Rangers at Canucks, Pregame News & Notes

Here are the pregame news and notes from the Rangers, via my anonymous source:

NEW YORK RANGERS at VANCOUVER CANUCKS
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, 10:00 p.m. ET
Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC

Rangers: 12-4-0 (24 pts)
Canucks: 6-9-1 (13 pts)

TONIGHT’S GAME
The Rangers play their 17th game of the 2016-17 season tonight, Nov. 15, against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena (10:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). Tonight’s game is the third contest of a four-game road trip for the Blueshirts. The Rangers have won 11 of their last 14 games (11-3-0), including 10 of their last 12 games (10-2-0) and seven of their last eight games (7-1-0). The Blueshirts have posted a 12-4-0 record this season.


RANGERS VS. CANUCKS
All-Time: 77-32-8-1 (41-14-5-1 at home; 36-18-3-0 on the road)
2016-17: Tonight’s game is the second of two meetings between the Rangers and Canucks, and the only meeting between the two teams in Vancouver. The Rangers have posted a 0-1-0 record (0-1-0 at home; 0-0-0 on the road) [Editor’s note: Really? Couldn’t just say they lost the previous game?] and were defeated by the Canucks, 5-3, on Nov. 8 at MSG. Pavel Buchnevich registered three points (one goal, two assists) in the contest, while Rick Nash tallied his 400th career NHL goal and Mika Zibanejad recorded a goal.
The Rangers have earned at least one point in seven of their last nine games against Vancouver, dating back to Jan. 13, 2011 (6-2-1).
New York has won three of its last four games against the Canucks in Vancouver (dating back to Oct. 18, 2011) and has outscored Vancouver, 13-4, in those games.

RANGERS-CANUCKS CONNECTIONS
Alain Vigneault served as the Canucks Head Coach for seven seasons (2006-07 – 2012-13). Vigneault is the Canucks’ all-time leader in games coached (540), wins (313), points percentage (.632), playoff games coached (68), and playoff wins (33). Vigneault also served as the Head Coach for the Manitoba Moose, Vancouver’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for one season (2005-06).
Scott Arniel served as the Head Coach for Vancouver’s AHL affiliate for five seasons (Manitoba Moose – 2006-07 – 2009-10; Chicago Wolves – 2012-13).
Darryl Williams served as an Assistant Coach with the Canucks for six seasons (2008-09 – 2013-14).
Michael Grabner played 20 games with the Canucks in 2009-10.
Adam Clendening played part of one season with the Canucks (2014-15).
Derek Dorsett played parts of two seasons with the Rangers (2012-13 and 2013-14) and helped the Rangers advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013-14.
Jayson Megna played part of one season with the Rangers (2015-16).
Canucks Assistant Coach Doug Lidster played four seasons with the Rangers (1993-94; 1995-96 – 1997-98) and helped the Blueshirts win the Stanley Cup in 1993-94.
Henrik Lundqvist and Loui Eriksson were teammates with Frolunda in Sweden for five seasons (2000-01 – 2004-05).
90TH SEASON NOTE: Mike Richter established a single-game franchise record with 59 saves in a 3-3 tie against Vancouver on Jan. 31, 1991.

INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS. CANUCKS
Henrik Lundqvist – 10 GP, 5-5-0, 2.22 GAA, .928 SV%, 2 SO – In his last six starts against Vancouver (dating back to Jan. 13, 2011), Lundqvist has posted a 5-1-0 record, along with a 0.99 GAA, a .967 SV% (175 saves on 181 shots), and 2 SO. In his last four appearances on the road against the Canucks, Lundqvist has posted a 3-1-0 record, along with a 1.00 GAA, a .969 SV% (126 saves on 130 shots), and 1 SO.
Rick Nash – 42 GP, 17-21-38 – Since joining the Rangers prior to the start of the 2012-13 season, Nash has tallied 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in seven games against the Canucks. He has posted three multi-assist/point games over the seven contests and has recorded at least one point in six of the seven games.
Mika Zibanejad – 7 GP, 4-3-7 – Zibanejad has notched six points (three goals, three assists) in his last four games against Vancouver.

WINS BY THE DOZEN
The Rangers’ 12 wins through 16 games this season are tied for the most the team has earned in the first 16 games of one season in franchise history. New York has now earned 12 wins in the first 16 games of a season twice in franchise history (2015-16 and 2016-17).

GOALS GALORE
The Rangers have registered 65 goals through the first 16 games of the 2016-17 season. New York has recorded at least 65 goals in the first 16 contests of a season for the first time since 1990-91. The Rangers lead the NHL in goals per game this season (4.06).

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE
The Rangers lead the NHL in goal differential this season (plus-29; 65 goals for, 36 goals against). The Rangers’ plus-29 goal differential through 16 games this season is the second-best goal differential the team has posted through the first 16 games of any season in franchise history (1971-72; plus-34).

SHUTTING THE DOOR
The Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer in 10 of the last 13 games, dating back to Oct. 19 vs. Detroit. The Blueshirts have won 36 of the last 37 games in which they allowed two goals or fewer, dating back to Dec. 15, 2015 (36-1-0). New York ranks fourth in the NHL in goals against per game this season (2.25).

