Rangers Report Blog

So in Part I yesterday, I chronicled the Rangers rockin’ first half. But in order to see more stick salutes, its time for them to do the real heavy lifting. Teams will be desperate for playoff position. Points will be harder to come by. And now, they have become the hunted, used by other squads as a “measuring stick” for their success. What do the Rangers—players and management, have to do (or not do) from here—in order to make this spring truly memorable?  Read on.

1. Win lots of the monster match-ups—There will be lots of key games to keep the Rangers battle tested. Opportunities to show they belong atop the standings. These include five more matches against the Devils, three more against the Flyers, Bruins and Penguins, two against the Blackhawks and Capitals, and one against the Red Wings. Want to be the best? You’ve gotta win the tough ones.

2. A top-four seed will help them succeed—Captain Callahan spoke about it early on; the Rangers need to gain a top-four spot in the conference. It will be a big step up from last year and gaining home-ice advantage would be a major confidence builder.

3. Glen’s gotta know the deal—For the first time in his much-maligned tenure with the Rangers, general manager Glen Sather will not be buying with the intent of just making it into the playoffs. Any move he orchestrates from now until the Feb. 27 deadline will be made to position this team for a deep run. The Rangers could really use a scoring forward and with Michael Sauer suffering a setback in his attempted comeback from a concussion, they could use help on the back line, too. You can never have enough D-men—and that holds doubly true in the playoffs. But, let the buyer beware!

4. Marc cannot be Staaled—After missing 36 games this season with post-concussion symptoms, Marc Staal is going through his training camp right now. He is beginning to round into form and will need the rest of the regular season to do the fine tuning. However, should he go down again—particularly after the trade deadline—the Rangers would be in a tough spot.

5. Keep cookin’ at home—As I stated yesterday in Part I, The Garden has been great for this year’s team. They need to keep getting the wins at home—keep the crowd on their side. MSG needs to become a cauldron again.

6. Be prepared for March 17—I’m not talking about St. Patty’s Day. The 17 refers to the number of games the Rangers will play in March. Four back-to-backs will be included here. Remember, the Rangers have been great in these situations all season long.

7. Take care of the balance sheet—More balanced scoring is needed. The Rangers must get more contributions from Brandon Dubinsky, Brad Richards,  Derek Stepan, Artem Anisimov and Brian Boyle. Wouldn’t hurt if foot soldiers Brandon Prust, Ruslan Fedotenko, John Mitchell and Mike Rupp knocked in a few, too.

8. Fix the powerless play—I know the Bruins hoisted the Cup last year with a putrid power play. But special teams have been integral to many long playoff runs throughout the years. If they were only half as good on the man advantage as they are on the penalty kill, the Rangers would become a much more dangerous opponent.

9. Keep doin’ it “The Right Way” —The Rangers must continue to play with the requisite amounts of commitment, determination and enthusiasm that have become their trademarks. We’ve seen what can happen when their level drops even a bit. The coach will keep putting the petal to the metal with these guys and here’s why: other teams don’t like playing against the Rangers, because of the punishment they can dish out and the way they can drain the life out of ‘em with their relentless puck pursuit in all three zones. Gotta keep it up, boys.

10. Fast-forward to 2012 B.C.—B.C. as in Boston College—where the Rangers top prospect, Chris Kreider currently plays. If the 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior turns pro and can provide the Rangers with the size, speed and skill that they need up front—he could become a key player down the road.

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TV coverage begins on the NHL Network at 7 p.m., and the draft will be broadcast on NBCSports (formerly Versus), starting at 8 p.m.

Team Alfredsson includes assistant captain Henrik Lundqvist and co-coach John Tortorella (who will share the bench with Todd McLellan of the San Jose Soft-shelled Jumbo Shrimps).

Marian Gaborik could be picked by his buddy and fellow Slovak, Zdeno Chara, the Team Chara captain. And Gaborik tweeted after the game Tuesday that it would be OK with him:

MGaborik10 Important win tonite! Heading to Ottawa on thursday. Hope to play against Hank @HLundqvist30 and will lite him up:))) Should be fun.

