1977–78 New York Rangers season

1977–78 New York Rangers
Division	4th Patrick
Conference	5th Campbell
1977–78 record	30-37-13
Goals for	279
Goals against	280
Team information
General Manager	John Ferguson
Coach	Jean-Guy Talbot
Captain	Phil Esposito
Alternate captains	None
Arena	Madison Square Garden
Team leaders
Goals	Pat Hickey (40)
Assists	Ron Greschner (48)
Points	Phil Esposito (81)
Penalties in minutes	Carol Vadnais (115)
Wins	John Davidson (14)
<1976–77 1978–79>

The 1977–78 New York Rangers season was the 52nd season of the New York Rangers franchise. The Rangers slipped to last in the Patrick but qualified for the playoffs by having one of the top twelve records in the league. The Rangers lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Offseason

The Rangers hired Jean-Guy Talbot as their new head coach. It would be his only season as head coach of the Rangers.

Regular season

Season standings

Patrick Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
New York Islanders	80	48	17	15	334	210	111
Philadelphia Flyers	80	45	20	15	296	200	105
Atlanta Flames	80	34	27	19	274	252	87
New York Rangers	80	30	37	13	279	280	73

^[1]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results

1977-78 Game Log
October: 4-5-1 (Home: 3-2-1; Road: 1-3-0) Game October Opponent Score Record 1 12 Vancouver Canucks 6 - 3 1-0-0 2 15 @ Montreal Canadiens 5 - 0 1-1-0 3 16 New York Islanders 4 - 2 2-1-0 4 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 3 - 3 2-1-1 5 22 @ New York Islanders 7 - 2 2-2-1 6 23 Montreal Canadiens 6 - 2 2-3-1 7 25 @ Cleveland Barons 5 - 0 3-3-1 8 26 St. Louis Blues 6 - 2 4-3-1 9 29 @ Atlanta Flames 4 - 3 4-4-1 10 30 Los Angeles Kings 5 - 3 4-5-1
November: 5-7-1 (Home: 3-2-0; Road: 2-5-1) Game November Opponent Score Record 11 2 @ Colorado Rockies 6 - 2 4-6-1 12 4 @ Vancouver Canucks 5 - 1 5-6-1 13 5 @ Los Angeles Kings 3 - 1 5-7-1 14 9 Buffalo Sabres 8 - 4 6-7-1 15 12 @ Detroit Red Wings 3 - 1 6-8-1 16 13 Atlanta Flames 5 - 2 6-9-1 17 16 Chicago Black Hawks 5 - 2 7-9-1 18 19 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 5 - 5 7-9-2 19 20 Vancouver Canucks 3 - 0 7-10-2 20 23 Colorado Rockies 6 - 3 8-10-2 21 26 @ Boston Bruins 3 - 2 8-11-2 22 27 @ Buffalo Sabres 3 - 2 8-12-2 23 30 @ St. Louis Blues 4 - 0 9-12-2
