The Rangers won their third straight, and second on this road trip, 4-3 over the Canucks. Facing a team without Brock Boeser, JT Miller and Thatcher Demko, New York carried the play much of the game. A Chris Kreider third period tally was the difference maker to give the Blueshirts their seventh road win of the season. The Flames in Calgary on are the docket Thursday.

Game recap:






Lines versus Vancouver:
Panarin - Trocheck - Laf
Kreider - Zib - Smith
Cuylle - Brodzinski - Kakko
Edström - Carrick - Vesey

Miller - Fox
Lindgren - Trouba
Jones - Schneider

Shesterkin
Quick

1) Mika Zibanejad had a strong contest. After being on the ice for the Vancouver goal scored 34 seconds into the game, the eighth goal in the first five minutes New York has allowed this season, Zib turned the game around. His deflection of a K’Andre Miller shot tied the game at one. Later, his defensive play in lifting Elias Pettersson’s stick and stealing the puck, started the sequence that resulted in Cy Young Kreider’s GWG.

When Zib is playing with confidence, his defense leads to offense. Plus he has a different, more engaged look while on the ice. That certainly was the case yesterday. Even better, was the two points came 5x5, which has been a major bug-a-boo for Zib and his linemates.

2) Solid night for third line: The Will Cuylle-Jonny Brodzinski-Kaapo Kakko unit was likely the team’s best last night. Their line, which featured Brodzinski, who won 77% of his draws, at center for the second consecutive game in place of the sidelined Filip Chytil, outshot the Canucks, 7-1, according to Natural Stat Trick, and was rewarded with increased ice time as the game went on

With the score tied at 1, this trio notched the next two tallies. Cuylle scored the first of the two, on a breakaway following a breakout pass by Adam Fox and slight deflection by Kakko. The Finn then added his own tally, burying a feed from Cuylle. The assist moved Cuylle into a tie for third on the team with 14 points (six goals and eight assists), while Kakko's two-point night improved his season total to 11 (three goals and eight assists). For all the talk about not bringing back Kakko be after last season, he has filled his role perfectly. Chytil could play Thursday, but as I wrote yesterday, no need to rush him, especially with New York having won three in a row and Brodzinski filling in nicely yesterday.

3) Defense - Fox notched a pair of assists and the duo of him and Miller had a solid contest. Evidence in just how good Fox was can be seen in the fact the Rangers had 66.9 percent of the five-on-five expected goals share with him on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick. Zac Jones and Braden Schneider were their usual stalwart selves. If an issue exists, Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba were on for all three goals against.

That duo was in the ice when Quinn Hughes scored wide open in the slot 34 seconds in, as New York has now allowed a goal in the opening minute four times in their last 11 games. Lindgren and Trouba were not to blame on Kiefer Sherwood’s goal, as it’s a shot Igor Shesterkin likely should have saved. But on Conor Garland’s tying tally in the second, Lindgren and Trouba followed the same man and inadvertently screened Shesterkin, leading to the goal.

4) Shesterkin wasn’t great, stopping 21 of 24 shots. However, when he needed to be big, as was down the stretch, Igor was up to the task. Igor made a big save with 3:02 to go on Garland then two as time was expiring to preserve the victory. He took a shot to the mask from Sherwood during the final frame tag had him checking his mouth, but seemed no worse for wear after.

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