Rangers vs. Canucks: Moving On
The Canucks are bad, but that’s not really the point. With Igor Shesterkin out for the season, the Rangers needed a response, and they got one in under a minute.
- Joe remarked after the loss to the Washington Capitals, in which Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending injury, that last year's squad would have immediately rolled over. They rolled over in far less dire circumstances last year, and did it pretty regularly. But this year's team fought to the end against Washington. That was a good sign.
- We should acknowledge up front that the Vancouver Canucks are a terrible hockey team. They were worst in the league last season, and they are more than likely going to be basement dwellers again this year. This is a team that, with or without Igor in net, the Rangers should beat. So, it's not like they came out and leveled the Vegas Golden Knights or the reigning champion Carolina Hurricanes.
- But level the Canucks they did. And it must have felt great in that locker room after the game. This team needed to turn the page from the loss of Shesterkin, and getting this win—and getting a goal less than a minute into the game—certainly helped that cause.
- The first piece of good news in this game is that Dylan Garand played pretty well. The Canucks only generated 21 shots on goal, so it's not like they were buzzing all night long and Garand had to stand on his head to keep the Rangers in the game. But they did have some solid chances and, for the most part, Garand was up to the task.
- The first goal he gave up was an absolute bullet from Jake DeBrusk, where the Rangers got outworked below their own goal line. That's a high-danger chance, and you can't fault him too much for that goal.
- The second goal I'd imagine he'd like back. Elias Pettersson (no, the other one) ripped it, but it was a shot from distance and you'd like to see Garand handle that. The defense did him no favors, as the top power-play unit stayed out way too long—something assistant coach David Quinn acknowledged during the game—and was unable to get back on the shorthanded opportunity.
