Rangers at Red Wings
The New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings have regained their footing after stumbling out the blocks to start the season. The red-hot Rangers bid for their fifth consecutive victory on Friday when they open a brief two-game road trip against their Original Six rivals at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
"We're building something here. We had a rough start and we're getting wins," New York forward Kevin Hayes said after recording his fourth career three-assist performance in Tuesday's 5-3 victory over Montreal. Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 31 shots versus the Canadiens to boost his career win total to 436, which is one shy of tying Hall of Famer Jacques Plante for seventh place on the NHL's all-time wins list. The former Vezina Trophy recipient has registered four shutouts to highlight a 7-4-4 career mark versus Detroit, which has rebounded from the worst start in franchise history by posting wins in four of its last five contests. "I wouldn't say it takes the sting out of the slow start, but it's something to build off of for sure," said forward Justin Abdelkader, who scored his third goal in five games during Tuesday's 3-2 shootout win versus Vancouver.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), FS Detroit
ABOUT THE RANGERS (7-7-1): Mika Zibanejad scored and set up a goal to boost his team-leading point total to 13, with 11 (five goals, six assists) coming in the last nine games. The 25-year-old Swede hasn't been as productive versus Detroit, however, as he was held off the scoresheet in all three games last season and has just one goal and one assist in the last 15 encounters. Fellow forward Chris Kreider netted his team-leading seventh goal on Tuesday heading into a tilt with the Red Wings, against whom he has notched 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his last 12 contests.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (5-8-2): Jimmy Howard faced at least 37 shots for the fifth time in six outings following his 40-save performance versus Vancouver, with his stellar play keeping Detroit within arm's length following a quick 2-0 deficit. "We're bending and not breaking," the 34-year-old told the Detroit Free Press. "Earlier in the season when stuff started to go wrong, the body language was off and things really exploded on us." Gustav Nyquist scored just his second goal of the season on Tuesday to both forge a 2-2 tie and extend his point streak to five games, during which he has five of his team-high 11 assists.
OVERTIME
1. New York has secured at least one point in 14 of its last 16 meetings (10-2-4) with Detroit.
2. Red Wings C Dylan Larkin has collected two goals and six assists in his last five contests.
3. Rangers D Neal Pionk has scored in back-to-back games to boost his point total to eight (two goals, six assists) in the last nine contests.