HERE WE GO AGAIN 

NY RANGERS at PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Saturday, Feb. 11, 1:00 p.m.
Wells Fargo Center — Philadelphia, PA
Rangers: 34-13-5 (73 pts)
Flyers: 31-16-7 (69 pts)

* All information through NHL games on Feb. 9

TODAY’S GAME

The Rangers will face-off against the Philadelphia Flyers today at Wells Fargo Center (1:00 p.m.; TV: MSG Network; Radio: 1050 ESPN Radio), to begin a back-to-back weekend set. The Blueshirts currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, and rank second in the league overall, with a record of 34-13-5 (73 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3, in overtime on Thursday at Madison Square Garden for their fifth win in seven games, and are now 17-5-1 in their last 23 contests. New York has posted a record of 31-10-3 since Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark. The Flyers enter the contest with a 31-16-7 (69 pts) record to rank fourth in the Eastern Conference, and have lost three of their last four games. Following today’s contest, the Rangers will face-off against the Washington Capitals tomorrow, Feb. 12, at Madison Square Garden (12:30 p.m.), to close out their back-to-back set.

RANGERS vs. FLYERS:

• All-Time: 114-107-37-7 overall (60-47-23-4 at home; 54-60-14-3 on the road)
• 2011-12: Tonight is the fifth of six meetings this season, and the second of three at Wells Fargo Center. New York is 4-0-0 (3-0-0 at home; 1-0-0 on the road) following a 5-2 win on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. New York has out-scored Philadephia, 14-6, in the series, including an 8-3 advantage in the third period. 17 different Rangers have tallied a point against the Flyers this season, including 10 different goal-scorers. Michael Del Zotto leads the team with four points (one goal, three assists) in four games, while Henrik Lundqvist is 4-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA, .949 Sv% and one shutout in the series.
• Last Season: New York was 2-4-0 overall (1-2-0 at home; 1-2-0 on the road). The Rangers power play was 4-19 (21.1%) in the season series. Ryan Callahan (four goals, one assist) and Derek Stepan (three goals, two assists) tied for the team-high with five points, while Callahan’s four goals led the team. Henrik Lundqvist was 2-3-0 with a 2.57 GAA, .908 Sv% and one shutout in five games.
• The Rangers enter the contest with a six-game winning streak against the Flyers, dating back to a 7-0 win at MSG on Mar. 6, 2011. The Blueshirts have out-scored the Flyers, 24-8, during the streak.
• New York ranks third with a 17-7-3 (37 pts) record on the road; Philadelphia ranks 23rd with a 13-8-5 (31 pts) mark at home
• The Rangers are 10-3-1 vs. the Atlantic Division; the Flyers are 6-6-2 vs. the Atlantic Division
• New York lists three former Flyers on their roster: Martin Biron (2006-07 – 2008-09); Steve Eminger (2008-09); Ruslan Fedotenko (2000-01 – 2001-02)
• Philadelphia lists four former Rangers on their roster: Blair Betts (2005-06 – 2008-09); Jaromir Jagr (2003-04 – 2007-08); Ian Laperriere (1995-96); Jody Shelley (2009-10)

INDIVIDUAL CAREER LEADERS vs. FLYERS:

• Henrik Lundqvist — 35 GP, 20-10-3, 2.60 GAA, 4 SO
• Martin Biron — 18 GP, 9-7-2-0, 2.18 GAA
• Brad Richards — 35 GP, 9-24-33
• Ruslan Fedotenko — 41 GP, 16-11-27
• Derek Stepan — 10 GP, 4-4-8
• Dan Girardi — 34 GP, 0-20-20

SPECIAL TEAMS:

The Blueshirts penalty kill has held opponents scoreless in 14 of the last 19 games (47-52, 90.4% over the span), and is 72-81 (88.9%) with five shorthanded goals in the last 28 contests. The Rangers are tied for fourth in the NHL with six shorthanded goals. The Blueshirts have posted a record of 17-1-2 in games when tallying a power play goal, and are 24-6-2 when not allowing a power play goal.

