There are a lot of positives to come out of the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday. First, ignore the save percentage. Kevin Lankinen was sharp. He made a couple of key saves in the second. Yes, he got a couple of posts. But definitely a much sharper performance.
D-petey. EP25 short-handed goal. Made a nice defensive break-up on a potential breakaway. Two shots. Four hits. I like this pair with Willander. They have chemistry.
They killed a full two-minute penalty. They came with a PK percentage of 52.9%. Little things matter
Brendan Gallagher showed energy. Created havoc in front of the net. Three scoring chances. Created a rebound chance. More visible.
But ultimately it was a loss. And goals early in the first, second, and third periods helped give the Rangers a four-goal victory. A late second-period goal and three in the third were also factors.
It is the third time the Canucks have allowed a goal in the first minute of the first period. This time it was Tye Kartye at 27 seconds. They didn’t let it snowball. But it’s hard to come back when you are allowing a goal in the first period.
Speed in the neutral zone was also a factor. They couldn’t create enough to generate offence to produce a comeback
It was good to see Guillaume Brisebois play his first NHL game since Jan 11, 2025. He didn’t look bad. 18:00 Two shots, one hit, two blocks.
As for the Rangers, they got a solid, and I would say confident, goaltending performance from Dylan Garand, who made 19 saves. Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault took over the third. But they also got some good work from the Noah Laba-Will Cuylle-Eeli Tolvanen line. They outshot the Canucks 5-1 five-on-five. They got two goals from Cuylle. They put a lot of pressure on the Canucks defence in the second period. What really impressed me about the Rangers was that they played on their front foot. There was more speed, and they were more assertive than I have seen in the last couple of seasons.
Rodrigues Fined
Evan Rodrigues was fined the league maximum of $5,000 for “high-sticking” Marco Rossi yesterday. Originally called a major, Rodrigues received a double minor for high-sticking after review.
Zary to Vancouver?
On Saturday Night Hockey, Elliotte Friedman reported on Headlines that the Canucks are interested in Connor Zary of the Calgary Flames. Zary was placed on waivers on Monday. He cleared waivers and was sent down to the AHL Calgary Wranglers. He scored a goal in his debut. Zary carries a $ 3.775 million cap hit, which was likely the reason he wasn’t claimed at all. The Flames would be resistant to retain him as they only have one retention spot left. I’m not sure I can see Zary becoming a Canuck, but I have been wrong before. I would encourage you to read Trevor Neufeld’s piece on the Rise and Fall of Connor Zary
Malhotra and Novotny
He didn’t get a goal. But Caleb Malhotra had 10 shots on goal in Boston University’s 3-1 win over the Brown University Bears. Adam Novotny has nine points in seven games (4-5-9) for the OHL Peterborough Petes.
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