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VANCOUVER — Even with the National Hockey League being sure to promote having all 32 teams on the schedule for the second time in three weeks on Wednesday night, there was little doubtwhich game most eyes were on when it came to the “Frozen Frenzy.”
J.T. Miller’s return to Vancouver was one that was circled on the calendar for months for Blueshirts fans, but it was Jonathan Quick who stole the show in the Rangers’ 2-0 win over the Canucks in front of a sold-out Rogers Arena crowd.
The Original Six franchise’s 39-year-old backup goaltender made 23 saves in his 64th career shutout — including stopping all 12 shots he faced in the third period when the Canucks produced a massive push late in the game — to tie Hall of Famer and Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist on the league’s all-time list.
“Obviously, any time your name is in a category with Hank, it’s special,” Quick said. “But, you know at the end of the day, it’s two points; a much-needed two points and hopefully we can build off this game going into Edmonton.”
Quick’s performance was a badly needed boost for a team in desperate need of one, having entered the night’s play in last place in the Eastern Conference.
“He was awesome,” said Sam Carrick, whose empty-net goal with 1:33 left in regulation helped seal the win. “He’s so steady back there. It’s not an easy job, obviously, but for him to come in and make some huge saves like that, it gives us a huge confidence boost.”
As for Miller, who played for the first time in Vancouver since his mid 2024-25 season trade that ended an at times contentious five-and-a-half year stint with a franchise with whom he potted three straight 30-goal seasons, it was ultimately a relatively quiet night. The 32-year-old forward recorded two shots on goal and had a plus-one rating in 19:24 worth of ice time on Wednesday night, and seemed happy that the experience was finally behind him.
“I had a lot of nerves,” he said. “I almost tried to move my feet and stay focused, and I really liked the way our line played in the first two periods. I thought that we had a cycle game, had an honest game. It’s an emotional game, for sure. But, it actually went better than I thought. I thought it was going to be a little worse, but I made it through.”
First-year head coach Mike Sullivan praised Miller, who was named the Rangers’ captain prior to the start of the season, for how he handled himself given the emotions of the night, as well as the leadership qualities he showed in doing so with a group that remains somewhat fragile after their slow start to the year.
“I thought J.T. did a great job,” Sullivan said. “I just think he has a certain perspective on the game right now. He’s grown up a lot over the years, and I just think he has a maturity level to him that’s admirable. He’s a fiery guy as you know, and he wears his emotions on his sleeve because he cares an awful lot about our team and about winning. I love that about him. In a lot of ways, that embodies what we’re trying to become as a team, so I think he’s doing a really good job of keeping those emotions in check and channeling them in a real positive way. I think he had a strong game tonight.”
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