The Vancouver Canucks put forth a scrappy effort to beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 at SAP Center.
The Canucks had strong performances up and down the lineup, with young players making big plays and veterans stepping up late in the game. Head Coach Adam Foote liked the fact that his team sacrificed for each other and kept their composure.
“Throughout the game, the guys didn't quit. It was a fast-paced game, and we had a good kill, as you saw. Our penalty kill was good tonight, and we were able to get a couple power play goals. The guys were resilient, played as a team, and it was nice to see them get the win,” Foote said.
The Canucks scored on two of their four power play attempts, and their PK was a perfect two-for-two.
Linus Karlsson scored the shootout winner and notched an assist in the contest.
“It was a good team effort tonight, blocked a lot of shots, and we fought for each other out there,” Karlsson said.
Kevin Lankinen turned aside 28 of 31 shots he faced in regulation and was elite in the shootout, stopping five of six shots.
“He's unbelievable. He's so calm, and he's so great. He's so good at those shootouts and I’m really, really happy for him,” Karlsson said.
Goals
The Sharks opened the scoring in the first period, as Igor Chernyshov finished a backhand to give his team a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.
Vancouver responded in the second period after Victor Mancini sent the puck down the ice, where Marco Rossi caught the puck off the end boards near the goal line for the shot and the finish. Sharks netminder Yaroslav Askarov was caught behind his net, attempting to corral the puck that blitzed behind the net. In a last-ditch effort, Askarov tipped the net over, but the goal stood, evening the game.
