Jonny Brodzinski scored two goals, including the winner, as the New York Rangers earned a 5-3 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
K’Andre Miller, Adam Fox and former Canuck J.T. Miller also scored for the Rangers (34-31-6), while Dakota Joshua, Drew O’Connor and Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver (32-25-12). Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves to earn the goaltending win. Kevin Lankinen made just eight saves on 12 shots for the Canucks.
With the loss, the Canucks remained one point back of the St. Louis Blues for the final wildcard spot in the NHL’s Western Conference. The Blues were playing the Chicago Blackhawks later in the afternoon.
The Canucks outshot the Rangers 11-1 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead on Joshua’s fifth of the season at 11:51, knocking home a rebound after Quinn Hughes made a nice move around New York’s Matt Rempe to get a shot on goal.
Hughes with the moves, Joshua with the finish. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/fnsIJzMoB8
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 22, 2025
New York tied things at 1-1 midway through the second, while Fox tipped in a shot from the slot past Lankinen.
The Canucks finished with a 25-7 edge in shots on goal after 40 minutes.
The Rangers took the lead 1:39 into the third, with Brodzinski converted a J.T. Miller pass.
O’Connor levelled things at 2-2 at 11:22, knocking in his own rebound after a nice feed from Nils Aman. O’Connor now has 10 goals for the year.
K’Andre Miller restored the lead for the Rangers just 78 seconds later, throwing the puck in front from the left corner and seeing it bounce off a defender.
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Boeser, with his fifth goal in three games and 23rd of the year, pulled Vancouver even again at the 15:10 mark, outduelling K’Andre Miller behind the net and coming out front to slot one past Shesterkin.
The lead was short-lived as 37 seconds later, Brodzinski converted a feed from Alexis Lafreniere for the winner.
J.T. Miller put the game away with an empty-netter with 17 seconds left.
Vancouver continues its six-game road trip Monday (4:30 p.m.) in New Jersey.
NOTES: Vancouver’s Kiefer Sherwood broke the NHL record for hits in a season when he recorded his 384th of the year in the first period. Jeremy Lauzon of Nashville set the previous high last year… Hughes earned his 400th career point with the assist on Joshua’s goal… Vancouver centre Elias Pettersson left the game in the second period after suffering some apparent discomfort on a faceoff.
