Canucks Start New Year With 6-3 Win Over Senators

The Canucks netted five goals in the first period, propelling them to a 6-3 win over Ottawa.

Elias Pettersson and Pius Suter each scored two goals for Vancouver — Suter collecting three points (2-1-3) on the evening.

The Canucks had three days of practice time between their last game against Philadelphia and Pettersson was pleased with the way the team started the game.

“I thought it was great, one of our better periods this year,” Pettersson said. “Everybody was doing their job, playing fast, and playing for each other.”

Head Coach Rick Tocchet agreed and has expectations of his group to play at high level for a full 60 minutes.

“[They were] just aggressive, tracking. Not too many mistakes. I just thought we were connected,” Tocchet said.

“Take the two points but it's a learning lesson for us. I did not like our [last] 40, hopefully the guys didn't, but hey, we won the game. Loved our first period.”

The Canucks’ forward group was down to 11 after Phil Di Giuseppe sustained an injury in the first period. He played 2:13 in the first and did not return to the game. 

Tocchet slotted Suter in with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser and was able to use him at different positions on the ice.                            

“When Di Giuseppe went down, he [Suter] was everywhere. I put him on the wing, put him at centre because we were a forward short. So, he made the most of his opportunity,” Tocchet said.

Just two days into the new year, Ian Cole scored his first goal of the season, checking off his entire New Year’s resolution list.

“I said it tongue-in-cheek and then scored, so maybe there’s something to this resolution thing,” Cole said.

Cole is hoping for more puck luck and says maybe he’ll look to shoot more in 2024.

Game Recap

In the first, Cole kicked off a five-goal run getting the Canucks on the scoreboard from the point. 

Suter jammed in a goal after collecting the puck off the boards with a quick flick of the wrist. 

The Canucks scored three goals in two minutes: Pettersson off a rebound, Miller redirected a shot from Nikita Zadorov off a draw, and another Pettersson goal, but this time on the power play, giving the Canucks a 5-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Senators’ forward Claude Giroux put up a point for Ottawa to start the second off a wrist shot from the slot. The Canucks held a 5-1 lead after 40 minutes.

In the third, Vladimir Tarasenko scored back-to-back goals, one on a two-on-one from Giroux and another net-front.

Suter flipped home his second of the night from just inside the blue line, putting the Canucks up 6-3.

The Canucks head to St. Louis for the first of their seven-game road trip, taking on the Blues Thursday, January 4th at 5 p.m. PT.