NEW YORK, N.Y. — The New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 on Sunday in the first game since Igor Shesterkin went down with a season ending knee injury, putting Dylan Garand at the helm in the Rangers’ crease.
The Rangers came out hot, scoring 27 seconds into the game as Tye Kartye gathered the rebound off a shot from J.T. Miller to give New York a 1-0 lead.
There were not many stoppages in play until Mika Zibanejad took an interference penalty with 5:15 remaining in the first period.
Vancouver did not muster many quality chances on the power play, and the Rangers were able to kill off the penalty with no damage done.
Shortly after the penalty ended, Jake DeBrusk put one past Dylan Garand to tie the game at 1-1.
Neither team scored another goal in the frame, and the score remained tied at 1-1 after the first period.
The Rangers made noise 2:09 into the second period as Will Cuylle ripped a shot past Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen to give the Blueshirts a 2-1 lead. This was Cuylle’s first goal of the season.
About eight minutes into the period, the Rangers had a great look as Eeli Tolvanen beat everything but the post, nearly putting New York in front by two goals.
With just over seven minutes remaining in the period, the Rangers had another good chance, this time from Adam Fox, who hit the post. The Rangers were controlling the play and peppering Lankinen with a flurry of chances but were unable to score.
At 15:23, the Rangers finally got their first power-play opportunity as Guillaume Brisebois went to the box for holding.
Despite the power play, Elias N. Pettersson (the defenseman) scored a shorthanded goal for the Canucks to tie the game at 2-2.
Late in the period, Tye Kartye raced up the ice and fired a hard shot over Lankinen’s glove to give New York a 3-2 lead.
Right after the goal, Brock Boeser was sent to the box for tripping, giving the Rangers an abbreviated power play heading into the third period.
After two periods, the Rangers led the Canucks 3-2.
However, that lead did not last long before the Rangers extended it. At 1:04 of the third period, Lankinen was caught in no man’s land, leaving a wide-open net for Alexis Lafrenière to tap the puck in and give New York a 4-2 lead. The power-play goal was Lafrenière’s fifth of the season.
The Rangers weren’t done there, as Gabe Perreault scored at 5:57 after redirecting a shot from Adam Fox to give New York a 5-2 lead.
Cuylle scored once more to give the Rangers a 6-2 lead, sealing the win.
The Rangers’ next game will be Tuesday, when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
