Stars at Rangers
THE STORY: The New York Rangers will look to move atop the Eastern Conference standings with a win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers, with a game in hand, are just a single point behind the Philadelphia Flyers, who currently lead both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference. New York, 8-2-2 in its last 12 games at MSG, thrashed the Southeast Division-leading Florida Panthers 6-1 Sunday night. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped 20 shots for his 12th win of the season. Special teams have helped spark the Rangers, who were 2 for 3 on the power play and a perfect 7 for 7 on the PK against Florida. The Stars moved into a 1st place tie atop the Pacific Division with a 2-1 win in Los Angeles on Saturday. Dallas was backstopped by rookie goaltender Richard Bachman, who made 26 saves for the win in his first NHL start. Trevor Daley led the offence with a goal and an assist as the Stars improved their road record to 7-7-0. This is the first and only meeting of the two teams this year.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Southwest, MSG
ABOUT THE STARS (16-11-1): Specialty teams have been a mixed blessing for the Stars. Dallas has struggled on the power play, going just 3 for 15 in its last four games. On the bright side, the penalty kill is 25 for 27 in the last nine contests. The Stars, 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, will look to Bachman to collect wins early in his career. Bachman could play a lot in the absence of starting goalie Kari Lehtonen, who remains out of the lineup with a groin injury and is not expected back until after Christmas. Backup goalie Andrew Raycroft (2-7-0) has struggled in Lehtonen’s absence, opening the door for the rookie.
ABOUT THE RANGERS (17-6-4): New York is among the hottest teams in the NHL as the Blueshirts have earned at least a point in 16 of their last 19 games. In the month of December alone, the Rangers have won four of their last six games, picking up nine of a possible 10 points. Brad Richards, meeting his former team for the first time since joining the Rangers, has 12 points in his last nine games. Richards, who is on pace for his first 30-goal campaign, led the Stars in scoring last year with 28 goals and 49 assists in 72 games.
OVERTIME:
1. Before earning his first NHL win last week, Bachman made 11 saves on 11 shots in third period relief against the San Jose Sharks on December 8th.
2. The New York Rangers recorded a historic win Saturday night in Buffalo. Their 4-1 victory was the 2,500th in franchise history.
3. Ranger legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier announced last week that he would delay shoulder surgery in order to participate in the Winter Classic Alumni game in Philadelphia on December 31st.