The New York Rangers (33-25-5) welcomed the Pacific Division Vancouver Canucks (26-22-6) to the Big Apple with the Canucks looking for a win to begin their 4-game road trip; and their sixth road win in their last 8 games.
Tyler Myers and Matthew Highmore (1-1=2 each) along with J.T. Miller (0-2=2), extending his point streak to six games (4-9=13), led Vancouver.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko stopped 31 of 33 shots for a .939 save percentage (SV%), for his 23rd win of the season.
Statistically the Canucks entered the game with the Rangers with identical 6-3-1 records in their last 10 games.
Vancouver wasted few precious minutes in getting the opening goal of the game, taking a 1-0 lead.
Tanner Pearson at 3:12, with his 10th goal, assisted by J.T. Miller (38).
Vancouver would have their metal tested and confidence challenged on a penalty kill, as Luke Schenn went off at 10:08 for delay of game, giving the Rangers a power play. Canucks killed it off, with Thatcher Demko turning away one shot.
At 17:03, Vasily Podkolzin would give the Rangers their second man advantage of the period for hooking Artemi Panarin. Rangers recorded two shots but we’re unsuccessful with the man advantage.
Canucks took a 2 goal lead at 19:21, on the first goal of the season by Tyler Myers, assisted by J.T. Miller (39) and Matthew Highmore (6).
Statistically, Vancouver led 2-0 after the first period but:
- Rangers outshot the Canucks 14-11
- Rangers out bested Vancouver in faceoffs 13-10. Canucks 1 for 5 in the offensive zone.
- Tyler Myers, Tanner Pearson and Alex Chiasson had two Canuck shots each
- Miller 2 assists for Vancouver
- Boeser, Miller, Horvat, Hughes, Ekman-Larsson had no registered shots on net
- Vancouver 2 for 2 on penalty kill, three Rangers shots
The second period started with two goal advantage for Vancouver at 2-0.
Alex Chiasson and Juhu Lammikko had great early chances in the period to extend the Canucks lead but Ranger’s goalie Alexander Georgiev held his ground.
The Canucks did eventually make it 3-0 as Juhu Lammikko (6) would get his 3rd goal and 5th point in his last 6 games at 6:06, assisted by Luke Schenn (8).
Vancouver was outshooting Rangers 9-2 at the halfway point of regulation play.
Chris Kreider came close on a breakaway to scoring on Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko but was stopped cold, before New York received their third man advantage of the game at 11:03 for the hooking of Adam Fox by Brock Boeser. Rangers unsuccessful with one shot registered.
Canucks went on the power play for the first time in the game at 13:17, when Ranger’s Barclay Goodrow went off for holding.
Vancouvers Matthew Highmore (3) then scored the Canucks 4-0 goal just before the Vancouver man advantage ended, at 15:16. Assists to Oliver Ekman-Larsson (12) and Tyler Myers (12).
Canucks had four shots on their first power play of the game.
Vancouver replicated the opening period by scoring another two goals to lead 4-0 over the Rangers after 40 minutes.
In the second period, the Canucks:
- Outshot New York 15-6
- Were 12 for 19 in faceoffs, 8 for 15 in the offensive zone
- Vancouver 3 for 3 on penalty kill after two periods
Twenty minutes of play was all that stood in the way of the Canucks starting their four game road trip with a win.
It wouldn’t be easy as Thatcher Demko would have to make some early great saves to help his team out, as they needed to get their game legs back after the intermission.
And Demko would have to do the same late in the game as his teammates seemed to misplace their game legs.
New York would end the shutout bid for Demko, as at 9:53. Alex Lafreniere (12) would put the Rangers on the scoreboard behind 4-1, assist to Mika Zibanejad.
The comeback attempt by the Rangers would continue, as Vancouver was slowly imploding, and New York would pull within two goals with a tally by Ryan Strome (6), assists to Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin at 14:03.
New York kept pressing and Demko kept keeping the Rangers at bay.
The Canucks, with the Rangers having pulled their goalie, would make it 5-2 on an empty net goal by Elias Pettersson (17), assisted by Thatcher Demko (2) at 17:51.
Vancouver would bring the win home once and for all, as the Rangers would fall to Father time in regulation play.
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