NHL Preview: Washington Capitals (19-13-4) at New York Rangers (19-11-5)

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WASHINGTON CAPITALS NOTES:

LAST GAME
Washington 4, Winnipeg Jets 1
December 23, 2022 * Capital One Arena * Washington, D.C.
Shots: WSH: 27; WPG: 26
Power Plays: WSH: 0/2; WPG: 0/4
Three Stars: 1. Ovechkin (WSH), 2. Lindgren (WSH), 3. Sheary (WSH)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Loaned defenseman Lucas Johansen to AHL Hershey, 12/19
Loaned goaltenders Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard to AHL Hershey, 12/19
Recalled goaltender Zach Fucale from AHL Hershey, 12/17

INJURIES/ILLNESSES
Nicklas Backstrom: 10/12/22-12/23/22 (36 games)
Carl Hagelin: 10/12/22-12/23/22 (36 games)
Tom Wilson: 10/12/22-12/23/22 (36 games)
Connor Brown: 10/20/22-12/23/22 (32 games)
Beck Malenstyn: 11/3/22-12/23/22 (25 games)
Martin Fehervary: 12/5/22-12/23/22 (10 games)
T.J. Oshie: 10/31/22-11/19/22, 12/19/22-12/23/22 (14 games)
John Carlson: 10/31/22-11/9/22 (6 games)
Dmitry Orlov: 11/7/22-12/9/22 (16 games)
Erik Gustafsson: 12/11/22 (1 game)
Lars Eller: 12/13/22 (1 game)
Sonny Milano: 12/15/22 (1 game)
Darcy Kuemper: 12/5/22-12/17/22 (7 games)
Nic Dowd: 12/17/22 (1 game)
Hunter Shepard: 12/17/22 (1 game)
Alex Alexeyev: 12/11/22-12/19/22 (5 games)
Man Games Lost: 228

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dec. 29, 7 p.m. ET vs. Ottawa (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Dec. 31, 4 p.m. ET vs. Montreal (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Jan. 3, 7 p.m. ET vs. Buffalo (NBCSW+, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Jan. 5, 7 p.m. ET at Columbus (ESPN, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)
Jan. 6, 7 p.m. ET vs. Nashville (NBCSW, 106.7 The Fan/Caps Radio 24/7)

TONIGHT’S GAME
The Capitals visit the New York Rangers on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden for the first of four meetings between the teams this season. Washington is 113-97-18-8 all-time vs. New York and 12-7-1 in their last 20 games against the Rangers dating back to the 2017-18 season. Alex Ovechkin (3g, 2a in 2 GP) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (0g, 5a in 3 GP) led the Capitals with five points each against the Rangers last season.

AWAY vs. NEW YORK RANGERS
Record Goals For Goals Against Streak
51-55-9-4 388 421 2 NYR wins (2/24/22-4/29/22)

CAPITALS vs. RANGERS ALL-TIME (Career Totals)
Games Goals Assists Points
Ovechkin (68) Ovechkin (42) Backstrom (37) Ovechkin (64)
Backstrom (58) Backstrom (12) Carlson (28) Backstrom (49)
Carlson (47) Oshie (11) Ovechkin (22) Carlson (35)

POINT STREAKS
Erik Gustafsson – 4 game point streak (4g, 3a), 3 game assist streak (3a)
Alex Ovechkin – 3 game point streak (2g, 4a), 3 game assist streak (4a)
Evgeny Kuznetsov – 2 game point streak (1g, 2a), 2 game assist streak (2a)
Sonny Milano – 2 game point streak (2g, 0a), 2 game goal streak (2g)

