Canucks enjoy victory over Rangers at MSG
Visitors shake off previous day’s loss, jump out to early lead and hang on
NEW YORK Rebound. Redemption. Resolve.
It’s difficult to execute all three of those elements in one game, let alone one period.
The Vancouver Canucks found it on several levels in a Sunday matinee at Madison Square Garden. And that could have been the story.
A day after a disturbing 1-0 loss in New Jersey, in which the Canucks could not find the net or score on six power-play chances, they found everything in the opening 20 minutes against the struggling New York Rangers, who had lost three straight, and looked defeated.
There were 20 shots. There was a Bo Horvat power-play goal.
There was a Brock Boeser rocket wrister for a goal.
There were solid saves from the returning Jacob Markstrom. And there was a 3-0 lead. However, it’s never easy in MSG. Artemi Panarin picked the far side in the third period to narrow the deficit to 3-2 and turned what looked like a laugher into a nail-biter. There was a three-minute shift by the fourth line.
There was a wild scramble as the Rangers pushed for the equalizer and forced Markstrom to finish with 38 saves.
Here’s what we learned as the Canucks hung on to claim a 3-2 win to improve to 2-1 on this fourgame trip:
MARKSTROM MAKES MARK
The starter didn’t want to talk about being granted a leave of absence to attend to a serious family matter last week.
That’s understandable. What spoke for him Sunday in facing countryman Henrik Lundqvist was a razor-sharp return.
It took the 20th shot to beat him and it came in the second period — a deft deflection by Jesper Fast off a Jacob Trouba point shot — and he proved early and often that it was going to take something special to beat him.
There was nullifying Ryan Strome in the opening minute as the flat-footed Canucks were slow in retreat.
There was Chris Kreider getting around Quinn Hughes and a pair of second-period power-play saves. He stopped a hot Panarin shot off the shoulder and Mika Zibanejad, who entered the game with 10 points (4-6) through five outings, and denied Kreider again to maintain a three-goal cushion.
He then sprawled on his belly with 40 second left, and Lundqvist pulled, to preserve the win.
The satisfaction of getting back in the fight after an emotional week wasn’t lost on the starter. Playing was his oasis. “That’s what you miss and having your team have that performance the last 10 to 15 minutes — that’s fun to see,” he said.
“Hockey is fun to play. It’s a nice getaway and I was watching the games back home. Today was business as usual. You get thinking a little bit when you’re away a week and were just finding your game. I had a practice day yesterday (Saturday) before the early game and that helped a lot to get going.” Both physically and mentally. “He’s had a tough week and to see how he played is good for him and our team,” said coach Travis Green.
“You feel for a guy like that who competes and wants to win. He’s been a real warrior.
“We were a little nervous putting him in tonight. He hasn’t had a lot of time on the ice. I was happy for him.”
HOLY HORVAT, WHAT A PERIOD
Horvat’s celebration on the opening goal — a two-fisted thrust while looking the heavens — was part relief and part resolve.
His level of disdain to have nothing to show for seven shot attempts Saturday, became the motivation for Sunday.
When the Canucks captain took a power-play feed from Elias Pettersson off his skate in the slot and then quickly snapped it past Lundqvist for his second goal of the season, his joyous reaction was a prelude to a powerful period. The centre was also denied on a backhand chance, had five shots — he finished with seven — and was a monster in the circle in winning six of seven draws in the first and 12 of 16 overall.
In the second period, he sent in Jake Virtanen for a partial breakaway and was stopped on a bull rush to the net.
“I was really upset about last game and we could have scored more power-play goals and should have at least get a point,” said Horvat. “I wanted to come and prove myself today. But it was exhausting. You’d rather play in their end all night and we didn’t do a good enough job weathering the storm.”
BEAGLE OWNED IT, SHOWED IT
Jay Beagle admitted to making a short-handed clearing gaffe Saturday when he couldn’t clear the puck, a faux pas that resulted in the only goal by Jack Hughes.
On Sunday, he was not only better on the penalty kill, he scored on a short-handed rush — snapping a shot glove side — for his first of the season.
He won’t like a tripping minor he took on Kreider late in the second period after the Rangers narrowed the count to 3-1.
However, he will like the Canucks going 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and finishing with eight shot attempts and even that exhausting shift when his line did everything to deny the equalizer.
“Marky slid and made the save and the net was kind of wide open,” recalled Beagle.
“Me and (Chris) Tanev kind of just laid there and pucks and sticks were hitting us, I’m not sure. It was crazy.”