Rangers at Lightning
THE STORY: The New York Rangers are playing some of their best hockey in years. The Blueshirts have won four straight and 11 of their last 13 as they travel to play the inconsistent Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. It will be a homecoming for both coach John Tortorella and center Brad Richards. Tortorella and Conn Smythe winner Richards led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004. Tortorella has returned at the helm of the Rangers, but this will be the first time Richards will play at the St. Pete Times Forum in a Rangers’ uniform. Richards, who had five points in three games against the Lightning while playing for Dallas, has been warming up of late with seven points in his last four games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET; MSG (NewYork), SunSports (Tampa).
ABOUT THE RANGERS (14-5-3): New York is near the bottom in shots on goal, but the Rangers are making them count. Marian Gaborik has turned it up with 17 points in his last 15 games. Richards, the Rangers’ big-ticket free-agent acquisition last offseason, has helped in many areas, including an improving power play that has converted five times in its last four games. On the other end of the ice, Henrik Lundqvist has won eight of his last nine decisions.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (11-11-2): After sweeping first-place Florida in a home-and-home series, the Lightning made just enough mistakes to lose consecutive road games to Minnesota and Detroit. Steven Stamkos continues to produce with five goals in four games. Defenseman Matt Gilroy, who signed as a free agent this summer after two seasons with the Rangers, shares the team lead with Stamkos at plus-7. Goalie Mathieu Garon is expected to start his fourth game in the last five.
OVERTIME:
1. The Rangers got at least a point from 14 different players, including five of six defensemen, at Carolina on Thursday.
2. Lightning wing Marty St. Louis needs two points to reach 800 for his career.
3. Carl Hagelin is the first Rangers rookie to score at least a point in his first four NHL games since Steve King in 1992-93.