The Vancouver Canucks picked up an overtime victory to begin their three-game road trip through the Central Division and are back in action on Saturday evening as they face off with the Minnesota Wild for the first time this season.
Kiefer Sherwood had a hat trick, and Kevin Lankinen was a treat to watch in the shootout as the Canucks won 4-3 over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. That was the Canucks’ third game that required overtime, and the team now has a 3-0-0 record when going into extra time.
Sherwood’s second career hat trick propelled him into a tie for the league lead in goals with nine on the season. He also sits second in the league for hits (54) and played a career-high 24:12 in Thursday’s win.
“He’s a motor. He goes. He loves the game. What I love about him is [that] early in the season, he was good and then got off real quick too. His emotions were in play, and our forward coaches did a good job just talking to him, going, ‘if you control 20%, you’re going to have some fun here.’ He listened to them, and they worked together as a group. And you see, he’s on fire right now,” said head coach Adam Foote.
“His emotions probably got him in the league – how he plays with that fire. And now, when they’re under control, he’s been very effective out there with his speed and his resilience.”
We also had a positive note from Friday’s practice, as Brock Boeser was a full participant after leaving Thursday’s game.
Head Coach Adam Foote said he expects Boeser to play on Saturday in his home state of Minnesota.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Minnesota Wild are 3-6-3 this season and are seeing a ton of special teams’ goals in their first dozen games of the season. The Wild rank 4th in the league on the power play with a 29.2% conversion rate.
- Their penalty kill ranks last in the league, killing off 60% of their penalties.
- Kirill Kaprizov has four power play goals this season, while Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson have three apiece.
- Half of Kaprizov’s 16 points this season have come while his team is on the man-advantage.
- Brock Faber is in his third full season with the Wild and is their leading man when it comes to time on ice. The 23-year-old defenceman is playing an average of 22:55 per game and has a goal and four assists on the year.
- Filip Gustavsson has started nine of the Wild’s 12 games this season. He has a 2-6-1 record with an .892% save percentage, a 3.37 goals-against average, and has one shutout.
The Story: Solid in Shootouts
Kevin Lankinen made NHL history on Thursday night after he stopped all three of the St. Louis Blues’ shootout attempts.
He now sits alone at number one in NHL history for the highest save percentage in shootouts. Lankinen has stopped 38 of the 44 attempts against him, and his .864% save percentage makes him the most efficient goaltender in the shootouts with at least 40 shots against.
Marc Denis (.854%) is second, while Mikko Koskinen (.829%) sits in third.
Coming in fourth all-time is Thatcher Demko, who is 43 for 53 (.811%) against shooters. With Denis and Koskinen in retirement, that means the Canucks have the top two active shootout goaltenders in the NHL.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Kiefer Sherwood: 5g-0a-5p
Elias Pettersson: 2g-2a-4p
Conor Garland: 1g-3a-4p
Brock Boeser: 1g-2a-3p
Evander Kane: 0g-2a-2p
When and Where to Watch
Saturday’s game is at 4:00 p.m. PT, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
