The Vancouver Canucks returned home after a long road trip and got into a feisty affair with an opponent trying hard to stay in the playoff race.
VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Canucks are learning that when you're a top team in the NHL, there are no easy nights.
Every opponent will bring its best, eager to measure itself against this season's biggest surprise squad in the NHL.
On Thursday, the Arizona Coyotes were fast and physical but left Rogers Arena on the losing side of the scoreboard after the Canucks opened their five-game homestand with a 2-1 win.
"It was a hard-fought game," said Canucks coach Rick Tocchet. "The Coyotes are trying to make the playoffs, and we're going to run into desperate teams. We have to play the same way."
Elias Pettersson opened the scoring on the power play late in the first period, quickly slapping his ninth goal in the last seven games over the shoulder of Connor Ingram after a face-off win by J.T. Miller.
Less than two minutes later, defenseman Travis Dermott snuck in tight to the net to even the score.
Then, late in the second, Dakota Joshua picked up his career-high 12th of the year by collecting his own rebound and dragging it around Ingram before wiring it upstairs.
"A good play by Teddy (Blueger) to kick it out," he said. "And (Nils Hoglander) had his head up and threw one at the net, and I just put home a rebound."
Back on home ice for the first time in 16 days following a gruelling-but-successful 5-1-1 Eastern road swing, the Canucks outshot the Coyotes 14-4 in a feisty opening frame that saw NHL penalty-minutes leader Liam O'Brien take exception to a pair of hits by Vancouver's Sam Lafferty, then tangle with tough-as-nails Nikita Zadorov for his seventh scrap of the year.
It was a fitting tribute, perhaps, to the 10th anniversary of the line brawl between the Canucks and Calgary Flames that infamously led then-Vancouver coach John Tortorella to the Calgary dressing room in an attempt to have it out with Bob Hartley back on Jan. 18, 2014.
That night concluded with 204 total penalty minutes and eventually earned Tortorella a 15-day suspension for his actions. On Thursday, tempers flared again during a second-period scuffle between Arizona sparkplug Michael Carcone and Vancouver defenseman Carson Soucy, but the final penalty total topped out at 28 total minutes — 17 for the visitors and 11 for the home side.
"I think Big Z (Zadorov), in the fight, it was a great fight," Tocchet said. "He did what he had to do, and I thought it helped lift our team."
Now back on top of the NHL standings with 64 points and an impressive 15-4-1 at home, the Canucks are getting comfortable with the idea that they can win in different ways.
"I think some of the road trip, we just won purely because we were better that night," said Quinn Hughes. "In the New York and Islanders and Devils games, we kind of blew it open in the first and second. I think this game was a little bit tighter, but if we want to be a really good team, we've got to find a way to get points out of that. And that's what we did."
Though the city of Vancouver has been all but shut down for the last 48 hours due to a major snowstorm, Rogers Arena was close to full on Thursday, which also marked the team's annual Pride night. After that long road trip, the Canucks' energy dipped for a good chunk of the second period, and they didn't get a lot going. But once they re-took the lead, they stayed true to their identity and didn't give up much the rest of the way.
Vancouver improves to 27-0-1 when leading after two periods this season.
The fans at the arena were also keen to congratulate Thatcher Demko, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser for being voted in to join Quinn Hughes at All-Star Weekend in Toronto, to fete Tocchet for earning the right to represent the Pacific Division and to laud Pettersson for receiving first star honors from the NHL last week.
After many dark years, there is suddenly a lot to cheer about.
As for the Coyotes, they're now 2-5-1 in the month of January. But while the Edmonton Oilers are still surging, the Seattle Kraken and Calgary Flames may have run out of gas for their playoff pushes, and the Los Angeles Kings continue to flounder. With fewer games played than most of their rivals, Arizona's playoff hopes haven't been dashed quite yet.
They head home for an important division matchup against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, while the Canucks will host the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of Hockey Day in Canada.