MATS MORE LIKE IT
Zuccarello nets pair as Rangers post rout
VANCOUVER — Rick Nash has played at another level this season. On Saturday night, the rest of the Rangers joined him, and they blitzed the Canucks at Rogers Arena in a 5-1 beatdown to open a three-game road swing through Western Canada.
Mats Zuccarello scored twice after tallying only once in his previous 11 games. Defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Marc Staal each scored their first goals of the season. J.T. Miller finished for the second straight game. And Nash a nd Derick Brassard notched two assists apiece, with Nash matching a career-high point streak at nine games.
Twelve Rangers picked up at least one point in the team’s second straight win, in large part due to Vancouver (18-10-2) hemorrhaging odd-man rushes in the first period. The Blueshirts (13-104) sprinted out to a 3-0 lead just 6:46 into the match on goals by McDonagh, Miller and Zuccarello, coming on three-on-one, twoon-one, and three-on-one rushes, respectively.
“They were incredibly aggressive on us, and we were just making smart plays with the puck,” Staal said. “We were able to get those Grade-A opportunities to score when they made mistakes on it. I thought all night long we were just really good with the puck. We were smart, we were supporting each other, and that’s when we’re able to play fast.”
Everyone got in on the action, like on McDonagh’s goal to open the scoring 2:36 in. Struggling left wing Chris Kreider, playing on the fourth line in his return from a one-game injury absence, moved the puck responsibly along the defensive zone boards to spring the play. Jesper Fast waited patiently for numbers to develop. McDonagh raced to the back post for the finish after making the initial pass behind his own net to start it all.
Canucks goalie Ryan Miller (18 saves) had no chance. Henrik Lundqvist (29 saves) actually weathered more shots, and though he lost the shutout on Nick Bonino’s wrist shot at 4:20 of the third, he was steady in earning his third win in four starts. “You could tell that we had the jump tonight, and that’s the way we have to play,” Lundqvist said. “It’s important for us to step up here and try to get on a roll.”
For the Rangers, it was refreshing to put the game out of reach and to start the road trip on a strong note. They hadn’t played since Monday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Penguins, in which they had coughed up their 18th lead of the season. And they had played just three games in the previous 13 days. Alain Vigneault said the Blueshirts spun the strange schedule positively, “getting rest and quality practice time,” and as a result he expected his players to be “ready” at the start in Vancouver. They sure were, but the challenge now will be to keep up the energy for Sunday night’s quick turnaround against the Oilers (7-18-5) at Rexall Place.
Backup Cam Talbot is expected to make the start against the Oilers, who are desperate, having won just once in their last 15 games (1-10-4). Edmonton beat the Rangers, 3-1, at the Garden on Nov. 9 in a game that assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson called “embarrassing” before it even ended.
There would be no better way to suck the life out of this trip than to stumble against the team with the fewest points in the NHL (19). Saturday night’s win, though, was cause to celebrate.
Rookie center Kevin Hayes raised his point streak to five games, and last season’s team scoring leader, Zuccarello, finally erupted. The diminutive Norwegian right wing signed only a one-year contract in the offseason. Though Zuccarello’s agents and the Rangers have agreed to revisit the negotiations after the new year, the lack of security has seemed to weigh on the forward for the worse.
His linemate, Nash, is on fire. He made terrific plays to set up both of Zuccarello’s goals, and the hope is that the fire catches for good.