Rangers at Canucks
After seeing a spirited effort from his charges in their last outing, coach Alain Vigneault looks for a similar effort on Wednesday as the New York Rangers open a three-game road trip versus his former team in the Vancouver Canucks. Vigneault and the Rangers enjoyed success in last season's trek through Western Canada, breezing to a 5-1 victory over the Canucks before defeating Edmonton and Calgary in convincing fashion.
Wins have been tough to come by of late for the Rangers, who skidded to a 1-4-1 mark before rebounding for a 4-1 triumph over Ottawa on Sunday. "We've been better in many areas, notably with our puck possession and the decisions we've been making with the puck," Vigneault told reporters. "We're on the right track, I think, and I see a mindset from our group to continue that." Vancouver had been skidding off the track with a five-game winless stretch (0-3-2) before Radim Vrbata recorded a hat trick in a 5-2 victory over Buffalo on Monday. The three goals accounted for Vrbata's sixth career hat trick and first since Oct. 3, 2013, when the then-Phoenix Coyotes forward accomplished the feat against the Rangers.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New York), RSN (Vancouver)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (18-7-3): Derick Brassard scored twice versus the Senators and has three goals and two assists in his last four games. The 28-year-old Quebec native has struggled mightily versus Vancouver, scoring just once in 20 career meetings. Henrik Lundqvist is regaining his footing after a brief stumble, stopping 59-of-61 shots in the last two games on the heels of yielding 12 goals in his previous three.
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (10-11-8): Former Ranger Brandon Prust collected a goal and an assist on Monday, putting a spring in his step with his first tally in 50 games. "We've talked about getting our confidence back, getting our swagger back where you're going into games and you're feeling like you're going to win," Prust told reporters. "That's what this does." Henrik Sedin is fairly low-key in the "swagger" department, but the captain scored versus the Sabres and tallied twice in his last meeting with the Rangers.
OVERTIME
1. New York RW Mats Zuccarello had two goals and an assist in two meetings versus Vancouver last season, but has just one point in his last nine contests overall.
2. The Canucks have killed off all seven short-handed situations over the last three games after yielding eight power-play goals in the previous seven.
3. Vigneault, who will face his former team for the third time since joining the Rangers, will coach in his 1,000th career NHL game on Friday against Edmonton.