After two games in a row, chasing your opponents, trying and failing to make a comeback, what the Vancouver Canucks in their fourth game of 82, a change of pace was desperately needed – a lucky bounce, a strong shift, anything that could breathe life into this lineup and keep it alive.
However, on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars, it seemed like it was too late.
Elias Pettersson's botched own goal tip put the Stars on the board, power play sniper Mikko Rantanen doubled their lead, and the Canucks seemed headed for another too-too-late blow, barely surviving the first period.
Then the momentum came and it came in the form of penalties.
The Canucks just had their best chance to score after being completely pinned in their own zone when Conor Garland took a stinging penalty against Sam Steele in the opening minutes of the middle frame. This could be the nail in Vancouver's coffin, it could make the hill a lot steeper. Instead, the penalty box dug in and prevented the Stars from creating any dangerous chances.
Suddenly it was a completely different game.
Evander Kane jumped up Philip Chytil just after the penalty came to an end, Garland scored one on the blocking side of former Canuck goaltender Casey DeSmith for his third of the season. Then, Brock Boser took me home Quinn Hughes Just over two minutes later, he fired on the power play for his third shot of the year, quickly followed by Max Sasson's first goal of his debut season. In 3:26, the Canucks turned a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 lead, a lead they wouldn't give up en route to a blowout 5-3 victory.
“The guys stuck it out. The start of the game didn't go the way we wanted,” Adam Foote told reporters in Dallas after the game. “But I give credit to the guys. They hung in there at halftime and kept playing.”
In a market so accustomed to gloom, doom and endless disappointment, it's easy to crash after two losses in a row. But it's only the fourth game, and the win gets the team back to .500. More importantly, the Canucks had their most dominant period of the season in the second and held strong into the final frame despite pressure and a Stars goal.
“We just fought our way back,” said Conor Garland, who scored the winner to cap a dominant second period. “That Sasson line kind of gave us the pace, allowed us to get our feet under us and we played a really good game. And also a very good ending.”
The fact that this performance came against a Western Conference giant like the Stars should do a lot to boost the Canucks' confidence as they continue their five-game road trip with upcoming stops in Chicago, Washington, Pittsburgh and Nashville.
Should we expect this kind of play from the Canucks in the future? We'll find out on Friday night when they take on the Blackhawks.
“Now it’s 2-2,” Garland said. “We didn't panic. It's still early. We're trying to find our game. A lot of the young guys in the lineup are just getting used to the league. To stay there tonight against one of the best teams in the Western Conference was a good statement for us.”
It took four games, but the Canucks' power play finally became a reality.
The Canucks have suffered from a lack of production from their top players, and the same can be said for their power play, which went 0-for-7 heading into Thursday night.
While going 2-for-3 with the man advantage against the Stars won't magically fix the power play issues that plagued the second half of last season, it's encouraging to see them finally having success and putting together high-threat chances at every chance.
“I thought they moved the puck well tonight,” Foote said.
The Canucks scored at the first opportunity, with Boeser, Hughes and Elias Pettersson combining to finally score for the snake-bitten team.
They were deadlocked on their second chance but looked dangerous throughout, forcing DeSmith to stay on his toes and make several tough saves, and on the third try, when the Stars keeper broke into a five-on-five, Hughes sent one into the empty net for the first time this year.
The power play rate is still a dismal 20 percent, but for the first time this season there is a glimmer of hope that they can achieve that level of success on a consistent basis.
With just one assist in three games (albeit a career-high), the Canucks captain started the season uncharacteristically slow.
Of course, “slow” is a relative term for the 2024 Norris Trophy winner, and before Thursday he was still leading the team in ice time, displaying smooth skating even if it didn’t come with points — much of which applies to the entire roster’s top management.
Nobody who regularly watches Hughes play thought this mini-slump would even get to the point of being worrying, but it was still a relief to see the defender impacting the scoreboard in the way we're used to.
Hughes finished the night with a goal and an assist, bringing his point total to three in four games this year, and also had four assists in more than 25 minutes of ice time.
If there were any questions about Thatcher Demko's ability to play on the court after a tough 2024-25 season, he was very quick to answer.
The 29-year-old has been the Canucks' undisputed MVP in three games played this season, much like the Vezina Trophy runner-up two years ago, and he delivered another stellar performance on Thursday night.
His .903 save percentage is a bit misleading, as he kept the Canucks competitive even when the Stars threw everything at him. He also had to be sharp early on, with Dallas outscoring his team 8-1 before the midway point of the first period, including a Grade-A chance from Adam Earne less than three minutes into the game.
“I think he's the best in the world. So big, so mobile, he tracks every puck,” Garland said of his goalie. “We feel very confident every time he's in the net and we're lucky to have Lankinen tomorrow night, so we feel great about our goalies.”
“He’s incredible,” Sasson added. “The saves he makes just look… They're really tough saves and he makes them look routine. It's just a testament to his professionalism.”
In his last two games against the Stars and Oilers on Sunday, he was tested 67 times and made 62 saves.
It's still early, but Demko is already halfway through the season.
Compliments to the Calder Cup line
Foote on the Arshdeep Baines-Sasson-Linus Karlsson line: “I thought they had some jump. You saw it in the pre-season and then you saw it tonight. That speed in front of goal – (Sasson) almost had another chance – that speed the defenders would retreat when he was there. He set up the D, they didn't play when that line was there. They had to be careful with that one.” speed.”
