Canucks vs. New York Rangers: Betting odds, injuries, weather, more

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 12: Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers skates with the puck against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden on October 12, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 12: Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers skates with the puck against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden on October 12, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)

The New York Rangers welcome the Vancouver Canucks to Madison Square Garden as here is all the info you need to prepare for what should be a competitive game.

Coming off another loss on Friday to the Washington Capitals, the New York Rangers (2-3-0) get a much-needed day off on Saturday to get some insight on changes that need to happen. As of now, their defense leaves much to be desired as things aren’t aligned as envisioned at the start of the regular season.

The truth of the matter is, the Rangers defense needs to work better together when it comes to their overall execution as a team. With so many new players on the roster, it’ll take some time for everyone to gel cohesively, which is likely the problem at this point in time in defending against the opposition.

When it comes to defense and being more aggressive in key moments of a game, the Rangers are still trying to find their identity. They have the talent needed to win hockey games but at least with a day off on Saturday, hopefully, they work out the kinks to ensure they’re in a position to start a winning streak.

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Coming into town on Sunday are the Vancouver Canucks (4-3-0) with the Rangers hoping to end their three-game losing streak. The Canucks are also coming off a loss but a familiar face will be returning to MSG but wearing a different colored jersey.

Forward J.T. Miller, who was with the Rangers for six entire seasons, comes back to Madison Square Garden looking to prove why it was a mistake to let him go in the first place. Miller has been lighting it up with the Canucks as he leads the team with eight points and well, it looks like he’s proving the Rangers dropped the ball in trading him away.

BETTINGS ODDS & LINES

Courtesy of The Action Network, the Rangers are -135 on the Moneyline. Before losing on Saturday 1-0 to the New Jersey Devils, the Canucks were riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak but struggled immensely in one key weakness the Rangers can capitalize on, the power play.

The Canucks aren’t all that great when it comes to the power play as they haven’t scored any PPG’s in their last two games. This should be an area to attack early and often in this afternoon matchup.

WEATHER FORECAST

As per The Weather Channel, if you’re traveling to the game at MSG, bring an umbrella as it’ll be cloudy with afternoon rain in the forecast. There is a 70 percent chance of rain for the entire day with temperatures averaging a low 47°F.

CANUCKS PROJECTED LINEUP

Below is the projected lineup for the Canucks as per NHL.com:

J.T. Miller — Elias Pettersson — Brock BoeserTanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Josh LeivoMicheal Ferland — Brandon Sutter — Jake VirtanenTim Schaller — Jay Beagle — Tyler MotteAlexander Edler — Tyler MyersQuinn Hughes — Christopher TanevJordie Benn — Troy StecherJacob MarkstromThatcher DemkoScratched: Loui Eriksson, Adam Gaudette, Ashton Sautner, Oscar FantenbergInjured: Antoine Roussel (knee)

RANGERS PROJECTED LINEUP

Below is the projected lineup for the Rangers as per NHL.com:

Artemi Panarin — Mika Zibanejad — Chris KreiderPavel Buchnevich — Brett Howden — Kaapo KakkoBrendan Lemieux — Ryan Strome — Jesper FastBrendan Smith — Lias Andersson — Micheal HaleyLibor Hajek — Jacob TroubaBrady Skjei — Adam FoxMarc Staal — Tony DeAngeloHenrik LundqvistAlexandar GeorgievScratched: Greg McKeggInjured: None

HOW TO WATCH

ESPN+ has a free 7-day trial that includes live streaming for this game on all your smart devices! Besides NHL games like this one featuring the Canucks vs. Rangers, ESPN+ features a selection of live games from MLB, MLS, Serie A, FA Cup, and EFL.

This game will also be televised on SN and MSG. The puck drops at 1 P.M. Eastern Time as all eyes will be on the Rangers to hopefully do better in front of the home crowd.