New York Rangers vs Vancouver-canucks Picks and Predictions March 22nd 2025

Rangers’ J.T. Miller Gets Reacquainted with Canucks in Matinee

When the New York Rangers acquired J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31, the trade was designed to shift momentum for both teams. While the results have been mixed since the deal, Saturday afternoon’s matchup at Madison Square Garden offers both sides a critical chance to improve their playoff positioning.

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Rangers Trying to Regain Footing at Home

Since his return to New York, Miller has registered seven goals and 11 assists in 20 games. However, he has been scoreless over the past nine contests, during which the Rangers (33-31-6, 72 points) have gone 2-5-2. That includes a five-game home losing streak (0-4-1).

“We knew how big the game was and just weren’t able to find a way.” — Sam Carrick

New York’s latest loss came Thursday in a 4-3 setback to Toronto, despite an improved offensive effort compared to Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Calgary. Artemi Panarin extended his point streak to 11 games, contributing a goal and an assist, but defensive miscues once again proved costly.

Head coach Peter Laviolette experimented with defensive pairings, pairing Adam Fox with former Canuck Carson Soucy, but the adjustments didn’t stop the bleeding in the second period.

The Rangers trail the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot by two points and are in a tight race with the Canadiens and Islanders, both of whom also sit at 72 points.

Canucks Looking for Complete Performance

Vancouver (32-25-12, 76 points) heads to New York with a modest 5-3-1 record over its last nine games. The Canucks started a six-game road trip Thursday with a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Louis, despite tying the game with just four seconds left in regulation.

“We’ve still got to figure out our overtimes obviously, but we’re still looking for 60 minutes.” — Kiefer Sherwood

Brock Boeser scored twice, marking back-to-back multi-goal games after snapping a 12-game goalless drought. Elias Pettersson, reportedly a source of friction with Miller prior to the trade, added an assist to extend his point streak to six games.

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Vancouver has struggled to generate shots, posting just 18 in Thursday’s loss. That marked the 10th time this season the Canucks have been held under 20 shots in a game.

Filip Chytil, acquired in the Miller trade, remains sidelined with a concussion sustained last week against the Blackhawks.

What’s at Stake

Both teams are clinging to playoff hopes and can’t afford to drop points. The Rangers are desperate to end their home slide, while Vancouver needs consistency during a grueling road trip.