The New York Rangers got goals from four different players as they squeaked by the shorthanded Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Tuesday night. The Canucks were missing two-thirds of their top line in Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller but still found a way to stay step-for-step with the now 12-4-1 Rangers. Led by two-point efforts from Kaapo Kakko and Will Cuylle up front and Adam Fox on the blue line, the Rangers won their third straight since getting bounced 6-3 by the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 12. Chris Kreider got the eventual game-winner in the third with his ninth, and remains without an assist 17 games into the season.
Game Recap
The scoring started quickly in this one as the Canucks and Rangers traded goals in the first three minutes of the game. First, Quinn Hughes danced Jacob Trouba and backhanded it by Igor Shesterkin 34 seconds in, and then Mika Zibanejad answered at 2:31 with a deflection off a K’Andre Miller shot. The score stayed 1-1 until 14:38 when Cuylle got behind Hughes and snapped his sixth of the season by Arturs Silovs. The Rangers held the 2-1 lead for only a few minutes, though, as Kiefer Sherwood put home his fifth on the rush after a great pass by Elias Pettersson. The period ended tied at two with Pettersson and Adam Fox already with two-point nights.
The middle frame was full of excitement for the fans as both teams traded chances and goals. The Rangers’ third line struck again at 8:45 with Kakko potting his third, giving the Rangers the lead, until Conor Garland tied it with his fifth at 13:02 with a laser over the shoulder of Shesterkin. The goal also gave Dakota Joshua his first point since his recovery from testicular cancer.
The third period wasn’t as exciting as the first two, but the Rangers found a way to grab the lead again on a goal from Kreider 10:43 into the period when he snapped a wrister by Silovs stick side. The Canucks had a power play and few good chances to tie it after that, but ultimately fell short and finished their homestand 2-4-0, falling to 3-5-3 on the season at Rogers Arena. The Rangers improved to 7-1-0 on the road and remain one of the best road teams in the NHL. Shesterkin stopped 21 of 24 shots in the victory while Silovs was the busier goaltender in the loss with 29 saves on 33 shots.
What’s Next for the Canucks & Rangers?
The Canucks will now head out onto the road for a six-game trek out east. Their first opponent will be the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. The Rangers, meanwhile, will travel to Calgary to face the Flames on Thursday.