First and foremost, thanks to Carp for letting me take a couple of shifts for him this week. I’m grateful for the opportunity.

It certainly has been an interesting and incredible first half of the season for the Rangers. Who could have imagined they’d be in first place overall in the Eastern Conference at this point? Who could have predicted they’d get 31 opportunities to rock the Broadway Hat? So many things—most of them good—have happened with this team since training camp. Here are the highlights/happenings/things of note—as I see ‘em:

1. On the road again, and again, and again—The first phase of renovations at MSG led the Rangers on their extended European vacation during training camp—and beyond. There were four exhibition games against Euro teams from Prague to Zug, followed by two regular-season games in Stockholm against the Kings and the Ducks. All of that topped off by a plane ride across the Atlantic, a stop at the Nassau Mausoleum and a four-game swing through Western Canada before even playing a single match on Garden ice. Lots of frequent flyer miles, a 3-2-2 record to start the season—and plenty of time for this young team to bond.

2. Defending the home front—We haven’t seen the Rangers play this well at home in many years: 15-5-2 so far. That’s the difference between struggling to make a 7th or 8th seed, and playing for a top-four spot in the conference.

3. The “D” gets an “A”—In the absence of backline aces Marc Staal and Michael Sauer and missing the solid contributions the team gets from Steven Eminger, the play of All-Star Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh has been a revelation. Girardi leads the league in time on ice (27:24 per game), and McDonagh—in only his second season in the NHL—has become one of the league’s better shutdown defensemen. Anton Stralman, Jeff Woywitka, Stu Bickel and the re-emergence of Michael Del Zotto (plus 22) have also been integral to the team’s success.

4. The gold standard in goaltending—Henrik Lundqvist and Marty Biron have formed a superior netminding tandem – perhaps the league’s best. The psychological advantage that King Henrik (22-10-4, 1.87 goals against average, 5 shutouts—40 in his career) has given this team on a game-in, game-out basis cannot be underestimated. Perhaps this is the year he nabs the Vezina Trophy. Maybe the Hart as MVP, too. Biron (9-2, 1.87 goals against average, 2 shutouts) has consistently provided a calming presence between the pipes.

5. Outside and outstanding—Winning the Flyer-centric Winter Classic in Philly was one of the highlights of the season so far. Down 2-zip in the second period, and dealing with deteriorating playing conditions, the Rangers persevered—even in the wake of some of the worst officiating we’ve seen in years. Amazing theatre at the end of the match when Lundqvist locked down the penalty shot attempt by Danny Briere. HBO’s “24/7” leading up to the game was a compelling look at both teams. Loved the camera work, the trash talking on the ice, Grandma Callahan and the Boyle family Christmas party. HBO even managed to portray a couple of the Flyers as human.

6. No Mr. Softies—Remember the Rangers beating the Sharks 5-2 on Halloween at MSG, and Joe Thornton calling the Rangers the “softest team they’ve faced” on their road trip? The Rangers record since Jumbo Joe opened his trap: 27-9-1. And John Tortorella ripped him when he heard about the remark—“Joe hasn’t won a *&^%$ thing in this league.” Priceless.

7. Totally Tortorella—Speaking of the coach—many people who post on this blog do not like John Tortorella and his methods for some strange reason. I couldn’t disagree with them more. The man obviously knows how to coach—he did an outstanding job as he kept his team focused through the European vacation, HBO, the Winter Classic—with no long losing streaks. Tortorella’s tirade in St. Louis after the first period of an eventual loss as seen on “24/7” tells you how we feels about his team and the way they need to play. Trust me—anybody who thinks they have it bad with their boss should take a look at this gem on YouTube.

8. Getting Rich quick—I thought the Brad Richards signing back in July was a strong move and I’m sticking to my guns here. He has six game-winners already this season and he serves as a main conduit between the coach and the rest of the team. Hoisting a cup with the Tortorella-coached Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 goes a long way towards giving him major credibility in the room.

