NY RANGERS 3 at WINNIPEG 2
The New York Rangers defeated the Wnnipeg Jets 3-2, below are the team issued postgame notes.
Team Notes
- TOP OF THE HEAP – By earning a win tonight, the Rangers have regained sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.
- ROAD WARRIORS – The Rangers earned their 25th road win of the season, tying the franchise record for most road wins in one season (the Blueshirts also earned 25 road wins last season). New York is the first NHL team to register 25 road wins in two consecutive seasons since the Philadelphia Flyers did so during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. The Rangers have won seven of their last eight road games (7-1-0) and have earned at least one point in eight of their last nine road contests (7-1-1). The Blueshirts have won 12 of their last 15 road games (12-2-1), 14 of their last 19 road contests (14-4-1), 18 of their last 24 road games (18-5-1), and 22 of their last 29 road contests (22-6-1). The Rangers lead the NHL in road wins (25) and road point percentage (.684), and they are tied for the NHL lead in road points (52) this season.
- MARCH-ING FORWARD – The Blueshirts earned 10 wins in March, finishing the month with a 10-4-1 record. The Rangers, who also recorded 10 wins in February, posted at least 10 wins in two consecutive calendar months for the first time in franchise history. New York’s 10 wins in March are also tied for the most wins the team has earned in the month in franchise history (the Rangers also registered 10 wins in March in 2006-07 2011-12).
- POINT TAKEN – New York has earned at least one point in 21 of its last 26 games (18-5-3), including 11 of its last 15 games (10-4-1). The Blueshirts have won 18 of their last 25 contests (18-5-2), including 14 of the last 20 games (14-5-1). The Rangers have also recorded at least one point in 24 of their last 30 games (21-6-3). The Blueshirts have won 41 of their last 58 games (41-14-3), including 39 of their last 55 games (39-13-3) and 37 of their last 51 contests (37-11-3). The Rangers have earned at least one point in 54 of their last 72 games (47-18-7), including 47 of their last 62 games (42-15-5).
- WINNING WAYS – The Blueshirts have recorded 48 wins this season, which is tied for the fifth-highest single-season total in franchise history (New York also earned 48 wins in 1971-72). The Rangers earned more than 48 wins in the following seasons in franchise history: 1993-94 (52 in an 84-game season), 2011-12 (51), 1991-92 (50 in an 80-game season), and1970-71 (49 in a 78-game season).
- MAKING NOISE ON THE WESTERN FRONT – The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 10 of their last 12 games against Western Conference opponents (8-2-2) and have posted a 14-4-2 record in their last 20 games against teams in the Western Conference. The Rangers have posted a 17-5-5 record against Western Conference opponents this season.
- TWO GOOD – The Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in 12 of the last 15 games and in 41 of 76 contests this season. New York has posted a 37-2-2 record when allowing two or fewer goals in a game in 2014-15.
- POWER SURGE – The Rangers were 1-for-3 (3:21) on the power play on the contest. The Blueshirts have posted a 19-6-4 record in games which they have tallied a power play goal this season, and they have posted a 15-1-1 record when they have outscored their opponent on special teams in 2014-15.
- KILL ZONE – New York was 2-for-2 (4:00) on the penalty kill in the contest. The Rangers have not allowed a power play goal in five of their last six games (15-for-16; 93.8%) and in eight of their last 10 games (24-for-26; 92.3%). The Blueshirts are 34-for-37 (91.9%) on the penalty kill over the last 13 games and are 41-for-45 (91.1%) on the penalty kill over the last 16 contests. The Blueshirts have not allowed a power play goal in 18 of the last 24 games (60-for-67; 89.6%) and they are 122-for-141 (86.5%) on the penalty kill over the last 52 games.
- BLOCK PARTY – The Blueshirts were credited with 24 blocked shots in the contest, as 10 different skaters registered at least one and six different skaters registered two or more.
- SOARING HIGH – The Rangers have posted a 7-3-1 record in 11 games against the Jets since the Thrashers/Jets franchise moved to Winnipeg prior to the start of the 2011-12 season. The Blueshirts have also posted a 4-1-0 record in the five contests which have taken place in Winnipeg during the span.
