RANGERS VS CANUCKS GAME DAY PREVIEW 11/12

Rangers Riding Six Game Point Streak Host Canucks at MSG

New York Rangers (8-7-2) vs Vancouver Canucks (10-6-2)

Madison Square Garden, NYC

TONIGHT 7:00 PM, TV: MSG, RSNP  RADIO: ESPN-NY

The Rangers come into tonight's game after a brief 2 game road trip with back to back games Friday in Detroit in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Red Wings and on Saturday with a 5-4 shootout win in Columbus against the Blue Jackets. Both games once again saw the Rangers blow 2 goals leads as has been habit this season to take games past regulation time.

The Rangers have won four of their last 5 games and have a record of 5-0-1 over the last 6. Henrik Lundqvist who suffered the loss in Detroit with 5.1 seconds remaining in overtime is expected to start tonight against the visting Canucks. Lundqvist is 8-5-0 in 13 career appearances against the Canucks.

Mats Zuccarello is still listed as day to day with a groin injury and he is most likely a game time decision. The rest of the Rangers lineup expects to be the same as the win in Columbus with Vinni Lettieri & Brendan Smith as healthy scratches.

Rangers Leaders: Mika Zibanejad, 15 points; Chris Kreider, 8 goals; Kevin Hayes, 8 assists.

Vancouver also extended their points streak to six games Saturday with a 4-3 shootout win in Buffalo vs the Sabres. The Canucks have also won 4 of their last five games and are 4-0-2 in their last 6 games.

The Canucks, who will play a back-to-back set in New York and visit the Islanders on Tuesday night, are likely to split the starts in the Big Apple between number one goalie Jacob Markstrom, who has started the last seven games, and backup Anders Nilsson. Markstrom (six games) and Nilsson (five games) are each 3-1-1 against the Rangers.

Canucks Leaders: Elias Pettersson, 17 points, 10 goals; Nikolay Goldobin, 8 assists.

This is the  first of two meetings between the Blueshirts and Canucks this season. The Rangers swept the season series last year 2-0 with a 6-5 overtime win in Vancouver and a 4-3 shootout win at MSG. Henrik Lundqvist picked up the wins in both games.

RANGERS PROBALE LINEUP vs CANUCKS
Forwards:
Namestnikov-Zibanejad-Buchnevich
Kreider-Hayes-Andersson
Vesey-Howden-Fast
McLeod-Chytil-Spooner

Defense
Skjei-DeAngelo
Staal-Pionk
Claesson-Shattenkirk

Starter: Lundqvist
Backup: Georgiev

Scratches: Lettieri, Smith

Injuries: Zuccarello (day to day, groin), McLeod (IR, lower body)

RANGERS ALL-TIME RECORD VS CANUCKS
Overall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80-32-8-1 (169 pts)
Home Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-14-5-1 (90 pts)
Road Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38-18-3-0 (79 pts)
Goals For. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493
Goals Against. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Shutouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, last - 10/18/2011 (4-0; Lundqvist)
LAST TIME
Last Ranger Win at MSG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/26/2017 (4-3, SO)
Last Ranger Win at Vancouver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/28/2018 (6-5, OT)
Last Canuck Win at MSG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11/8/2016 (5-3)
Last Canuck Win at Vancouver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12/9/2015 (2-1)