LAST OF 3 CHANCES FOR THE YOUNG RANGERS TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION STARTS TOMORROW IN NJ 

NEW YORK RANGERS at NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Tuesday, Apr. 3, 2018, 7:00 p.m. ET
Prudential Center – Newark, NJ
Rangers: 34-36-9 (77 pts)
Devils: 42-28-9 (93 pts)

BY: The New York Rangers

TOMORROW’S GAME

The Rangers play their 80th game of the 2017-18 season and continue a four-game road trip tomorrow, Apr. 3, against the New Jersey Devils in a Metropolitan Division matchup at Prudential Center (7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG 2; Radio: WABC 770 AM). Including tomorrow’s game, all of the Blueshirts’ final three games in 2017-18 are against teams in the Metropolitan Division.

RANGERS VS. DEVILS

• All-Time*: 115-90-27-10 (64-32-20-4 at home; 51-58-7-6 on the road) *Note: All-time record includes games against the Kansas City Scouts from 1974-75 – 1975-76 and the Colorado Rockies from 1976-77 – 1981-82
• 2017-18: Tomorrow’s game is the fourth of four meetings between the Rangers and Devils, and the second of two meetings between the two teams at New Jersey. The Rangers have posted a 1-1-1 record (1-1-0 at home; 0-0-1 on the road), and the Devils won the last meeting between the two teams, 4-3, in a shootout on Dec. 21 at New Jersey. Mats Zuccarello is tied for first among all skaters with two goals and three points in the season series, while Kevin Hayes and Jimmy Vesey are also tied for first among all skaters with two goals in the three meetings. Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves to earn his 419th career win with the Rangers on Dec. 9 vs. New Jersey, passing Tony Esposito for the second-most wins with one franchise in NHL history, and he also made 45 saves in the last meeting between the Rangers and Devils.
• The Rangers have earned at least one point in 18 of their last 23 games against the Devils, dating back to Mar. 19, 2013 (14-5-4 record over the span). New York has also earned at least one point in 15 of its last 18 contests against New Jersey, dating back to Dec. 7, 2013 (11-3-4 record).

RANGERS-DEVILS CONNECTIONS

• Brian Boyle played five seasons with the Rangers (2009-10 – 2013-14) and helped the Blueshirts advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013-14.
• John Moore played parts of three seasons with the Rangers (2012-13 – 2014-15) and helped the Blueshirts advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013-14.
• Michael Grabner played parts of two seasons with the Rangers (2016-17 and 2017-18), and he was part of the first trade between the Rangers and Devils since the Devils franchise moved to New Jersey prior to the start of the 1982-83 season (the Rangers acquired Yegor Rykov and a second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Grabner on Feb. 22, 2018).
• Kevin Hayes and Jimmy Hayes are brothers. The two have played against each other in 10 NHL games, and the Rangers have won eight of the 10 contests.
• Devils Assistant Coach Ryane Clowe played a part of one season with the Rangers (2012-13).
• Brian Gibbons was signed by the Rangers as a free agent on July 1, 2015, and he played with the Rangers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, during the 2015-16 season.
• Jimmy Vesey and Will Butcher won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey in back-to-back seasons (Vesey – 2015-16 with Harvard; Butcher – 2016-17 with the University of Denver).
• Chris Kreider, Paul Carey, Kevin Hayes, Jimmy Hayes, and Brian Gibbons were all teammates at Boston College during the 2010-11 season. Kreider, Carey, Jimmy Hayes, and Gibbons helped Boston College win the National Championship in 2009-10.
• Lias Andersson and Jesper Bratt helped Sweden earn a silver medal at the 2016 IIHF World U18 Championship.
• Ondrej Pavelec and Drew Stafford were teammates with Winnipeg for parts of three seasons (2014-15 – 2016-17).
• Kevin Shattenkirk and Jimmy Hayes were teammates with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) and represented the United States at the 2007 IIHF U18 World Championship and the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Chris Kreider and Kyle Palmieri helped the United States win a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Kyle Palmieri is a native of Smithtown, New York.
• Keith Kinkaid is a native of Farmingville, New York.
• Kevin Shattenkirk, Paul Carey, and Marcus Johansson were all teammates with Washington for part of one season (2016-17).

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. DEVILS

• Henrik Lundqvist – 60 GP, 36-16-8, 1.92 GAA, .931 SV%, 8 SO – Lundqvist has earned more wins and shutouts in his career against New Jersey than against any other NHL opponent. In his last 12 appearances against the Devils (dating back to the 2014 Stadium Series on Jan. 26, 2014), Lundqvist has posted an 8-2-2 record, along with a 2.05 GAA, a .928 SV%, and 1 SO.
• Ondrej Pavelec – 16 GP, 6-4-4, 2.13 GAA, .918 SV% – Pavelec has earned at least one point in five of his last six appearances against the Devils (3-1-2 record, 1.63 GAA, .933 SV%), and he has allowed two goals or fewer in five of the six appearances.
• Chris Kreider – 22 GP, 6-8-14 – Kreider has registered a point in four of the last seven games against New Jersey (three goals, three assists).
• David Desharnais – 21 GP, 2-10-12 – Desharnais has recorded nine points (one goal, eight assists) in his last 13 games against the Devils.
• Kevin Hayes – 15 GP, 4-5-9 – Hayes has tallied a point in three of the last four games against New Jersey (two goals, one assist), including a goal in each of the last two contests.
• Mika Zibanejad – 14 GP, 3-5-8 – Zibanejad has tallied a goal/point in three of his last seven games against New Jersey (three goals, two assists over the span).
• Brady Skjei – 8 GP, 1-3-4 – Skjei has recorded a point in four of the last seven games against the Devils. He tallied his first career NHL goal against New Jersey on Dec. 11, 2016, at MSG.
• Jimmy Vesey – 7 GP, 3-0-3 – Vesey has tallied a goal/point in three of seven career games against the Devils, including each of the last two contests.

