NOVEMBER 3, 2009at General Motors Place in Vancouver
2009-10 Game No. 16; Road Game No. 8
Team Record: 9-6-1
The Rangers showed plenty of fight on Tuesday night at GM Place in Vancouver, but fell 4-1 to the Canucks in the opener of their three-game road trip through Western Canada. Mikael Samuelsson scored twice for the Canucks, and teammate Ryan Kesler added three assists.
• FULL RECAP AND BOXSCORE | PHOTO GALLERY
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STAT OF THE GAME
Each team had five power plays, and power-play time was nearly identical at just under 10 minutes. The big difference was one power play goal that Canucks forward Mikael Samuelsson scored. That goal ended up being the back-breaker.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
It's never fun to start a road trip with a loss, but the Rangers showed a lot of fight in this game and stood up to an opponent looking to intimidate them. In that sense, they set a very good tone for the next two games on the trip.
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THREE-STAR SELECTIONS BY NEWYORKRANGERS.COM
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1. Christopher Higgins
Much like Adam Graves 18 years ago, Higgins waited a long time for his first goal as a Ranger, and this will hopefully also be the first of many.
2. Ales Kotalik
If there was one player on the ice who created a lot of scoring chances all by himself, it was Kotalik, who was repeatedly burned by Vancouver's goalie.
3. Ryan Callahan
His hustle continues to be a big part of the Rangers' fortunes, as his relentless forechecking was clearly a major thorn in the Canucks' side all night.
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