2010–11 New York Rangers season

The 2010–11 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 84th season of play and their 85th season overall. The Rangers celebrated 85 years since their establishment in 1926.



Pre-season
After an off-season of speculation and rumors, the Rangers waived veteran defenseman Wade Redden on September 25. By waiving Redden, the Rangers were able to rid themselves of his large salary and have more flexibility to sign players under the current salary cap.

Regular season
The Rangers won their first game of the season, on October 9 at Buffalo. Derek Stepan had a hat trick in the 6–3 win, becoming only the fourth player in NHL history to record a hat trick in his first career NHL game.

On November 12, 2010, the Rangers unveiled their 85th anniversary Heritage "third" jersey at an event at Rockefeller Center. The Rangers wore the jersey for a game for the first time on November 17 against the Boston Bruins.

Three Rangers participated in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game. Marc Staal and Henrik Lundqvist played in the main game, and rookie Derek Stepan took part in the SuperSkills Competition.

On April 4, 2011, the Rangers beat the Boston Bruins 5–3 after trailing in the game 3–0. According to the Versus broadcasters, this was the first time in franchise history that the Rangers were able to overcome a 3–0 deficit to the Bruins to win the game. The two teams had played each other 624 times since 1926.

The Rangers tied the Boston Bruins for the most shutouts for, with 11.

Playoffs
For the second straight season, the Rangers playoff hopes came down to the final game of the regular season. The Rangers defeated the Devils 5–2 on the afternoon of April 9, 2011 and then had to wait for the result of the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning game that night. The Lightning defeated the Hurricanes, securing the Rangers spot in the playoffs. (Both the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils missed the 2011 playoffs; had the Rangers also failed to qualify, it would have marked the first time since 1966 that the Stanley Cup playoffs did not feature a club from the New York metro area.) The Rangers qualified for the playoffs, after missing the playoffs last season for the first time since the lockout, as the #8 seed. They were defeated by the #1 seeded Washington Capitals in the first round.

Key: Win  Loss

Player statistics

 * Skaters


 * Goaltenders

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Rangers. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.

‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.

Records
With a 6–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on March 18, 2011, Henrik Lundqvist became the first goalie in NHL history to record 30 wins or more in each of his first six seasons.

Transactions
The Rangers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2010–11 season.

Draft picks
New York's picks at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles.

Hartford Wolf Pack / Connecticut Whale (AHL)
The 2010–11 season will be the 14th season of AHL hockey for the franchise. The Hartford Wolf Pack became the Connecticut Whale on November 27, 2010.

Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL)
The 2010–11 season will be the 1st season of affiliation for the Rangers and the Road Warriors.