The Vancouver Canucks added another win in the road game column with a 2-0 victory over the Boston Bruins.
The Canucks made a solid showing in the defensive end, starting with goaltender Kevin Lankinen, who notched his second shutout of the season, stopping all 32 shots he faced. In an effort that saw net-front scrambles and nimble saves, Lankinen extended his road record as a Canuck to 8-0-0.
The road team fought hard for the win; Head Coach Rick Tocchet was pleased with a gutsy performance by his group.
“We had some moments we wish we had back, but Lanks was awesome,” Tocchet said. “We’re 8-1 on the road, so I’ve got to give the guys a lot of credit grinding out some wins. They’re not pretty, but 82 games you’re not [always] going to be pretty.”
Lankinen was the first star of the game, and Tocchet said Lankinen lives for the moment and felt it would be ok if his goaltender took home all three stars after the win.
“He was very good tonight – saw the puck extremely well. They made a couple of nice [saves], they were going to shoot it, and they made a cross-ice [pass], and he just read it. That’s when you know your goalie is on,” Tocchet said.
Lankinen stays ready for all opportunities and challenges thrown his way and he’s been happy to help his team find success on the road.
“That's part of the battle, just staying cool, keeping your composure, being focused but relaxed at the same time,” Lankinen said. “I think I got a lot of help from the d-core tonight with all those scrambles in front. So, it was a great team effort.”