Seven Goals-A-Scoring Canucks Beat Sharks, Kuzmenko Tallies Two Goals

The Canucks earned themselves the gift of being on top of the standings in the Pacific Division with a 7-4 win over the San Jose Sharks.

Heading into a three-day break, the Canucks are sitting at 23-9-3, two points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vancouver took an early lead, but the Sharks kept biting at their heels. Head Coach Rick Tocchet liked the resolve his team had to stay focused and continue plugging away to pull out the win. 

“I thought some of the goals were really crucial at the time. It just seemed like we answered the bell when San Jose made the push,” Tocchet said.

Andrei Kuzmenko had two goals in the win and has scored four goals in the last five games he’s played. Kuzmenko knows it’s important for him to play tough defence and is looking to continue putting the puck in the net. 

“This season, every score is no surprise for me but a little help,” he shared, adding, “For me mentality is a little difficult moment, that is a help, my friends support me, the Russian guys and the whole team are supporting me.”

Dakota Joshua has five goals in the last six games and wants to keep improving and contributing to help the team any way he can.

“It’s nice to see success and, just a big confidence boost from maybe where I was to where I am now. Moving forward, this last couple of months has gone a long way in my game and I just look to keep improving,” Joshua said.

The Joshua-Conor Garland-Teddy Blueger line combined for five points in the contest, in addition to Joshua’s goal, Garland and Blueger had two assists each.

“I think every game we get more and more comfortable, knowing where each other is going to go,” said Joshua. “It's gone a long way for us and it makes the game a lot more predictable, which when it's moving fast out there, it makes it easier.”

Game Recap

Kuzmenko scored the first two goals of the game, the first from the slot at even strength and the second on the power play tipping in J.T. Miller’s shot.

Sharks’ forward Mikael Granlund got his team on the board and Tomas Hertl equalized before the end of the first, tying the game 2-2 going into the first intermission.

In the second period, Nils Åman buried a pass from Teddy Blueger on a two-on-one and Sam Lafferty redirected Ian Cole’s shot from the point, giving the Canucks a 4-2 lead.

San Jose’s Fabian Zetterlund snapped one to close the gap, but the Canucks’ third line would extend the lead going into the final frame.

Dakota Joshua scored off a pass from Garland to give the Canucks a two-goal lead heading into the third period. 

“That's a hell of a goal with Garland and Dak to get us back in the game. I just feel that each line has done something this year to help us when the other teams made a push at us,” Tocchet said.

Late in the third, defenceman Jacob MacDonald brought the Sharks within one and Vancouver responded not once, but twice before time expired.

Pius Suter scored off a redirect from Quinn Hughes and Hughes wrapped the game up with a bow converting the empty-netter for the 7-4 win.

The Canucks have a short break for the holidays and are back in action Thursday, December 28th at Rogers Arena to take on the Philadelphia Flyers at 7 p.m. PT.