The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their four-game homestand with a visit from the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. Both teams were coming off losses, the Canucks 5-4 in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche and the Jets 4-1 to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Canucks welcomed back starter Thatcher Demko to the crease after a two-game absence, while the Jets countered with the familiar sight of Connor Hellebuyck. But it wasn’t Demko that finished the game; instead, it was Kevin Lankinen entering in the second after Demko seemingly re-aggravated an injury. After a five-goal first period that saw the Jets take a 3-2 lead, an early power-play goal by Gabriel Vilardi in the third ended up being the game-winner as the Jets beat the Canucks 5-3, snapping their three-game losing streak.
Game Recap
The first period started slowly for both teams, but ended up being a goal fest by the end of it. The Jets opened the scoring a little under five minutes into the game with Jonathan Toews’ third of the season when the puck went in off his skate in the crease. Then, about five minutes later, the Canucks tied it up with Kiefer Sherwood’s team-leading 11th as he sniped it gloveside on Hellebuyck after he and Quinn Hughes executed a perfect give-and-go.
Shortly after that, the Canucks took a 2-1 lead with Jake DeBrusk’s sixth, as he took a pass from Hughes and snapped a shot shortside for his fifth power-play goal this season. However, the Jets grabbed the lead back with two quick goals, 15 seconds apart; the first, another deflection off a skate, this time Nino Niederreiter’s, and then a slap shot from Josh Morrissey after Sherwood failed to clear the puck on the penalty kill. The period ended with the Jets up 3-2 and trailing on the shot clock 12-8.
The second period didn’t see any scoring, but plenty of drama. After returning to the net for this game, Demko didn’t start the middle frame, giving way to Lankinen. Then, the Canucks got a scare with Hughes leaving the ice with an apparent shoulder injury, only to return a few shifts later. Lankinen had a solid period in relief of Demko, stopping 13 shots, including a beauty right pad save on Marc Scheifele. Hellebuyck was also solid, making 10 saves as the Jets outshot the Canucks 13-10.
The Jets got to work quickly in the third period with Vilardi backhanding his sixth past Lankinen on a power play that bled over from the second. With his back to the Canucks goaltender, he shoveled it to the top corner, pushing the Jets’ lead to 4-2. It remained that way until the closing minutes of the game when Brock Boeser picked up a rebound off a blocked shot and jammed it past Hellebuyck to cut the lead to 4-3. But that’s all the Canucks could muster as Alex Iafallo iced it a little over 30 seconds later into an empty net for his third of the season to finalize the 5-3 win in his 600th NHL game.
What’s Next?
The Canucks will embark on a short three-game road trip, which starts on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Jets, meanwhile, will be in Seattle on Thursday to take on the Kraken.
