Postgame: Canucks Play Gloria
4 years ago
The Canucks entered tonight seeking their first road win of the season against the Blues, who lived up to expectations by being the toughest their test yet. Tonight’s game was the first of four on the road and the team did well to carry over the momentum generated from their homestand. The defending champions played bigger and faster than the Canucks for many stretches, especially to start the 2nd period, but the Canucks and Demko did very well to hang around and pull out their fourth consecutive win, bringing their overall record to 4-2-0.
After battling their way through regulation, both teams played a thrilling overtime but neither team could produce a goal. In the shootout, we saw 11 shooters fail to score before Leivo undressed Jordan Binnington for the winner.
Lines
Adam Gaudette and Loui Eriksson spent the night in the press box as Miller got more time on the first line and Ferland found himself in the bottom six. Pairings stayed the same, while Thatcher Demko got his second straight start.
Highlights
Stats
Game Notes
- Horvat scored his first of the year on a net-front scramble created by some creative stickhandling from Pettersson right as the Canuck’s 5 on 3 powerplay ended.
- The puck continued to find JT Miller as he scored his team-leading 4th goal of the year off a chance created by Motte’s speed.
- Both goalies played well enough to give their team a chance to win this one. Quality scoring chances were aplenty and both stood tall all the way through to the shootout where they stopped 11/12 shooters.
- After a somewhat quiet first, the Blues came out flying in the second and Demko didn’t get a lot of help against some high-danger scoring chances. After what looked to be a great road start through the first 20, the Canucks unraveled a bit by allowing odd-man rushes leading to goals but were lucky enough to end the middle frame only down a goal.
Top Performers
- Ferland got the monkey off his back scoring his first of the year right above the blue paint, where you would expect him to. He made his presence felt elsewhere on the ice with his physicality.
- Demko didn’t allow a goal in the shootout and finished with a 91.9 SV%. He stopped 34 shots, 17 of which were high-danger.
- The PK continues to shine as it goes 4/4 on the night including killing off a long two-man advantage in the 2nd period, which the Blues took a timeout for.
- Although they only combined for two points, the top line for the Canucks dominated possession at 5 on 5 and proved to be a tough matchup for the Blues’ shut down pairing.
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