In Saturday night’s decisive 2-0 victory against the Dallas Stars, several Vancouver Canucks players made significant contributions to the win. Overall, the key to the game was that the Canucks showed strong teamwork, reliable goaltending, and effective penalty-killing. Together, the win continued to position the team as Canada’s best club, outplay a couple of pre-season Stanley Cup favorites.
Quick Hit One: The Canucks Penalty Kill Was Stellar
The Stars had multiple (count five) opportunities on the power play, but they were shut down by the Canucks’ penalty-killing unit. It simply excelled in this game. Vancouver’s penalty kill is currently the NHL’s second-best and last night Dallas never got a sniff on their power-play attempts. This strong penalty-killing performance played a crucial role in Vancouver’s victory.
Quick Hit Two: Thatcher Demko Was All-World in Goal
The star of the night for both teams was Canucks’ goalie Thatcher Demko. He tossed a shutout at the Stars saving all 27 shots thrown his way. It was his second shutout of the current season and the fifth in his career.
Demko’s 27-save shutout was his fifth straight win. This season, Demko now holds a 6-2-0 record, along with a remarkable 1.56 GAA and a .947 save percentage. He’s been a key to the Canucks’ success all season.
Related: Canucks Are the Best Team in Canada: Three Reasons Why
Demko’s been absolutely reliable between the pipes this season. He’s given up only five goals on 127 shots. Demko has also been consistently strong against the Stars. During his career, he has a perfect 7-0-0 record. They have never beaten him. Look for Demko to get the call in the Canucks next game against the Oilers.
Quick Hit Three: Elias Pettersson Is Now the NHL’s Leading Scorer
Elias Pettersson continued his great season by scoring another goal. He now has a five-game point streak, during which he has scored four goals and added six assists. On the season, Pettersson has put up six goals, 20 points, 28 shots on net, 14 hits, and a remarkable plus-10 rating.
Pettersson is coming into his own as a Canucks’ leader. He’s the centerpiece of the top line and a key player on the first power-play unit. On the season, he’s now tied with the New Jersey Devils’ Jack Hughes (ironically teammate Quinn’s bother) for the NHL lead in points with 20.
Pettersson’s linemate Ilya Mikheyev also played a key role in the Canucks’ victory by recording an assist on Pettersson’s second-period goal. Mikheyev now has three goals and three assists in the seven games he’s played since returning from his knee injury and rehab. The winger has also a strong plus-6 rating, which reflects his positive impact on his team’s success.
Quick Hit Four: Dakota Joshua Returns from a Healthy Scratch
Dakota Joshua also had a positive impact on the game by contributing an assist and dished out seven hits. Coming back from a game where he was scratched, Joshua set up Pius Suter’s second-period goal.
The center has had a nice, well-rounded performance this season. He’s only totaled two points, but he has 27 hits, 11 PIM, 10 shots on net, and a plus-1 rating in the 10 games he’s played.
Quick Hit Five: Two Canucks Defensemen Had Solid Games
Not counting Quinn Hughes, who seems to have a great game every night, two other Canucks’ defensemen also had good games. Carson Soucy continued to impress with an assist and two hits in the game. The 29-year-old defenseman drew an assist on Pius Suter’s game-winning goal during the second period. Over his last two games, Soucy has registerd three assists and a plus-4 rating. He’s been a solid part of the Canucks’ defensive core.
Filip Hronek also added an assist. He set up Pettersson’s goal – the second for the Canucks in the game. Hronek has been playing great hockey as Hughes partner on the team’s first pairing. That partnership with Hughes on the top defensive pairing has been a huge success. Hronek’s also has a plus-10 rating over 11 games.
Related: Canucks Coach Rick Tocchet Must Read the Leadership Research