9. Gabby=goals—Marian Gaborik is playing with passion and purpose—skating with abandon, finding the openings and scoring goals at an impressive clip. Twenty-five markers as of this writing. He had only 22 all of last season.

10. Movin’ at 62 MPH—At times, it seems that’s how fast #62—Carl Hagelin, can skate. Since his Thanksgiving call up, he has provided jet-engine speed, skill and a bit of snarl, too. Hagelin does an outstanding job of backing up the opponent’s defense with his superior skating, creating time and space for numerous scoring chances. Works the cycle pretty well, too. Would love to see him get more minutes on both the power play and the penalty kill.

11. Response-ability—All season long, the Rangers have shown an uncanny ability to bounce back from tough losses—as they put a lid on potential losing streaks. After flops against Ottawa, Montreal and Pittsburgh, they followed with shutout wins against the Leafs and Predators—as well as the battle royale OT victory in Boston this past Saturday.

12. Streakers—A seven-game winning and three five-gamers have given the Rangers the separation they need in the standings—so they don’t have to struggle at season’s end just to make the playoffs.

13. Callahan can—Last, but certainly not least—in his first season as Rangers captain, Ryan Callahan has exhibited all the traits you could want in a leader. #24 is the embodiment of what the Rangers have become. He is all heart, all hustle, doggedly determined and extremely talented. The prototypical Tortorella-type player, he can be counted on by the coach to deliver in all situations. Plus, coming through the ranks in the Rangers organization shows that they can draft and develop the type of players who can hold such high authority.

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Tomorrow – Part 2:

What needs to happen (and not happen) in the second half of the regular season, in order for the Rangers to have a great Spring.

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Someone asked Henrik Lundqvist last night if he knew the Jets hadn’t won the second part of a back-to-back all season. He laughed and said he didn’t, then insisted it didn’t matter. Some team will always be the first, he said.

Despite sitting atop the Eastern Conference at the break, Lundqvist and the Rangers refuse to leave a stone unturned. The idea of Winnipeg, amidst a slump, on the road, on the second night of a back-to-back screamed “trap game” to them. They refused to let that thought become a reality, and beat the Jets 3-0.

Here’s a quick review as the Blueshirts head into the break…

Thoughts:

1) Lundqvist said the Rangers wanted to the Jets to realize quickly they meant business. The Jets were a defeated team that was more than 2,000 miles from home and limped into the Garden losing 8 of 11. That means the game plan was simple: Register an early goal and let Winnipeg know that thought hovering in the back of their minds at the opening face-off was a reality.

Indeed, the Jets were in for a rough night. The Rangers did exactly what they wanted, scoring 4:05 in when Ryan Callahan punched in the rebound of Anton Stralman’s shot. Quickly, it was 1-0 Rangers.

2) I know from back in the days when I covered the team semi-regularly that a big complain among fans was the team’s reluctance to shoot. Much has changed since the likes of Jagr, Roszival and Nylander left town, but not enough for John Tortorella’s liking. No, Torts didn’t reference the old Czech core, nor, I’d assume, did they ever entered his mind. However, he did praise Stralman for being ready to shoot when Winnipeg’s clearing try moved toward him. It allowed the defenseman to generate a chance when it seemed like one didn’t exist.

“A big part of what I think we have to get better at are rebound goals. And before you get rebound goals, you have to shoot the puck on the net,” Tortorella said. “We tend to look for the next play where probably the best play is being ready to shoot before it comes to you and to shoot it instead of trying to pass it.”

3) Anytime you have a shutout, the defense usually has something to do with it. Even with Hank in net. But the Ranger D played an especially strong game. Their names were sprinkled throughout the post-game notes. In reality, Stralman and Michael Del Zotto were largely responsible for the first two goals.

