In a commanding display, the New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-2, maintaining their perfect home record on Sunday night. The victory, which improves the Rangers to 4-0-0 at Madison Square Garden this season, comes following the recent loss of star goaltender Igor Shesterkin to a season-ending injury.
Tye Kartye and Will Cuylle each scored two goals for the Rangers. Kartye opened the scoring just 27 seconds into the game and broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal at 1:35 of the second period. This marks his second two-goal game in his career, having previously achieved the feat on April 15, 2026, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Cuylle also made a significant contribution, scoring early in the second period and again with less than five minutes left in the game, earning his fifth career two-goal game. J.T. Miller assisted both of Kartye’s goals and helped to drive the Rangers’ offense overall.
Aided by contributions from Alexis Lafreniere, who celebrated his 25th birthday with a power-play goal, and Gabe Perreault, who netted a goal and an assist, the Rangers’ offense was prolific. Mika Zibanejad provided assists on the first two goals of the third period, helping to solidify the team’s lead.
In net, Dylan Garand stepped in as the Rangers’ primary goaltender, making 19 saves in his debut following Shesterkin’s injury. Garand’s performance is particularly noteworthy as backup Joonas Korpisalo is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks due to his own lower-body injury.
The Canucks managed to find the net twice, with Jake DeBrusk’s first-period goal and defenseman Elias Pettersson scoring a short-handed goal in the second. However, their efforts fell short as Kevin Lankinen allowed six goals on 25 shots in his performance in goal.
The game featured a quick back-and-forth exchange of momentum. After Kartye began the scoring, DeBrusk tied the game before Cuylle reclaimed the lead shortly after. Following Pettersson’s equalizer, Kartye responded again, leading to a series of Rangers scores that ultimately sealed the victory.
Next, the Rangers will look to build on this victory as they continue their season, with immediate challenges on the horizon following their strong home performance.
