Game 16: Broadway Meets Hollywood North

The Vancouver Canucks look to build on their 3-0 shutout victory over the Northwest division leading Colorado Avalanche when they take on the 9-5-1 New York Rangers led by Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik.

Andrew Raycroft will get his 4th consecutive start as Roberto Luongo is still out with fractured ribs. It's not news that the Canucks have been hampered by injuries this season. It has gotten to the point where their AHL call ups are going down. First was Alexandre Bolduc and now Michael Grabner join the list of walking wounded. Grabner rolled his ankle during a pregame warmup before Sunday's game against Colorado. He joins Daniel Sedin, Pavol Demitra, Jannik Hansen, Alex Bolduc and Roberto Luongo in the press box. As a result, the Canucks have signed Matt Pettinger. Pettinger spent a couple of months with the Canucks when he was traded for Matt Cooke. He was claimed off waivers last season by the Lightning and subsequently fell off the radar playing for the Victoria Salmon Kings and Manitoba Moose before being called by the Canucks.

Despite a shortened lineup and playing defensemen as forwards, the Canucks managed to shut down Colorado's high powered offense as Andrew Raycroft picked up his first shutout as a Canuck against his former team. Ryan Kesler led the charge with strong play at both ends of the rink. Kesler assisted on Mason Raymond's ice breaker before adding a goal himself in the second. He was also very strong defensive for the Canucks, most notably when his team was down two men. Andrew Raycroft, meanwhile, stopped all 17 shots he faced and got some help from the posts as the Canucks picked up their second shutout of the season. The win moved them into 2nd in the Northwest division, one point ahead of the Calgary Flames and six behind the Avalanche.

The New York Rangers are enjoying a very strong start to their season. They have been led offensively by Marian Gaborik, a player the Canucks are all too familiar with. Rumours swirled this summer that Gaborik would be wearing a Canucks jersey this season but he ended up signing a 5-year deal with New York at $7.5 million per season. A high risk for a player who is considered injury prone. In 13 games this season, Gaborik has picked up 11 goals and 8 assists. That puts him 4th in the league for goals and 5th in points.

The Rangers are also coming off a shutout victory off their own as they beat the Boston Bruins 1-0 on Sunday night. The aforementioned Marian Gaborik scored the lone goal of the game while Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 21 shots he faced. Along with Gaborik the Rangers have had significant contributions from Michael Del Zotto, an early contender for the Calder trophy awarded to the league's best rookie. The Rangers currently sit in second in the Atlantic division, three points behind the defending Stanley Cup Champions, Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last season, these two teams met in Madison Square Gardens. That game saw the Canucks jump out to an early 2-0 lead just halfway into the first with goals from Wellwood and Burrows. The Canucks would add three more in the second and finish with a 6-3 victory.

The puck drops at 7:00PM Pacific on TSN with Chris Cuthbert and Ray Ferrarro. Rick Ball has the call on the TEAM1040 with Tom Larscheid.

Roster Notes:

Canucks: More players fall as Michael Grabner is out after rolling his ankle. The Canucks have signed Matt Pettinger who will dress. Mathieu Schneider was a healthy scratch on Sunday.
Rangers: Coming Soon

Game related articles

• Game Preview (Canucks.com)
• Injury-ravaged Canucks signing Pettinger with eyes open (Vancouver Sun)
• Injured Luongo back on skates, may play during upcoming five-game road trip (The Province)
• Lundqvist’s 21st Career Shutout Lifts Rangers Past the Bruins (New York Times)

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