The Vancouver Canucks continued their dominant road form, securing a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Despite the ejection of star defenseman Quinn Hughes, Vancouver held on to win their seventh consecutive road game, marking a franchise-best 7-1-0 record away from home this season.
DeBrusk Leads the Way
Jake DeBrusk was the star of the night, scoring two goals and adding an assist. His performance was especially notable after he had been stuck in a six-game goal drought, with only three goals to his name prior to this contest. DeBrusk’s goals helped push the Canucks to a 4-1 lead, despite being shorthanded due to Hughes’ ejection.
Hughes Ejected, Canucks Respond
Quinn Hughes was given a game misconduct for a boarding penalty on Josh Norris, resulting in Norris hitting his head against the boards. The penalty, assessed at 7:31 in the first period, forced the Canucks to play without their leader in points (19), as well as other key players like goalie Thatcher Demko (knee injury), forward Brock Boeser (upper-body injury), and J.T. Miller (personal reasons).
Despite being down to a short roster, the Canucks killed off the ensuing five-minute power play. They then took the lead when DeBrusk deflected a shot from Conor Garland into the net with just 1:24 left in the first period.
Tkachuk Responds, But Canucks Pull Away
Ottawa tied the game early in the second period. Brady Tkachuk, who had already scored 10 goals this season, capitalized on a quick stick to get the puck past Vancouver’s goalie Kevin Lankinen, who made 26 saves on the night.
However, Vancouver quickly regained control, scoring three consecutive goals. Max Sasson, in his first NHL game, assisted on Teddy Blueger’s goal at 10:37 of the second period to give the Canucks a 2-1 lead. Less than four minutes later, DeBrusk teamed up with Kiefer Sherwood for a two-on-one play, and DeBrusk faked out Ottawa’s goalie Linus Ullmark to make it 3-1.
In the third period, DeBrusk assisted Sherwood on a goal at 11:19, pushing the lead to 4-1 after Sherwood won a scramble in front of the net.
Senators Rally Late But Fall Short
Ottawa managed to cut the lead to 4-2 late in the game with a power-play goal from Claude Giroux at 3:31. Then, with 44 seconds left, Tim Stutzle scored the 100th goal of his career after Ullmark was pulled for an extra attacker. Despite their late surge, the Senators couldn’t complete the comeback, falling to 0-4-1 in their last five games.
Canucks Hold Strong Despite Absences
Despite missing key players and playing with a short bench, the Canucks showed resilience and managed to hold off Ottawa’s late push. Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen remained perfect on the road, improving to 7-0 in road starts. This victory was another solid performance for the Canucks as they look to maintain their strong start to the season.