Thatcher Demko recorded his fifth shutout in the 2-0 win over the Blackhawks.
Thatcher Demko was flawless as the Vancouver Canucks (32-11-4) shut out the Chicago Blackhawks (14-31-2) 2-0 on Monday night. Demko stopped all 31 shots he faced and is now tied for the league lead with five shutouts on the season. With the win, Vancouver became the first team in the NHL to have 30 regulation wins while also extending their record when leading after two periods to 29-0-1.
Despite being the heavy favourites, the Canucks were pushed to the limit by the Blackhawks tonight. If not for some spectacular saves from Demko and the penalty kill going a perfect five for five, Vancouver may have been on the losing end of this one. In the end, they were able to grind out a win, picking up their eighth win in their last nine games.
Outside of Demko, one Canucks player that deserves some praise is Andrei Kuzmenko. He snapped his ten-game point streak with a pair of assists and earned head coach Rick Tocchet's trust as he was given a shift in the game's final minute. This was arguably his best game of the season, as he was engaged throughout and ended the night by being named the game's third star.
Here is what Rick Tocchet had to say postgame:
"It was really quiet in the sense that Demmer's (Demko) solid as hell. We got the two-goal lead and kinda just a little prevent defence and won the game 2-0... We try to buy into the defensive system. We are going to have breakdowns and stuff like that, but yeah, most of the guys have bought into the structure of it."
Stats and Facts
- Pius Suter records his 100th point in the NHL via his goal in the first period
- Thatcher Demko becomes the eighth goaltender in Canucks history to record five or more shutouts in a season
- With two assists tonight, Andrei Kuzmenko breaks a ten-game pointless streak
- Canucks extend their point streak to nine games which ties their season-high, which was set in Oct/Nov
Scoring Summary
1st Period
VAN: 1:47- Pius Suter (9th) from Andrei Kuzmenko and Noah Juulsen
VAN: 6:40- Quinn Hughes (12th) from Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko
2nd Period
No Scoring
3rd Period
No Scoring
Canucks Next Opponent
Up next for Vancouver will be a matchup against the St. Louis Blues. The two teams have split the season so far, with St. Louis taking the last game by a score of 2-1. Game time is set for Wednesday at 7:00 PM PT from Rogers Arena.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
