Good things come in threes, and the Vancouver Canucks have won three in a row, backstopped by Thatcher Demko, while Kiefer Sherwood scored three goals to help the team win 4-1 over the New York Islanders.
The Canucks took a commanding 3-0 lead in the first period on Friday night and never looked back. There were great individual performances, but the group played off each other with a lot of energy.
Head Coach Adam Foote was pleased with the way the team started the game, played connected, and continued to focus on the process.
“Tonight, we had a good start. We wanted to get in there and forecheck, and the guys did. They had a lot of zip,” Foote said. “We were able to get up, give Demmer and lead like that, and it was the big kill early – the five-on-three – that gave our group a lot of confidence,” Foote said.
It was Sherwood’s second hat trick of the season and third of his career. He showed versatility in his toolkit, scoring at five-on-five, on the power play, and an empty netter, giving him 16 goals on the season.
Thatcher Demko turned aside 22 of 23 shots he faced. He now has a 5-0-0 career record against the Islanders.
The Canucks made working on their defence a priority after giving up more chances in games than they’d like. Demko says forcing their opponents into fewer scoring chances is based on their commitment to playing the right way.
“The priority is winning the game and not maybe looking for points or whatever it may be. Definitely making my job easy, and I'm kind of just collecting the accolades here, the last three games. It's been great to get these three wins on the road and hopefully keep it going,” Demko said.
The San Diego native noted how Sherwood has grown into the offensive side of his game and he’s looking forward to seeing Sherwood continue to flourish.
Sherwood said he doesn’t measure his success with stats; it’s the effort and the process that is most important to him.
“We’re sticking together and trusting the process and continue building towards our new identity,” Sherwood said. “The new guys are doing great and pulling the rope, Demmer had another great effort, and it’s just nice to see everyone stick together and build something here,” Sherwood said.
David Kämpf scored his first goal for the Canucks since joining the team in mid-November, and Sherwood was happy to see his teammate capitalize on the opportunity.
“He’s a great example [of sticking to the process]. He’s been plugging away for the time that he’s been here, and it’s to see him get rewarded. He’s been good on the kill and in the faceoffs for us, and he’s one of many guys that continues to play the game the right way,” Sherwood said.
The Ohio native also shared his thoughts on Demko’s performance, saying Demko never ceases to amaze the team.
“Insane, insane,” Sherwood said. “He’s competitive and he’s mean; we all continue to feed off of his energy.”
Goals
In the first period, Jake DeBrusk and David Kämpf were on the forecheck, DeBrusk freeing the puck behind the net and passing to Kämpf, who was net front for a quick wrist shot.
