Rangers Nearing History Set To Break Franchise Record For Home Games Without Loss

The New York Rangers have a chance to make club history tonight, although none of them want to think about it.

“You can get comfortable within a streak,” Rangers coach Colin Campbell said, “and that can hurt you down the stretch.”

Nevertheless, it’s staring them in the face: their next victory or tie at Madison Square Garden will break the franchise record for consecutive home games without a loss.

It’s currently 24. Their next opponent: the New York Islanders.

“The only time I think about it is when somebody brings it up,” Campbell said.

When he was coaching at Binghamton, N.Y., Campbell helped the team set AHL records for most victories and points in a season. But, he said, “it didn’t mean anything” without winning a league championship.

To put the Rangers’ 18-0-6 streak in perspective, only four teams in NHL history have had longer home-ice streaks - the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens with 34, the 1970-71 Boston Bruins with 27, the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers with 26 and the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens with 25.

Last Thursday, the Canadiens led the Rangers 2-0 with less than 6 minutes left. But Luc Robitaille scored two goals to pull out a 2-2 tie, keeping the streak alive.

The Ranghers haven’t lost at home since a 4-2 defeat by Ottawa Oct. 22, and have an overall 19-2-6 record at the Garden.

With 14 games left at home in the regular season, the Rangers also have a chance to break the team’s all-time home mark of 30-2-7, set in the 1970-71 season.

It’s not often that a coach is happy with a point when his team had a 2-0 lead with less than 6 minutes left. But considering the way the Rangers have played at home this season, Tremblay didn’t mind the tie.

The Rangers originally set the club record in 1970-71, when they went 17-0-7 at the Garden.

“It’s one of the greatest buildings in the world, from a players’ standpoint,” goaltender Glenn Healy said. “The fans make a Rangers game like none other in the league.”

Healy has been a major contributor to the streak. When No. 1 goaltender Mike Richter went down with a groin injury at the end of December, Healy stepped in and did a great job.

He was 9-3-5 overall with a 2.76 goals-against average after Richter was sidelined. Richter returned for Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh, but reinjured the groin early and Healy performed well in an emergency situation.

Richter was again placed on the disabled list Tuesday. He is expected to be out two to three weeks.

The odds favor the Rangers getting the record. They’ve beaten the Islanders in their first three meetings, and are 39 points ahead of them in the Atlantic Division standings.