SAVING THE DAY
Over the last two games, Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Raanta have combined to a post a .973 SV% (73 saves on 75 shots). Each goaltender made at least 35 saves in the game they played.

TOP TEN
The Rangers are the only NHL team that has 10 players who have tallied 10 or more points thus far this season.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Three of the 10 NHL rookies who have tallied eight or more points thus far this season are Rangers (Pavel Buchnevich, Brady Skjei, and Jimmy Vesey). In addition, of the four NHL rookies who are averaging at least 0.40 goals per game this season, two are Rangers (Vesey – ranks second with 0.44; Buchnevich – is tied for third with 0.40).

ROAD WARRIORS
New York is tied for the NHL lead – and leads the Eastern Conference – in road wins since 2013-14 (76).

AV SQUAD
Alain Vigneault leads NHL head coaches in wins since the start of the 2006-07 season (469), when he began his tenure in Vancouver.

UP FOR GRABS
Michael Grabner is the second Ranger since 1990-91 to tally 10 even strength goals within the first 16 games of a season (Nash – 2014-15). Grabner has tallied a goal/point in five of the last eight games, recording 10 points (eight goals, two assists) over the span. Grabner leads the NHL in even strength goals this season (10). Grabner is one of five NHL players who have registered at least 10 goals this season (along with Patrik Laine, Sidney Crosby, Mark Scheifele, and David Pastrnak), and he is tied for second in the NHL in goals. Grabner is one of six Rangers who have tallied at least 10 goals in the first 16 games of one season since 2005-06 (Jagr – 2005-06; Shanahan – 2006-07; Gaborik – 2009-10; Dubinsky – 2010-11; Nash – 2014-15). Grabner is the only player who ranks fifth or higher in the NHL in goals, plus/minus rating, and takeaways this season.

KING HENRIK
Henrik Lundqvist is one of 10 goaltenders in NHL history who have earned at least 350 career wins and 60 career shutouts. He is the Rangers’ all-time leader in several categories, including appearances (697), wins (382), SV% (.920), and SO (60). In his last eight starts, Lundqvist has posted a 7-1-0 record, along with a 1.88 GAA, a .934 SV%, and 1 SO.

IT’S MILLER TIME
J.T. Miller has recorded a point in 11 of the Rangers’ 12 wins in 2016-17, and the Blueshirts have posted an 11-0-0 record in games which he has tallied a point this season. He has registered 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in the last 12 games, and he leads the team in points this season (15; five goals, 10 assists). Miller is the only NHL player who has registered at least 15 points and a plus-14 rating this season.

HEY HEY HAYES
Kevin Hayes has tallied a point in seven of the last eight games, registering 11 points (four goals, seven assists) over the span. He ranks second on the Rangers in points this season (14; six goals, eight assists).

SKJEI HEY KID
Brady Skjei leads NHL rookies in assists this season (nine), and he has tallied eight assist/points in the last 11 games. He posted a six-game assist/point streak from Oct. 30 – Nov. 8 (seven assists), becoming the first Rangers rookie defenseman to post a six-game assist/point streak since Brian Leetch in 1988-89.

CAPTAIN MAC
Ryan McDonagh is tied for second among NHL defensemen in assists this season (10), and he is tied for the team lead in assists in 2016-17. McDonagh has led the Rangers in ice time in each of the first 16 games this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Power Play:
The Rangers did not have a power play opportunity on Nov. 13 at Edmonton.
The Blueshirts rank ninth in the NHL in power play efficiency this season (21.6%; 11-for-51).
New York has recorded a power play goal in seven of the last 12 games and in nine of 16 games in 2016-17.

Penalty Kill:
The Rangers were 2-for-2 (4:00) on Nov. 13 at Edmonton.
The Blueshirts rank 11th in the NHL in penalty kill efficiency this season (83.7%; 36-for-43).
New York is tied for fifth in the NHL in shorthanded goals this season (two).

UPCOMING MILESTONES
Mika Zibanejad – 3 games away from 300 in his NHL career; 5 assists away from 100 in his NHL career
Henrik Lundqvist – 3 appearances away from 700 in his NHL career/as a Ranger
Kevin Hayes – 5 points away from 100 in his NHL career/as a Ranger

INJURIES (31 Man-Games Lost to Injury)
Josh Jooris (separated shoulder) – has missed nine games
Chris Kreider (upper-body) – has missed one game
Pavel Buchnevich (back spasms) – has missed one game

RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Nov. 8 – Acquired Steven Kampfer and a conditional draft pick from Florida in exchange for Dylan McIlrath
Nov. 14 – Recalled Cristoval Nieves from Hartford (AHL)

THIS DAY IN RANGERS HISTORY
· Nov. 14, 2006 – The Rangers tallied three goals in a span of 90 seconds to rally from a 2-0 deficit and defeat New Jersey, 3-2, at MSG. Jaromir Jagr recorded two goals and Brendan Shanahan tallied the game-winning goal.
· Nov. 15, 1928 – John Ross Roach earned a shutout while making his Rangers debut as the Blueshirts defeated the Detroit Cougars, 2-0, in Detroit. Roach established a single-season franchise record for shutouts with 13 during the 1928-29 season.
· Nov. 15, 1972 – Steve Vickers recorded a hat trick for the second consecutive game as the Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 7-3, at MSG. Vickers became the first player in NHL history to register a hat trick in two consecutive games.

