The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their pre-4 Nations Face-Off with a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Filip Hronek had a goal and an assist, while Brock Boeser scored the winner on the power play. As for the goaltenders, Thatcher Demko made six saves during his 10 minutes of the game, while Kevin Lankinen stopped 21 of 22 for his 19th win of the season.
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Before discussing the game as a whole, it is important to provide an update on Demko. As mentioned, he left midway through the first period and did not return. While there was speculation that he may have been injured in warmups, post-game, Head Coach Rick Tocchet said that was not the case.
“It was just something that happened during the game,” said Tocchet. “I don’t think it’s that serious. I don’t know from early reports. It’s not the knee, so we don’t have to have you guys speculate, but I don’t know. I don’t think it’s that serious, but we’ll see.”
As for the game itself, the Canucks were able to hang on for their third-straight win. While there were some issues in the second period, Vancouver stuck to their game plan and were able to shut down the Maple Leafs top players. A big part reason why the Canucks held Toronto to just one goal was Lankinen, who was fantastic once again.
One of Lankinen’s biggest moments came with just two minutes left in the third period. Vancouver’s keeper made an incredible save off Austin Matthews to keep the Canucks up one. While Lankinen made several impressive saves, robbin arguably one of the best goal scorers in the NHL was easily the highlight of the night.
Another player who stood out was center Elias Pettersson. Tocchet used Pettersson in a matchup role against Matthews and finished the night with one assist, three blocks and two takeaways. Pettersson also came up with a massive play at the end of the game, blocking a shot from Mitch Marner, which forced the puck out of the defensive zone.
Lastly, the penalty kill played a key role in this game. While they were only tested twice, they finished the game perfect and came up with a massive kill at the end of the game. The penalty kill is now perfect in their last four games and continues to be a big reason why the Canucks are one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
While it wasn’t the prettiest performance, Vancouver found a way to extend their win streak and skate away with two points. Now 3-1-1 since the trades, it is clear that this group is starting to click as they look like a more cohesive team on the ice. The hope is the players can use the next few weeks to heal up and reset before they return to the ice after the 4 Nations Face-Off to start their march to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Stats and Facts:
– Brock Boeser’s 27th career game-winning goal ties him with J.T. Miller for the tenth most in franchise history
– Filip Hronek records his 14th multi-point game with the Canucks
– Derek Forbort records his 100th career point
– Kiefer Sherwood records at least five hits for the 34th time this season
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
7:00- VAN: Filip Hronek (3) from Elias Pettersson and Derek Forbort
2nd Period:
19:52- TOR: Morgan Rielly (6) from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Auston Matthews
3rd Period:
8:56- VAN: Brock Boeser (18) from Filip Chytil Filip Hronek (PPG)
Up Next:
The Canucks, as well as the rest of the NHL, now head into the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The tournament, which will include Pettersson, Tocchet, Lankinen and Quinn Hughes, gets going on February 12. As for Vancouver, they return to the ice on February 22, when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas.
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