The Vancouver Canucks handed the Dallas Stars their first loss of the regular season, earning a 5-3 win at the American Airlines Center.
It was a gritty comeback performance to open their five-game road trip, with four goals in the second period and contributions spread throughout the lineup.
Head Coach Adam Foote said it was a big win and was pleased to see his team stick to the process during the game.
“We had a plan, and at intermission we said, ‘Guys, I know it doesn’t feel right, but we’re doing alright, just hang in there.’ They were transitioning from a man-on-man offence to a little bit of a zone when it’s low, and when it’s past high, it’s more of a man-on-man,” Foote said.
“We were trying to get them to stick to it and Garly found the ice down low...there were times when Garly exposed that and I think guys picked up confidence seeing him hold on to pucks.”
Conor Garland scored the game-winning goal and said Filip Chytil’s goal helped the group loosen up, and they were able to build momentum going into the third period.
“[It was a] Good bounce back in the second; we had a couple tough bounces early that ended up in our net. We just fought our way back, I thought that [Max] Sasson line carried the pace for a bit and let us get our legs under us. We had a really good game, really good finish to it as well,” Garland said.
“We had no panic, I mean it’s early. We were trying to find our game; we’ve got a lot of young guys in the lineup [who are] just getting used to the league. To hang in there tonight against one of the best teams in the Western Conference was a good statement by us.”
Thatcher Demko got the win, turning aside 28 of the 31 shots he faced.
