On Thursday night, the Vancouver Canucks went into Canada’s capital city and beat the Ottawa Senators by a score of 5-2. The truth is that the Senators looked as if they had just played last night, which they had. The Canucks, although the Senators came back to tie the game 2-2, never looked in trouble in the game. They seemed as if they were on cruise control – not that they weren’t working, but that they never were in trouble of losing the game.
In the edition of Canucks’ Quick Hits, I’ll focus on those Canucks players who had key roles in this game, with a few secondary quick hits about their contributions.
Quick Hit One: Elias Pettersson Takes Over NHL Scoring Race
Elias Pettersson contributed a goal and two assists in the Canucks’ impressive 5-2 win over Ottawa. With this performance, he extended his points streak to seven games, putting up a total of 14 points (five goals, nine assists) during those games. Pettersson now leads the NHL points race with 24 points in the season (with seven goals and 17 assists).
His goal in this game came on the power play in the third period. Talk about quick work. It obviously was a set play that worked perfectly. From the faceoff to the puck in the net, it didn’t take two seconds. Beautiful play.
Quick Hit Two: Casey DeSmith Still Has Not Lost in Regulation
Goaltender Casey DeSmith put up another strong outing for the Canucks. Against the Senators, he made 28 saves. The Senators worked hard and had some good chances, but DeSmith was up to the task. DeSmith didn’t have much of a chance on either of the Senators’ goals.
Related: Canucks’ Thrilling Win Over Oilers Reveals Lingering Issues
With the win, DeSmith now has a 3-0-1 record with a 2.82 goals-against average (GAA) and a .919 save percentage on the season. He’s been solid in the net for the Canucks. The team did well to pick up DeSmith from the Montreal Canadiens in a trade for Tanner Pearson and a third-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Quick Hit Three: Ilya Mikheyev Looks as Fast as Ever
Ilya Mikheyev didn’t start the season on time, but he’s sure looked good since he returned to the ice. Last night he played a key role in the Canucks’ win, scoring two goals against the Sens. It was Mikheyev’s first multiple-point game of the season. His first goal came after an Elias Pettersson takeaway. The second goal was a fortunate bounce off Mikheyev’s foot after Pettersson deliberately shot wide looking for a crazy bounce. He got one.
Mikheyev has looked great on the top line with Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko. He’s certainly fast enough to keep up with both of them. After these two goals, Mikheyev now has put up eight points (with five goals and three assists) in nine games. He adds depth to the Canucks’ offense. He’s on a pace now for 70+ points, which would smash his career best of 32 points.
Quick Hit Four: Filip Hronek Is Having a Great Season
Filip Hronek was a great pick-up from the Detroit Red Wings last season. He’s having a strong performance for the Canucks, especially playing with Quinn Hughes. Last night, he had yet another assist in the win over the Senators. It was Hronek’s eighth straight game with an assist, extending his streak to 11 assists during those games.
The 26-year-old Czech defenseman has been a key playmaker for the team, putting up 14 assists in just 13 games on the season. Hronek’s offensive production from the blue line has played a huge role in the team’s success. He just looks at home and sees the game well. He’s been both consistent and reliable. Similar to Mikheyev, he looks to quickly pass his career-best of 39 points he set last season.
Note to readers: the following link is from three years ago. I added it because Boeser is having a good season and it seems fun to look back.
Related: Why the Vancouver Canucks Won’t Actually Trade Brock Boeser
