Scenes from morning skate: Hughes out, Willander debuts as Canucks host JT Miller and the Rangers

The Vancouver Canucks (5-5) play host to the New York Rangers (3-5-2) at Rogers Arena tonight. It’s the highly anticipated return of JT Miller for the first time since last January’s trade that brought Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a first-round pick in return. What we saw

#Canucks this morning
DeBrusk-EP40-Garland
Kane-Reichel-Boeser
O’Connor-Raty-Sherwood
Bains-Sasson-Karlsson
Aman

MP29-Hronek
EP25-Myers
Joseph-Willander
Kudryavtsev

The Canucks will be without captain Quinn Hughes for a second straight game. He is listed as day to day with a lower body injury. While Hughes sits out again, rookie Tom Willander will make his NHL debut. The Canucks’ first round pick in 2023 has a goal and an assist in five games in AHL Abbotsford this season.

Thatcher Demko will get the start in goal. He made 26 saves in a 4-3 overtime win over Edmonton on Sunday. Kiefer Sherwood scored twice in that game including the OT winner. Sherwood now leads the Canucks with six goals in 10 games. 

Forward Elias Pettersson has scored in back to back games and has four points in that time. Conor Garland (1+3) also has four points in his last two outings. Garland leads the hockey club with 11 points through 10 games. 

Aside from Willander replacing the injured Victor Mancini on the blueline, the Canucks will go with the same line-up they used against Edmonton. Mancini has been placed on injured reserve after being shaken up in the second period and leaving Sunday’s game. 

This is the final game of a brief three game homestand. The Canucks are 1-1 on the homestand and 2-2 on home ice this season.

The Opponent

The Rangers arrive in town following a 5-1 loss in Calgary on Sunday. It was the team’s first regulation road loss of the season (3-1-1). Rookie Noah Laba’s first NHL goal was the team’s only scoring play at the Saddledome. New York is 31st in the league in both raw goals (22) and goals per game (2.20). The Rangers have already been shutout three times and have been held to one goal on three other occasions through their first 10 games. 

#NYR lines and D pairs at morning skate in Vancouver:

Panarin-Zibanejad-Cuylle
Sheary-Miller-Lafrenière
Pärssinen-Laba-Raddysh
Edström-Carrick-Brodzinski

Gavrikov-Fox
Soucy-Borgen
Vaakanainen-Schneider

Appears Brennan Othmann and Matthew Robertson are coming out

Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin lead the Rangers with seven points apiece while JT Miller has six on two goals and four helpers. Taylor Raddish leads the club with four goals – three of them coming last Wednesday against San Jose. 

Miller spent parts of six seasons in Vancouver playing 404 games for the Canucks scoring 152 goals and recording 437 points. He sits 12th all time in franchise scoring and is second in points per game (1.08). A large gathering of media welcomed Miller back to town after the team’s morning skate.

Igor Shesterkin allowed five goals on 30 shots in Calgary on Sunday. He was beaten for six goals by San Jose in his previous outing. He has started eight of the Rangers 10 games this season. He allowed seven goals in his first six starts and 11 in his past two. As Shesterkin struggles to regain his form, veteran Jonathan Quick will get the start in goal tonight. Quick is 1-1 on the season with a 2.03 GAA and a .911 save percentage.

Vincent Trocheck and Matt Rempe are both injured and are not with the club on its four game road trip. Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said this morning that Rempe’s injury would keep him out of action for a while.

News and notes

The Rangers swept both games in the season series last year. The Canucks will visit Madison Square Garden as part of a five-game road trip in mid-December.

The referees for tonight’s game are Jon McIssac and Corey Syvret.

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