONNECTIONS
- Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan played with the Rangers for two seasons (2006-07 – 2007-08).
- Rangers Senior Vice President, Assistant General Manager, and General Manager of the Hartford Wolf Pack Jim Schoenfeld was the Head Coach of the New Jersey Devils for parts of three seasons (1987-88 – 1989-90). While Schoenfeld was the Head Coach, the President/General Manager of the Devils was current Maple Leafs General Manager Lou Lamoriello.
- Dominic Moore played parts of two seasons with the Maple Leafs (2007-08 – 2008-09).
- Viktor Stalberg played part of one season with Toronto (2009-10) and was selected by the Maple Leafs in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
- Matt Hunwick played one season with the Rangers (2014-15).
- P.A. Parenteau played part of one season with the Rangers (2009-10).
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. MAPLE LEAFS
- Antti Raanta – 2 GP, 1-1-0, 3.00 GAA, .911 SV%, 1 SO – In his one career appearance against Toronto at home (Dec. 21, 2014 as a member of the Blackhawks), Raanta stopped all 31 shots he faced and posted a shutout.
- Mats Zuccarello – 8 GP, 7-1-8 – Zuccarello enters the contest with a three-game goal/point streak against the Maple Leafs (six goals, one assist over the span), and he has recorded five goals/points in the last two games against Toronto.
- Rick Nash – 18 GP, 6-12-18 – Nash has registered 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in his last 14 games against Toronto, and he has posted six multi-point games over the span.
- Dominic Moore – 27 GP, 6-7-13 – Since rejoining the Rangers prior to the 2013-14 season, Moore has recorded seven points (four goals, three assists) in seven games against the Maple Leafs and has posted three multi-point games over the span. In addition, he has registered 11 points (six goals, five assists) in his last 13 contests against Toronto.
POINT TAKEN
The Rangers are tied for the NHL lead in wins (13) and points percentage (.824) this season. The Blueshirts lead the NHL in points percentage (.712) since the start of last season.
In addition:
- The Rangers have posted a .758 points percentage since Jan. 1, 2015 (46-13-5 record).
- Since Dec. 8, 2014, the Rangers have posted a 55-14-5 record in 74 games (115 points; .777 points percentage).
- New York has posted the best record in the NHL since Jan. 1, 2014 (91-36-13 in 140 games; .696 points percentage).
BLUE STREAK
The Rangers enter the contest with an eight-game winning streak. The Blueshirts have posted an eight-game winning streak in each of the last two seasons, and the streak is tied for the third-longest in franchise history. Over the past eight games, the Rangers have outscored their opponent, 29-10.
BACK-TO-BACK
The Blueshirts conclude their fifth back-to-back set of the season tomorrow. New York has posted a 4-0-0 record in the second game of back-to-back sets in 2015-16. The Rangers have posted a 14-1-1 record in the second contest of their last 16 back-to-back sets. In addition, the Blueshirts have posted a .758 points percentage (23-7-1 record) in the second game of back-to-back sets since the start of the 2013-14 season and a .717 points percentage (48-18-3 record) in the second game of back-to-back sets since the start of the 2010-11 season.
HOME COOKING
The Rangers enter the contest with a seven-game winning streak at home and have outscored their opponent, 29-8, in the seven contests. The Blueshirts have posted a 16.7% shooting percentage over their last seven home games (29 goals on 174 shots on goal). New York’s seven-game winning streak at home is tied for the eighth-longest home winning streak in franchise history. In addition, the Rangers have earned at least one point in each of their last eight home games (7-0-1) and in nine of 10 home games in 2015-16 (8-1-1). Dating back to last season, the Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 39 of their last 49 home contests (33-10-6), including 22 of their last 27 home games (19-5-3).
MAKING THE DIFFERENCE
New York enters tonight’s contest ranked second in the NHL in goal differential in 2015-16 (plus-24; 52-28 – Note: doesn’t include team goals awarded for shootout wins). The Rangers also lead the NHL in goal differential during 5-on-5 play (plus-25). The Blueshirts lead the NHL in both goals for at 5-on-5 (40) and goals against at 5-on-5 (15) this season.
SHOOTING GALLERY
The Rangers have posted an 11.5 or better shooting percentage in eight of their last 11 games and have posted a 13.0 shooting percentage or better in seven of those contests. The Blueshirts rank fifth in the NHL in shooting percentage (10.7) this season.
GOALS GALORE
The Blueshirts have recorded three or more goals in three of the last four games, six of the last eight games, and eight of the last 11 contests. The Rangers have also recorded four or more goals in six of the last 11 games. New York is tied for fifth in the NHL in goals per game (3.06) this season.
SHUTTING THE DOOR
The Blueshirts have allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of their last 12 games (16 goals allowed over the span; 15 goals allowed in regulation and the five-minute overtime period) and in 13 of 17 games this season. In addition, the Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in regulation in 11 of the last 12 games. The Blueshirts have allowed one goal or fewer in eight of the last 11 contests. The Rangers lead the NHL in goals against per game (1.65) in 2015-16.
