Elias Pettersson Makes History As The Canucks Defeat The Vegas Golden Knights
Vancouver tied up their season series with Vegas thanks to a 3-1 victory on Thursday night.
Photo by Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports - Elias Pettersson Makes History As The Canucks Defeat The Vegas Golden KnightsThe Vancouver Canucks (41-17-7) wrapped up their perfect three-game road trip in style with a 3-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights (33-23-7). Vancouver got goals from Quinn Hughes, Phillip Di Giuseppe and Conor Garland, while Elias Pettersson became the second-fastest player in franchise history to 400 career points. With the win, the Canucks extended their lead over in the Pacific Division to 11 points while improving their record when leading after two periods to 32-1-3.
Overall, Vancouver executed their game plan to near perfection and put forward one of their best performances of the season. While Vegas did have a shot advantage in the third, the Canucks did a fantastic job of limiting high-danger chances, while Thatcher Demko was solid once again in net, giving up just one rebound shot all night. In what was another test against a potential playoff opponent, Vancouver came through and once again showed that they can frustrate the opposition with their strong defensive system and continuous forecheck.
Quotes
Quinn Hughes on the Canucks successful road trip:
"We are already a confident group, but obviously, to sweep the road trip and then go home for 20 days or whatever is nice, and we've earned that."
Thatcher Demko on why Vancouver was successful against the Golden Knights:
"Just tracking back. I thought it was really good to have three helping our D out. Limit odd-man rushes, just good communication and really strong play in our own end. Just limit the chances they got from the middle of the rink. Our D have done a really good job of boxing guys out and letting me see the puck."
Rick Tocchet on his team's play during this three-game road trip:
"I think this is Canuck hockey. We liked our play without the puck. I think we got back to our identity the last couple of games, three games here. I think we took one penalty in each game, which is nice. All the areas we wanted to shore up, I gotta give the guys credit; they shored it up. This is a tough building to play in. Didn't give them a lot, and then when we did, Demmer was there for us."
Rick Tocchet on the play of Vasily Podkolzin:
"I liked his last five shifts. There was some puck composer there when he had it where he actually held it, skated it out of our zone, got the red and got it in. Sometimes, you just throw it out or ice it, but I saw some composure there. He's getting some reps. Starting to play in some tight games, and that's how you are going to get experience, by playing in those situations."
Facts and Stats
- Playing in his 390th career game, Elias Pettersson becomes the second-fastest player in franchise history behind Pavel Bure to 400 points
- Elias Pettersson becomes the fifth fastest Swedish player to 400 points in NHL history
- Phil Di Giuseppe breaks a 29-game goalless drought
- Thatcher Demko ties his career high with his 33rd win of the season
- The Canucks become the first team in the NHL to score first in 30 games this season
Scoring Summary
1st Period
VAN: 5:49- Quinn Hughes (13th) from Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser (PPG)
VAN: 6:56- Phillip Di Giuseppe (4th) from Nils Höglander and Noah Juulsen
2nd Period
VGK: 3:50- Michael Amadio (12th) from Alex Pietrangelo and Nicolas Roy
VAN: 15:58- Conor Garland (13th) from Elias Lindholm
3rd Period
No Scoring
Canucks Next Opponent
The Canucks return to Rogers Arena Saturday to face the Winnipeg Jets. This will be the start of a nine-game homestand, with Vancouver's next game on the road taking place in April. Game time is set for 7:00 PM PT and can be viewed on Hockey Night in Canada.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