Del Zotto’s play seemed especially noteworthy. He skated from the red line in front of the Ranger bench, crossed the blue line, swooped toward the right circle and back toward the center before finding John Mitchell open on the left circle. It was poor defense by Winnipeg for sure, but a creative play by Del Zotto, who earned my third-star vote for the night. He logged 26:16 of ice time and finished a plus-2. Stralman, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh were all over 20 minutes as well.

4) With those four playing major minutes, Marc Staal played a season-low 12:06 in this, his 11th game. Staal had no shots, blocked no shots and recorded just one hit. As you may have read, the Daily News reported that the club said Staal had no issues. That seems reasonable. Perhaps it’s just time for a break. The All-Star Game may come at a good time and allow him to re-boot for the second half.

5) When the Rangers struck for that second goal, they did so shortly after Winnipeg killed off a power play for the second time that period. The Rangers went on to finish 0 for 4 with a man-advantage and are now mired in an unsightly 3-for-41 stretch. If there’s a fear in the second half, is that it?

6) It certainly isn’t Lundqvist. The King recorded his fifth shutout of the season last night and 40th of his career, moving him into a tie for second in franchise history. Lundqvist said the achievement was significant to him because he understands the great men that have stood in the Garden goal before him. (I had a quote from him on this but can’t decipher it on my recorder because he speaks so softly.)

Of more importance for the stretch run, Lundqvist said, although he can still improve going forward, he feels strong because of the extra rest this season.

7) Lundqvist was asked if he tried to avoid the puck with his right foot on the second-period re-direct by Blake Wheeler that hit the right post and shot parallel to the goal line. As you know, it narrowly avoided Lundqvist’s skate. He appeared to raise it just in time to avoid kicking it into the goal, but that was pure fancy.

“No,” he said. “I feel like I was a little lucky today.”

8) The Rangers played out the remainder of the second period well, but they were fortunate Winnipeg failed to strike early in the third. Tortorella and some of the players said that was the only stretch where they let up, but Lundqvist saved the day, particularly with a spectacular left-pad stop on Tanner Glass.

“I thought we did a pretty good job of it. Other than the first few minutes there to start the third period, I thought we did a good job,” Tortorella said. “We defended well. In the first part of the third, Hank made some big saves when we didn’t. So I was pretty happy with how we played.”

9) In the waning minutes, when it became clear only a miracle or two could even send the game to OT, Brad Richards found an answer to his drought, scoring for the first time in eight games. He gave the Rangers a 3-0 and probably will go home this week feeling better for it.

10) I stopped by Brian Boyle’s locker quickly after the game to check on his foot. I would describe him as annoyed that the injury simply won’t seem to go away. Boyle seems to feel unsteady on it. It’s clear that an athlete has had his confidence rattled when he uses the word “scared” like Boyle did last night.

11) This morning’s final thought comes from your captain, whose cautious, we’ve-done-nothing-yet message reads like it was taken right off his coach’s tongue:

“We’ve had a good first half now. It’s good going into the break knowing you’re sitting in first place. But at the same time, the hockey only gets harder from here,” Ryan Callahan said. “Everybody picks it up a notch. We have to continue to do the same to have more success.”

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My Three Rangers Stars:
1. Henrik Lundqvist
2. John Mitchell
3. Michael Del Zotto

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AP photos, above (and below).

A few quick notes and quotes from tonight that weren’t in the notes sent out by teh team:

NOTES —

• Brian Boyle played just 11:49 tonight after twisting his right foot on a collision in the corner during the second period. It cost him to miss a good chunk of the period, but he returned and even killed penalties later in the game. Boyle had less ice time only four other games this season: 10/18/11 at VAN; 10/27/11 vs. TOR; 12/5/11 vs. TOR; 12/8/11 at TAM.

• Ryan McDonagh showed no ill-effects from Saturday’s OT hit by Andrew Ference. He logged 23:43 of ice time and was on the ice for two Ranger goals.

• Marc Staal played a season-low 12:06 and a season-low 14 shifts.

QUOTES —

Brian Boyle, on re-injuring his ankle/foot:
“It’s been bugging me for a couple weeks. That’s what had me a little scared because it’s been a few weeks now that it’s been hurting.”

