Glenn Gawdin scored his first two NHL goals in the New York Rangers’ four-goal second period, helping the team to a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night. The win ended a strange streak for New York, which had been 0-7-1 when conceding the opening goal this season.
The Rangers finished their four-game road trip with three wins and have now taken five of their last six games, improving to 12-8-1 overall. Vancouver’s struggles continued as the Canucks dropped their seventh straight game, slipping to 3-17-1, the worst record in the NHL.
Elias Pettersson opened the scoring for Vancouver with a tip-in at 7:47 of the first period. Brock Boeser, a Canucks winger, assisted on the goal, marking the 500th point of his NHL career. Gabe Perreault tied the game for New York with just over a minute left in the first period.
New York pulled away in the second period. Oliver Bjorkstrand gave the Rangers the lead on a power-play goal at 8:21. Alexis Lafreniere added another before Gawdin took over. The 29-year-old from Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver, was called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League just on Tuesday. Playing only his second NHL game of the season and 15th overall, Gawdin snapped home a shot to make it 3-1 with seven minutes left in the second. He then scored again with 3:50 remaining, pushing the lead to 5-1.
Dylan Garand made 27 saves in goal for the Rangers, who will host the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. The Canucks will travel to Las Vegas for a Sunday night game.
Gawdin’s performance stood out not just for the goals but for breaking the Rangers’ pattern of losing when they fall behind first. The team’s ability to reverse that trend with a strong middle period secured a comfortable win and extended their recent run of success.
Vancouver’s slide shows no sign of easing, with the Canucks still searching for their first victory in eight games. Their next match in Vegas offers a chance to halt the skid but comes against a strong opponent.
The Rangers’ win in Vancouver on Friday night added another chapter to their improving season, with young players like Gawdin making a tangible impact in critical moments.
According to Yahoo Sports.