DYNAMIC DUO

Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil were both in the Rangers’ lineup on Mar. 26 vs. Washington and each player registered his first career NHL point in the contest. Andersson, 19, and Chytil, 18, were selected by the Rangers in the first round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft (Andersson – seventh overall; Chytil – 21st overall). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the two players became the first pair of teenagers to play in the same game with the Rangers since Dec. 19, 1974 (Dave Maloney and Ron Greschner) and also became the first pair of teenagers to record a point in the same game with the Rangers since Maloney and Greschner on Dec. 18, 1974.

GOALS GALORE

The Rangers have registered at least three goals in nine of the last 12 games (39 goals over the span) and in 12 of the last 16 games (51 goals over the last 16 contests).

AV SQUAD

Alain Vigneault has earned 648 career wins as an NHL head coach, and he is one win away from passing Ron Wilson for sole possession of 10th place on the league’s all-time wins list among head coaches.

WELCOME TO NEW YORK

Lias Andersson tallied his first career NHL goal/point while making his NHL debut on Mar. 26 vs. Washington, and he notched his first career NHL assist while skating in his second career NHL game on Mar. 28 at Washington. At 19 years and 164 days old, Andersson became the youngest player to tally a goal in his NHL debut in franchise history. He has posted a plus-one rating in three of his first four career NHL games. 

CHYTIL-MANIA

Filip Chytil recorded his first career NHL assist/point on Mar. 26 vs. Washington and his first career NHL goal on Mar. 30 vs. Tampa Bay. He became the first 18-year-old to register a goal, assist, and point with the Rangers since Manny Malhotra during the 1998-99 season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Chytil also became the fourth-youngest player (18 years, 206 days old) to tally his first goal for the Rangers in franchise history, behind only Don Raleigh, Red Garrett, and Malhotra.

KING HENRIK

Henrik Lundqvist was named the winner of the 2017-18 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. The award is presented annually to the Ranger who, as chosen by the fans, “goes above and beyond the call of duty.” Lundqvist, who also won the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award in his rookie season in 2005-06, is the only Rangers goaltender who has won the award twice since it was first presented in 1987-88. He has made 30 or more saves in 35 of 61 appearances this season, and he ranks second among NHL goaltenders in games with 30 or more saves in 2017-18. Lundqvist has been selected as one of the game’s Three Stars in 25 of his 61 appearances in 2017-18.

HEY HEY HAYES

Kevin Hayes enters the contest with a three-game point streak (two goals, one assist), and he has registered a point in six of the last eight games (three goals, four assists over the span). Hayes has tallied 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 30 games since returning to the Rangers’ lineup on Jan. 25 following an injury; he leads the Blueshirts in points and is tied for the team lead in goals over the span.

REAL DEAL NEAL

Neal Pionk posted a seven-game assist/point streak from Mar. 10 – Mar. 24 (one goal, nine assists). Pionk’s seven-game assist/point streak was tied for the longest by a Rangers rookie defenseman in franchise history (Leetch – 1988-89).

SKJEI HEY KID

Brady Skjei is the only player who has skated in every game the Rangers have played this season. He leads the Rangers in average ice time over the last 25 games (since Feb. 9; 23:06).

SPECIAL TEAMS

Power Play:

• The Rangers were 0-for-1 (2:00) on Mar. 31 at Carolina.
• The Rangers are tied for ninth in the NHL in power-play efficiency this season (21.4%; 50-for-234).
• The Blueshirts have recorded a power-play goal in six of the last 10 games (9-for-31; 29.0%).

Penalty Kill:

• The Rangers were 3-for-3 (5:14) and tallied a shorthanded goal on Mar. 31 at Carolina.
• New York ranks sixth in the NHL in penalty kill efficiency this season (82.4%; 197-for-239).
• The Blueshirts have not allowed a power-play goal in 13 of the last 21 games (46-for-55; 83.6%) and in 15 of the last 24 contests (52-for-62; 83.9%).
• The Rangers have killed off 69 of their opponents’ 82 power play opportunities over the last 30 games (84.1%).
• The Blueshirts have allowed one power play goal or fewer in 74 of 79 games in 2017-18.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

• Jesper Fast – 2 points away from 100 in his NHL career

INJURIES (178 Man-Games Lost to Injury)

• Kevin Shattenkirk (meniscus tear) – has missed 33 games; will not return this season
• Steven Kampfer (fractured hand) – has missed 23 games
• Tony DeAngelo (sprained ankle) – has missed nine games
• Jesper Fast (groin)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• Mar. 27 – Assigned Alexandar Georgiev to Hartford (AHL)

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY

• Apr. 2, 1927 – The Rangers played their first playoff game in franchise history, which was a 0-0 tie against the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of a two-game, total-goals Semifinals series.
• Apr. 2, 1972 – Vic Hadfield registered two goals in the final game of the 1971-72 season to reach the 50-goal plateau, and he became the first player in franchise history to tally 50 goals in a season.
• Apr. 3, 1928 – The Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history by defeating the Boston Bruins, 4-1, in Game 2 of their two-game, total-goals Semifinals series.
• Apr. 3, 1937 – The Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals by defeating the Montreal Maroons, 4-0, in Game 2 of the Semifinals. Dave Kerr didn’t allow a goal in the two-game series.
• Apr. 3, 1962 – Rod Gilbert tallied the first two goals of his NHL career and recorded an assist as the Rangers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2, in Game 4 of the Semifinals at MSG.

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