The Vancouver Canucks will finish their six-game homestand with a Tuesday night tilt against the New York Rangers.
It has been an up-and-down homestand up to this point and through five games, the Canucks hold a 2-3-0 record and are looking to finish with a win against a strong New York Rangers squad.
The Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference finals last year and have talent at every position in their lineup.
At forward, they are led by Artemi Panarin, a two-time first-team all-star in the NHL. The 33-year-old winger has already scored 10 goals this season and is one of 17 players to do so this season.
On defence, Adam Fox is a former Norris Trophy winner and is averaging 22:29 of ice time per game. He has 13 assists this season and has picked up seven of those assists on the power play. Fox will be paired up with K’Andre Miller on the Rangers’ top pairing and that duo is one of the best puck-moving pairings in the league.
The Rangers have Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin as their leading man between the pipes. He has started 12 of the Rangers’ 17 games this season and has an impressive 7-4-1 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .914% save percentage.
The Canucks are looking to close out this homestand with a win before they hit the road for their longest road trip of the season. They will play in Ottawa, Boston, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Detroit, and Minnesota over 12 days.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Rangers’ 11-4-1 record gives them the fifth-best points percentage in the league, and they have been excellent on the road this season; posting a 6-1-0 record away from Madison Square Garden.
- Their power play ranks 7th in the league while clicking at 25.6% on the year. Panarin leads the team with four power play goals while Chris Kreider has three and Alexis Lafrenière has a couple.
- After facing the league’s top penalty kill unit on Sunday, the Canucks will see the second-best shorthanded team on Tuesday as the Rangers sit at 88.2% on the penalty kill. Kreider leads with two shorthanded goals.
- Vincent Trocheck leads the Rangers with 291 faceoffs this season (18.2 per game). He has won 56.4% of his draws through 16 games played.
- The Rangers have outscored their opponents 31-10 through seven road games.
- Scoring first is important as the Rangers have a 10-0-0 record when they score the first goal of the game. They are 7-0-0 when leading after the first period and 10-0-0 when leading after the second.
- Tuesday’s game will be the second of a four-game road trip. The Rangers beat the Seattle Kraken 2-0 on Sunday and will travel to face the two Alberta teams after Tuesday night’s game.
The Story: Cleaning Up the Penalty Kill
Head coach Rick Tocchet thought that his team played well at five-on-five in their Sunday night game against the Nashville Predators but was not happy with his team’s play while shorthanded.
“We ran around a little too much,” said Tocchet about his team’s shorthanded play on Sunday. “We gave that flanker shot, and we overplayed the one side. I didn't like our structure in it. We talked about it before the game, Footy made a presentation [that] was good. We just didn't do the gameplay. A couple of guys ran around. Can't do that.”
The Canucks currently rank 14th in the NHL with an 80.4% kill rate. Tyler Myers (39:52), Carson Soucy (38:43), and Filip Hronek (38:22) lead the team in shorthanded ice time this season.
Of the forwards, Pius Suter leads the way with 33:30, Teddy Blueger comes in second with 31:45, J.T. Miller is at 21:19 and Kiefer Sherwood rounds out the top-four with 20:33.
Sherwood has not been on the ice for a shorthanded goal against this season. He ranks fifth in the NHL for most ice time without surrendering a shorthanded goal.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Elias Pettersson: 4g-2a-6p
J.T. Miller: 1g-4a-5p
Erik Brännström: 2g-2a-4p
Danton Heinen: 0g-4a-4p
Quinn Hughes: 0g-4a-4p
When and Where to Watch
Tuesday’s game is a 7:00 p.m. start time and can be viewed on Sportsnet or you can listen along to the radio call with Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
