Vancouver enters the holiday break with 49 points through their first 35 games.
Vancouver enters the holiday break with 49 points through their first 35 games.
The Vancouver Canucks (23-9-3) enter the holiday break on a high as they defeated the San Jose Sharks (9-22-23) 7-4 on Saturday night. With the win, the Canucks enter the break two points up on the New York Rangers and Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the NHL. Vancouver also improved to 20-0 when leading after two periods while also extending their point streak to nine games.
You read that correctly; the Vancouver Canucks are the number-one team in the NHL heading into the holiday break. Not only do they have the most points in the league, but they are also the only team with over 130 goals and a goal differential above +35. While there are still 47 games remaining in the season, it looks as though Canuck fans can start getting excited and looking forward to watching a playoff game at Rogers Arena for the first time since 2015.
Now, onto the game. While this wasn't a masterpiece, Vancouver capitalized on their opportunities and skated away with yet another regulation win. Some positives included Andrei Kuzmenko scoring twice in his return to the line, the third line contributing once again, and the power play scoring for the first time in three games. While the Sharks did put up a fight, the Canucks offence stepped up once again and were able to outscore their problems en route to a victory.
Here is head coach Rick Tocchet on tonight's game:
"Any time San Jose made a push, we answered with a big goal. That is what you gotta love about this game. Obviously, there is some stuff that we don't like and that we have to clean up, but for the most part, mentally, we were a little bit tired, but we hung in there to win the game."
Stats and Facts
- Quinn Hughes' 68th multi-point game ties Alex Edler for the most by a defenceman in franchise history
- Quinn Hughes becomes the first Canucks defenceman since Alex Edler in 2018-19 to hit double digits in goals during a season
- Vancouver Canucks are the first Canadian franchise to sit atop the NHL's overall standings at Christmas since the Ottawa Senators in 2005
- Teddy Blueger extends his personal point streak to six games
Scoring Summary
1st Period
VAN: 1:34- Andrei Kuzmenko (7th) from Ilya Mikheyev and Elias Pettersson
VAN: 6:51- Andrei Kuzmenko (8th) from J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson (PPG)
SAN: 13:32- Mikael Granlund (4th) from Anthony Duclair and Mario Ferraro
SAN: 16:22- Tomáš Hertl (12th) from Filip Zadina and Mario Ferraro
2nd Period
VAN: 6:03- Nils Åman (2nd) from Teddy Blueger
VAN: 8:36- Sam Lafferty (9th) from Ian Cole and Conor Garland
SAN: 11:08- Fabian Zetterlund (9th) from Mario Ferraro and Mikael Granlund
VAN: 19:13- Dakota Joshua (9th) from Conor Garland and Teddy Blueger
3rd Period
SAN: 13:16- Jacob MacDonald (6th) from Filip Zadina and Jan Rutta
VAN: 15:43- Pius Suter (6th) from Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller
VAN: 19:47- Quinn Hughes (10th) (ENG)
Canucks Next Opponent
Vancouver returns from the holiday break on the 28th with a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. This will be the second and final game of the season for these two clubs, with the Flyers taking the opener 2-0 back in October. Game time is set for 7:00 PM PT from Rogers Arena.
