This game got off to an absolute bang, as Quinn Hughes opened the scoring just 40 seconds in.

Not shown on the replay is a great play by Filip Hronek to kickstart this play. On a night when the Canucks were without JT Miller after a sudden leave of absence, the captain got his team started off on the right foot against the mighty Rangers.

We all knew this game wasn’t going to be easy for home team, but just in case you thought it might be after Hughes’s early goal, the Rangers quickly reminded you that it wouldn’t be. Mika Zibanejad tied this game up less than two minutes after the Hughes goal:

This game’s pace stayed high following the two goals, as both teams were allowing some quality looks.

Dakota Joshua took a hooking penalty while trying to forecheck, giving the Rangers the game’s first power play. The Canucks’ PK managed to hold the Rangers off, but back at 5v5, they managed to take their first lead of the night after Will Cuyle managed to get behind Quinn Hughes and score on a breakaway to make it 2-1: 

Just like the Rangers had an answer for the opening goal, the Canucks had an answer of their own, thanks to Kiefer Sherwood. Sherwood hits Pettersson with a neutral zone pass, Pettersson draws the opposition in, and Sherwood makes a beeline towards the net before receiving a beautiful saucer pass. But it doesn’t end there, unlike it may have in past years when that’s Sam Lafferty or Ilya Mikheyev on Pettersson’s wing. Instead, Sherwood rips the puck past Shesterkin to make it 2-2.

It was an entertaining opening 20 minutes, to say the least.

Nils Höglander took an interference penalty, and thankfully, the most noteworthy play from the two minute sequence was Arturs Silovs making a nice save off of Chris Kreider after losing his blocker.

The Canucks went 0-for-2 on the man advantage themselves after Braden Schneider was called for an illegal check to Elias Pettersson’s head.

At the expiry of the power play, the Rangers threw the next punch. Kaapo Kakko scored his third of the year after a centring pass hit Carson Soucy’s skate and was left on a tee for Kakko to bury to make it 3-2. 

And you guessed it, the Canucks had an answer. Quinn Hughes made an excellent breakout pass to set up Conor Garland for a goal off the rush with Pius Suter and Dakota Joshua picking up the assists. 3-3. 

That’s Joshua’s first point of the season.

Through 40 minutes and with the chances going back and forth, this was quickly shaping up to be one of the Canucks’ best efforts of the season. They were breaking the puck out against a good Rangers forecheck, which then allowed them to get a forecheck of their own going. The passes were crisp, and the mistakes were kept to a minimum by both teams.

This was just a good, fun, and entertaining hockey game through two periods.

In the third, the Canucks had a real test on their hands, as the Rangers are one of the league’s best third period teams. Arturs Silovs held down the fort early, as he stopped Alexis Lafreniere on a breakaway that would’ve served as the go-ahead goal for the Rangers.

There were good sequences for the Canucks, with the Pettersson-Sherwood duo generating a few chances while the fourth line chipped in with a few of their own. With ten minutes to go, this one remained tied at three apiece.

Just after the halfway point of the period, Elias Pettersson made a nice play to steal the puck from Mika Zibanejad at the Canucks’ line, but Zibanejad stole the puck right back and eventually set up Chris Kreider, who beat Arturs Silovs five-hole to give the Rangers another lead. 4-3. 

Conor Garland drew a penalty by being tenacious on the forecheck, but the Canucks’ Boeser and Miller-less power play couldn’t convert, greatly decreasing the Canucks’ chances at a comeback.

With 1:40 left, the Canucks pulled their goalie in a last-ditch effort to make a comeback.

Some takeaways from tonight:

-Whatever Marko Torenius has been doing with Arturs Silovs seems to have been working. Silovs was solid tonight, and even made some nice stops off of point shots through traffic!
-Can’t say enough good things about Kiefer Sherwood. He hasn’t looked out of place on Pettersson’s wing, and scored a goal off the rush tonight. Not to mention that he keeps throwing the body around and is being an all-around human wrecking ball.
-Pius Suter had a strong game tonight.
-The fourth line had some decent jump and decent looks, but I’d have liked to see them get the puck to the net more.
-Soucy-Myers should never see the ice together again.
-Conor Garland harnessed some new dad strength tonight. Wishing him and his family all the best with the birth of his first child!
-Honestly, this was a solid effort from the Canucks. Paying customers aren’t always going to get wins, but they should get to see their team put in the work, and that’s what the Canucks did tonight. It was a good game, through and through.

What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!

Also be sure to tune into Rink Wide Vancouver after the game!