Head coach Rick Tocchet saw his team get anxious to score early in the game but was encouraged with his team finding their composure and sticking to their game plan.
“I thought there were some really good parts of the game. I just didn’t want us to get frustrated. The Sharks worked hard. It was a hard-working game,” Tocchet said.
“You can’t sell the farm on every play. So sometimes it’s good to have those games where it’s 0-0 halfway through the game and it’s okay. That’s something we’ve got to keep learning.”
The Canucks are now 11-0-0 with a lead after two periods and Thatcher Demko now has a 10-0-0 record against San Jose.
Game Recap
Vancouver and San Jose went back and forth in the first period and the Canucks had an opportunity on the power play early in the first but neither team scored going into the first intermission.
In the second period, captain Hughes cruised down the left side and released a shot from the bottom of the left circle finding the back of the net to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead.
The Canucks’ penalty kill saw action only in the middle frame – taking their first penalty at 14:32 – holding the Sharks off on their first attempt.
Andrei Kuzmenko had a near-make but hit the cross bar and it wasn’t long after that Vancouver scored their second goal of the night.
Vancouver took a five-minute match penalty at 18:31 and the PK was back at it. The Canucks were aggressive closing out the middle frame shorthanded, Sam Lafferty caught a rebound off Teddy Blueger’s shot attempt and whacked it in just before time expired, giving Vancouver a 2-0 lead going into the second intermission.
