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Game Notes: Rangers blow away the Hurricanes on home ice

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers salute the crowd 11-3

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

  • The Rangers are red hot. They’re 11-2-2, and their 11 wins and 24 points are tied for the best start through 15 games in franchise history. They’ve won six games in a row, and have points in 10 straight games (8-0-2). Under Alain Vigneault, the Rangers have posted two 10 game point streaks in the past two seasons, just the fifth and sixth time that has happened in franchise history. Despite all of the record setting…
  • The Rangers aren’t close to playing their best hockey. In fact, they’re not playing that well at all. That may seem stupid to say about a team with an 11-2-2 record, but it makes sense. Last night, the Rangers led 2-0 after the first period. But they had just three shots on goal, and eight shot attempts. The Hurricanes controlled the flow of the period and had more chances, evident by their eight shots on goal and 24 shot attempts. That’s been the norm in a lot of the games they play. They’re out possessed, out chanced, and even outplayed in some instances, but still coming away with wins. That really is a testament to….
  • Their goaltending. The Rangers have the best goaltender duo in the NHL, hands down. Henrik Lundqvist has moved past his history of slow starts, beginning the season in playoff mode. Antti Raanta has been absurdly good in his three starts, allowing two goals in all of the games. He was four seconds away from a second shutout against the Coyotes, but he still finished with 39 saves. New York has the second best goal differential in the league (+20), behind only the Montreal Canadiens and their incredible +30 differential. The Rangers have allowed 24 goals or fewer in the first 15 games of the season for the first time since 1939-40 and for the sixth time in team history. Henrik Lundqvist’s .949 save percentage is the best mark that any NYR goalie has posted in their first 12 starts since the NHL began tracking that stat in 1975-76. Lundqvist has allowed just 20 gals this season, the fewest of any goalie that has started at least 10 games. He’s also faced the most shots against (384) than any NHL netminder this season. That speaks volumes about…

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Hurricane Warning; Rangers back at MSG to take on Carolina, Nash “good to go”

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers vs hurricanes faceoff 1-31

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

The Rangers (10-2-2) are back on home ice after sweeping their brief two game road trip, facing off against the Carolina Hurricanes (6-8-0), the first of four games between these Metropolitan Division foes.

New York has had tremendous success against Carolina in the past few years, winning all five games against them last season, outscoring the Hurricanes 13-5. Four of the five wins were one goal games, with three of the games ending in a shootout.

The Rangers are off to their best start through 14 games in franchise history, posting an impressive 10-2-2 record with 22 points, sitting atop the Metropolitan Division and winning five straight games. They’ve picked up a point in nine consecutive games, going 7-0-2 following their loss to the Montreal Canadiens on October 15th. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers look to extend win streak against Ovechkin and the Capitals

Bobby Bevilacqua

lundqvist during anthem 11-1

Henrik Lundqvist will be back in net for the Rangers tonight, and will be searching for his sixth straight win. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

The Rangers (17-10-4) are playing their best hockey of the season, currently in the midst of a six game win streak, and they will face a tough challenge against the Washington Capitals (17-10-6), who are two points ahead of them in the standings.

The Capitals did play last night, beating the Ottawa Senators by a score of 2-1. Goaltender Braden Holtby stole the show, stopping 38 shots in his 15th victory of the year. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers win again against Carolina; Talbot records third shutout

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers salute the crowd 12-21

The Rangers salute the crowd after defeating the Hurricanes to earn their sixth straight victory. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

Make it six!

In front of an emotional crowd mourning the loss of two NYPD officers, The Rangers (17-10-4) continued to play their best hockey of the year, picking up another victory and sweeping the home-and-home against the Carolina Hurricanes (9-20-4).

After making a comeback victory last night, the Rangers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, shutting out the Hurricanes by a score of 1-0. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers keep on rolling over Carolina in a shootout; Kevin Klein scores late tying goal

Bobby Bevilacqua

lundqvist 12-20

Henrik Lundqvist makes one of his 18 saves against Justin Faulk. Lundqvist was not tested much during regulation, but made one great save in the shootout to seal the victory for the Rangers. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The Rangers (16-10-4) managed to find a way to win again over the hard-working Carolina Hurricanes (9-20-3) in the shootout. JT Miller and Kevin Klein were the goal scorers for the Rangers, and Mats Zuccarello sealed the victory in the shootout.

The Rangers rallied twice in the third period to sweep their road trip, winning all four games. It is only the fourth time in team history that the Rangers have swept a road trip of four or more games. The shootout victory also extended the Rangers season high win streak to five games. Read the rest of this entry