Music: {allcanada} Rangers open road trip with win against Canucks

Saturday, December 13, 2014

{allcanada} Rangers open road trip with win against Canucks

Wrapped In Red - Kelly Clarkson / Eloise: Little Miss Christmas

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks got a rude welcome home Saturday after their seven-game road trip.

The New York Rangers scored on three straight shots from odd-man rushes to jump out to a three-goal lead in the opening 6:46 of a 5-1 win against the Canucks at Rogers Arena.

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh opened the scoring with his first goal of the season on a 3-on-1 at 2:36, J.T. Miller doubled the lead on a 2-on-1 rush 43 seconds later and Mats Zuccarello finished off another 3-on-1 break over three minutes after that to make it 3-0.

Zuccarello added a second goal and defenseman Marc Staal also scored for New York (13-10-4), which got a goal from each forward line and 29 saves from Henrik Lundqvist to open a four-game road trip.

Nick Bonino broke Lundqvist's shutout bid 4:20 into the third period and Ryan Miller made 18 saves, including a penalty shot by Martin St. Louis late in the second period. The Canucks have lost four straight games (0-3-1) for the first time this season.

Vancouver (18-10-2) was playing at home for the first time since Nov. 25, but the crowd didn't have much to cheer about.

The onslaught started after the Canucks' top line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin got caught in the offensive end after a really long shift and defenseman Ryan Stanton made an ill-advised pinch. New York's fourth line broke out the other way and Jesper Fast held the puck into the right faceoff circle before sending a pass to a streaking McDonagh for a backdoor tap in behind a stranded Miller.

Vancouver surrendered a 4-on-1 rush 20 seconds later, but the Rangers failed to get a shot after missing a cross-crease pass.

It didn't matter. The Canucks gave up another odd-man rush on the next shift and Derek Stepan finished the 2-on-1 with a cross-ice pass to J.T. Miller, who had enough time to cut back across the crease, catching Ryan Miller sliding the other way for an empty net.

A bad pinch by defenseman Kevin Bieksa set up another Rangers 3-on-1 over three minutes later. Rick Nash passed to Zuccarello after they crossed the blue line and he skated into the faceoff circle before beating Miller with a far-side wrist shot past the blocker.

The Rangers, who had been off since Monday and were playing their first game outside the Eastern time zone since the season opener at the St. Louis Blues, added two more goals on 10 shots in the second period.

Staal made it 4-0 on a screen shot and Zuccarello added his second goal with 2:21 left in the second period after a nice passing play from Nash and Derick Brassard left him with a tap in behind Miller.

The goals snapped a five-game drought for Zuccarello and extended Nash's point streak to nine games and Brassard's to five. Nash has six goals and five assists; Brassard has two goals and five assists.

Bonino finished a 2-on-1 rush with a wrist shot over the glove of Lundqvist in the third period. It was Bonino's first goal in 16 games and his first point in seven. It ended Lundqvist's bid for a fifth shutout, which would have tied for the NHL lead.

The Simpsons Christmas / A Mary Christmas - Mary J. Blige