Visiting his former team in Vancouver might have been special for New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, but Thursday’s preseason game probably didn’t generate the same warm and fuzzy feelings (aside from the video tribute).
The Canucks walloped his Rangers 5-0 tonight, as Henrik Sedin scored two goals, Ryan Kesler had a tally and a helper and Alexander Edler collected three assists.
Henrik Lunqvist probably feels worse than his coach as the Swede allowed five goals on just 17 shots in two periods of play while Roberto Luongo looked awfully strong in that Canucks uniform, pitching a 40-save shutout.
Ultimately, this game will be forgotten pretty quickly, especially since these teams will meet in two regular season games. Still, Tortorella probably didn’t mind handing it to the team that fired him this past summer.