NHL: Grabner meets, Debacle for Vanek

Defeats set it for the two Austrian ice hockey strikers Michael Grabner and Thomas Vanek on Wednesday in the NHL. Grabner scored a goal, but lost with the New York Rangers against the Ottawa Senators 2-3. Vanek slipped with the Vancouver Canucks into a 1:7 home debacle against the Nashville Predators.

Grabner met in the 24. Mats Zuccarello’s ideal pass to 1:1 and now holds at 15 seasonal goals. The 30-year-old Villacher is clearly the best goal scorer of his team and in the top ten of the NHL scorer list.

The Rangers are still in the play-off ranks in the East despite their third defeat in the recent four games. The Canucks, on the other hand, were three points behind in the West after their fourth consecutive defeat and two more games.

Against Nashville there was a strong rejection for the Canucks, who have had to give up their one-man center Bo Horvat for a week now because of a broken foot. Vanek was in the 7. The goalkeeper Pekka Rinne defused his goalkeeper Pekka Rinne, however, in the eighth minute he had a great chance to equalise 1-1.