RANGERS TO BATTLE THE BLUES AT MSG TONIGHT 

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. ST. LOUIS BLUES
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, 7:00 p.m. ET
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Rangers: 1-2-0 (2 pts)
Blues: 3-0-0 (6 pts) 

The New York Rangers’ 2017-18 Media Guide is at the following link: HERE

TODAY’S GAME

The Rangers play their fourth game of the 2017-18 season today, Oct. 10, against the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). Including today’s game, the Rangers will play seven of their next eight games at MSG.

RANGERS VS. BLUES

• All-Time: 79-43-16-1 (47-13-6-1 at home; 32-30-10-0 on the road)
• 2017-18: Today’s game is the first of two meetings between the Rangers and Blues, and the only meeting between the two teams at MSG. Following today’s contest, the Rangers and Blues will play against each other on the following date: Mar. 17 (at St. Louis).
• 2016-17: The Rangers posted a 1-1-0 record (1-0-0 at home; 0-1-0 on the road). Henrik Lundqvist posted a 1-1-0 record, along with a 1.52 GAA, a .943 SV%, and 1 SO in two appearances in the season series, and he earned his 60th career NHL shutout on Nov. 1, 2016, against the Blues at MSG. Chris Kreider led all skaters with three assists and four points in the season series, while Jimmy Vesey and Mika Zibanejad each recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in two contests.
• The Rangers have earned at least one point in five of their last six games against the Blues, dating back to the start of the 2014-15 season (4-1-1 record over the span).
• Dating back to Nov. 3, 2002, 15 of 19 meetings between the Rangers and St. Louis, the margin of victory was two or fewer goals. Also, 13 of those contests have been decided by one goal or fewer.

RANGERS-BLUES CONNECTIONS

• Kevin Shattenkirk played parts of seven seasons with the Blues (2010-11 – 2016-17).
• Adam Cracknell began his NHL career with St. Louis and played 65 games over parts of four seasons with the Blues (2010-11 – 2013-14).
• Alain Vigneault played parts of two seasons with St. Louis (1981-82 and 1982-83).
• Ondrej Pavelec and Chris Thorburn were teammates with Atlanta/Winnipeg for parts of 10 seasons (2007-08 – 2016-17).
• Steven Kampfer, Kyle Brodziak, and Nate Prosser were teammates with Minnesota for part of one season (2011-12).
• Henrik Lundqvist and Alexander Steen were teammates with Frolunda in Sweden for five seasons (1999-00 – 2003-04). During the five-year stretch, Lundqvist and Steen were teammates with Frolunda in the Swedish Elite League (now Swedish Hockey League), as well as with Frolunda’s junior team and U-18 team.
• Rick Nash, Jay Bouwmeester, and Alex Pietrangelo helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Paul Stastny all represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
• J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko were teammates with Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• Kevin Shattenkirk and Wade Megan were teammates at Boston University for one season (2009-10).
• Nick Holden and Paul Stastny were teammates with the Avalanche for one season (2013-14).
• Rick Nash and Scottie Upshall were teammates with Columbus for part of one season (2010-11).
• Steven Kampfer and Scottie Upshall were teammates with Florida for part of one season (2014-15).
• Marc Staal, Robert Bortuzzo, and Carter Hutton are all from Thunder Bay, Ontario.
• Nick Holden and Colton Parayko are both from St. Albert, Alberta.

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. BLUES

• Henrik Lundqvist – 10 GP, 4-5-0, 2.28 GAA, .923 SV%, 1 SO – In his last five appearances against St. Louis, Lundqvist has posted a 4-1-0 record, along with a 1.81 GAA, a .939 SV%, and 1 SO.
• Chris Kreider – 7 GP, 4-5-9 – Kreider enters the contest with a six-game point streak against St. Louis (four goals, five assists), and he has registered a goal in four of the six games.
• Rick Nash – 55 GP, 24-23-47 – Nash has tallied a point in six of his last seven games against the Blues, registering 10 points (four goals, six assists) in those contests.
• Mika Zibanejad – 7 GP, 2-6-8 – Zibanejad enters the contest with a three-game assist/point streak against St. Louis (one goal, three assists), and he has recorded a point in six of seven career games against the Blues.
• Mats Zuccarello – 8 GP, 2-3-5 – Zuccarello has recorded a goal/point in each of his last two games against the Blues at MSG, tallying four points (two goals, two assists) in the two contests.

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). They 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).
• 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.

SHUTTING THE DOOR

The Rangers earned their first shutout of the 2017-18 season on Oct. 8 vs. Montreal (2-0 win). New York posted a shutout in one of its first three games of a season for the first time since Oct. 16, 2003, vs. Atlanta (0-0 tie). The Blueshirts registered a shutout win in one of their first three contests of a season for the first time since Oct. 14, 1995, at Toronto (2-0 win). The Rangers are one of five NHL teams that have posted a shutout thus far in 2017-18.

HOW THE WEST WAS WON

The Rangers posted a 21-6-1 record in games against Western Conference opponents last season. The Blueshirts led all Eastern Conference teams in wins against Western Conference opponents in 2016-17.

10-IN-10

The Rangers are playing ten home games in October this season. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, New York has posted an 11-3-1 record at MSG in October.

WHAT A LINE

The Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich line registered three points (one goal, two assists) on Oct. 8 vs. Montreal, as Buchnevich and Kreider both recorded an assist on Zibanejad’s goal in the third period of the contest. The three players have tallied nine points (four goals, five assists) thus far this season, and at least one of the three players has notched a point on six of the team’s nine goals in 2017-18.