105 thoughts on “Rangers at Canucks, Pregame News & Notes”

  2. Love these west coast trips!! I mean who doesnt love a 3am hockey game?

    On another note will Theo Fleury & Mike York be at the HoF induction for Big E? Will Scott Steven be lurking?

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Saw this fun fact on Reddit. Hockey is sorta, kinda responsible for inventing the airplane. Wilbur Wright was hit in the face while playing hockey, causing a few broken bones and several missing teeth. It took him months to heal and the injuries did not allow him to receive his high school diploma. Falling into a bit of depression, and thus decidcing to forego his plans to attend Yale, he chose to join his brother Orville in designing the first successful airplane.

    I bet Chelios was thrilled with no longer having to ride to games on horseback.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Trap game? if an L, they will have won 12 of 17 and have 3 of 5 losses to 2 of the worst teams in league.
    .
    Has Clendening showered yet?
    .
    If Boo has a scary outing is the Glass half-empty?

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  19. 1st in the Metro. Be honest, that’s why you’ve been missing. There has been painfully little to freak out about. Kreider now needs back surgery and you reappear? Can’t be a coincidence. 🤔

    Liked by 1 person

  23. its not right if im not complaining. we all know how this ends. a loss to pittsburgh in this stupid playoff format in 1st round should caps win div and we are in 2-3 matchup

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  35. 10 ft pole on E. Kane, imo. Even if you disregard all his legal/off ice issues ( and that would be a mistake ), 35 points last season, and 0 so far this year. All at miserly $5.25M cap hit and $6M salary.

    Liked by 1 person

  42. Imagine if Tanner Glass got called up and played on a line with Boo and Zucc. Then we could bring Mathieu Schneider out of retirement to play with Girardi. Put them all on at the same time and try to figure out if the crowd is saying Boo, Zuuuuuuuuc, or Jew?

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  44. It turns out they weren’t booing, zuuuuuucing OR jewing. The actor that played Clu Haywood in Major League was MSG’s celebrity guest of the evening. They were all CLUUUUUUUUing!

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  55. Question for our Russian-speaking readers: Is the Buch in Buchnevich pronounced “Boo-k”, as in Beukeboom or Zuccarello, or Byook, like Bee-Yook?

    And for that matter, is the Nev pronounced “nave”, or “nyave,” like knee-ave?

    Like

  62. For my fellow musicians out there…

    C, E flat and G walk into a bar and the bartender says: “Sorry we don’t serve minors”, so E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and G is out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough.
    D comes in and heads for the bathroom saying, “Excuse me. I’ll just be a second.” Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, “Get out! You’re the seventh minor I’ve found in this bar tonight.”
    E-Flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, “you’re looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major development.” Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit and everything else, and is au natural.
    Eventually C sobers up and realizes in horror that he’s under a rest. C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of D.S. without Coda at an upscale correctional facility.

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  72. Grabber has scored 34 before, but nobody knew because it happened playing for some team in a Mausoleum
    .
    NO racist jokes please, show some respect for President-elect
    .
    Winning is boring 😉

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  82. This here is between you, me, and soon to be spending the rest of his short azz life livin in agonizing pain rapist here. It’s no one else’s business. You hear me talking hillbilly boy? I aint through with my damn sight. I’m gonna get a couple of hard pipe hittin bruthas and go to work on the Holmes here. I’m gonna go medieval on yo azz

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  92. So do any of you guys ever listen to NHL network on XM? or care much for the guys on there? I mean, they just flat out give no love to the Rangers. And you can tell they don’t like talking to most Rangers fans (can’t blame them much there). But they praise all the teams that have been strong out of the gate every day then overlook the Rangers and just kind of do one of those “give it a couple weeks”. A lot of criticism for Grabner, Girardi, Kreider, Step…not much credit to Vesey to this point. Although the fantasy hockey “experts” talk up Buchnevich a bit. Shouldn’t let it bother me but it gets old after a while.

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  93. I watch most Rangers games either with the sound off or with the other team’s broadcast on, depending on which video feed I’ve ripped off, and I can tell you that broadcasters outside the NYC bubble are lovin’ them some Rangers this year, comparing their own teams unfavorably for the most part. Only a true Bonehead can properly hate on his own players, though it’s tough sledding this season!

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  95. That’s at least good to hear, Norm. I’m sure it’s probably just the one show that I wind up listening to a couple of times a week (around 3pm). I’m sure once they start picking up some points against teams in the metro and such critics will sing a little different tune. kind of a weird schedule to this point with only 6 of the first 16 against the East and only what? 3 of them against their own division?

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  105. I’ll watch the first and then fall asleep when the Trautwig starts yammering. Wake up in the chair around one to rangers in 60.

    Yup, that’s my west coast swing.

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