December: 3-4-7 (Home: 2-2-4; Road: 1-2-3) Game December Opponent Score Record 24 3 @ Minnesota North Stars 4 - 0 10-12-2 25 4 Minnesota North Stars 4 - 4 10-12-3 26 7 Philadelphia Flyers 3 - 3 10-12-4 27 8 @ Philadelphia Flyers 7 - 4 10-13-4 28 11 Boston Bruins 8 - 2 10-14-4 29 14 @ Chicago Black Hawks 2 - 2 10-14-5 30 15 @ Detroit Red Wings 5 - 5 10-14-6 31 17 @ Cleveland Barons 4 - 2 10-15-6 32 18 Detroit Red Wings 6 - 2 11-15-6 33 21 Washington Capitals 5 - 5 11-15-7 34 23 Cleveland Barons 5 - 4 12-15-7 35 28 Philadelphia Flyers 4 - 3 12-16-7 36 30 @ Washington Capitals 3 - 3 12-16-8 37 31 Buffalo Sabres 2 - 2 12-16-9
January: 4-8-0 (Home: 0-3-0; Road: 4-5-0) Game January Opponent Score Record 38 4 @ Minnesota North Stars 5 - 3 13-16-9 39 7 @ Colorado Rockies 3 - 1 13-17-9 40 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 5 - 3 13-18-9 41 10 @ Boston Bruins 3 - 2 14-18-9 42 14 @ Philadelphia Flyers 4 - 1 14-19-9 43 17 @ Vancouver Canucks 5 - 4 15-19-9 44 18 @ Los Angeles Kings 3 - 0 16-19-9 45 20 @ Atlanta Flames 5 - 3 16-20-9 46 22 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3 - 1 16-21-9 47 25 Toronto Maple Leafs 4 - 3 16-22-9 48 28 @ New York Islanders 6 - 2 16-23-9 49 29 Los Angeles Kings 4 - 1 16-24-9
February: 5-6-2 (Home: 4-3-1; Road: 1-3-1) Game February Opponent Score Record 50 1 New York Islanders 7 - 6 16-25-9 51 4 @ St. Louis Blues 2 - 2 16-25-10 52 5 Colorado Rockies 6 - 3 17-25-10 53 8 Minnesota North Stars 3 - 0 18-25-10 54 9 @ Buffalo Sabres 2 - 0 18-26-10 55 11 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3 - 2 18-27-10 56 12 Montreal Canadiens 5 - 3 18-28-10 57 15 Vancouver Canucks 6 - 3 19-28-10 58 19 Colorado Rockies 4 - 4 19-28-11 59 22 @ Chicago Black Hawks 3 - 2 19-29-11 60 23 Chicago Black Hawks 6 - 2 20-29-11 61 25 @ Montreal Canadiens 6 - 3 21-29-11 62 27 Atlanta Flames 5 - 3 21-30-11
March: 8-2-2 (Home: 5-2-1; Road: 3-0-1) Game March Opponent Score Record 63 1 Detroit Red Wings 3 - 2 22-30-11 64 5 Toronto Maple Leafs 4 - 1 22-31-11 65 8 Cleveland Barons 6 - 1 23-31-11 66 12 Washington Capitals 8 - 2 24-31-11 67 15 Philadelphia Flyers 2 - 2 24-31-12 68 18 Boston Bruins 6 - 3 24-32-12 69 19 @ Minnesota North Stars 7 - 7 24-32-13 70 22 @ St. Louis Blues 6 - 1 25-32-13 71 24 @ Washington Capitals 11 - 4 26-32-13 72 25 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 5 - 2 27-32-13 73 27 St. Louis Blues 5 - 2 28-32-13 74 29 New York Islanders 5 - 1 29-32-13
April: 1-5-0 (Home: 1-1-0; Road: 0-4-0) Game April Opponent Score Record 75 1 @ Atlanta Flames 6 - 0 29-33-13 76 2 @ Boston Bruins 8 - 3 29-34-13 77 5 Atlanta Flames 4 - 2 29-35-13 78 6 @ Philadelphia Flyers 3 - 0 29-36-13 79 8 @ New York Islanders 7 - 2 29-37-13 80 9 Chicago Black Hawks 3 - 2 30-37-13