FIRST IN SCORE
The Rangers have tallied the first goal of the game in 12 of 17 contests in 2015-16, including each of the last four games and in six of the last seven contests. The Rangers have posted a 10-1-1 record when registering the first goal of the game in 2015-16. In addition, New York has posted a 51-7-4 record in games which they have tallied the first goal since the start of last season. The Blueshirts have outscored their opponent, 21-9, in the first period in 2015-16. New York leads the NHL in first period goal differential (plus-12) and first period goals (21) this season.
WHAT A LINE
The line of Rick Nash-Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello recorded nine points (three goals, six assists) in the Rangers’ first game against Toronto this season, and each player registered three points in the contest. In the five games that Nash, Brassard, and Zuccarello have all played since the line was reunited on Oct. 30 against Toronto, the trio has registered 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists).
POSITIVE RATING
The Blueshirts are the only NHL team that does not have a player who has posted a plus/minus rating of minus-1 or worse thus far this season. All 21 skaters who have played at least one game with the Rangers this season have posted a plus-one or better rating, and 10 different players have posted a plus-seven rating or better thus far.
RAISE THE ANTTI
Since he entered the NHL in 2013-14, Antti Raanta has posted a 16-0-3 record, along with a 1.49 GAA, a .945 SV%, and 4 SO in 21 career appearances at home. He leads all NHL goalies (min. 10 home appearances) in SV% at home since 2013-14, and he is the only NHL goalie who has appeared in at least 10 home games and has not posted a regulation loss at home since 2013-14. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Raanta is one of three goalies in franchise history who have allowed a total of two goals in his first three games with the team (along with Lorne Chabot and John Ross Roach).
HEY HEY HAYES
Kevin Hayes has notched a point in each of the last two games (one goal, one assist), has recorded six points (three goals, three assists) in the last six games, and has registered nine points (four goals, five assists) in the last 10 games. Hayes has notched a point in eight of the last 10 games and in 11 of 17 games this season, and the Rangers have registered a 10-0-1 record when he has tallied a point this season. Hayes leads the Rangers in games with a point in 2015-16. In addition, 31 of Hayes’ 35 career NHL assists have been primary assists, and he leads the Blueshirts in primary assists since 2014-15. He is tied for the team lead in shots on goal (40) and is tied for second on the Rangers in points (12) and primary assists (six) this season.
WELCOME MATS
Mats Zuccarello has tallied 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in the last 16 games, including nine points (four goals, five assists) in the last seven games. He leads the Rangers in goals (eight) and points (15) this season.
RICK ROLLING
Rick Nash has posted a multi-point game in three of his last five contests, registering seven points (one goal, six assists) over the span. Nash has notched 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his last 12 games, including nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his last nine contests.
BRASS BONANZA
Derick Brassard has tallied 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the last 11 games, including nine points (four goals, five assists) in the last nine games. In addition, he has posted three multi-point games in the last seven contests, recording seven points (two goals, five assists) over the span. Each of Brassard’s 12 points thus far in 2015-16 have either been a goal or the primary assist on a goal, and he leads the Rangers in primary assists (seven) this season.
AV SQUAD
Alain Vigneault has earned more wins (111) through 181 regular season games as the Rangers head coach than any other head coach in franchise history. He leads all Rangers head coaches in points percentage (min. 100 games coached – .655; 111-55-15) in franchise history. Vigneault’s team has posted a 242-111-40 record in 393 games since the start of the 2010-11 season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Power Play:
- The Rangers were 1-for-2 (2:38) this afternoon at Ottawa.
- New York has tallied a power play goal in each of the last two games (2-for-4; 50%), in four of the last five games (4-for-12; 33.3%), and in seven of the last 11 games (7-for-25; 28%). Over the last 11 games, the Rangers rank fifth in the NHL on the power play.
- The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in each of the last 17 games in which they tallied a power play goal (14-0-3) and have posted a 12-0-1 record in the last 13 games in which they recorded a power play goal.
Penalty Kill:
- The Rangers were 2-for-3 (5:00) this afternoon at Ottawa.
- New York ranks sixth in the NHL on the penalty kill in 2015-16 (85.7%; 48-for-56).
- The Blueshirts have not allowed a power play goal in nine of the last 13 games (36-for-40; 90%).
UPCOMING MILESTONES
- Derick Brassard – 3 points away from 300 in his NHL career
- Keith Yandle – 4 games away from 600 in his NHL career
INJURIES (4 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
- None
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- None
THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
- Nov. 15, 1972 – Steve Vickers became the first player in NHL history to register a hat trick in two consecutive games, as he recorded a hat trick against the Philadelphia Flyers at MSG.
Photo by Getty Images.
Twitter: @RangersReport.
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