The Vancouver Canucks have defied expectations, winning 4 of 5 games on their 5-game road trip leading into the Christmas break. These wins, including four in a row to start the road trip, all happened immediately following the blockbuster trade of Captain and superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.
Vancouver’s return in their trade, though viewed favourably at the time, has only grown even more so as the players joining the Canucks have immediately made impacts. Zeev Buium was the first to make his name well-known across Vancouver, scoring a goal and an assist in his first game against the New Jersey Devils.
Buium was certainly the biggest piece returning for Quinn Hughes, a young defenceman with star upside in this league. Buium was able to make Canucks fans quickly forget about Hughes in their first game since the trade, with his one goal and one assist performance, leading the Canucks to their first win on their long east coast road trip.
Liam Ohgren was next up to make a big first impression, scoring his first as a Canuck against the New York Rangers the following Tuesday. Ohgren notched the 2nd goal in a 3-0 win for the Canucks, helping his new team to their second straight win since their franchise-altering trade.
Undoubtedly, the star of the game was Thatcher Demko, who recorded his first shutout of the season. Demko had an amazing performance the game before against the Devils, and managed to follow it up with an even better one. In the two games, Demko let in only 1 goal on 49 shots.
The Canucks would keep the good vibes going, besting the New York Islanders 4-1. Kiefer Sherwood recorded his third career hat-trick, with 2 first-period markers and the empty net insurance goal. Thatcher Demko maintained his stellar play, posting another game allowing 1 or fewer goals. That would bring Demko up to 2 goals on 72 shots over his last three games to that point.
Vancouver kept the ball rolling into Boston, overcoming their toughest test yet on this long road stand, beating the Bruins 5-4 in the shootout. Marco Rossi, the last piece of the Quinn Hughes trade to get his name on the scoresheet, finally broke through in this game. Rossi notched his first assist on an early third-period goal from Linus Karlsson to tie the game at 3.
Liam Ohgren would then grab his second goal as a Canuck to give Vancouver the lead, but it would not stand as the game-winner. This obviously annoyed Ohgren as after the two teams went scoreless through overtime, Ohgren would eventually be the shootout winner. The keyword is eventually, as it took until the 7th round of shooters for anyone to find the back of the net. With a nifty move to the backhand, Ohgren is the first to solve Jeremy Swayman in the shootout, and helps the Canucks win their fourth in a row.
Of course, all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately for the Canucks, this end is handed to them by a familiar face. As the Canucks take on the former Head Coach Rick Tocchet and the Philadelphia Flyers for the first time since their separation.
Though a five game win streak would have been the ultimate Christmas gift to Canucks fans everywhere, the Canucks still managed to exceed expectations coming out of a really tough situation.
Perhaps a weight has been lifted off the team. This is not to say Quinn Hughes was not loved in the locker room, but when rumours of your Captains potential trade hangs over your group like a cloud, perhaps this final resolution has cleared the skies a bit for the Canucks. Vancouver has been able to play a freer, flowing game. They’ve quickly brought their new young players into the fold, and have played a winning brand of hockey.
It is not certain how long these winning ways will continue, as Canucks management will likely still be listening to offers on veteran players leading up to the deadline. However this sign of life, in the face of great adversity, is a fantastic silver lining to an unfortunate break up with their former franchise defender.
The Canucks will be back home, hosting the San Jose Sharks for their first game back from the break. A great test to see which team had too much turkey over the Holidays.
Home › Forums › Hughes Who? Vancouver Win Four On The Road
Tagged: nhl, Vancouver Canucks