The Vancouver Canucks are back in action on Friday night as they host the New York Rangers at Rogers Arena for the final game of a quick, two-game homestand.
Friday's game will be the second and final matchup between the Canucks and Rangers this season. These two teams met at Madison Square Garden on October 11th and the Rangers picked up the win on home ice.
Elias Pettersson has been a point-per-game player against the Rangers throughout his career. He has 14 points (4g-10a) in as many games. He has also maintained his point-per-game pace through 20 games this season. The now-28-year-old – his birthday is today – has four goals and 16 assists for 20 points.
Max Sasson has two goals in his last five games and is up to five goals through 20 games this season. His career-high was last year, when he scored 13, and he has averaged a career-high 12:42 of ice time per game this year.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Rangers come into Friday’s game with an 11-8-1 record. They have won two of their three games on this current road trip through the Pacific Division.
- They have won four of their last five games after a four-game losing streak.
- Mika Zibanejad has been leading the offence with two goals and four assists over his last five games. Tye Kartye has three goals in his last five.
- Defenceman Adam Fox leads the Rangers in points this season with 22.
- Alexis Lafreniere leads the team with nine goals through 20 games.
- Dylan Garand has been the lead netminder after Igor Shesterkin's injury. Garand has made 12 starts this season and has a 6-7-1 record with a .905% save percentage, a 2.48 goals-against average and one shutout.
- Scoring first has been crucial for the Rangers this season. They are 11-1-0 when they open the scoring and 0-7-1 when they give up the first goal.
- Their third periods have been an issue on the road; they have given up 15 goals and scored five through 10 road games this season.
The Story: New Guy Checking In
The Vancouver Canucks claimed right-shot defenceman Cameron Crotty off of waivers on Wednesday afternoon.
Crotty is 27 years old, stands at 6'3", and has 11 NHL games and 332 AHL games under his belt. He was the captain of the Iowa Wild in the AHL during the 2024-25 season and played alongside Liam Öhgren. Crotty also played with Leevi Meriläinen in the Ottawa Senators organization and crossed paths with Marco Rossi and Zeev Buium in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild.
"The last couple of days have been quite a whirlwind for me. A lot of new stuff, meet the guys, but it was a good practice. I like that we got right into it and [have a] game tomorrow, so it's going to be a lot of new, a lot of learning for me quickly, but the guys seem great," said Crotty.
"Obviously, I have a little bit of familiarity with Leevi and an Öhgy and a couple guys. That helps for sure."
Crotty describes his game as a simple, "meat and potatoes" style of hockey. He wants to be a steady presence on the back end and be hard to play against.
Canucks' Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Brock Boeser: 3g-2a-5p
Elias Pettersson: 0g-4a-4p
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 1g-2a-3p
Liam Öhgren: 2g-0a-2p
Max Sasson: 2g-0a-2p
Jake DeBrusk: 2g-0a-2p
When and Where to Watch
Friday’s game starts at 7:00 p.m. PCT, and you can watch on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on KiSS West Coast.
