Boeser is fourth on the team with 148 scoring chances this season. He is up to 22 goals this year and has exceeded the 20-goal plateau six times in his career. Boeser’s first goal on Thursday night was his 200th in the NHL, and he is tied with Bo Horvat for eighth in all-time goals as a Canuck.
The Canucks sit one point out of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. They have one game in hand on the St. Louis Blues, who hold onto the final spot with 77 points in 70 games played.
It’s a tight race in the Eastern Conference for playoff positioning, and the Rangers are in the midst of a battle of their own for the final wild card spot.
They sit two points out of the final wild card spot and have been sliding down the standings with a 2-5-2 record over their past nine games. They are also currently on a three-game losing streak, during which they have scored just five goals.
Saturday’s game will be the first game where J.T. Miller plays against the Canucks since he was traded to the Rangers at the end of January. Miller has seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 20 games with the Rangers. They have gone 9-9-2 since acquiring Miller.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Rangers are 16-17-3 on home ice this season.
- Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in goals (31) and points (75). The scoring winger is tied for 13th in the league for points and is one of 17 players to have 30+ goals this season.
- Their power play ranks 25th in the league, with an 18.4% conversion percentage. Panarin leads the team with eight goals on the man advantage.
- They are sixth on the penalty kill, with an 82.2% kill rate, and have scored a league-leading 14 shorthanded goals.
- The Rangers are 2-5-0 this season in the 1:00 p.m. ET games. (10:00 a.m. PT)
- Chris Kreider is second in the league with four shorthanded goals.
- They have been outscored 47-32 in second periods on home ice.
- Igor Shesterkin has started 52 of the Rangers’ 70 games this season. The former Vezina Trophy winner has a 23-25-4 record with a .907% save percentage, 2.81 goals-against average, and has five shutouts.
- The Rangers are 23-6-3 when scoring first this season.
- They are 4-12-2 when the opposition scores the opening goal on their home ice.
The Story: Road Stats
With a 17-12-5 record, the Canucks are holding their own on the road this season.
When they are away from Rogers Arena, various parts of the lineup have performed strongly, and we wanted to highlight some of the notable road statistics in today’s ‘The Story’ section of the game preview.
Kevin Lankinen had a tremendous start to the season on the road. Earlier this year, he became the first goaltender to begin the season 10-0-0 on the road.
He holds a 15-5-4 record on the road this season. Lankinen’s 15 wins on the road rank second in the league to only Connor Hellebuyck’s 18 on the year.
Three of those 15 wins have been shutouts, which leads the league.
Quinn Hughes has 36 points (5g-31a) in 29 road games. His 31 assists on the road tie with Connor McDavid for third in the league.
Jake DeBrusk has scored 16 of his 23 goals on the road.
Conor Garland has scored 13 of his 17 goals on the road.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Elias Pettersson: 2g-6a-8p
Quinn Hughes: 2g-4a-6p
Nils Höglander: 1g-5a-6p
Pius Suter: 4g-1a-5p
Brock Boeser: 4g-1a-5p
When and Where to Watch
Thursday’s game is a 10:00 a.m. PT start, and you can watch it on Sportsnet or listen along to the radio call with Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
