Chytil scores in 5th straight game, Rangers hold off Canucks

NEW YORK -- Filip Chytil extended his goal streak to five games, and the New York Rangers won their third in a row, 4-3 against the Vancouver Canucks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Chytil has seven goals during the streak and 11 in the past 13 games. He has an NHL career-high 19 goals this season.
"I love scoring goals," Chytil said. "It's a great feeling, but it's a great feeling also because we are winning the games and it's helping the team get the points. That's what is most important and what I like the most about it."

K'Andre Miller had three assists for his first three-point NHL game, and Igor Shesterkin made 22 saves for the Rangers (29-14-8), who are 4-0-1 in their past five games and 11-3-0 at home since Dec. 5.
"To be honest, it feels a little bit like last year with that type of belief," Miller said. "Obviously, not winning in the prettiest ways all the time, but just finding a way, sticking it out to the last second and finding a way to win, really."
Vasily Podkolzin scored his first goal of the season, J.T. Miller had one assist for his 500th NHL point, and Quinn Hughes had two assists for the Canucks (20-27-4), who have lost the first two of a four-game road trip (0-1-1) that continues Thursday at the New York Islanders. Spencer Martin made 17 saves.
"I don't think we were ready to play," Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said. "I know we had the shot volume down for them, but they're a fast team. But just some guys weren't ready to play tonight."
Tocchet said he could count five players on his list of those who were not ready, adding the Canucks got into trouble because they were not making simple plays, such as getting a puck deep when there were no other options.
"We're looking for the result, we want to score the goal, but there's a lot more to scoring a goal," Tocchet said. "It could be chipping a body. It could be winning a battle. It could be boxing a guy out. We want to go A-to-Z too quick. We've got to go through the progression, and tonight it showed that if we don't value certain plays, they're going to be tough games to win. You're always going to play catch-up."

Chris Kreider gave New York a 1-0 lead at 6:53 of the first period with his 250th NHL goal. K'Andre Miller banked a pass off the right-wing wall to send Vincent Trocheck and Kreider in for a 2-on-1 before Trocheck passed to Kreider backdoor.
"I didn't even know he was with me, I thought it was just a 1-on-1 for the majority of that rush," Trocheck said. "Last second, I see him beat his guy to the back post. I thought I was going to shoot and then saw him wide open. It's nice to have him streaking down the wing at all times."
Chytil made it 2-0 at 8:31 when he received a centering pass by Kaapo Kakko and scored on a backhand after going around Vancouver forward Sheldon Dries.
"Kaapo did a great job behind the net, gave it to me in front, and I just fake shot, put it on the backhand," Chytil said. "Probably the player who should be with me was just stuck there when I faked the shot, and then it was almost an empty net."
Conor Garland cut it to 2-1 with a shot from the right face-off circle at 17:36 after receiving a pass from Hughes, who carried the puck from the Canucks' zone.

Alexis Lafreniere
scored his second goal in as many games to extend it to 3-1 at 6:23 of the second period. A point shot by Jacob Trouba deflected off both Anthony Beauvillier and Hughes before Lafreniere got a piece of it in the slot.
Podkolzin made it 3-2 at 16:06 when his shot from the right circle deflected in off Artemi Panarin after receiving a pass from J.T. Miller, but Mika Zibanejad restored the Rangers' two-goal lead at 16:05 of the third period, deflecting a point shot by Trouba to make it 4-2.
Elias Pettersson scored 11 seconds later, making it 4-3 at 16:16 after a pass by Beauvillier hit the end boards and the left side off the net before coming out in front.
Vancouver outshot New York 12-7 in the third and had three shots on goal in the final 3:44.
"We made a push in the third, we made it a close game," Pettersson said.

NOTES:J.T. Miller has 500 points (187 goals, 313 assists) in 688 NHL games. He scored a goal for his first NHL point Feb. 7, 2013, as a member of the Rangers. … Canucks forward Jack Studnicka missed his second straight game with a non-COVID illness. He was not expected to play in the two remaining games of the road trip and was sent back to Vancouver. … K'Andre Miller has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in his past 12 games. … Chytil also scored in five straight games from Nov. 12-21, 2018. He is the second player in Rangers history with multiple five-game goal streaks at age 23 or younger, joining Tomas Sandstrom (1984-85, 1986-87). … Kreider has 250 goals in 702 NHL games, tying Mark Messier (698 games) for the seventh most in Rangers history. … The Canucks are 2-2-1 since Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau as coach Jan. 22. … Martin is 0-9-0 in his past nine games (eight starts). ... Beauvillier had an assist, his first point in his second game with Vancouver since being acquired in the trade that sent Bo Horvat to the Islanders on Jan. 30.