A look at some of the analytics from the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators
Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver's most recent 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators.
Latest From THN's Vancouver Canucks Site:
Return Of Dakota Joshua Should Give Canucks Massive Boost Against The Predators
Using Previous Deals To Determine What The Canucks Could Get For Boeser At The 2025 Trade Deadline
Canucks Rutherford Confirms Pettersson-Miller Rift, Speaks On Hughes' Long-Term Future In Vancouver
While the Canucks did skate away with a victory, they did fall to the Predators from an analytics perspective. Nashville won the even-strength scoring chances battle 21-16 while also producing more even-strength high-danger chances by a count of 9-7. Ultimately, the lack of chances can be chalked up to Vancouver defending a lead for the final two periods, as they limited Nashville to only three even-strength high-danger chances over the final 40 minutes.
Overall, the heatmap from Wednesday's game is positive. While the Canucks did give up chances, they kept the "guts of the ice" relatively clean, and forced the Predators to shoot from distance. While Thatcher Demko did have to come up with a couple of big saves, Vancouver played a strong defensive game from start to finish.
As for Vancouver's best forward line, it was the trio of Linus Karlsson, Elias Pettersson and Nils Höglander. The trio were on the ice for two of the Canucks three goals and held a 2-0 high-danger chances advantage during their 6:07 together. While there is some debate about what to call the Swedish trio, one thing that can be agreed on is that their strong play was a massive factor in why Vancouver was able to pick up two points.
To wrap things up, Demko deserves some praise for the way he played in this game. He stopped 31 of the 32 shots he faced, which included eight of the nine high-danger shots. Finishing the night with an expected goal against of 2.48, Demko was able to step up his game and help the Canucks pick up their first three-game winning streak since the beginning of November.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum.