TOP CAPS FACTS
The Great 802

  • Alex Ovechkin scored his 21st and 22nd goals of the season and the 802nd of his career on Friday vs. Winnipeg, passing Gordie Howe (801) for second place on the NHL’s all-time goals list.
  • Ovechkin now only trails Wayne Gretzky (894) for the most goals in NHL history. On Dec. 13 against the Chicago Blackhawks, Ovechkin recorded his 29th career hat trick to become the third player in NHL history to reach the 800-goal mark.
  • Ovechkin scored his 802nd goal in his 1,310th career game, passing Howe (1,767 GP) on the all-time goals list in 457 fewer games played.
  • Ovechkin has averaged 0.61 goals-per-game during his 18-year career, the seventh-highest rate in NHL history among players with at least 200 goals. Howe averaged 0.45 goals-per-game during his career, while Gretzky averaged 0.60.
  • Ovechkin scored his 801st career goal on David Rittich, marking his first career goal against the Jets goaltender. Ovechkin has scored on 166 different goaltenders in his career. Only Jaromir Jagr (178) and Patrick Marleau (177) have scored on more goaltenders in NHL history.
  • Since turning 35-years-old on Sept. 17, 2020, Ovechkin has maintained his career goals per game average, scoring 96 goals in 158 games played (0.61 G/GP). That marks the highest rate among players following their 35th birthday in NHL history.
  • Ovechkin passed Howe on two other all-time lists earlier this season. Ovechkin scored his 787th career goal on Nov. 5 versus Arizona, passing Howe (786 goals with Detroit) for the most goals with one franchise in NHL history and scored his 122nd career game-winning goal on Oct. 24 at New Jersey to pass Howe for the second-most game-winning goals.
  • In NHL history, Ovechkin ranks first in power-play goals (292), overtime goals (25), road goals (409), game-opening goals (137), game-tying goals (140) and go-ahead goals (271), second in game-winning goals (124), empty-net goals (54) and multi-goal games (163), and fourth in even strength goals (505).
  • Ovechkin has reached the 20-goal mark in each of his 18 NHL seasons and his 18 20-goal seasons are the sixth-most in NHL history. Ovechkin is on pace to score 50 goals this season. Should Ovechkin reach the 50-goal mark, it would mark his 10th career 50-goal season, passing Gretzky and Mike Bossy (9) for the most in NHL history. In addition, Ovechkin would pass Gretzky (12) for the most 40-goal seasons in NHL history and tie Mike Gartner (17) for the most 30-goal seasons in NHL history.
  • Since entering the NHL in 2005-06, Ovechkin leads the NHL in goals (802) and ranks second in points (Sidney Crosby: 1,452; Ovechkin: 1,451) and games played (Ryan Suter: 1,315; Ovechkin: 1,310). Since 2005-06, he holds a 266-goal lead over the next closest player in goals (Crosby: 536).

Team Turnaround

  • The Capitals will play their 37th game of the season Tuesday.
  • Washington enters Tuesday’s game with a record of 19-13-4 (42 points). The Capitals currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference and in the East’s second wild card spot.
  • Entering their game on Nov. 23 against Philadelphia, the Capitals had a record of 7-10-3 and sat in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.
  • Since then, the Capitals have gone 12-3-1 (.781 point percentage) and have improved their overall point percentage from .425 to .583.
  • The Capitals have earned 25 points over the last 35 days, the second-most points in the NHL during that span (Carolina: 26 points).
  • Since Nov. 23, the Capitals rank tied for first in the NHL in wins (12) and rank in the top-10 of nearly every major statistical category
  • Nine of the Capitals’ next 10 games following the NHL’s holiday break will come against Eastern Conference opponents, including six Metropolitan Division games.

Metro Matchup

  • Tuesday’s game marks Washington’s seventh game against a Metropolitan Division opponent this season (3-2-1). The Capitals have earned at least one point in four of their six division games.
  • The Capitals have played the second-fewest division games among all teams this season (Arizona: four games played against Central Division opponents).
  • Including Tuesday’s game, Washington has 20 games remaining against Metropolitan Division opponents over their final 46 regular season games.
  • Last season, the Capitals tied for the second-best record (16-9-1, .635 point percentage) among Metropolitan Division teams in division games.

Shooters Shoot

  • Alex Ovechkin recorded six shots on Dec. 22 at Ottawa, passing Ray Bourque (6,209) for the most shots in NHL history.
  • Ovechkin has led the League in shots in 11 of his 17 completed seasons and has ranked in the top-three in 16 of his 17 completed seasons.
  • Ovechkin has averaged 4.75 shots per game in his career, while Bourque averaged 3.85 (6,209 shots in 1,612 career games).
  • Since entering the NHL in 2005-06, Ovechkin leads the League in shots, holding a 2,398-shot lead over the next-closest player (Eric Staal: 3,820 shots).
  • Ovechkin has a career shooting percentage of 12.9 percent, the fourth-highest percentage in the NHL since 2005-06 (min. 3,000 shots).