Michael Del Zotto, on the key to the first half:
“It’s been the key to our game this year is how consistent we’ve been. Maybe the last couple years, maybe we’d win one or two games but we’d be up and down. We’ve done a good job of getting on some winning streaks this year. If we lose one, we just get right back on and have a winning streak for another two or three games.”

Dan Girardi, on going into the All-Star Break in first place:
“Obviously, on top of the conference is good. But when we’re there, we have to try and stay there and maybe create some separation from the teams below us. We can’t just be satisfied with a good first half.” 

Ryan Callahan, on the need to play even better in the second half:
“We’ve had a good first half now. It’s good going into the break knowing you’re sitting in first place. But at the same time, the hockey only gets harder from here. Everybody picks it up a notch. We have to continue to do the same to have more success.”

John Tortorella, on avoiding a let down heading into the break:
“I’m happy where our mindset was for this game here. This game worried me after Boston against a team that played back to back and is pretty banged up. You wonder how your players feel about it. But I think that’s why we’ve gotten the points this year that we have, because I don’t think we look by anything. There have been a number of trap games and I think we’ve handled ourselves well. So I’m happy with the group. I hope we have a good break and get right back at it.”

John Tortorella, on the need to increase the focus in the second half:
“The league is going to get better. The tempo is going to get better. I think it becomes a quicker game, but there’s also a grind to it, too. We cannot stop working on all parts of our game. We spent a lot of time on the details of it. We cannot stop trying to get better at that stuff because teams will pass you. You look at the standings and a lot of teams win. If you don’t stay on top of yourselves and worry about the details of how we play and remain true to our identity, there will be some struggles. You never know where it goes from there.”

 

 

Courtesy of the NYR:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
January 24, 2012 (Game 47, Home Game 22)
Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

Team Notes:

- The Rangers defeated the Winnipeg Jets, 3-0, tonight at Madison Square Garden for their third win in four games, and are now 14-4-0 in their last 18 games. … New York has posted a record of 31-12-4 (66 pts) on the season, including a 15-5-2 mark at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers have registered at least one point in 30 of their last 39 games (28-9-2), dating back to Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark. … The Rangers have posted an 8-3-0 record in their last 11 home games. The Blueshirts’ 15-5-2 (32 pts) mark at MSG is their best start at home through 22 games since 1995-96 (17-2-3, 37 pts). … New York improved to 3-0-0 against Winnipeg this season, including a 2-0-0 mark at home. The Rangers have out-scored the Jets, 8-1, in the series, with a pair of 3-0 victories at MSG. The Blueshirts’ penalty kill has also held the Jets scoreless in seven shorthanded situations in three games. … The Rangers opened up a two point lead over the Boston Bruins for first place in the Eastern Conference with 66 points, and are now one point shy of Detroit for first in the NHL overall. … The Blueshirts’ penalty kill was 2-2 (4:00) against the Jets, and has now held opponents scoreless in 13 of the last 14 games (31-32, 96.9% over the span), including in six straight (14 times shorthanded). New York is 56-61 (91.8%) on the penalty kill with five shorthanded goals in the last 23 contests.

Player Notes:

- Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves to post his fifth shutout of the season and 40th of his career, and now moves into a tie with Dave Kerr for second place on the Rangers’ all-time shutouts list. He improved to 22-10-4 overall, including an 11-5-2 mark at MSG. Lundqvist has allowed one goal or less in nine of his last 16 games, and has held opponents to two or fewer goals in 24 games this season. He ranks seventh among active goalies in career shutouts, and is one of only two NHL goaltenders to record 40 or more shutouts since 2005-06 (Martin Brodeur, 41). *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau … Ryan Callahan opened the game’s scoring at 4:05 of the first period, added an assist, and registered three hits and a plus-two rating in 20:31 of ice time to earn second star honors. He has recorded two straight multi-point games, and has registered five points (three goals, two assists) in the last four contests. … Brad Richards tallied a goal and won a game-high, 14-21 faceoffs (67%) in 20:15 of ice time. He has recorded two points (one goal, one assist) in the last two games. … John Mitchell registered one goal and won 2-2 faceoffs (100%) in 10:55 of ice time. He has recorded three goals and a plus-three rating in the last five games. … Brian Boyle recorded an assist on the game-winning goal, and led all forwards with three blocked shots in the contest. He also posted a plus-one rating in the game, and has now posted a plus or even rating in 29 of the last 37 games. … Anton Stralman tallied the primary assist on the game-winning goal and was credited with two blocked shots in 21:49 of ice time. He has logged 20:00+ of ice time in nine of his 24 games this season. … Derek Stepan recorded an assist and was credited with two hits in 17:58 of ice time. He has registered four points (one goal, three assists) and a plus-six rating in the last six games. … Michael Del Zotto tallied the primary assist on Mitchell’s second period goal, was credited with two hits and two blocked shots, and posted a plus-two rating in 26:16 of ice time. He has now recorded eight points (one goal, seven assists) in nine career regular season games against the Winnipeg Jets franchise. … Dan Girardi was credited with a game-high, six hits, tied for the team lead with three blocked shots and led all skaters with 26:35 of ice time. He also posted a plus-one rating in the contest, and is now plus-six in his last nine games.

Transaction Update:

- New York Rangers’ President and General Manager, Glen Sather, announced that goaltender Chad Johnson has been assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL). He dressed as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup in tonight’s contest after being recalled from Connecticut earlier in the day on an emergency basis.

Post-Game Quotes:

- John Tortorella on the team heading into the All-Star break…

“Going into these last three here I thought we put some good minutes together. We played a really good game against Boston (on Saturday). I thought we really concentrated on defending first tonight. I think it’s a good time for a break. I’m happy where our mindset was for this game here. This game worried me, after an emotional game in Boston, against a team that played back-to-back, that’s a little banged up – you wonder how your players feel about it. I don’t think we have looked by anything. There have been a number of trap games and we’ve handled ourselves well. I’m happy with the group and I hope they have a good break and we get right back at it when we start.”

- Henrik Lundqvist on the team…

“We still know we have parts of our game that we have to improve. Personally, I know there’s part of my game I have to improve as well. We just have to keep challenging ourselves to try to get better, and the challenge is to just stay on top. So far it’s been a good ride.”

- Dan Girardi on the team’s resiliency…

“I think that’s the difference between this year’s team and the years past. I think the way we responded with the losses to come right back and get the win and not lose two or three in a row.”

- Brad Richards on Henrik Lundqvist…

“He’s playing like he always has. I’ve watched him from afar. I knew he was a great goalie. But seeing him every night, it’s pretty nice to know if you’re going to have a breakdown there’s a good chance he’s going to save it.”

Team Schedule:

- Please note the Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, Jan. 25.

– The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, January 31, at Prudential Center (7:00 p.m.), in their first game after the NHL All-Star break. The game will be televised live on MSG 2 and can be heard on 970 The Apple.

Game 47.

Last game before the all-star break.

Josh Thomson, 26, is covering the game.

Ya boys, tied for first in the East with the Bruins, come off that huge win in Boston Saturday. They are 3-3 in their last six, alternating losses and wins, and 13-4 in their last 17 games.

Same lineup. Henrik Lundqvist starts in goal with call-up Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson as his backup because Martin Biron has the flu. Erik Christensen was also called up from Connecticut as his conditioning assignment ended. So Christensen and Wojtek Wolski will be prucha’d.

No byfuglien:  Dustin Byfuglien is out with a knee injury.

Hello, everyone. Glad to be with you again. I’m in for Carp at tonight’s game, still 26 years young.

I had been told/warned John Tortorella’s pregame chats with the media were brief. Well, safe to say there will be ovations during tonight’s “State of the Union” that last longer than this one. Much longer, in fact.

