Canucks Continue Recent Dominance Over The Blackhawks With 6-3 Victory
The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3.
Photo by David Banks-Imagn Images - Canucks Continue Recent Dominance Over The Blackhawks With 6-3 VictoryThe Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Danton Heinen (2), J.T. Miller, Conor Garland, Brock Boeser and Pius Suter provided the offence, while Kevin Lankinen made 31 saves in the victory. With the win, the Canucks extend their win streak over the Blackhawks to eight and have now defeated Chicago in 11 of their last 12 meetings.
The star of this game for Vancouver was easily Lankinen, who stopped 30 shots for the first time as a member of the team. He was positionally sound for the majority of the night and came up with some marvellous saves that kept the Canucks ahead by multiple goals. Now on a three-game win streak, it looks like Lankinen has earned Vancouver's starter role for the next few games.
Special teams were also a massive positive for the Canucks in this game. Rolling out new-look units, the power play connected twice, going two for three on the night. The penalty kill was also strong, killing off four of five, with the only blemish being a five-on-three goal late in the third. If both the power play and penalty kill can continue operating at high levels, it will go a long way in extending Vancouver's win streak once they return home.
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While there were many standouts, the best forward line was easily the trio of Heinen, Teddy Bluger and Kiefer Sherwood. They combined for two goals while Sherwood, for now, tied a franchise record with 12 hits. When asked about his line, Heinen said, "I think we're keeping it simple. Trying to get pucks in deep and get the cycle going. You know, not get too fancy and just keep it simple."
As for Head Coach Rick Tocchet, he was pleased with the overall effort, but he pointed out some problems in the defensive zone. Tocchet said, "I like the fact that we scored those six goals. It's nice to get some offence from the depth of the team. Nice to get power play goals. Overall, I'm happy with the game, but I still think we gotta; the guts of the ice is something we're not as good as last year. We got to really start to figure that out. I think we're giving up too many opportunities in the middle of the ice, but overall, I mean, scoring six goals, I'm happy."
Ultimately, this game had more positives than negatives. Yes, there were some questionable sequences in the defensive zone, but Lankinen's performance, combined with strong play in the offensive zone, propelled Vancouver to a victory. Now, with a few days off, the team can reset as they prepare for a three-game homestand that starts on Saturday.
Facts and Stats:
- Conor Garland becomes the 61st player in franchise history to record 150 points
- Quinn Hughes' 84th career 2+ point game passes Cliff Ronning for 18th all-time in franchise history
- Kevin Lankinen remains perfect in his career against the Blackhawks, extending his record to 3-0
- Quinn Hughes records under 20 minutes of ice time in a regular season game for the first time since December 14, 2023, against the Florida Panthers
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
00:21- VAN: Danton Heinen (1) from Teddy Blueger and Kiefer Sherwood
06:01- VAN: J.T. Miller (3) from Quinn Hughes and Conor Garland (PPG)
9:25- CHI: Ryan Donato (2) from Jason Dickinson and Alex Vlasic
10:46- VAN: Danton Heinen (2) from Filip Hronek and Kiefer Sherwood
13:29- CHI: Taylor Hall (2) from Connor Murphy
15:17- VAN: Conor Garland (3) from Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller
Second Period:
No Scoring
Third Period:
10:29- VAN: Brock Boeser (4) from J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes (PPG)
10:58- VAN: Pius Suter (1) from Erik Brännström and Nils Åman
14:03- CHI: Tyler Bertuzzi (2) from Nick Foligno and Seth Jones (PPG)
Up Next:
The Canucks will get a few days off before taking on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Last season, Vancouver and Pittsburgh split the season series, with each team picking up a win on the road. Game time is set for 7:00 pm P.T. from Rogers Arena.