Star-Studded

  • Alex Ovechkin was named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Dec. 25, after recording six points (2g-4a–6p) in three games. Ovechkin has been named the NHL’s First Star for the second consecutive week and for the 21st time in his career (s/t Ben Sumner).
  • It’s the first time in franchise history that the Capitals have had players named First Star/Player of the Week in three consecutive weeks. Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren was named the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Dec. 11, becoming the 10th different Capitals goaltender to earn the honor and the first since Braden Holtby in 2011 (for the week ending March 14) (s/t Mike Vogel).
  • Ovechkin ranks fourth in the NHL in scoring (9g-9a–18p) since Dec. 1, trailing only Connor McDavid (12g-13a–25p), Tage Thompson (12g-9a–21p) and Leon Draisaitl (6g-14a–20p).

Gus Bus

  • Erik Gustafsson recorded an assist on Friday vs. Winnipeg, extending his point streak to four games (4g, 3a).
  • Gustafsson has recorded 17 points (4g, 13a) in 35 games this season, which ranks second among Capitals defensemen (John Carlson: 8g-13a– 21p in 30 GP).
  • Gustafsson has recorded a 54.3 shot attempt percentage at five-on-five (628 shot attempts for, 527 shot attempts against) this season, which is the second-highest rate on the team (min. 15 GP).
  • Gustafsson has recorded a team-high +10 plus/minus rating over Washington’s last six games.
  • Gustafsson recorded his first career hat trick on Dec. 17 vs. Toronto. Gustafsson became the third defenseman in franchise history to score a hat trick, joining Kevin Hatcher (Jan. 13, 1993) and Sergei Gonchar (Jan. 4, 2000).
  • Gustafsson’s three-goal game was the 147th regular season hat trick in franchise history and the second hat trick by a Capitals player in a three-game span, following Alex Ovechkin’s 29th career hat trick on Dec. 13 at Chicago. It’s the 15th time in franchise history that the Capitals have recorded multiple hat tricks over a three-game span (per NHL Stats).
  • Gustafsson is one of two defensemen to record a hat trick this season (San Jose’s Erik Karlsson: Nov. 1 vs. Anaheim).

Like It Orlov It

  • Since returning to the Capitals’ lineup on Dec. 11 at Winnipeg, Orlov has recorded five points (2g, 3a) in seven games.
  • Orlov scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Dec. 19 vs. Detroit, marking his fourth career overtime goal.
  • With the goal, Orlov passed Al Iafrate (58) for the ninth-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history.
  • It also marked Orlov’s 15th career game-winning goal, passing Scott Stevens and Sylvain Cote for the sixth most in franchise history among defensemen.
  • Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Orlov leads the Capitals in overtime goals (4).
  • Orlov, who missed 16 consecutive games due to injury prior to his return, has averaged 23:30 of ice time in Washington’s last seven games, which leads the team

O From D

  • Capitals defensemen have combined for 21 goals this season, which is tied for the second-highest total in the NHL (New York Islanders: 25, Florida Panthers: 21).
  • Washington defensemen have also combined for 76 (21g, 55a) of the team’s 302 points (25.2%), which is the 10th-highest percentage in the NHL.

Terrific Tandem

  • Darcy Kuemper has posted a record of 4-0-1 with a 1.77 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage and one shutout in his last six starts, dating back to Nov. 23.
  • In seven career games against the Rangers, Kuemper has a record of 6-1-0 with a 2.44 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage and one shutout.
  • Over his last nine starts, Charlie Lindgren is 8-1-0 with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.
  • Lindgren leads the NHL in wins (8) in December.
  • This season, Lindgren has a record of 10-4-2 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. The Capitals have earned at least one point in 12 of the 15 games Lindgren has started (10-3-2). Among goaltenders with 15 or fewer starts this season, Lindgren ranks tied for first in the NHL in wins.
  • The Capitals are the only team in the NHL to have two goaltenders with nine or more wins.

Special Teams

  • The Capitals have killed off 75 of 90 power plays (83.3 percent) over their last 31 games, dating back to Oct. 22. During that span, Washington’s 83.3 penalty kill percentage ranks second in the NHL.
  • Through games played Dec. 23, the Capitals’ 80.8 penalty kill percentage ranks tied for seventh in the NHL.
  • On average, the Washington is shorthanded 2.89 times per game, which is the fourth-lowest rate in the NHL.
  • Since Nov. 23, the Capitals have scored 11 power play goals on 46 opportunities (23.9 percent). During that span, Washington’s 23.9 power play percentage ranks tied for 13th in the NHL.
  • The Capitals went seven-straight games with a power play goal from Dec. 1 – December 13, which marked Washington’s longest stretch of consecutive games with at least one power play goal since the 2009-10 season (seven-straight games: March 6 – March 18, 2010).
  • The Capitals have had 120 power play opportunities this season, which are the seventh most in the NHL.
  • Washington has drawn 148 penalties this season – the seventh most in the NHL – and their +22 net penalty differential ranks first in the NHL.

