Instant Reaction: Canucks complete perfect road trip with 3-1 win over Golden Knights

Lately, Vegas hasn’t been as good as we expect them to be. They’ve been porous defensively and have lost three straight games. Their last two losses have come against Buffalo and Columbus, so yeah, they haven’t been their typically dominant selves lately. That certainly didn’t mean the Canucks could take them lightly, though. Let’s get into it!

Things got interesting early when new Golden Knights forward Anthony Mantha high-sticked Nils Höglander. The infraction drew blood, which meant the Canucks’ first power play of the game was for four minutes.

The Canucks spent most of the next four minutes doing everything but taking a shot on goal, but were given a shot at redemption when Pius Suter drew a couple of roughing penalties after the whistle.

This time, the Canucks decided to shoot, with Quinn Hughes scoring his 13th goal of the year to get his team on the board.

It wasn’t long after when the Canucks pushed their lead to two. A strong effort to the net from Nils Höglander led to a delayed tripping penalty that ended quickly with Phil Di Giuseppe sliding one past Adin Hill.

That’s Phil Di Giuseppe’s first goal in 21 games, his first since November 12th against the Montreal Canadiens.

Ilya Mikheyev was doing plenty to generate offence to start the second period, and was a big part of why Brock Boeser already had four shots in goal before the halfway point of the second period. Vegas put together a much better effort in the second than they did in the first, and this eventually led to them getting on the board:

The Canucks withstood Vegas’ strong push to start the second, and got back to doing what’s made them successful this season. This resulted in Conor Garland capitalizing on a savvy keep at the line from Elias Lindholm to give the Canucks another two-goal lead.

Through 40 minutes of play, the Canucks were outshooting Vegas 30-17. They came to play tonight.

Tonight was another strong game for Carson Soucy. He’s been such a calming presence in the games he’s played this season, and he without a doubt makes the Canucks’ defence corps stronger. The Canucks did an exceptional job at locking down this game in the third, and Soucy was noticeable all night long for all the right reasons.

Despite a late push from Vegas, the Canucks held down to take his one by a final score of 3-1. Win number 41 came in Thatcher Demko’s 33rd win of the season, matching his career-high in a season.

This was a very impressive three-game road trip for the Canucks. A slight hiccup in the month of February represented the team’s first real adversity this season, and this road trip marked their first turnaround of the season. Vegas may be skidding, but they’re still the defending champs, and they’re still going to be a threat when fully healthy and in the playoffs. This was an impressive win for the Canucks to complete the three-game sweep on the road trip.

What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!