Canucks Conclude Six-Game Homestand With 4-3 Loss To The Rangers

The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their six-game homestand on Tuesday, falling 4-3 to the New York Islanders. Quinn Hughes, Kiefer Sherwood and Conor Garland found the back of the net, while Artūrs Šilovs stopped 29 of the 33 shots he faced. With the loss, the Canucks' home record drops to 3-5-3, with the team only able to pick up four of a possible 12 points from the homestand.

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While Vancouver did lose, there were plenty of positives to draw from this game. Arguably, the biggest was the play of Sherwood, who, on top of scoring, had seven shots and ten hits in 16:48 of ice time. When asked about his team's performance post-game, Sherwood said, "I thought we deserve that. I think it's probably our best game, best effort, just in a while. Hard to take away stuff when we lose, but I think there's a lot of good that we can continue to build on and take on the road trip. If we stick to that effort and predictability and just connection all over the ice, I think we're gonna end up winning a lot more games. I think we just trust the process more."

Another player who stood out was Garland, who had to rush to the hospital after the game to be present for his child's birth. From getting under the skin of the opposition to his work with the puck in the offensive zone, Garland continues to deliver for this team when they need him the most. When asked about Garland post-game, Rick Tocchet said, "He's gonna probably have a baby here soon. Was up at three in the morning, was up again at seven, no sleep and, you know, our best player. What can you say? You love the kid."

While the team played well, there were some areas of concern from tonight's game. The Canucks had trouble clearing the puck out of their own zone and struggled to defend against the rush. The rush defence was such a problem that three of the Rangers' goals were created from outlet passes from their own zone. The inability to defend the rush has been one of Vancouver's Achilles' heel all season and played a significant role in their loss to New York.

The other problematic area was the Canucks inability to win a faceoff. Vancouver went 22 for 67 in the faceoff dot, with zero players finishing the night above 46%. A lost faceoff even directly impacted the score, as the Rangers' first goal was scored because of a faceoff loss. Overall, the Canucks have been good on the draws this season, but tonight's performance showed just how impactful faceoffs wins can be.

Ultimately, the biggest headline from this game is that despite a strong effort, Vancouver lost again on home ice. Yes, the entire day had a weird feel to it after the J.T. Miller announcement, but the team dug in and had a chance to tie the game late. With the Canucks headed on the road for six straight, the hope is some time away from Rogers Arena will help Vancouver get back on track.

Facts and Stats:

- Elias Pettersson recorded his 53rd multi-assist game and tied Dennis Kearns for the 10th most in franchise history.

- Quinn Hughes scored 34 seconds into the game and tied the fourth-fastest tally to begin a game by a Canucks defenseman

- Kiefer Sherwood records his third game this season with at least ten hits. The rest of the NHL has combined for one this season

- The Canucks have not beaten the Rangers at home since November 2, 2021

Scoring Summary: 

1st Period:

00:34- VAN: Quinn Hughes (4) from Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson 
2:31- NYR: Mika Zibanejad (4) from K'Andre Miller and Adam Fox
14:38- NYR: Will Cuylle (6) from Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox 
17:39- VAN: Kiefer Sherwood (5) from Elias Pettersson and Carson Soucy

2nd Period:

8:45- NYR: Kaapo Kakko (3) from Will Cuylle and Jonny Brodzinski
13:02- VAN: Conor Garland (5) from Dakota Joshua and Pius Suter

3rd Period:

10:43- NYR: Chris Kreider (9) from Reilly Smith and Mika Zibanejad

Up Next:

The Canucks will have a few days before they hit the road to take on the Ottawa Senators. Last season, Vancouver swept the season series and has won four straight against Ottawa. Game time is set for Saturday at 4:00 pm PT from the Canadian Tire Centre.