Since their injury reached code red two weeks ago, Vancouver Canucks played in National Hockey League survival mode, desperately trying to find points. On Monday they played like a team desperate not to lose them.
In what was one of their best games of the season for 50 minutes, the Canucks blew a two-goal lead late in the third period against the Nashville Predators to take both points. Brock BoserOvertime, which gave Vancouver a road victory with a score of 5–4.
Within seconds of a three-on-three extra play controlled and played slowly by the Canucks, who reasonably know their chances of winning the shootout are excellent with Thatcher Demko or Kevin Lankinen in their net, Boeser and Elias Pettersson outplayed Predators Ryan O'Reilly and Brady Skei for the puck in the Nashville corner.
Pettersson tipped the ball off the stick of O'Reilly Boeser, who beat Skeia in the corner and Predator goalie Juuse Saros with a backhand shot from the blocker with less than two ticks remaining.
Boeser, who often celebrates goals like an accountant completing an audit, raised his arms in jubilation before the usually stoic Pettersson hugged him and looked as happy as he has since signing his contract extension 20 months ago.
It was a redeeming goal for Vancouver after Nashville, outshot 34-19 midway through the third period, scored twice in the final eight minutes. Nick Blankenburg tied the game at 4-4 on the power play with 3:22 remaining after a questionable high-stick penalty against Canuck Evander Kane called by referee Francis Charron.
But Boeser, who was slammed to the ice by Michael Bunting without a penalty right before Nashville's power play, capped off his three-point play with his second goal.
The win gives the Canucks a 2-1 record on their road trip and, importantly, has the potential to provide some support to this struggling team.
Captain and star defender Quinn Hugheswho was one of nine skaters missing due to injury, returned to the Canuck lineup after missing four games. He had six shots on net and nine attempts, but did not score a single point. However, Hughes finished with a two-lead in 28:05 of ice time, including 3:10 of overtime when the 2024 Norris Trophy winner largely had the puck.
The win also evened the team's record at 7-7-0 amid a personnel shortage. The Canucks are now 4-0-0 after falling below .500 this season, a testament to their determination and resilience in the race to make the playoffs in the Western Conference.
Those R-words were evident in overtime.
“We were on top of them all over the place,” coach Adam Foote said of the game. “We could have easily scored four or five goals. (The officials) missed a couple of shots, especially Canera. It wasn't a penalty at all. I liked the way we held on. We were resilient.”
Several other components of victory could provide energy.
Kane prefaced his ninth minor penalty (the same number of penalties he earned) with his first two goals as a Canuck.
In Game 14, the winger tied the game 1-1 late in the first period with a power-play goal that hit Predator Tyson Jost, and Kane gave Vancouver a 4-2 lead thanks to a delayed penalty at 3:02 of the third period when he finished off a blind pass from Linus Karlsson across the front of the net that stranded Saros.
Another struggling forward, forward Jake DeBrusk, scored his third goal of the season and first point in five games on the night, playing 21:03 and matching Hughes' six shots on net.
Praised for his defensive work before the game, center Elias Pettersson also did some offensive work, notching a pair of assists after playing meaninglessly in the previous three games.
And the challenge of a 20 year old rookie Tom Willander not only remained in the lineup despite Hughes' return, but also earned his first NHL point in his fourth NHL game when he charged the net with the puck before his center pass slotted into Boeser late in the second period.
Paired with Swedish prospect Elias Pettersson Jr., Willander's 10:52 of ice time was his lowest to date, but the smooth-skating defenseman led the Canucks in expected goals at 76 percent.
The win on a night where Demko allowed four goals was another big positive for Vancouver.
There are obviously things to work on, such as late game defense and penalties that have stymied one of the worst penalty kill units in the NHL. The Predators' power play ended 2-for-3.
But overall, given the schedule and injuries the Canucks have faced, returning to Vancouver at .500 and opening a four-game homestand Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks, with a couple of other injured players close to returning, seems like a boost for the organization.
“The guys hung in there,” Foote told reporters in Nashville before the game. “It's no secret what's going on with our team and we're dealing with it. The guys are getting better through the process. We're getting Huggy back, I know Gurley is close (Conor Garland) and then (Teddy) Blueger is probably the next one back. And it's nice that we have guys that are playing well for us and getting reps.”
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