Henrik Lundqvist Hot as New York Rangers Blister Vancouver Canucks
Nov 15, 2016; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin (22) screens a shot on net against New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (30) during the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Henrik Lundqvist weathered an early storm as Kevin Hayes and the New York Rangers offense later blistered the Vancouver Canucks.

  • New York Rangers 7 (13-4, 26 pts)
  • Vancouver Canucks 2 (6-10-1, 13 pts)
  • NHL, Final, Box Score
  • Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada
Though the final score of 7-2 looks like a familiar result for the New York Rangers, this one was anything but ordinary.

Henrik Lundqvist completely bailed his team out in the first period. The Vancouver Canucks came out flying with 17 shots in the opening frame. Hank stopped all of them.

Just when it looked as though the Canucks would score first, J.T. Miller deflected this beauty of a pass from Mats Zuccarello to get the Blueshirts on the board first:

Obviously, New York didn’t look back from there on out. They took a 3-0 lead before Vancouver could crack Lundqvist.

Miller scored again in the third period (7), Kevin Hayes collected two more goals (7,8), Brandon Pirri collected a rebound effort on the power-play in the second period, and Zuccarello added one himself on a terrific pass from Nick Holden late in the game for good measure. Speaking of Holden, he also tallied a late one on the power-play. Four of New York’s goals came in the final frame. 

Jesper Fast finished with two assists, as did Mika Zibanejad and Zuc. Defensemen Brady Skjei, Kevin Klein, and Ryan McDonagh all collected helpers as well.

For Vancouver, Brandon Sutter (3) and Markus Granlund (5) were the goal scorers.

Lundqvist finished with 36 saves in total. After a shaky beginning to the game, this Rangers offense continued to do what they always do: pour it on.

Game Notes:

Three Rangers were visibly injured during the game while blocking shots. Derek Stepan and Jesper Fast were both shaken up pretty badly, especially the former who had to seek attention in the locker room in the first period. Hayes was also banged up in the second. All three remained in the game and seem to be fine.

With two more points, the Rangers now sit at 26 on the season, four clear of the second place Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. Only the Montreal Canadiens (28) have more. No NHL team has more wins than the Rangers (13). Miller leads the team in points with 17.

The Rangers have now won three in a row and eight of their last nine games.

With both Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich missing their second straight, youngster Boo Nieves played his first NHL game. He finished with no points and a -1.

Robby Sabo is a co-founder, CEO and credentialed New York Jets content creator for Jets X-Factor - Jet X, which includes Sabo's Sessions (in-depth film breakdowns) and Sabo with the Jets. Host: Underdog Jets Podcast with Wayne Chrebet and Sabo Radio. Member: Pro Football Writers of America. Coach: Port Jervis (NY) High School. Washed up strong safety and 400M runner. SEO: XL Media. Founder: Elite Sports NY - ESNY (Sold in 2020). SEO: XL Media. Email: robby.sabo[at]jetsxfactor.com