2021–22 New York Rangers season
The 2021–22 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 95th season of play and their 96th season overall. Before the season, the Rangers lost Colin Blackwell to the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.
| 2021–22 New York Rangers | |
|---|---|
| Division | 2nd Metropolitan |
| Conference | 4th Eastern |
| 2021–22 record | 52–24–6 |
| Home record | 27–10–4 |
| Road record | 25–14–2 |
| Goals for | 254 |
| Goals against | 207 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Chris Drury |
| Coach | Gerard Gallant |
| Captain | Vacant |
| Alternate captains | Barclay Goodrow Chris Kreider Artemi Panarin Ryan Strome Jacob Trouba Mika Zibanejad |
| Arena | Madison Square Garden |
| Average attendance | 16,839 |
| Minor league affiliate(s) | Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Chris Kreider (52) |
| Assists | Artemi Panarin (74) |
| Points | Artemi Panarin (96) |
| Penalty minutes | Jacob Trouba (88) |
| Plus/minus | Mika Zibanejad (+30) |
| Wins | Igor Shesterkin (36) |
| Goals against average | Keith Kinkaid (2.00) |
The Rangers retired the no. 30 jersey in honor of Henrik Lundqvist on January 28, 2022.
During the season the team commemorated Rod Gilbert, who died in August 2021, with a no. 7 shoulder patch on their jerseys. Additionally, the Rangers created the Rod Gilbert "Mr. Ranger" Award, which will be given annually to the player "who best honors Rod's legacy by exemplifying leadership qualities both on and off the ice, and making a significant humanitarian contribution to his community."
On December 3, 2021, after a 1–0 win over the San Jose Sharks, Rangers goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev had a first combined shutout since Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Raanta achieved it during a 2–0 victory over the Dallas Stars on December 15, 2016.
Three Rangers were selected to participate in the 2022 NHL All-Star Game: Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, and Mika Zibanejad. However, due to personal reasons, Zibanejad did not attend the game. It was the 34th time in franchise history that the Rangers have had three or more players selected to the same All-Star Game and first since the 2011–12 season with Henrik Lundqvist, Daniel Girardi and Marian Gaborik. At the conclusion of the regular season, Shesterkin was nominated for and eventually won the Vezina Trophy, and was also named to the NHL first All-Star team.
On April 9, 2022, the Rangers clinched a playoff berth after a 5–1 win against the Ottawa Senators. In the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Rangers trailed 3–1 after the first four games of the series, but won the next three games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and won the series 4–3. This was the third time in franchise history that the Rangers won the seven-game series after trailing 3–1 (2013–14 and 2014–15). The Rangers qualified for the Conference Finals for the first time since the 2014–15 season after they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games in the Second Round. They would go on to lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.