New Guys Help Rangers End Losing Skid; Defeat Canucks 6-5

Mar 1, 2018

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Here is our recap of last night’s Rangers 6-5 OT win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Kevin Hayes – The Rangers got off to one of their best starts of the season, and Kevin Hayes was a big part of it. The 25-year-old scored twice in the first period for his 16th and 17th goals of the season. On his first goal, Hayes was the beneficiary of a great forecheck by Jesper Fast, took the loose puck and powered a wraparound through Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom.

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For his second of the night, Hayes redirected the point shot from Neal Pionk, to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

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Hayes has been playing some of his best hockey with the Blueshirts in recent weeks, with points in eight of his last ten games. He is going to be an important piece for the Rangers future, and he will need to continue playing at this level for the team to be successful going forward.

Jimmy Vesey – Like his roommate, Jimmy Vesey got on the board in the first period to enlarge the Rangers lead. Vesey redirected Pionk’s shot in the slot and into the back of the net. The goal was the 12th of the campaign for Vesey, who has been a consistent worker for this squad.

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Vladislav Namestnikov – After being acquired as part of the deal for JT Miller and Ryan McDonagh, Vladislav Namestnikov made a great first impression for his new squad. The Russian had a goal and an assist in his Blueshirts debut. Namestnikov is a restricted free agent after the season, but one would have to imagine that he will be part of this organization in the coming years, especially if he has performances like this one.

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Mika Zibanejad – With the game tied at four in the third period, Zibanejad gave the Rangers the lead for the third time of the night. Zibanejad took Chris Kreider’s pass, pulled the puck into his body and fired a shot over the outstretched Anders Nilsson. This organization is believing in Zibanejad as it’s top center going forward and having him score a big goal when necessary is good to see.

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John Gilmour – The speedy defenseman sealed the win for the Blueshirts, finishing off Ryan Spooner’s third assist of the night. Gilmour took the backhand, cross-crease, saucer pass from Spooner and put it into the roof of the net, beating Nilsson for his second goal of the season. Gilmour led all defenseman with five shots on net, and was third in time on ice, behind Brady Skjei and Neal Pionk. Gilmour has shown good signs of his development, and if he continues on this path, he will be a staple on the Blueshirts blue line.

Henrik Lundqvist – Had it not been for the Rangers netminder, the Canucks would have run away with the two points. Lundqvist made 50 saves, including these beauties to help get his team their first victory in eight games. And we also got to see King Henrik smile for the first time in a while, which is certainly a welcome sight for everyone.

Next Game: The Rangers continue their Western Canada road trip on Friday night in Calgary. Puck drops at 9!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

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