MORE: Full first-round schedule
Record: 53-22-7 (113 points)
Standing: NHL’s best, winners of Presidents’ Trophy; top seed and home-ice advantage throughout their run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Clinched: March 26
Coach: Alain Vigneault (regular season: 520-341-35-74; playoffs: 50-53)
Captain: Ryan McDonagh
Alternates: Martin St. Louis, Derek Stepan, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal
Players to watch: Look no further than No. 61, Rick Nash. This 13-year veteran stole the show with 42 goals, third best in the league, and 69 points. He was a Hart Trophy candidate until a scoring slump about a month ago, but he reached 40 goals for the third time in his career.
The Rangers aren’t short on scoring. Derick Brassard (19), Derek Stepan (16), Martin St. Louis (21), Mats Zuccarello (15) and Chris Kreider (21) also contribute.
Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist is back after missing nearly two months with a blood vessel injury in his neck. In 45 games King Henrik had a .923 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average. Back-up in Cam Talbot was solid in Lundqvist’s absence. He had a .926 save percentage and a 2.21 goal-against average.
Playoff history: The Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup Final last season, led by late-season pickup St. Louis. They lost in five games to the Los Angeles Kings. The Rangers have seen the postseason 57 times.
Championships: Their most recent Cup came 21 years ago, led by Mark Messier. They also won the cup in 1928, 1933 and 1940.
First-round schedule (*-if necessary):
April 16, 7 p.m. at Rangers; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports April 18, 8 p.m. at Rangers; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports April 20, 7 p.m. at Pittsburgh; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports April 22, 7 p.m. at Pittsburgh; NBCSN, SN 360, TVA Sports *April 24, TBD at Rangers, TBD *April 26, TBD at Pittsburgh, TBD *April 28, TBD at Rangers, TBD
Cassandra Negley is a contributor at Sporting News. She’s currently the sports editor at the Thomasville Times-Enterprise in Georgia and writes for the Mets blog, Rising Apple. You can follow her on Twitter, @casnegley.
