The Rangers headed to the Motor City for the second half of their back-to-back with the Red Wings, following Friday night’s victory over the last-place team. And while the Rangers only scored once against Jonathan Bernier, Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 33 shots he faced to lead the Blueshirts to victory.
Mika Zibanejad – The lone goal of the game came from the 26-year-old Swede, who knocked in the rebound of Chris Kreider’s deflection at the side of the net to give the Rangers the lead. Ryan Strome fired a hard pass to Kreider at the side of the net, where the Massachusetts native redirected the puck off of Bernier. Zibanjead pounced on the loose puck and got enough on it to trickle through the Red Wings goaltender.
Zibanejad’s goal was his 20th of the year, making it the third consecutive season with 20 goals for the center. Zibanejad also had a fantastic night in the faceoff circle, winning 75% of the draws he took.
Chris Kreider – Unfortunately for the Rangers, it’ll be a slightly bittersweet trip to MoTown as Chris Kreider exited the game with an upper-body injury. After Kreider got knocked down in front and his momentum took him towards the corner, the aforementioned Zibanejad attempted to jump over his fallen teammate. However, Zibanejad’s knee caught the side of Kreider’s head, sending the veteran to the locker room for the remainder of the game. The full extent of Kreider’s injury remains unknown, but if the initial reports after the game are correct, Kreider and the Rangers may have dodged a huge bullet.
Henrik Lundqvist – King Henrik turned back the clock with his 33 save shutout, his first shutout since November 2017. Lundqvist made a few dandies, including a fantastic glove save on Patrik Nemeth and a breakaway stop on Dylan Larkin. He may not be playing as much as he’d like, but Henrik Lundqvist just showed he can still perform at the highest level.
Post Game Notes
- As of the conclusion of tonight’s game, Lundqvist’s 459 career wins are the fifth-most in NHL history. He made his 883rd career NHL appearance in tonight’s contest, passing John Vanbiesbrouck for sole possession of ninth place on the league’s all-time appearances list. Lundqvist’s 459 wins and 883 appearances are both the second-most by a goaltender with one franchise in NHL history.
- Zibanejad extended his point streak to three games, and he has notched six points (two goals, four assists) over the span. Zibanejad has also registered a power-play goal in each of the last two games, and he leads the Rangers in power-play goals this season (nine).
- The Blueshirts have recorded a power-play goal in each of the last three games (4-for-10; 40.0%), in five of the last six games (7-for-17; 41.2%), in seven of the last nine games (10-for-28; 35.7%), and in nine of the last 14 games (14-for-39; 35.9%). The Rangers have posted a 19-6-2 record when tallying at least one power-play goal in a game in 2019-20.
- The Rangers have not allowed a power-play goal against in eight of the last 11 games (24-for-28; 85.7%), in 16 of the last 24 games (61-for-73; 83.6%), and in 20 of the last 30 games (81-for-96; 84.4%). The Blueshirts have posted an 18-7-1 record when not allowing a power-play goal against in a game in 2019-20.
Next Game: The Blueshirts head back to MSG for a matchup with the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Puck drops at 7!
LETS GO RANGERS!!
Post-game notes courtesy of the Rangers