Demko Earns Shutout, Canucks Blank Blues 5-0

With back to back games against the Blues and Rangers this weekend, the Canucks continued to improve their season record with an impressive win over St. Louis.

Vancouver limited scoring chances and Thatcher Demko stopped all 22 attempts, collecting his first shutout of the season. He was happy to see it on the scoresheet, but quickly deferred to his teammates who allowed just three shots against in the first period.

“Our reads are really good. We don’t compound mistakes which is huge. If there is a breakdown guys have composure and hockey IQ to get back in a good spot and make sure that second error doesn’t' happen. I can’t say enough about the team defense mentality that it takes and obviously it transfers over to the PK which has been great,” Demko said.

“It’s probably one of the better starts I’ve seen us have in my career. I’m really proud of that effort and coming back home, we’re just on the road for a long time, we want to make sure that we establish at home ice and obviously our home opener was great, but tonight was a good second home game and try to build that culture at home the rest of the year.”

Quinn Hughes, who was the first star of the game, scored Vancouver’s first goal eight minutes into the first and the Canucks didn’t look back.

Hughes said he’s trying to shoot more when he gets a good look.

“I feel a lot more dangerous than I have in the past...the body feels good, and my skill can keep up with what I’m trying to do,” he said.

Vancouver had 19 shot attempts in the first and drew four penalties, spending nearly half the first period on the power play. After morning skate, Head Coach Rick Tocchet mentioned being able to draw four or five penalties a night to give his team more power play time was what they are aiming for.

Hughes connected on his second goal of the night, and shortly after Phil Di Giuseppe scored a breakaway goal giving Vancouver a 3-0 lead. 

On a penalty kill, Elias Pettersson stopped a St. Louis pass through the neutral zone, moving it up to J.T. Miller who placed the puck in the net off the back of his stick, putting the Canucks up 4-0 going in the final frame. Miller finished the night with three points (1-2-3).

In the third, the Mikheyev-Pettersson-Kuzmenko line connected for Mikheyev’s second goal in as many games, giving Vancouver a 5-0 lead.

St. Louis battled late in the third but the Canucks blue line swiftly cleared pucks from the net – Ian Cole and Filip Hronek diving on the ice to dump the puck out – with five minutes remaining.

Vancouver’s record is 5-2-0 going into Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers. The Canucks are back at Rogers Arena at 7 p.m.