Rangers at Canucks
The New York Rangers have been losing both games on the scoreboard and bodies in the locker room during what quickly has become a struggling show on Broadway. Losers of seven in a row (0-6-1) and 14 of their last 17 (3-13-1), the rebuilding Rangers look to get back on track at Rogers Arena on Wednesday when they open a three-game road trip versus the Vancouver Canucks.
Although New York has been outscored 29-13 in its last seven contests, the club owns a 9-4-0 mark against Pacific representatives this season and has secured at least one point in 44 of their last 55 encounters (39-11-5) with members of that division. Jesper Fast scored in the Rangers' 4-3 win in a shootout versus the Canucks on Nov. 26 and has tallied in back-to-back contests after being held off the scoresheet in each of his previous 11 games this month. Like New York, Vancouver also has seen the season slip away in rapid fashion, prompting the team to shuffle Thomas Vanek to Columbus for bottom-six forwards Jussi Jokinen and Tyler Motte, while defenseman Philip Holm was sent to Vegas for Brendan Leipsic. "We're going to be a younger, faster, more skilled group going forward," Canucks general manager Jim Benning said. "We're going to give some of these young players a good chance to play from now until the end of the year."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (27-30-6): Vladimir Namestnikov could make his New York debut versus Vancouver, a team that selected his father, Evgeny, in the sixth round of the 1991 NHL Draft. The younger Namestnikov was acquired in a blockbuster deal on Monday that involved captain Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller heading to Tampa Bay. Namestnikov was in the midst of a career season playing alongside Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, as the 25-year-old Russian has recorded personal bests in goals (20), assists (24), points (44), average ice time (17:30), power-play tallies (eight) and shots on goal (127). Ryan Spooner, who was acquired in the deal that sent Rick Nash to Boston, notched two assists and saw 16:31 of ice time in Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to Detroit.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (24-32-7): Daniel Sedin has been heating up shortly after flipping the calendar, collecting four goals and an assist in his last three contests and posting 34 points (16 goals, 18 assists) since Jan. 7. The 37-year-old Swede scored his team's lone goal in Monday's 3-1 setback at Colorado to remain one point ahead of twin brother Henrik, who has notched an assist in three straight games and seven of his last 10. Jacob Markstrom turned aside 17 of 20 shots in the first encounter versus the Rangers, falling to 3-1-1 in his career against the club despite sporting a 3.15 goals-against average and .896 save percentage.
OVERTIME
1. The Canucks are expected to announce on Wednesday that the city of Vancouver will host the 2019 NHL Draft, marking its first since 2006 when it was held at GM Place.
2. New York LW Jimmy Vesey has been held off the scoresheet in each of his last seven games, but the 24-year-old scored the tying goal early in the third period and added the winner in the seventh round of the shootout in the first encounter versus Vancouver.
3. The Canucks' 26th-ranked penalty kill has permitted eight power-play goals in the last four games.