Canucks’ Thrilling Victory Marred by Shocking Injuries to Chytil and Lekkerimäki—What Comes Next?
In a gritty showdown that tested every ounce of their resilience, the Vancouver Canucks edged out the Washington Capitals 4–3 in a game teeming with adrenaline and adversity. What made this victory all the more impressive? Losing two key players to injury before the second period even kicked off, a gut punch by any standard. Yet, the Canucks didn’t just hang tough—they rose up with goals from Elias Pettersson, Tyler Myers, Kiefer Sherwood, and Teddy Blueger, while Thatcher Demko stood tall, stopping 29 of 32 shots in his fourth start this season. Pettersson, under the microscope all season, wasted no time putting his stamp on the game, netting the first goal within the opening minute and showcasing hustle with crucial blocks late in the final frame. With Brock Boeser sidelined, Sherwood stepped into unfamiliar power play territory and made an immediate impact, capitalizing on the Capitals’ shaky penalty kill. The road trip keeps rolling for Vancouver, and despite the physical toll and an onslaught in the final period from Washington, they clung onto their lead and clinched a hard-fought third straight road win. For a team juggling injuries and condensed schedules, this gritty performance speaks volumes about their grit and depth.
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The Vancouver Canucks pulled together a gusty effort to take a 4–3 win against the Washington Capitals today, though this victory was not without worry, as Vancouver lost two players due to injury by the start of the second period. Elias Pettersson, Tyler Myers, Kiefer Sherwood, and Teddy Blueger scored for the Canucks, while Thatcher Demko made 29 saves on 32 shots faced in his fourth start of the season.
After lots of chatter surrounding the play of Pettersson to start the season, it was the center who found the first tally of the game less than a minute into the first period. He fired a traditional seeing-eye shot past Charlie Lindgren to nab his first of the season. Pettersson finished the game with two shots and two timely blocks near the end of the third period.
As a result of Brock Boeser’s absence, Vancouver shifted things around on their power play once again. In Boeser’s place was Sherwood, who got his first little bit of first-unit power play time of the season and made the most of it immediately. The forward honed in on the net at the perfect time, taking advantage of Washington’s poor penalty killing to start the season.
Despite the excellent start to the game, things took a turn near the end of the first period when Tom Wilson took Filip Chytil out with a big hit. The center, whose injury issues have been well-documented throughout his career, had trouble getting off the ice and needed assistance from the training staff and teammate Conor Garland. While the hit was initially called as a major, the referees decided it was a “good hockey hit” and took the penalty away completely. Chytil was ruled out for the rest of the game.
By the time the second period rolled around, the news kept getting worse. Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who came into the lineup for Boeser, was also taken out of the game. His ailment looked like it was sustained as the result of a hit from Matt Roy committed late in the first period.
The rough stuff continued into the second period. Victor Mancini dropped the gloves with Brandon Duhaime, with both players feeding one-another big punches in an impressive effort for the young Canucks defenceman. Arshdeep Bains, part of the speedy Calder Cup line that has been fantastic at bringing pucks to the net, crashed into more than just the net today after he collided with Lindgren.
Vancouver’s solid play was made even more notable considering their circumstances. Not only were they playing well when down to 10 forwards today, this was also their third game played in four days. For a team that’s been playing more often than not, especially at an early hour in pacific standard time, their early effort was notable. Players stepped up when needed and did well when taking on extra minutes.
The third period was all Washington, with the home team controlling play more effectively in the o-zone than the Canucks. This included a brief stretch of o-zone time for the Capitals even during a Vancouver power play with around five minutes left in the third. Despite a full-sale push for the Capitals, including a late goal to cut their deficit to 4–3, Vancouver came up when they needed to and sealed their third straight win of the road trip.
Stats and Facts:
- With an assist on Kiefer Sherwood’s goal, Quinn Hughes extends personal point streak against the Capitals to five games
- Quinn Hughes passes Thomas Gradin for sixth in career assists (354) scored by a Canuck
- Tyler Myers scores his 100th career NHL goal
- Conor Garland leads all forwards in TOI with 22:20 played
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
0:59 – VAN: Elias Pettersson (1) from Conor Garland
17:11 – VAN: Tyler Myers (1)
17:52 – VAN: Kiefer Sherwood (4) from Conor Garland and Quinn Hughes (PPG)
2nd Period:
4:54 – VAN: Teddy Blueger (1) from Evander Kane and Tyler Myers
13:42 – WSH: Ryan Leonard (2) from Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome (PPG)
3rd Period:
9:01 – WSH: Jakob Chychrun (2) from Hendrix Lapierre and Rasmus Sandin
17:46 – WSH: John Carlson (1) from Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson
Up Next:
Vancouver’s next match of their road trip takes place on Tuesday, in what will be their fourth of five away from Rogers Arena. The Canucks will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in what will be their first time facing former goaltender Artūrs Šilovs since trading him back in July. Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT.
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