The Vancouver Canucks hope to snap their six-game losing streak when they host former Canucks All-Star J.T. Miller and the New York Rangers on Friday.
Miller, the Rangers captain, spent six seasons in Vancouver before being traded to New York in January 2025 after a falling-out with some teammates, including Canucks current leading scorer Elias Pettersson.
Add the fact that the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994 at the Canucks’ expense — their series was a seven-game thriller — and there are short- and long-term grudges held between the franchises.
The Rangers have a chance to sweep the two-game season series Friday as they beat the Canucks 6-2 on Oct. 11 in New York.
New York enters with a significant advantage in recent form after Vancouver lost 3-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, its 16th defeat in 17 games (1-15-1).
Vancouver failed to generate any offense through the first two periods against the Flyers, registering just six shots on goal in the first two periods.
“I’m lost for words here,” said Canucks defenseman Guillaume Brisebois after the loss. “You’ve just got to show up. It’s about showing up for 60 minutes, not 10 or 15.
“Yeah, there’s actually no excuse for that. It’s unacceptable to show up like this.”
Many nights, the last-place Canucks look in vain for signs of life from their offense. They also rank last in the league in goals against (4.5 per game) and next-to-last in shots against (30.5 per game).
“The most frustrating part was our start,” said first-year coach Manny Malhotra of the Flyers loss. “To come out as flat as we did and make the same mistakes and take dumb penalties, it’s concerning. It’s frustrating.”
November has brought little relief for Vancouver, which ended a 10-game losing streak with an overtime victory over Anaheim on Oct. 27.
“Mistakes are going to happen,” Malhotra said. “We understand that. But when we keep seeing the same mistakes, it’s problematic. They’re addressed daily, they’re addressed postgame. And when you don’t see the proper response to those corrections, the end result is what you saw tonight.”
This will be Miller’s second game in Vancouver since the trade. The club he will face Friday is a far cry in talent from the Canucks’ team of two seasons ago.
Miller has no goals in his last six games, but he hopes to find his scoring touch against his former team.
“We got to find a way to bear down and score some goals, me included,” he said earlier this week. “I feel like I am all over the net and can’t seem to find it.”
The Rangers defeated the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Wednesday, marking their fourth win in their last five games.
New York has won two of three games on this road trip, which ends in Vancouver.
“This is a fun group to coach because they compete all the time,” said Rangers coach Mike Sullivan. “Their intentions are in the right place. Some nights we are better than others, but I just love our competitive spirit.
“We are getting better in these tight games, in not trying to sit on a lead. We are trying to play more aggressively and doing it in a responsible way.”