Canucks Depth Shines In Victory Over The Montréal Canadiens
The Canucks defeated the Montréal Canadiens 4-1 on Thursday night.
Photo by Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports - Canucks Depth Shines In Victory Over The Montréal CanadiensThe Vancouver Canucks (44-18-8) recorded their 23rd home win of the season as they defeated the Montréal Canadiens (25-32-12) 4-1 on Thursday night. Nikita Zadorov led the way with two goals, while Conor Garland and Nils Åman also found the back of the net in the victory. As for Casey DeSmith, he stopped 16 of 17 shots en route to his tenth win of the season.
The Canucks played a near-perfect game from start to finish. They had a sizable edge in shots, hits and takeaways while limiting the Canadiens to only three shots in the third. Vancouver's depth players also stepped up, with Zadorov and Ilya Mikheyev each recording multi-point nights. Even though they were playing a Montréal team that has been struggling, it is a good sign that the Canucks kept pressing all night and did not allow their opponent back into the game.
Quotes:
Vasily Podkolzin on getting more shots on the net:
"It's always important, especially with me, because I haven't scored yet. I tried to shoot as many as possible, and I think I will score soon."
Nikita Zadorov on protecting leads:
"I thought our puck management has been so much better when we are leading the game. Obviously, they got one back late in the second, and I don't think we broke. I think we had our confidence. It's a young team. We're learning still. There's still time to learn before playoffs, and I think we've been doing a good job in the past. We were taking a game against Colorado as the example for us on how not to protect the lead, so I think we've been doing a good job since."
Rick Tocchet on the Canucks physicality tonight:
"Well, we talked about before the game that this is a team you have to play through them. You don't have to kill people, but I think getting in front of people is something that we continually have to do. As the season goes on here, that's a priority. You just got to stay in front of people and if you can separate people with the puck with a good hit, take it, but at least get in front of people."
Rick Tocchet on Vancouver limiting the Canadiens to three shots in the third:
"I think when you're up, sometimes you're on your heels on the forecheck, so you don't go as hard. You allow the team to come out, and they come out waves, and then all of a sudden, you're skating backwards in the neutral zone, and you're defending. I thought for me, it's we don't want to back off. If we have a responsible F3, we should go hard. If there's a rim and the pinch is available because we have people above, take the pinch. I think when we back off that's where we get trouble. I didn't see that tonight."
Facts and Stats
- Nikita Zadorov records his first career multi-goal with the Canucks
- Ilya Mikheyev records his first multi-point game since Dec. 19, 2023, against the Nashville Predators
- Conor Garland has scored 15+ goals in all three of his seasons with the Canucks.
- Vancouver improves their record to 36-1-4 when leading after two periods
- The Canucks allow fewer than 20 shots for the fifth time this season
- Vancouver allows two or fewer goals for the seventh time in the last eight games
Scoring Summary
1st Period
VAN: 15:38- Nikita Zadorov (5th) from Ilya Mikheyev and Elias Lindholm
VAN: 19:33- Nikita Zadorov (6th) from Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty
2nd Period
VAN: 18:14- Conor Garland (15th) from Teddy Blueger
MTL: 19:07- Juraj Slafkovsky (15th) and Cole Caufield
3rd Period
VAN: 11:44- Nils Åman (3rd) from Tyler Myers and Vasily Podkolzin
Canucks Next Opponent
Up next for Vancouver will be a battle against the Calgary Flames on Hockey Night In Canada. This will be the third of four meetings between these Pacific Division rivals, with each club picking up one win this season. Game time is set for Saturday at 7:00 PM PT.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
