Nils Höglander's Two-Goal Effort Leads Canucks To Win Over The Calgary Flames
Höglander scored his 21st and 22nd goals of the season in the Canucks 4-2 victory over the Calgary Flames.
Photo by Simon Fearn-USA TODAY Sports - Nils Höglander's Two-Goal Effort Leads Canucks To Win Over The Calgary FlamesNils Höglander led the way with two goals, while Casey DeSmith stopped 22 shots as the Vancouver Canucks (45-18-8) defeated the Calgary Flames (33-31-5) on Saturday night. Elias Lindholm broke a 15-game goalless drought in the win, while J.T. Miller's power play marker late in the third stood up as the game-winner. With the victory, Vancouver hits the 45-win mark for the ninth time in franchise history and the first time since the 2014-15 season.
Overall, this was an impressive win by the Canucks. Vancouver was physical all night and were able to limit the Flames' high-danger chances in the third period. They also held their opponent under two goals for the fourth straight game. The Canucks deserve a lot of credit as they pushed their win streak to three games and are now 4-1-1 through six games of this nine-game homestand.
Quotes
Casey DeSmith on the Canucks penalty kill:
"We did a great job taking away seams. They kept passing it to the bumper, and we always got a stick there just in time. That's exactly what our game plan was, and the guys executed it."
Conor Garland on Elias Lindholm's empty-net goal:
"It's nice that he put the game away. That's probably the most important thing. Yeah, we're happy for him to score. He's played well for us. He's really helped our club and added a whole element, so yeah, nice when anyone gets rewarded offensively."
Rick Tocchet on the play of the Nils Höglander, Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland line:
"They're great. They were obviously our best line. I thought they were really good, Petey (Pettersson) moving his feet. Gars (Garland) doing his thing on the boards, and Hoggy (Höglander), I mean, that breakaway goal, he made an unreal move. So yeah, that line was feeling it tonight. I don't know what I played them, but they were out there a lot. It was easy to put them out there."
Rick Tocchet on his team's defensive play as of late:
"I really liked the way the D are, for the most part controlling the middle of the ice. We are giving them outside stuff. I gotta give the D a lot of credit. If we have some indecision, if we're going to go or not, we'll hold the middle and that's probably the last part. The last good thing I like is we're not diving. I think, three weeks ago, we were making a few mistakes. Now the one guy makes a mistake, and we're kind of holding the fort. That's good to see going this late here, where we're starting to do that."
Rick Tocchet on Elias Pettersson's blocked shot:
"Well, you know, it's crunch time. He's doing that, I think the last game, he hit a guy, and then he hit two hits right away in the one shift. You know, that's the stuff you want your top players, it's ramping it up, its business. I thought he was making some really good plays, but also, I think defensively, I saw some really good stuff from him tonight. I think he knows it's it's time to go, and he's given us some really good efforts. That line by line has been giving us some good effort. They're the energy line. They've been really doing a good job the last couple of games."
Facts and Stats
- Nils Höglander's first-period goal was the third time Vancouver has scored in the opening minute of a game this season
- Elias Pettersson records 50+ assists for the second consecutive season
- Recording career point number 321, Quinn Hughes moves into a tie with Dennis Kearns and Jyrki Lumme for the third most points by a defenceman in Canucks history
- Canucks extend their record to 37-1-4 when leading after two
- Vancouver wins the faceoff battle for the eighth time in their last nine games.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
VAN: 0:48- Nils Höglander (21st) from Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland
2nd Period
VAN: 8:16- Nils Höglander (22nd) from Elias Pettersson and Conor Garland
CGY: 18:31- Rasmus Andersson (8th) from A.J. Greer and Kevin Rooney
3rd Period
VAN: 16:42- J.T. Miller (34th) from Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes (PPG)
VAN: 18:50- Elias Lindholm (14th) (ENG)
CGY: 19:41- Joel Hanley (1st) from A.J. Greer
Canucks Next Opponent
Up next for Vancouver will be a divisional battle against the L.A. Kings. This will be the third of four meetings between the two, with each side winning once so far this season. Game time is set for Monday at 6:00 PM PT from Rogers Arena.
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