3 Stars on Broadway
- Derick Brassard tallied two points (one goal, one assist) and led all Rangers with four shots on goal in 15:44 of ice time. Brassard’s assist was his 40th of the season, marking the first time he has reached the 40-assist plateau in his NHL career. With his two-point effort, he has now posted 14 multi-point games in 2014-15. Brassard has registered a goal/point in each of the last two contests (two goals, one assist), and he leads the Rangers in power play points (16) this season. Brassard’s 17 goals are one shy of tying his career-high, which he established last season, and he ranks fourth on the team in goals in 2014-15.
- Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves to earn his 26th win of the season. The Rangers’ all-time wins and shutouts leader has allowed two goals or fewer in 25 of 41 starts this season. Lundqvist has posted a 17-5-0 record, along with a 1.93 GAA, a .935 SV%, and 1 SO in his last 22 appearances. He has also stopped 47 of 50 shots he has faced in the last five periods he has played, dating back to the start of the second period on Mar. 28 at Boston (.940 SV% during the stretch).
- Dan Girardi led all skaters with a single-game career-high 10 blocked shots, was credited with a game-high five hits, and recorded two shots on goal in 23:57 of ice time. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Rangers alternate captain is the first Blueshirt who has registered at least 10 blocked shots in one game since the NHL started recording blocked shots on a continuous basis in 2005-06. Girardi played in his 645th career NHL game tonight, passing Rod Seiling for sole possession of 17th place on the Rangers' all-time games played list and for sole possession of seventh place on the Rangers’ all-time games played list among defensemen.
Blueshirts Breakdown
- Alain Vigneault coached his 964th career NHL regular season game, tying Jack Adams and Sid Abel for 23rd place on the NHL’s all-time games coached list.
- Chris Kreider registered the game-winning goal and recorded three shots on goal in 15:30 of ice time. He has tallied six points (four goals, two assists) in the last six games, and he ranks second on the Rangers in goals (21) and game-winning goals (five) in 2014-15.
- Mats Zuccarello tallied a goal and was credited with two blocked shots in 18:55 of ice time. He has notched a point in six of the last seven games, registering eight points (three goals, five assists) over the span. He ranks second on the Rangers with 38 points (11 goals, 27 assists) in 51 games since Dec. 8. Zuccarello has recorded all 15 of his goals this season at even strength, and he is tied for second on the Blueshirts in even strength goals in 2014-15.
- Rick Nash recorded an assist, tied for the game-high with two takeaways, and registered three shots on goal in 16:33 of ice time. Nash has recorded a point in three of the last four games (one goal, two assists) and in four of the last six contests (one goal, three assists). Nash’s 66 points in 2014-15 are tied for the fourth-most he has tallied in one season in his career, and it is the first time he has registered at least 66 points in one season since 2010-11. He is the only player in the NHL who has tallied 35 or more goals and has registered 70 or more takeaways this season.
- Ryan McDonagh notched an assist and tied for the game-high with 24:23 of ice time in the contest. McDonagh has tallied an assist/point in each of the last two games (two assists) and in three of the last six contests (three assists). The Rangers captain leads all team defensemen in assists (20), points (27), power play assists (eight), and power play points (10) this season. McDonagh is also tied for second on the Blueshirts in power play assists and is tied for fourth in power play points in 2014-15.
- Keith Yandle tallied an assist, recorded three shots on goal, and was credited with two blocked shots in the contest. Yandle has recorded an assist/point in four of the last six games, tallying six assists/points over the span. He ranks second in the NHL in power play assists (26) and ranks eighth in the NHL in power play points (28). Yandle also leads all NHL defensemen in power play assists and power play points and he is tied for first among NHL defensemen in assists (43) this season.
- J.T. Miller notched the primary assist on the game-winning goal and posted a plus-one rating in 15:04 of ice time. He has tallied a point in five of the last seven contests, registering six points (two goals, four assists) over the span.
- Derek Stepan tallied an assist, won nine of 18 faceoffs (50%), and posted a plus-one rating in 18:02 of ice time. The Rangers alternate captain has now reached the 50-point plateau in three of the last four seasons, including each of the last three seasons which were 82-games in length.
