The Canucks defeated the Jets 5-0 but lost Thatcher Demko, who exited the game with an injury during the second period.
The Vancouver Canucks (42-17-7) kicked off their nine-game homestand in style, beating the Winnipeg Jets (40-18-5) 5-0. The Canucks got goals from J.T. Miller, Nils Höglander, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Elias Pettersson and Pius Suter while Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith split a 22 save shutout. This is the seventh shutout for Vancouver this season and the first time they have blanked Winnipeg since Mar. 1, 2021. With the win, the Canucks increased their record to 34-1-3 when leading after two and became the first Western Conference team to surpass the 90-point mark this season.
While Vancouver played one of their best games of the season, all focus was on Demko, who left with an injury six minutes into the second period. While Rick Tocchet did not clarify how long Demko would be out, he said postgame, "I don't think it's too serious, but I don't know." Demko has started 49 games for the Canucks this season and leads the NHL in wins with 34.
Quotes
Quinn Hughes on Thatcher Demko:
"I think, you know, we are pretty optimistic. Haven't talked to anyone. He's been the anchor for us and, obviously, in my opinion, the best goalie in the league this year. We need him big time, so we will just see what happens."
Rick Tocchet on his team's performance:
"All 21 guys today contributed. It was a good effort by everybody. I mean, obviously, you could pick a lot of guys that had good nights and did the small things."
Rick Tocchet on the Canucks forecheck:
"I think our forecheck, our forwards are really good at getting the puck. They got a lot of loose pucks. They (Winnipeg) played yesterday, so might have, obviously, had the advantage. I thought when the puck was going East/West, we were jumping on those pucks and I think you get possession out of that."
Rick Tocchet on getting Thatcher Demko more rest:
"The schedule kinda sets up for that. We are confident in Casey (DeSmith). Obviously, we will find out when this happens, but yeah, we are going to have to really manage it. We've got three days off, two days this week. I think we play three games in 11 days or something, so there is a lot of time for him to get some rest. Whatever we gotta do to get him healthy, but yeah, we gotta manage him for sure."
Facts and Stats
- Casey DeSmith and Thatcher Demko become the third duo to share a shutout in franchise history
- Nils Höglander becomes the first Canucks player this season to score 20 five-on-five goals.
-Quinn Hughes ties his career high of 75 points, which is also the most by a defenceman in franchise history
- Elias Pettersson ties Thomas Gradin for 14th on the Canucks all-time power play goals list with 49
- Vancouver scores a goal in all three periods for the first time since Feb. 19, 2024, against the Minnesota Wild
Scoring Summary
1st Period
VAN: 2:05- J.T. Miller (32nd) from Nils Höglander and Quinn Hughes
VAN: 13:47- Nils Höglander (20th) from Pius Suter and Elias Pettersson
VAN: 17:00- Phillip Di Giuseppe (5th) from Teddy Bleuger
2nd Period
VAN: 3:04- Elias Pettersson (31st) from Conor Garland and Quinn Hughes (PPG)
3rd Period
VAN: 15:06- Pius Suter (13th)
Canucks Next Opponent
Vancouver continues their nine-game road trip Tuesday with a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado has won both games this season, outscoring the Canucks 8-3. Game time is set for 7:00 PM PT from Rogers Arena.
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