The tape is 50 seconds total. Here it is, in all its glory…

John Tortorella:

Erik (Christensen) is coming back after the conditioning stint. Do you have any plans for (Wojtek Wolski) with an extra guy back?
“No plans. Just worried about tonight’s game.”

You’ve said in the past you want to develop a home-ice advantage. Do you feel like you’ve done that this year more?
“We’re just trying to play — trying to play the right way whether it’s home or away.”

Did Marty (Biron) just call in this morning…?
“He’s sick.”

When you started 3-3-2 did you see the team doing the things you wanted them to do?
“I can’t even remember back then. I can’t.”

… welcome back, Chad Ocho Cinco!

Martin Biron has the flu, so Chad Johnson will back up Henrik Lundqvist tonight. Here’s the official word on Ocho’s recall, courtesy of the Rangers:

New York, January 24, 2012 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that goaltender Chad Johnson has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Johnson, 25, has posted a 10-8-5 mark with a 2.64 goals against average, .910 save percentage and one shutout in 25 appearances with Connecticut this season.  He leads the Whale in wins, goals against average and save percentage.  Johnson recorded wins in five consecutive decisions from November 18 vs. Bridgeport to December 3 at Springfield, posting a 5-0-0 mark with a 1.92 goals against average and .932 save percentage in six games.  He also registered a 41-save shutout, stopping three of five shootout attempts, in Connecticut’s season opener, a 1-0 shootout win on October 9 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Calgary, Alberta native was acquired by the Rangers from Pittsburgh on June 27, 2009, in exchange for a fifth round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (Andy Bathgate).  He was originally selected by the Penguins as a fifth round choice, 125th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Pre-game notes from the Rangers:

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. WINNIPEG JETS
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 7:00 p.m.
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Rangers: 30-12-4 (64 pts)
Jets: 22-20-6 (50 pts)

* All information through NHL games on Jan. 22

TONIGHT’S GAME:
The Rangers will face-off against the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.; TV: MSG 2; Radio: 970 The Apple), in their final game before the NHL All-Star break. The Blueshirts currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, and rank second in the league overall, with a record of 30-12-4 (64 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having defeated the Boston Bruins, 3-2, in overtime on Saturday at TD Garden for their 30th win of the season, and are now 13-4-0 in their last 17 games. New York has posted a record of 27-9-2 since Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark. The Jets entered their contest last night at Carolina with a 22-20-6 (50 pts) record to rank 10th in the Eastern Conference, and had lost seven of their last 10 games (3-6-1). Following the contest, the Rangers will face-off against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at Prudential Center (7:00 p.m.), in an Atlantic Division match-up.

RANGERS vs. JETS:

• All-Time: 21-15-1-9 overall (8-9-1-5 at home; 13-6-0-4 on the road)


• 2011-12: Tonight is the third of four meetings this season, and the second and final at Madison Square Garden. New York is 2-0-0 (1-0-0 at home; 1-0-0 on the road) following a 3-0 win on Nov. 6 at MSG. The Rangers power play is 3-11 (27.3%) in the season series, while their penalty kill has held the Jets scoreless in five shorthanded situations. Marian Gaborik leads the Rangers with three points (two goals, one assist) in the series, and Martin Biron is 2-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA, .980 Sv% and one shutout in two games.


• Last Season: New York was 1-3-0 overall (0-2-0 at home; 1-1-0 on the road). Brian Boyle led the Rangers with two goals in the season series, and Henrik Lundqvist posted a 1-2-0 record with a 2.61 GAA in three games.


• New York ranks ninth with a 14-5-2 (30 pts) record at home; Winnipeg ranks 25th with a 7-12-4 (18 pts) mark on the road


• The Rangers are 9-2-1 vs. the Southeast Division; the Jets are 5-5-2 vs. the Atlantic Division


• New York lists one former Jet on their roster: Erik Christensen (2007-08 – 2008-09)


• Winnipeg lists one former Ranger on their roster: Nik Antropov (2008-09)

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