Canucks Bend But Don't Break In 4-3 Victory Over The Hurricanes

Vancouver recorded 18 blocked shots in their win over Carolina.

The Vancouver Canucks (18-9-1) recorded back-to-back wins for the first time in almost a month as they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes (14-12-1) 4-3 on Saturday night. With the victory, Vancouver becomes the second team this season to record ten wins at home. A strong defensive game from the Canucks; it was the eight-time Vancouver has held the opposition to under 25 shots all season.

Before diving into the game, it must be mentioned that tonight was a Botchford Project night. For those who may not be familiar, the night was created in honour of local hockey writer Jason Botchford, who passed away in April 2019. One of the best personalities in the business, this yearly opportunity was created to carry on his legacy and give those interested in covering hockey a chance to attend a Canucks game, interview a player and then have their article featured on the Canucks website. Now in its fifth year, some of the event's alums include Chris Faber, David Quadrelli, Noah Strang, Cody Severtson, Lachlan Irvine, Clarissa Sabile, Jacob Knew, and myself. Congratulations to Izzy Cheung, Tyson Cole, and Ian Wilson, who were selected this year. Make sure to check out their articles once they are posted to the Canucks website. 

Now, onto the game. While it wasn't a perfect performance, this was an example of the type of game Rick Tocchet wants his team to play on a nightly basis. They were winning puck battles along the boards, preventing breakouts thanks to strong presses and sacrificing the body by blocking shots. As Tocchet pointed out in his post-game press conference, he was also proud of the shift times from tonight, as players were rarely caught out on the ice for long periods of time. 

"I went to three lines, obviously, and guys are taking 29- 30 second shifts," said Tocchet. I thought that was unselfish and very rarely had anybody on the ice that was tired, which was nice. Like I said, they're a good team. They full-court pressed us, and I thought we held up pretty good. When we didn't, Demmer (Demko) was there for us."

While the defensive game was impressive, the biggest positive from tonight was Elias Pettersson's play. Not only did he look dominant in the offensive zone, finishing with a goal and two assists, but he also had an a positive impact on the defensive side of the game. He also continues to make the players around him better; for example, both his wingers scored while he collected the primary assist on each play. Now up to 37 points through 28 games, he is a force on the ice and has developed into one of the best two-way players in the NHL. 

Overall, there were a lot of positives to draw from this game. The Canucks looked strong from the start while their top six carried them to a victory. If they can replicate these types of performances for the rest of the season, they will find themselves in the contender tier sooner rather than later. 

Stats and Facts

- With his assist, Brock Boeser extends his personal point streak to seven games

- Elias Pettersson records his 29th career three-point game moving him past Petri Skriko for 11th all-time in Canucks history

- Quinn Hughes played under 20 minutes for just the second time all season

- With his 94th career win, Thatcher Demko moves past Jack Campbell into 27th on the all-time wins list among US-born goaltenders 

Game Summary

1st Period

VAN: 6:17- Sam Lafferty (8th) from Elias Pettersson and Ian Cole

2nd Period

VAN: 6:54- Ilya Mikheyev (9th) from Elias Pettersson and Sam Lafferty 

CAR: 7:23- Jordan Martinook (1st) from Jesper Fast and Jaccob Slavin

VAN: 13:45- J.T. Miller (15th) from Brock Boeser and Nils Höglander

CAR: 19:05- Brady Skjei (5th) from Dmitry Orlov and Michael Bunting (PPG)

3rd Period

CAR: 2:10- Stefan Nosen (8th) from Jack Drury and Brent Burns

VAN: Elias Pettersson (11th) from Ilya Mikheyev and Filip Hronek

Canucks Next Opponent 

The Canucks will have a few days off before welcoming the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. This will be a great opportunity for Vancouver as they not only have to find a way to beat Andrei Vasilevskiy but also have to stop Nikita Kucherov, who leads all players with 44 points. Game time is set for 7:00 pm PT from Rogers Arena.