On April 17 in NYR history: The only successful penalty shot

What happened on April 17 in the history of the New York Rangers

Penalty shots in the playoffs are a rarity.  Penalty shots by a New York Ranger in a playoff game are even rarer. There have been 83 penalty shots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and only two by the Rangers.

On this date in 1981, Anders Hedberg scored the only penalty shot goal in franchise history in a 6-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. In 1937 Alex Shibicky had the first penalty shot awarded in Stanley Cup Final history, but failed to score.

The Rangers were tied with the Blues in the third period when Hedberg was awarded the penalty shot by referee Dave Newell after Hedberg was tripped on a breakaway by defenseman Jack Brownschidle.   Hedberg beat Mike Liut between the legs on the shot, giving the Rangers a 4-3 lead.  It was the only penalty shot of Hedberg’s career.

While the Rangers have taken only two penalty shots in playoff history, they have had to defend against six with the most famous the Mike Richter save on Pavel Bure in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final.

An ugly record

On this date in 1983, the New York Islanders tied an NHL record against the Rangers when they scored three shorthanded goals in one game.  The Boston Bruins has set the record two years earlier in a game against the Minnesota North Stars.

The good news is the Rangers actually won the game 7-6.  it was a wild one with the Rangers almost blowing a 7-2 lead.  Denis Potvin scored on a power play with the goalie pulled and 43 seconds left in the game to make the score 7-6.  Mike Bossy of the Islanders then actually tied the score, putting the puck past Ed Mio,  but referee Bruce Hood had lost sight of the puck before it went into the net and had blown the whistle. It’s a ridiculous rule,but it benefited the Rangers in this game.

The Rangers won Game Four to tie the series at two games apiece,but they lost the last two as the Islanders eliminated the Rangers from the playoffs for the third straight year.

The Rangers have scored two shorthanded goals in a game eight times in their playoff history.

Today’s birthdays

24 NHL players have been born on April 17 including one current Ranger as well as a former player and current Assistant Coach.

Pavel Buchnevich was born on this date in 1995 in Cherepovets, in the Russian Federation.  Currently in his fifth season with the Blueshirts, he was a third round selection in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.  This has been a breakthrough season for Buchnevich, one of the team’s leading scorers and best penalty killers.

He became the first Ranger to get a hat trick on his birthday, a feat accomplished 13 times before in NHL history.

David Oliver was born on this date in 1971 in Sechelt, British Columbia.  He was a right winger who played 14 games for the Rangers in 1997 after being waived by the Edmonton Oilers. After that season he signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Senators.   Oliver is currently an assistant coach with the Rangers, joining the team with David Quinn in 2018.

Dennis Hextall was born on this date in 1943 in n Poplar Point, Manitoba. Though he played only 13 games for the Rangers in the 1968-69 season, he did have a 12 year NHL career with six different teams.  He has Rangers hockey in his blood, being the son of Hall of Famer and lifelong Ranger great Bryan Hextall.  Dennis and his brother Bryan both had brief careers with the Rangers, unable to follow in the footsteps of their father.   Dennis Hextall is the uncle of current Penguins GM Ron Hextall.

The numbers

Today was the first time the Rangers have played a regular season game on April 17.  Their win over the Devils gives them a perfect 1-0 record on this date.  They have an excellent record on this date in playoff games, winning seven of 10.

Playoffs games: 10
Wins: 6
Losses: 3
Overtime wins: 1
Winning percentage: 70%