• Power Play: The Rangers tallied one goal in three power play attempts (4:11) on Thursday vs. Tampa Bay. New York ranks 27th overall (24-179, 13.4%) and 28th on the road (8-82, 9.8%). The Rangers are 2-12 (8:51) in five-on-three situations (last – 12/23 vs. PHI), and 1-6 (8:52) when four-on-three (last – 2/1 at BUF). Shorthanded goals allowed (3): 12/5 vs. TOR (Steckel); 12/8 vs. TBL (Moore); 12/17 at PHX (Korpikoski).
• Penalty Killing: The Blueshirts surrendered one goal to the Lightning in two power play attempts (2:46) on Thursday at MSG. New York ranks fifth overall (150-173, 86.7%) and fourth on the road (85-97, 87.6%). The Rangers are 6-7 (4:07) in three-on-five situations (last – 2/1 at BUF), and 1-2 (1:39) when three-on-four (last – 2/1 at BUF). Shorthanded goals for (6): 10/20 at CGY (Prust); 12/8 vs. TBL (Anisimov); 12/10 at BUF (Hagelin); 12/10 at BUF (Callahan); 12/20 at NJD (Hagelin); 1/6 at PIT (Dubinsky).
• Four-on-Four: New York tallied two goals and surrendered one goal in two four-on-four situations (4:37) on Thursday vs. Tampa Bay. The Rangers are plus-five in 54 four-on-four situations (101:06), and even in one three-on-three situation (0:01). Four-on-four goals for (6): 10/18 at VAN (Gaborik); 10/20 at CGY (McDonagh); 10/27 vs. TOR (Girardi); 1/2 vs. FLA (Gaborik); 2/9 vs. TBL (Stepan); 2/9 vs. TBL (Richards). Four-on-four goals allowed (1): 2/9 vs. TBL (Lecavalier).

BACK-TO-BACKS

The Rangers will begin their ninth of 14 scheduled back-to-back sets this season today at Philadelphia. New York has posted a record of 6-0-2 (3-0-0 at home, 3-0-2 on the road) in the first game of the set, and are 6-1-1 (4-0-0 at home, 2-1-1 on the road) in the second game. Since 2009-10, New York is 27-9-3 in the second game of back-to-backs, with a 13-3-1 mark at MSG and 14-6-2 on the road over the span. Henrik Lundqvist has started on consecutive days 56 times in his career, posting a record of 35-14-7 with a 1.82 GAA, .935 Sv% and six shutouts in the second game. The Rangers’ will conclude the set tomorrow vs. Washington.

HOW SWEEP IT IS

New York completed a home sweep of their season series against Philadelphia with a 5-2 win on Sunday at MSG. The Rangers out-scored the Flyers, 11-4, en route to their 3-0-0 mark at home. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Rangers swept their home series against the Flyers was during the 1991-92 season, when the Blueshirts posted a 4-0-0 mark against Philadelphia at Madison Square Garden.

FAMILIAR FOE

The Rangers are 10-3-1 against Atlantic Division opponents this season, including a nine-game winning streak from Nov. 15 – Jan. 6. New York has out-scored their opponent, 42-28, in divisional play.

PLACE IN HISTORY

The Rangers’ .702 win% through 52 games is the team’s best start in 39 years, when the 1972-73 Blueshirts began the season with a 35-13-4 record (.712 win%), and is tied as the second best start in franchise history. *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau

MEASURING UP

The Rangers rank among the NHL leaders in several statistical categories…

• T-2nd in points (73)
• 1st in win% (.702)
• T-2nd in wins (34)
• 1st in regulation/overtime wins (31)
• 1st in fewest regulation losses (13)
• 1st in fewest goals against (102)
• 2nd in GAA (1.96)
• 1st in hits (1,545)
• 6th in blocked shots (866)
• T-3rd in +/- rating (plus-39)
• 4th in goal differential (plus-39)

QUICK HITS:

• This is the latest the Rangers have been in first place of the Eastern Conference standings since the 1995-96 season, when New York held the top position through games played on Mar. 15, 1996 (NYR game #68). *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau
• New York has registered at least one point in 34 of their last 44 games (31-10-3), dating back to Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark
• New York is 10-1-2 when leading after the first period and 20-0-2 when leading after the second
• The Rangers are tied for third in the league with a .286 win% when trailing after two periods (4-9-1), and their four third period comeback victories are tied for eighth in the NHL; New York has trailed entering the third period in 14 games this season, which is the fewest in the league
• New York leads the NHL with a .783 win% when out-shooting their opponent (18-5-0)
• The Rangers lead the league when scoring first, posting a 24-1-2 mark (.889 win%) in those contests; Their 24 wins rank third in the NHL

THE HOT LIST:

• Henrik Lundqvist is 4-1-0 with a 0.97 GAA, .963 Sv% and two shutouts in his last five games
• Lundqvist has allowed one goal or less in 11 of his last 19 games, and has held opponents to two or fewer goals in 27 games this season
• Martin Biron has held opponents to two or fewer goals in eight of his 13 starts this season
• Marian Gaborik has tallied 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the last 10 games
• Derek Stepan has tallied four points (one goal, three assists) in the last three games
• Michael Del Zotto has tallied five points (two goals, three assists) in the last six games
• Brian Boyle has tallied four points (two goals, two assists) in the last six games
• Artem Anisimov has tallied four points (one goal, three assists) in the last three games
• Carl Hagelin has tallied nine points (one goal, eight assists) in the last 13 games
• Dan Girardi has tallied two assists in the last three games

MILESTONES APPROACHING:

• Artem Anisimov: 2 points from 100 NHL career
• Steve Eminger: 5 points from 100 NHL career

INJURIES:

• Michael Sauer (concussion, 12/5) — 28

Total Man-Games Lost: 164