The Vegas Golden Knights picked up their third straight win in dominant fashion after defeating the Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks 6-3 on Tuesday evening.
The Golden Knights have won five of their last six games and have put together an 8-2-1 record in their last 11. They’ve now pulled within three points of the Edmonton Oilers for the second-place spot in the Pacific Division, but the Oilers still have one game in hand.
While J.T. Miller leads the Canucks with 95 points in 75 games, Quinn Hughes has undoubtedly been their most valuable player this season. He leads all defensemen in the NHL with 84 points in 75 games played and is fourth in the league in assists (69) behind only Nathan MacKinnon (80), Nikita Kucherov (85), and Connor McDavid (97).
After a terrific start to the regular season, the Canucks are beginning to stumble their way into the playoffs. They’ve only won four of their last nine games and have scored more than three goals on just two occasions in that span. This tough stretch largely has to do with the absence of goaltender Thatcher Demko, who has been out of the Canucks’ lineup since March 9 after he suffered an undisclosed injury that caused him to leave midway through the Canucks’ 5-0 victory against the Winnipeg Jets.
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Considering that Demko was in the midst of a Vezina Trophy-contending season, Casey DeSmith has been a significant downgrade in net for the Canucks. He’s currently carrying a .897 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.80 goals-against average (GAA), while being forced to play a much higher volume than he’s ever been known to play in his career. Tuesday’s game against the Golden Knights was his eighth start in their last nine games, and he was visibly tired in this game.
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It was an eventful start for the Golden Knights, as Pavel Dorofeyev was sprung for a breakaway early on before Anthony Mantha buried the rebound just 1:37 into the game to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead. This was Mantha’s 22nd goal of the season and he’s now three away from tying his career-high of 25.
Jonathan Marchessault made it 2-0 for the Golden Knights less than five minutes later on a toe drag wrist shot off the rush that flew cleanly past the blocker of DeSmith. Marchessault recorded a goal and two assists in the opening period of this game, making it the fifth time in his career that he’s had three points in a period. He now has 41 goals this season and is two away from matching William Karlsson’s franchise record of 43 goals in a single season.
After Nils Hoglander made it 2-1, the Golden Knights reclaimed their two-goal lead 20 seconds later after Jack Eichel finished off a pretty passing play between Ivan Barbashev and Marchessault. Noah Hanifin also scored his first goal as a Golden Knight to make it 4-1, giving him a career-high 12 goals this season.
This was one of the Golden Knights’ best offensive starts of the season, and the timely goals would continue to come in the second period.
After Nikita Zadorov was ejected from the game after being assessed a game misconduct for boarding Nic Roy, William Karlsson made it 5-1 on the power play 1:46 into the second after shoveling in a puck that squeaked through DeSmith’s pads. Hughes made it 5-2 on the power play after a long-range wrist shot found its way through traffic and cut the deficit to three. Despite leading all defensemen in points with 84, this was only Hughes’ second goal in his last 27 games.
Hughes picked up his second goal of the game just 1:41 into the third period to make it 5-3 on a long-distance shot that slid through traffic along the ice and between the legs of Logan Thompson. The Golden Knights would respond quickly yet again with Brett Howden tapping in a nice two-on-one pass from Keegan Kolesar 24 seconds later.
The Golden Knights played some solid shutdown defense for the rest of the game, limiting any transition offense and forcing dump-ins rather than rush chances. Outside of the offensive dominance, that was the most encouraging part of the game. This recent stretch feels like the most connected that this group has been, and it’s good to know that, even with the new acquisitions, they’re capable of playing the type of defense that won them a Stanley Cup.
Having that many quick responses is demoralizing for any opponent, and the Canucks seemed to have waved the white flag after they conceded the sixth goal. This was the second time since Jan. 1 that the Golden Knights had put up six goals in a game.
Logan Thompson Stays Hot
Thompson was named the NHL’s second star of the week last week after going 3-0-0 and allowing just three goals on 105 shots. This was his sixth straight win as a starter, carrying a .930 SV% and allowing just nine goals during this streak.
This wasn’t Thompson’s best game by any means, but he’s been a huge reason why the Golden Knights have held off high-octane offenses like the Canucks. He’s beginning to develop a reputation as the type of goaltender you can trust in the most important games, which is exactly what the Golden Knights need with Adin Hill out of the lineup.
With most recent updates noting that Hill remains out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, it’s looking more likely that Thompson will start Game 1 of the playoffs. Thompson’s volume of starts over the next few weeks will be an interesting storyline to follow, as head coach Bruce Cassidy will have to find a balance where he doesn’t overwork his top goaltending option while the team also pursues a better position in the standings.
Final Thoughts
Despite Demko not playing for the Canucks in this game, this was still a statement win for the Golden Knights. This was just the third time all season that the Canucks have allowed six goals or more, and the Golden Knights played a brand of hockey that will likely translate to the postseason.
With Barbashev, Mantha, Eichel and Marchessault each having multi-point games, Golden Knights fans can feel a bit more comfortable that this forward core is capable of putting up high-scoring performances, and that they can push the offensive pace themselves rather than wait for opportunities to come to them.
The Golden Knights have now won two of their three meetings against the Canucks this season, and they will finish their season series off on April 8 on the road. The Golden Knights have an 8-1-1 record against the Canucks on the road, and have outscored them 44-30.