Canucks’ Hamhuis to undergo surgery Friday

Boyle later hit the post on a Rangers’ power play.

The Rangers were awarded a penalty shot moments earlier when a Vancouver player was judged to have covered the puck in Miller’s crease. Yannick Weber, who has been a healthy scratch the past two games, is the only extra defenceman on the Canucks’ roster. Boyle is certainly not the point producing pivot he used to be and is used more as specialist in offensive zone situations which gives him some small value in fantasy. It was Sedin’s 13th of the season just 40 seconds after Boyle tied the game 1-1.

Following the game, coach Willie Desjardins said the defenseman had taken a shot to the upper part of his mouth and had lost some teeth, calling the injury “scary”.

Hamhuis, who has four assists and a plus-7 rating in 27 games this season, will have surgery Friday and there is no timetable for his return. The Canucks went to short 5 on 3 and scored on the two-man advantage, when at 3:19, Alex Edler’s shot went through a screen and past Henrik Lundqvist for a 1-0 lead.

The Canucks are hoping the same applies to them after winning 5-2 over visiting Buffalo on Monday, ending a five-game slide with just their fourth win in 17 tries.

“There’s no doubt in the first two periods I felt we carried the play”, Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault said after losing for the sixth time in the last eight games.

Obviously the Rangers would have liked to get one under the belt with the dominant of a period, but given their recent struggles, the first period was extremely encouraging. The Canucks goaltender looked sharp in stopping right winger Jesper Fast’s shot from the slot and blocking a backhand from left winger Chris Kreider.NOTES: Vancouver rookie LW Jake Virtanen was sent to the Utica Comets of the AHL for conditioning after missing a week with a hip injury…. Canucks RW Jannik Hansen played in his 500th career game…. The Canucks open a six-game road trip on Sunday that will take them to Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Detroit, Florida and Tampa Bay….

That score capped a three-goal rally by Boston.

A year ago, a trip through Western Canada solved the New York Rangers’ woes.