The New York Rangers are thriving on their four-game road trip, securing a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday after opening with a 2-0 win against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday.
With a 12-4-1 record, the Rangers seem to be bouncing back from a challenging stretch of hockey. Even in last week’s 6-3 home loss to the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets, their performance showed promise. Since then, they’ve won three consecutive games, each looking stronger than the last, culminating in Tuesday’s well-rounded effort in Vancouver.
While not flawless—defensive lapses led to a couple of goals off the rush and Quinn Hughes’ opening score just 34 seconds in—it was one of the Rangers’ most complete performances in some time, marking a solid road win.
The team’s success away from Madison Square Garden continues, boasting a 7-1-0 road record this season. This trip has the potential to mirror last October’s momentum-building 5-0-0 west coast swing.
Next, the Rangers face the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, leaving room for further evaluation. But so far, this trip has been highly encouraging.
3 takeaways from Rangers 4-3 win against Canucks
Here are three takeaways from the game on Tuesday.
1. Foxy performance
Adam Fox may not always dazzle with flashy plays, but his exceptional consistency at both ends of the ice as the Rangers’ top defenseman often goes underappreciated. Despite winning the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2020-21 and being a perennial top-five contender since, his brilliance can sometimes fly under the radar.
That wasn’t the case last night. Fox delivered what might have been his best performance of the season. He notched two assists, bringing him into a tie for third among NHL defensemen with 15, including a pinpoint long pass—slightly tipped by Kaapo Kakko—that set up Will Cuylle’s breakaway goal in the first period. Defensively, he was a force, breaking up plays in the neutral zone and neutralizing scoring threats in his own end with strong, determined efforts. He also blocked three shots, and the Rangers posted a 64.75% expected goals percentage (xGF) with him on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Perhaps facing Quinn Hughes, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, on Tuesday sparked something extra. Fox certainly seemed to find another gear in his game.
2. Rangers dictate against depleted Canucks
The Rangers largely dictated the pace against the Canucks, as they should have, given Vancouver was without two of their top forwards, Brock Boeser (injury) and J.T. Miller (leave of absence). While the Canucks showed commendable grit and determination, New York maintained control for most of the game and proved to be the better team overall.
At 5-on-5 play, the Rangers outscored (4-3), outshot (27-17), and out-chanced (20-16) the Canucks. They spent significant time imposing their will in the offensive zone and were solid defensively, leading to an impressive team xGF of 61.65%.
Mika Zibanejad’s line contributed on both ends, scoring twice while allowing two goals, but they dominated overall with a stellar 72.8% xGF. When the score was tied midway through the third period, this line executed a lightning-quick tic-tac-toe passing sequence—starting with Zibanejad’s defensive play, followed by a pass to Reilly Smith, and finished by Chris Kreider with the game-winning goal. It was a textbook example of their two-way excellence.
Even without Filip Chytil, who will rejoin the club in Calgary, the third line was once again spectacular. Cuylle and Kakko each scored a goal and assisted. Jonny Brodzinski got one assist and won seven of nine faceoffs. That line outshot the Canucks 7-1 and outperformed them 5-2. It’s just another day at the office for them, regardless of who plays center.
3. Off the rush
The Rangers have made significant strides defensively, improving in puck battles, winning board contests, and avoiding extended periods pinned in their own zone. However, rush chances remain an Achilles’ heel, as evidenced by the Canucks scoring twice on such plays during an otherwise strong defensive performance on Tuesday.
Mika Zibanejad’s line was on the ice for the first two Canucks goals, one of which came on a rush. Kiefer Sherwood slipped behind Reilly Smith to create a 3-on-2, firing a shot from the right wing past Igor Shesterkin to tie the game at 2-2 in the first period.
The Ryan Lindgren–Jacob Trouba defensive pairing was on for all three Canucks goals, including Conor Garland’s game-tying tally in the second period. While Trouba covered his man, Lindgren lost track of Garland, leaving him wide open for the finish.
Despite these lapses, the Rangers maintained over 60% xGF with this duo on the ice, and they contributed to goals by Kaapo Kakko and Chris Kreider. Still, cutting down on rush goals will be critical as they continue their season.
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