The Vancouver Canucks grinded out a 4-3 win in regulation against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Arena on Saturday night.
After a scoreless first period, the Canucks liked the looks they were getting and continued to put pucks on net, working net-front and staying committed to the process.
Head Coach Adam Foote said the team’s persistence and their captain, Quinn Hughes, were key in generating chances.
“I really like the way we stuck with it. Especially, I love what Huggy did, how he led us. He didn't get upset with it, he just kept playing,” Foote said.
“I really like the buy-in, we had two goals where our offensive plan worked, and he was in on it. What I loved about it was [that] they played a hard man-on-man, we had three high and Huggy did it a different way, and it worked for him and our team, and I thought that gave us a lot of confidence and momentum.”
Jake DeBrusk had a goal on the evening and said he liked how the group dug deep when the Blue Jackets tied the game late, but the Canucks continued to press.
“It's one of those things where it's tough to see a late goal like that. It usually hurts the spirits a little bit, but we stayed with the program, and that's something that we've had to kind of earn and learn,” DeBrusk said.
“It was nice to see Brock get one, it was kind of an interesting goal, but we needed it, so lots of positives.”
DeBrusk and his linemates Drew O’Connor and Aatu Räty accounted for two goals and two assists. DeBrusk gave them credit for the play they made to him for his goal, and although he switched from left wing to right tonight, he felt comfortable because he knew what to expect from his teammates.
“Rats is so good on draws, and also pretty good defensively, and is kind of in and around always as a third guy high, and then OC is obviously a workhorse. So, for me to play the right side, I haven't played it in two years, I don't think, but they made it easy on me. I knew where pucks were going, and I thought we actually worked pretty well together. I felt like everyone was getting touches, and it was nice to see those guys get rewarded,” DeBrusk said.
Elias Pettersson made key defensive plays late, blocking two shots in the last 20 seconds with the team up by one to help the Canucks preserve the win.