Kuz Control

  • Evgeny Kuznetsov recorded the lone assist on Alex Ovechkin’s historic 802nd career goal.
  • Kuznetsov has recorded an assist on 104 (65 primary, 39 secondary) of Ovechkin’s 802 goals. That’s the third-highest total among Ovechkin’s teammates all-time (Nicklas Backstrom: 278 assists; John Carlson: 142 assists).
  • Kuznetsov leads the Capitals with 23 assists in 35 games this season has recorded 12 points (2g, 10a) in his last 12 games.
  • With an assist on Dec. 13 at Chicago, Kuznetsov passed Calle Johansson (361) for the seventh-most assists in franchise history. Kuznetsov passed Bengt Gustafsson (359) for the eighth-most assists in franchise history on Dec. 7 at Philadelphia.
  • Kuznetsov is on pace for 53 assists this season. Should he maintain his scoring pace, it would mark Kuznetsov’s fifth career 50-assist season.
  • Among Washington’s top-10 assists leaders all-time, Kuznetsov’s 0.58 assists per game rate ranks second, trailing only Nicklas Backstrom (0.71 A/GP).
  • Since entering the NHL during the 2013-14 season, Kuznetsov has recorded 1.52 assists per 60 minutes at five-on-five. That’s tied for the fifth-highest rate in the NHL among players with at least 200 five-on-five assists during that span (Connor McDavid: 1.77; Artemi Panarin: 1.69; Ryan Getzlaf: 1.54; Nikita Kucherov: 1.54; Johnny Gaudreau: 1.52).

No Dowd About It

  • Nic Dowd scored his eighth goal of the season on Friday vs. Winnipeg, marking his fourth goal in his last five games.
  • Dowd recorded three points (2g, 1a) in Washington’s 4-3 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 19, including two goals 11 seconds apart in the second period to erase a two-goal deficit.
  • Dowd’s back-to-back goals marked the second-fastest back-to-back goals scored by one player in franchise history (Stephen Leach: 10 seconds, Nov. 23, 1990 vs. Pittsburgh).
  • Dowd, who also assisted on Dmitry Orlov’s game-winning goal in overtime, recorded three points in a game for the third time in his career.
  • Dowd has recorded 14 points (8g, 6a) in 35 games this season. Dowd, who set a career high in points (24) last season, is on pace to record a career-high 18 goals and 32 points this season.
  • Dowd ranks first among Capitals forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game (2:14) and fourth on the team in hits (74).
  • Dowd ranks second on Washington and tied for 16th in the NHL in penalties drawn (15).

Shot Advantage

  • The Capitals recorded 40 shots on Dec. 22 at Ottawa, marking their sixth game this season with 40 or more shots.
  • Washington allowed just 19 shots on Dec. 19 vs. Detroit, marking the lowest single-game shot total by a Capitals’ opponent this season. The Capitals’ +23 shot differential against the Red Wings also marked their highest shot differential in a single game this season.
  • Over their last 10 games, the Capitals are averaging 36.4 shots for per game and allowing 27.8 shots against.
  • Since Dec. 5, Washington has recorded a 53.6 shot attempt percentage at five-on-five (504 shot attempts for, 437 shot attempts against), tied for the sixth-highest rate in the NHL during that span.

Did You Know?

  • The Capitals are 19-1-1 when scoring three or more goals this season.
  • Washington’s 893 hits this season are the seventh most in the NHL, through games played Dec. 23.
  • The Capitals rank seventh in the NHL in blocked shots (564), through games played Dec. 23.
  • Since Nov. 1, the Capitals have won 51.6 percent of their faceoffs, which is the 11th-highest win percentage in the NHL during that span

NEW YORK RANGERS NOTES:

LAST GAME
New York Rangers 5, New York Islanders 3 – December 22, 2022 – Madison Square Garden
NYR Goals: A. Panarin (9), J. Gauthier (5), B. Goodrow (8), K. Kakko (9), V. Trocheck (12)
NYI Goals: A. Lee (11), M. Barzal (5), A. Romanov (1)
NYR Goalie: I. Shesterkin (W – 15/18)
NYI Goalie: I. Sorokin (L – 29/33)
NYR Shots: 34
NYI Shots: 18
NYR PP: 1/6
NYR PK: 2/2

RECAP/NOTES: The Rangers headed into holiday break with a 5-3 home win against the Islanders last Thursday. The Blueshirts won after trailing 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2. The team scored three goals in the third to pull out the victory and were led by Barclay Goodrow’s fifth three-point game of his career (1G-2A) and second of the season (Nov. 10 vs. DET).