Playoffs

Key:      Win      Loss

1978 Stanley Cup playoffs
Preliminary Round: vs. Buffalo Sabres - Buffalo wins series 2-1 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Series 1 April 11 New York Rangers 1 - 4 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo leads series 1-0 2 April 13 Buffalo Sabres 3 - 4 New York Rangers OT Series tied 1-1 3 April 15 New York Rangers 1 - 4 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo wins series 2-1

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular Season Player GP G A Pts PIM Esposito, PhilPhil Esposito 79 38 43 81 53 Hickey, PatPat Hickey 80 40 33 73 47 Greschner, RonRon Greschner 78 24 48 72 100 Tkaczuk, WaltWalt Tkaczuk 80 26 40 66 30 Vickers, SteveSteve Vickers 79 19 44 63 30 Murdoch, DonDon Murdoch 66 27 28 55 41 Vadnais, CarolCarol Vadnais 80 6 40 46 115 Duguay, RonRon Duguay 71 20 20 40 43 DeBlois, LucienLucien DeBlois 71 22 8 30 27 Johnstone, EdEd Johnstone 53 13 13 26 44 Polis, GregGreg Polis 37 7 16 23 12 Maloney, DaveDave Maloney 56 2 19 21 63 McEwen, MikeMike McEwen 57 5 13 18 52 Dillon, WayneWayne Dillon 59 5 13 18 15 Newman, DanDan Newman 59 5 13 18 22 Heaslip, MarkMark Heaslip 29 5 10 15 34 Awrey, DonDon Awrey 78 2 8 10 38 Gilbert, RodRod Gilbert 19 2 7 9 6 Fotiu, NickNick Fotiu 59 2 7 9 105 Farrish, DaveDave Farrish 66 3 5 8 62 Hodge, KenKen Hodge 18 2 4 6 8 Smith, DallasDallas Smith 29 1 4 5 23 Byers, JerryJerry Byers 7 2 1 3 0 Marois, MarioMario Marois 8 1 1 2 15 Goldsworthy, BillBill Goldsworthy 7 0 1 1 12 Keating, MikeMike Keating 1 0 0 0 0 Stefanski, BudBud Stefanski 1 0 0 0 0 Hickey, GregGreg Hickey 1 0 0 0 0 Holst, GregGreg Holst 4 0 0 0 0 Gosselin, BenoitBenoit Gosselin 7 0 0 0 33

Playoffs Player GP G A Pts PIM Murdoch, DonDon Murdoch 3 1 3 4 4 Vickers, SteveSteve Vickers 3 2 1 3 0 Duguay, RonRon Duguay 3 1 1 2 2 Vadnais, CarolCarol Vadnais 3 0 2 2 16 Tkaczuk, WaltWalt Tkaczuk 3 0 2 2 0 Hickey, PatPat Hickey 3 2 0 2 0 Smith, DallasDallas Smith 1 0 1 1 0 Dillon, WayneWayne Dillon 3 0 1 1 0 Esposito, PhilPhil Esposito 3 0 1 1 5 Marois, MarioMario Marois 1 0 0 0 5 Farrish, DaveDave Farrish 3 0 0 0 0 Fotiu, NickNick Fotiu 3 0 0 0 5 Awrey, DonDon Awrey 3 0 0 0 6 Heaslip, MarkMark Heaslip 3 0 0 0 0 Newman, DanDan Newman 3 0 0 0 4 Maloney, DaveDave Maloney 3 0 0 0 11 DeBlois, LucienLucien DeBlois 3 0 0 0 2 Greschner, RonRon Greschner 3 0 0 0 2

Goaltenders

Regular Season

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SO
Thomas, WayneWayne Thomas	41	2352	12	20	7	141	3.60	4
Davidson, JohnJohn Davidson	34	1848	14	13	4	98	3.18	1
Soetaert, DougDoug Soetaert	6	360	2	2	2	20	3.33	0
Astrom, HardyHardy Astrom	4	240	2	2	0	14	3.50	0

Playoffs

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	GAA	SO
Davidson, JohnJohn Davidson	2	122	1	1	7	3.44	0
Thomas, WayneWayne Thomas	1	60	0	1	4	4.00	0

^†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.

^[2]

Note:

Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

• Phil Esposito, Lester Patrick Trophy^[3]

Draft picks

New York's picks at the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	8	Lucien DeBlois	RW	Canada	Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)
1	13	Ron Duguay	C	Canada	Sudbury Wolves (OHA)
2	26	Mike Keating	LW	Canada	St. Catharines Fincups (OHA)
3	44	Steve Baker	G	United States	Union College (NCAA)
4	62	Mario Marois	D	Canada	Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
5	80	Benoit Gosselin	LW	Canada	Trois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL)
6	98	John Bethel	LW	Canada	Boston University (NCAA)
7	116	Bob Sullivan	LW	Canada	Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
8	131	Lance Nethery	C	Canada	Cornell University (NCAA)
9	146	Alex Jeans	C	Canada	University of Toronto (CIAU)
10	157	Pete Raps	LW	Canada	Western Michigan University (NCAA)
11	164	Mike Brown	RW	United States	Western Michigan University (NCAA)
12	171	Mark Miller	LW	Canada	University of Michigan (NCAA)

See also

• 1977–78 NHL season

References

• Rangers on Hockey Database

1. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
2. "1977-78 New York Rangers". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
3. Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.425, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6