Surging Canucks win third in a row despite off-ice discord: 3 takeaways

Canucks games arent the primary focus for hockey fans in Vancouver at the moment.

With trade rumours swirling around some of the clubs highest-profile stars in the wake of team president Jim Rutherfords comments on locker room discord, wins and losses have taken a backseat locally to debates about potential returns and long-term team building strategy.

Advertisement Even as the speculation, reports and frustration among Canucks fans have reached a fever pitch, however, the Canucks have quietly put together a trio of strong efforts in a row.

Its their best sustained stretch from both a work rate and results perspective since November.

Against a Nashville Predators team that has previously beaten them twice this season, the Canucks secured their third straight regulation win on Wednesday night.

It wasnt an overpowering performance by any means, but the club received sturdy goaltending from Thatcher Demko , some production from depth forwards and, of course, another dominant multi-point performance from Quinn Hughes to win 3-1 and secure a key two points.

The surging Canucks have now passed the Calgary Flames by total points to claim the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

On the back of this small win streak, the Canucks are back in the thick of the playoff race with the fading Los Angeles Kings in their sights for third spot in the Pacific Division.

Forget the headlines the Canucks are beginning to play like the playoff team they should be based on the talent in their lineup.

It may be too little too late to change the minds of Canucks hockey operations leadership about what has to happen next, but given the tone thats surrounded this team of late, it still matters that the group is capable of putting in a professional, workmanlike effort and getting a key result.

Heres three takeaways from Wednesday nights victory.

The breakout Despite the focus on rush offence at Canucks training camp, as the season has gone along this club has become all but allergic to generating scoring chances off of transitional play.

Over the past few games, however, the clubs breakouts have been crisp relative to their usual standard and Vancouver is beginning to generate some looks with speed through the neutral zone.

Their opening goal on Wednesday night was a fine example of the sort of goal the Canucks need to score more of if theyre going to hit a level remotely close to what this groups ceiling should be: Good job by Karlsson and Hoglander to keep repositioning themselves around Saros.

The Preds get caught puck watching and Karlsson gets open alone.

pic.twitter.com/3eMpcfYsUr Jason Brough (@SadClubCommish) January 30, 2025 A high-quality team-level move, featuring four separate high-skill passes resulting in east-west puck movement to set up a quality rush look for a depth forward? Its been a long time since we saw this team generate that sort of tally.

The depth forwards heat up Forward depth has to be a strength of this Canucks team if theyre going to make the playoffs.

Advertisement The logic of Rick Tocchets system requires it, and this rosters construction requires it.

In fact, the club geared their offseason around bolstering their options on the wing, at the expense of having an elite third-line centre and a more robust blue line.

Too often this season, however, and with apologies to Kiefer Sherwood , Vancouver hasnt been able to generate enough offensively with their depth forwards on the ice.

Danton Heinen has struggled enormously, Nils Hoglander s scoring touch has regressed and the club has often had to play wingers like Conor Garland in their top six, removing a key bottom-six driver from a role in which he was a key engine for Vancouver last season.

On Wednesday, however, it was Vancouvers depth forwards that carried the club offensively.

Hoglander got the scoring started wonderfully in the first period, Heinen factored into a couple of high danger chances in the opening frame, Pius Suter got on the board with an empty-netter and Linus Karlsson scored the game winner which doubled as his first career NHL goal, a milestone marker thats been a long time coming.

Demko bounces back Demko has struggled this season, understandably enough given the severity and unprecedented nature of the knee injury he suffered in the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring.

The star Canucks netminder was nothing short of sensational on Wednesday night, however, especially in the third period when Vancouvers defensive structure failed repeatedly and Demko was counted on to bail the club out often.

He made several signature stops on breakaways and scramble plays to preserve Vancouvers victory.

This was an important star for Demko.

His form had seemed to be trending in the wrong direction, and Kevin Lankinen had emerged as the steadier option in the blue paint for Vancouver.

Given that the club, whatever external noise surrounds it, is still locked in a heated playoff race, its crucial that Demko cement himself as an option to start regularly down the stretch.

Advertisement Vancouver, after all, needs to see how Demko can hold up and gather as much information as possible about the 2024 Vezina nominees ability and durability.

The stakes are through the roof, especially given the team faces a series of difficult decisions in goal this offseason with Lankinen an unrestricted free agent and Demko becoming extension-eligible in July.

(Photo of Linus Karlsson celebrating his first NHL goal: Steve Roberts / Imagn Images).

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