THREE’S COMPANY

Over the last four seasons (including this season), a Ranger has tallied a goal in each of the team’s first three games of the season. They include Rick Nash – first four games of 2014-15; Oscar Lindberg – first three games of 2015-16; Chris Kreider – first three games of 2016-17; Mika Zibanejad – first three games of 2017-18. Nash is the only player in franchise history who has recorded at least one goal in each of the Rangers’ first four games of a season.

ON POINT

Three Rangers defensemen have recorded a goal over the team’s last two games (Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal, and Brady Skjei). New York is one of two NHL teams that has three defensemen who have tallied a goal this season (St. Louis – four).

AV SQUAD

Alain Vigneault leads all NHL head coaches in wins since the start of the 2006-07 season (506). Vigneault has earned 615 career wins as an NHL head coach, and he is two wins away from tying Jacques Lemaire for 13th place on the league’s all-time wins list among head coaches.

KING HENRIK

Henrik Lundqvist earned his 62nd career NHL shutout on Oct. 8 vs. Montreal, passing Turk Broda for sole possession of 16th place on the NHL’s all-time shutouts list. Lundqvist enters the game with 406 career NHL wins, and he is one win away from tying Glenn Hall for ninth place on the NHL’s all-time wins list. Lundqvist is the only goaltender in Rangers history who has earned at least one shutout in 13 different seasons with the team (2005-06 – 2017-18; Ed Giacomin and Gump Worsley are in a tie for second with nine different seasons).

MIKA MAGIC

Mika Zibanejad has recorded a goal/point in each of the Rangers’ first three games in 2017-18, tallying four goals in the three contests. Zibanejad’s current three-game goal streak is in a tie for his career-high in the NHL. He leads the NHL in power play goals (three) and is tied for second in the NHL in goals (four) thus far this season. Also, Zibanejad is tied for the NHL lead in power play points (three) and ranks third in the NHL in shots on goal (15) in 2017-18. His 55.7% faceoff win percentage (34-for-61) is the best in the NHL among players who have taken at least 50 faceoffs this season.

WELCOME MATS

Mats Zuccarello established a single-game career-high with four points (one goal, three assists) and tied a single-game career-high with three assists on Oct. 7 at Toronto. Zuccarello, who was named an alternate captain on Oct. 4, tallied five points (one goal, four assists) through the first two games this season and became the first Ranger to register five points in the first two games of a season since Bernie Nicholls in 1990-91. He is tied for the NHL lead in power play assists (three) and power play points (three) this season, and he leads the Rangers in assists and points in 2017-18.

SHATT STATS

Kevin Shattenkirk registered two points (one goal, one assist), including his 300th career NHL point, on Oct. 7 at Toronto. He has tallied three points (one goal, two assists) this season, all on the power play, and he is in a tie for the NHL lead in power play points in 2017-18. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Shattenkirk ranks second among NHL defensemen in power play points (134). He ranks third among NHL defensemen in power play goals (33) and power play assists (101); he is the only NHL defenseman who ranks third or higher in all three categories over the span. He established career-highs in assists (43), points (56), power play goals (eight), and power play points (27) last season.

IT’S MILLER TIME

J.T. Miller has skated in each of the Rangers’ last 200 regular season games, dating back to Feb. 7, 2015. He has registered 50 goals and 65 assists for 115 points, along with a plus-36 rating over the last 200 contests. Miller was the only Ranger who skated in all 82 regular season games last season. He has won 63.6% of faceoffs he has taken thus far in 2017-18 (21-for-33), and he has notched an assist/point in each of the last two games (one goal, two assists).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Power Play:

• The Rangers were 0-for-3 (6:00) and recorded seven shots on goal on Oct. 8 vs. Montreal.
• The Blueshirts are tied for third in the NHL in power play efficiency this season (33.3%; 4-for-12).
• New York recorded four power play goals in its first two games of the season in 2017-18; the team accomplished the feat for the first time since 2000-01.

Penalty Kill:

• The Rangers were 1-for-1 (2:00) on Oct. 8 vs. Montreal.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

• Ondrej Pavelec – 18 saves away from 10,000 in his NHL career
• Rick Nash – 8 games away from 1,000 in his NHL career

INJURIES (3 Man-Games Lost to Injury)

• Jesper Fast (offseason hip surgery)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• Oct. 9 – Claimed Adam Cracknell off waivers from Dallas

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY

• Oct. 9, 1952 – Gump Worsley made his NHL/Rangers debut against the Detroit Red Wings.
• Oct. 9, 1986 – Ron Greschner was named the Rangers captain.
• Oct. 9, 1991 – Kris King and James Patrick tallied goals four seconds apart, establishing a franchise record for the two quickest goals, as the Rangers defeated the New York Islanders, 5-3, at MSG.
• Oct. 10, 1975 – John Davidson stopped 25 of 26 shots he faced to earn his first win as a Ranger while making his debut with the team as the Blueshirts defeated the Atlanta Flames, 2-1. Rod Gilbert (one goal, one assist), Jean Ratelle (one goal, one assist), and Steve Vickers (two assists) all recorded two points in the contest.
• Oct. 10, 1996 – Wayne Gretzky registered his first goal as a Ranger in the Blueshirts’ game against the Dallas Stars at MSG.

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