RANGERS RUNDOWN

  • The New York Rangers skate at Madison Square Garden for the final time in 2022, when they host the Washington Capitals (7:00 PM ET – TV: MSG 2 – Radio: ESPN 1050 AM). Tonight is the first of four meetings between the Metropolitan Division foes.
  • The Blueshirts have won eight of their last nine games and are 9-2-1 over their last 12 games. The Rangers carry a four-game win streak on home ice.
  • Tonight is the third of three-straight games the Rangers will play against Metropolitan Division opponents and the third of eight-straight the team will play against a team from the Eastern Conference. The next game New York will play from a team in the Western Conference is Minnesota on January 10. The next time the Blueshirts travel to a Western Conference city is February 15 against Vancouver.
  • The Rangers have a 8-2-1 record in December with two games to go. If they win their next two, it would be the second most they’ve won in December in team history (11 – 3x).
  • New York has scored five or more goals in three of their last four games. The Rangers have seven occurrences of six or more goals this year, which are tied for the second most in the NHL (BUF – 8). Their three games with seven or more goals this season are tied for the most in the league, also with Buffalo.
  • The Rangers defensemen group has collected 85 points, the second most in the NHL. New York’s 64 assists by defensemen are the third most in the league.
  • New York’s nine comeback victories this year are tied for the seventh most in the NHL.
  • The Blueshirts have 11 players with five goals this season, tied for the second most amount in the NHL. Five Rangers have 25 or more points this year (Zibanejad, Fox, Panarin, Kreider, Trocheck), tied for the third most in the NHL.
  • The Rangers’ plus-14 goal differential in the third period is the fourth highest in the NHL.
  • New York ranks third in the NHL in hits with 969.
  • When tied after two periods, the Rangers have a league-high nine wins (9-1-5).
  • Tonight for the sixth of eight times, New York will wear it reverse retro jerseys.
  • The Rangers have five prospects represented at the World Junior Championships in Halifax: Brennan Othmann (Canada), Noah Laba (United States), Kalle Väisänen (Finland), Jaroslav Chmelar (Czechia), and Adam Sykora (Slovakia).

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES ET)
DATE/TIME OPPONENT/LOCATION TV RADIO
Dec. 29/7:00 PM Tampa Bay/Amalie Arena MSG 2 ESPN 1050 AM
Jan. 1/5:00 PM Florida/FLA Live Arena MSG Network/NHLN TBD
Jan. 3/7:00 PM Carolina/MSG MSG Network TBD
Jan. 5/7:00 PM Montreal/Bell Centre MSG Network TBD
Jan. 7/1:00 PM New Jersey/Prudential Center MSG Network/NHLN TBD

LAST FIVE GAMES
DATE OPPONENT RESULT
Dec. 22 vs. NY Islanders W, 5-3
Dec. 20 at Pittsburgh L, 3-2
Dec. 18 at Chicago W, 7-1
Dec. 17 at Philadelphia W, 6-3
Dec. 15 Toronto W, 3-1

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
December 9 – Ryan Carpenter re-assigned to Hartford.
December 5 – Jonny Brodzinski recalled from Hartford
December 4 – Jonny Brodzinski re-assigned to Hartford.
December 3 – Recalled Ben Harpur and Jonny Brodzinski from Hartford. Re-assigned Zac Jones to Hartford.
November 23 – Acquired fifth round pick in 2025 NHL Draft in exchange for Ryan Reaves

ALL-TIME RECORD 105-102-18-11 (239 PTS)
2022-23 0-0-0
2021-22 2-1-0
NYR HOME 59-46-9-5 (132 PTS)
NYR AWAY 46-56-9-6 (107 PTS)
LAST FIVE MEETINGS 2-3-0
LEADING SCORER(S) – CURRENT RANGERS IN CAREER G: Zibanejad (15) – A: Panarin (16) – Pts: Zibanejad (27)
LEADING SCORER(S) – ALL-TIME IN GAMES W/NYR G: Graves (23) – A: Leetch (58) – Pts: Leetch (71)

