Panarin, Zibanejad each score twice as surging Rangers hand Canucks 3rd straight loss

Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet knew he was handing a rookie goalie a tough assignment on Wednesday night.

While 21-year-old netminder Arturs Silovs wasn't able to backstop his side to victory in his NHL debut, Tocchet thought he still performed admirably in the Canucks' 6-4 loss to the New York Rangers.

Facing a team stacked with top-tier talents like Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin didn't intimidate Silovs.

"I was just playing hockey," he said. "I was just trying to do my best, trying to shut those guys down."

The six-foot-four, 203-pound goalie from Riga, Latvia made 22 saves for the beleaguered Canucks (21-30-4), who dropped their third game in a row.

WATCH | Rangers beat Canucks in Vancouver for 6th straight win:

Rangers earn 6th straight win as they hand Canucks 3rd consecutive loss

2 years ago

Duration 1:06

New York beats Vancouver 6-4, Artemi Panarin records two goals and an assist.

Silovs, picked in the sixth round by Vancouver in the 2019 entry draft, was called up from the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks on Tuesday.

He boasts a 21-9-4 record with a .906 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-against average in Abbotsford this season, and believes getting a taste of the NHL will only propel him further.

"I think it's gonna help me a lot long term because at least I know what it is, you know?" he said. "So I know what I can be better at so I can push myself even more."

Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller also found the back of the net and Igor Shesterkin stopped 25-of-29 shots.

"We keep talking about doing the right things," Zibanejad said. "And we know we can score and just got to make sure we make the right decisions that we don't try to sacrifice the defensive part or put ourselves in a bad spot that way. But I thought we did a good job tonight."

Zibanejad levelled the score 5:51 into opening frame with his team-leading 28th goal of the campaign.

The Swedish centre faked a shot, getting Silovs to move, then blasted a wrister past the rookie netminder to tie the game at 1-1. The tally extended his goal streak to five games.

The Canucks were well-prepared for the Rangers' offensive onslaught, having dropped a 4-3 decision to the team in New York on Feb. 8.

"They've got some good weapons on the ice, both on their [defence] and forwards," said centre Elias Pettersson, who contributed a pair of assists on Wednesday. "But we know that. I think we've just got to just got to be better."

Andrei Kuzmenko scored and notched an assist for Vancouver, while Curtis Lazar, J.T. Miller and Conor Garland also replied for the home side.

The Canucks' most impressive play of the night came midway through the second period, moments after New York's Niko Mikkola was released from the box after serving a holding penalty.

Kuzmenko used some dazzling stick work to get around Adam Fox, but his ensuing shot pinged off the crossbar. Garland picked up the errant puck and sent a backhanded shot in past Shesterkin at the 9:26 mark.

"It was good moment for me," Kuzmenko said. "I win battle one-on-one with good skills before net. Garland, nice skills. Good goal for Garland."

The Canucks were one for two on the power play and the Rangers went zero for one.

Ekman-Larsson exits with lower-body injury

Canucks defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson went down awkwardly after trying to hit Vladimir Tarasenko midway through the first period. He limped off the ice, favouring his left leg and did not return to the game. Lazar also suffered a lower-body injury in the third.

The Rangers take on the Oilers in Edmonton on Friday, while the Canucks wrap a three-game homestand against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.