Team Notes
– The Blueshirts have won 24 of their last 34 games (24-9-1), including 22 of their last 31 games (22-8-1) and 20 of their last 27 contests (20-6-1). The Rangers have also earned at least one point in 35 of their last 48 games (30-13-5), including 28 of their last 38 games (25-10-3).
– As of the conclusion of tonight’s game, the Rangers rank fifth in the NHL in goals per game (2.98) and goal differential (plus-30), and they rank eighth in the NHL in points percentage (.644) this season.
– New York has won seven of its last 10 road games (7-3-0) and 11 of its last 15 road contests (11-4-0). The Rangers rank second in the NHL in road wins (97) since the start of the 2010-11 season.
– The Blueshirts have tallied the first goal of the game in 15 of their last 22 games, in 18 of their last 26 contests, and in 32 of 52 games this season. New York has posted a 25-5-2 record when registering the first goal of the game this season.
– The Rangers have posted an 18-1-2 record when leading after the first period this season. New York is tied for second in the NHL in wins when leading after 20 minutes in 2014-15.
– The Blueshirts have posted a 23-0-1 record when leading after two periods this season. New York has registered a 137-1-9 record in its last 147 regular season games when leading after 40 minutes. The 147-game stretch began on Feb. 6, 2010 vs. New Jersey. The Rangers are tied for second in the NHL in wins and rank third in the NHL in winning percentage (.958) when leading after two periods this season.
– The Rangers tallied their seventh shorthanded goal of the season in the contest, including their third shorthanded goal in the last six games. The Blueshirts have recorded a shorthanded goal in three games over a six-game span for the first time since Dec. 5 – Dec. 16, 2010. As of the conclusion of tonight’s game, the Rangers are tied for third in the NHL in shorthanded goals (seven) this season, and they lead the NHL in shorthanded goals (17) since the start of the 2013-14 season.
– New York has tallied five or more goals in two of the last five games and in three of the last 10 contests. The Blueshirts have won 56 consecutive regular season games when they have registered at least five goals, dating back to Feb. 14, 2010.
– New York has recorded at least four goals in three of the last six games and in four of the last 10 contests. The Rangers have posted a 19-1-0 record when tallying four or more goals in a game this season, and they have posted a 105-1-1 record in their last 107 regular season games when registering at least four goals, dating back to Nov. 14, 2010.
– New York outscored Toronto, 2-1, in the first period of tonight’s contest. The Rangers have outscored their opponents, 51-32, in the first period this season, and their plus-19 goal differential in the first period is the best in the NHL thus far in 2014-15.
– The Rangers have earned at least one point in 13 of their last 17 road games in Toronto (11-4-2), dating back to Feb. 11, 2006.
Three Stars
– Mats Zuccarello tied a single-game career-high with two goals, registered the game-winning goal, and tied for the game-high with five shots on goal in 18:03 of ice time. The contest was Zuccarello’s seventh career multi-goal game and his second this season. He extended his point streak to six games (three goals, five assists), which ties his career-high. Zuccarello has registered a point in 17 of the last 27 games (six goals, 15 assists), and he is tied for second on the team in points (21) over that span (since Dec. 8).
– Rick Nash recorded three assists, including the primary assist on the game-winning goal, and posted a plus-two rating in 16:28 of ice time. The contest was Nash’s sixth career three-assist game, and his first since Oct. 5, 2009. He has registered a point in five of the last six contests, and he has posted three multi-point games over the span (five goals, four assists). Nash has notched a point in 35 of 52 contests this season, and he has registered 13 multi-point games in 2014-15. With his first assist of the contest, Nash recorded his 50th point of the season. He has now reached the 50-point plateau in nine of 12 NHL seasons, and it is the first time he has tallied at least 50 points since he joined the Blueshirts prior to the 2012-13 season.
– Dominic Moore tied a season-high with two points (one goal, one assist), registered a shorthanded goal, notched an assist on the game-winning goal, was credited with two hits, and posted a plus-one rating in the contest. With the goal, Moore tied his career-high with two shorthanded goals in a season. As of the conclusion of tonight’s game, Moore is tied for fifth in the NHL in shorthanded goals in 2014-15.
Player Notes
– Alain Vigneault earned his 498th career win as an NHL Head Coach, passing Glen Sather for sole possession of 22nd place on the NHL’s all-time wins list. Vigneault is one win away from tying Terry Murray for 21st place, two wins away from tying Toe Blake for 20th place, and three wins away from tying Pat Burns for 19th place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.
– Dan Boyle tallied the first goal of the game, recorded two shots on goal, and was credited with two hits in 17:48 of ice time. He has registered a goal/point in three of the last six games (three goals over the span). Boyle ranks second among Rangers defensemen in goals (seven) this season and the Blueshirts have posted a 24-9-3 record with Boyle in the lineup this season.
– Kevin Hayes registered a goal, recorded four shots on goal, and posted a plus-one rating in 16:39 of ice time. With the goal, Hayes extended his point streak to three games (one goal, two assists). He has also notched a point in five of the last six games (two goals, three assists) and in six of the last nine contests (three goals, three assists over the span). Hayes is tied for second on the Rangers in goals (three) and is tied for fourth in points (six) over the last nine games (since Jan. 20).
– Derick Brassard notched two assists and posted a plus-one rating in 17:47 of ice time. He has tallied a point in four of the last five games (one goal, five assists) and he has posted two multi-assist games in the last three contests (four assists over the span). With his first assist of the game, Brassard recorded his 40th point of the season. He has now reached the 40-point plateau in four of the last five seasons. He has registered a team-high 28 assists in 2014-15, which is the second-most he has tallied in one season in his career and is two shy of tying his career-high.
– Marc Staal tied single-game career-highs with two assists/points, tied for the game-high with four blocked shots, was credited with three hits, and posted a plus-two rating in 19:03 of ice time. He recorded his second shorthanded assist of the season in the contest, which ties his career-high. As of the conclusion of tonight’s game, the Rangers’ alternate captain is tied for second among NHL defensemen in shorthanded assists (two) and shorthanded points (two) in 2014-15.
– Kevin Klein notched an assist, tied for the team-high with four hits, and posted a plus-one rating in 18:43 of ice time. He has registered an assist/point in each of the last two games and in three of the last four games. Klein has recorded nine points (one goal, eight assists) in the last 18 games and he has registered 20 points this season. Klein has now tallied 20 points in a season for the second time in his NHL career, and he is one point shy of tying his career-high.
– Carl Hagelin recorded a shorthanded assist, tied for the game-high with five shots on goal, and posted a plus-two rating in 14:49 of ice time. Hagelin’s assist was the first special teams assist of his NHL career. He has recorded a point in each of the last two games (one goal, one assist), in four of the last six games (one goal, three assists), and in six of the last nine games (three goals, four assists).