Vancouver forward Elias Pettersson’s recent return to scoring will be tested when the Canucks take on the New York Rangers at home on Tuesday night.
It took Pettersson six games during a homestand to break out of his scoring slump. The talented Swedish forward had a tough start to the season, but now he has scored four goals in his last five games.
He netted a power-play goal at 9:51 of the second period to give Vancouver a 2-1 lead in a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Sunday.
“I got to put good games together in a row. I got to make it my identity,” Pettersson said about his performance over the weekend.
The Canucks have only won three of their 10 home games this season, and they’re hoping to finish this homestand on a high note against New York.
This will be the second game of a four-game road trip through the west for the Rangers.
If Jonathan Quick starts for New York on Tuesday, he will look to extend his impressive shutout streak. Quick, who is considered the backup to Igor Shesterkin, has won all four of his starts this season and recorded his second consecutive shutout with a 2-0 win over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday.
Quick’s shutout streak is currently at 128:05, starting from a relief appearance on Nov. 7 in a 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
“That’s a testament to the way these guys are playing in front of me here,” Quick said after the Seattle game. “We put ourselves in a great opportunity to defend well and win a game.”
Quick, 38, last had shutouts in consecutive starts over 13 years ago, during the 2011-12 season, when he recorded three in a row with the Los Angeles Kings.
With 397 career wins, Quick holds the record for most wins by a U.S.-born goalie, and his 62 shutouts rank 18th on the all-time list.
“Obviously, you’re honored to have those numbers,” Quick said. “At the end of the day as a goalie you’re very dependent on your team in front of you. All those numbers really mean is I’ve played with some great players, teams that value winning more than anything.”
New York improved to 6-1-0 on the road with their win over the Kraken. Alexis Lafreniere and Zac Jones both scored for the Rangers, who won their second straight game and improved to 10-0-0 when scoring first this season.
“I liked everything about the game,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “I liked Jonathan’s game, it was really good. I thought we were good defensively. We made good decisions with the puck. When it did come time to defend, I thought we were in the right place.”
For the Canucks, Pettersson, Kiefer Sherwood, and Aatu Raty scored goals as the team blew a second-period lead to Nashville.
Canucks center J.T. Miller spent most of the third period on the bench, getting only two shifts. He finished the game with 11:41 of ice time, his lowest in the past six seasons.
“He wasn’t one of the guys I thought could get us back into the game,” coach Rick Tocchet said.
