Quinn Hughes, Phillip Di Giuseppe, and Conor Garland found the net as the Vancouver Canucks, leading the Western Conference and holding firm atop the Pacific Division, handed the struggling Vegas Golden Knights a 3-1 defeat on Thursday night.
Canucks center Elias Pettersson marked his 400th career point with an assist in the first period. He achieved this milestone in 390 games, making him the second-fastest player in franchise history to reach this mark, trailing only Pavel Bure by 30 games.
Pettersson also boasts an impressive record against the Knights, with 16 points in 14 career games, the most among active Canucks.
Thatcher Demko made 27 saves for the Canucks, while J.T. Miller’s point streak ended at eight games, during which he contributed seven goals and seven assists.
Vegas managed only one goal, courtesy of Michael Amadio, as Adin Hill stopped 32 shots for the Knights.
The Canucks’ victory marks their third consecutive win, solidifying their position at the top of the Pacific Division with 89 points, an 11-point lead over the second-place Edmonton Oilers and a four-point lead over the Dallas Stars for the conference lead.
With only one point behind the Eastern Conference-leading Florida Panthers, the Canucks are also in contention for the most points in the NHL.
“We must maintain this level of performance throughout the remainder of the season,” Demko commented. “These games are significant for us, and our team did a commendable job of delivering.”
The Canucks are demonstrating strength at a crucial time, allowing only three goals over their last three road games.
“We have skilled players who can find the back of the net, but we’ve also shown that we can win tight games,” Di Giuseppe noted. “These victories in close contests will be valuable for us, especially in the playoffs.”
In contrast, the Golden Knights find themselves in a slump, with a record of 2-8-1 in their last 11 games, jeopardizing their playoff aspirations as they cling to the final wild-card spot.
“You go through stretches like this during the season, but it’s essential to bounce back as quickly as possible,” remarked Knights center Nicolas Roy. “It feels like we’ve been in this rut for a while now.”
Despite their struggles, the Knights managed to halt their streak of conceding goals after 13 periods when they kept the Canucks off the scoreboard in the third period. This was the first time since February 27 that the Knights prevented an opponent from scoring in a period, underscoring their defensive efforts.
The Canucks dominated early, outshooting the Knights 12-1 midway through the first period and securing a 2-0 lead with goals from Hughes and Di Giuseppe. Although the Knights had their chances, including a shot from Jack Eichel that hit the crossbar, they were unable to capitalize.
Vegas narrowed the gap early in the second period with Amadio’s goal, but Garland extended Vancouver’s lead later in the period.
“We showed resilience in crucial moments tonight, which is essential in playoff hockey,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “We’re pleased with our performance on this road trip. After a day off on Friday, we’ll regroup and prepare for our next challenge.”