TEAM NOTES
RANGERS ON A ROLL
On December 4, the Blueshirts were 11-10-5 and had suffered losses in four of their previous six games. Since then, the Rangers have notched wins in eight of their last nine games and now have a 19-11-5 record. Since December 5, the Rangers rank among the best in the NHL:

CLOSING OUT 2022
The Rangers will play two more games in 2022, tonight against Washington and then at Tampa Bay on Thursday. The Blueshirts have a 51-27-7 regular season record for 109 points during the calendar year, ranking tied for seventh in the league in wins and ninth in points. Below are New York’s leaders over the course of 2022:

TROCHECK-ING THE BOX SCORE
Vincent Trocheck has a point streak of six games (3G-7A), has three multi-point performances in his last five games, and has 13 points (4G-9A) in his last nine games. It is the seventh time in his career he has posted a point-streak of six or more games and tied for the third longest of his career. Trocheck is one of only three NHL players who have registered 25+ points and 80+ hits this season (along with Alex Ovechkin and Brady Tkachuck). In 32 of 35 games this season, Trocheck has had either 1+ points, 3+ hits, or a 50.0%+ faceoff win percentage; he has hit two of the three categories in 20 of the 35 games, and he hit all three categories in the same game three times (Dec. 15 vs. TOR, Dec. 5 vs. STL, Nov. 8 vs. NYI).

SHESTERKIN IN NET
Igor Shesterkin is 17-5-4 on the season, his 17 wins are the second most in the NHL behind Boston’s Linus Ullmark’s 19. Shesterkin is 7-1-1 in his last nine starts with a .922 save percentage and 2.19 GAA. Shesterkin has allowed one goal or fewer in four of his last seven games. In the calendar year, Shesterkin ranks first in wins (39), first in save percentage (.928) and first in GAA (2.20). His six shutouts are tied for the third most in 2022.

KREIDING TO MAKE HISTORY
Chris Kreider has 16 goals on the year and has nine in his last 16 games. Kreider is one goal from tying Steve Vickers for the eighth most in Rangers history.

In the calendar year 2022, Kreider has scored 49 goals, the eighth most in the NHL in that span and two behind Mike Gartner (51) for the most in franchise history. In addition, Kreider has 36 career game-winning goals, tying him with Adam Graves for the seventh most in franchise history.

PANARIN PUTTING UP POINTS
Artemi Panarin has points in nine of his last 11 games (3G-13A) and multi-point games in five of his last 10 contests. Panarin has points in 12 of his last 15 games (4G-15A) and 41 points (9G-32A) in 35 games this season. Panarin ranks sixth in the NHL in assists (32) and since December 2, Panarin’s 13 assists are tied for the second most in the NHL.

MIKA’S MISSION
Mika Zibanejad has notched five assists in his past four games. He has points in 10 of his last 13 games (5G-10A), 15 of his last 19 games (6G-14A) and in 22 of his last 27 contests (11G-19A). On the Rangers, Zibanejad ranks second in goals (15), third in assists (23) and second in points (38).

WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?
Adam Fox is two points away from recording 200 points in his career. Since 2019-20, Fox would become the fifth defensemen in the NHL to record 200 points. Fox has points in seven of his last 11 games (1G-9A) and 18 of his last 24 games (5G-21A). Fox has recorded at least one point in 24 of 35 games this year. When Fox records multiple points, the Rangers are 7-0-0. Fox has skated over 20:00 minutes in every game this season, over 25 minutes in 17 contests and his season-high was 30:04 against the Devils on Nov. 28.

BLUESHIRT BULLETS

  • Braden Schneider’s four goals since November 22 are tied for the most among NHL defensemen in that span.
  • Jacob Trouba has 109 hits and 86 blocked shots. He is the only player in the NHL with both 100+ hits and 75+ blocked shots. Trouba ranks seventh in the NHL in hits and second in blocked shots.
  • K’Andre Miller has points in six of his last nine games (2G-6A). Miller’s 29 takeaways this year are tied for the fourth most for a defensemen.
  • Sammy Blais ranks third in the NHL (min. 25 games played) in hits per 60 (20.19).
  • Among players who have skated in 20 games this year, Julien Gauthier ranks third in penalties drawn/60 (2.55).
  • Kaapo Kakko has five goals in his last eight games and is one goal from tying his career-high of 10 set in his rookie season (2019-20).

SPECIAL TEAMS

  • The Blueshirts have scored on the power play in seven of their last 10 games and eight of their last 13 contests.
  • The Rangers’ penalty kill has been perfect in their five of their last six games.