Canucks explode with six goals in Chicago for third-straight win
The Vancouver Canucks got off to a fast start and never looked back in a 6-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
The victory was the team’s third straight and they’ve now picked up points in five of six games this year.
Danton Heinen got his first goal of the season less than a minute into the game and the Canucks didn’t stop there. J.T. Miller, Conor Garland, Brock Boeser, and Pius Suter also added markers in this one.
“It gets you going a little bit,” said Heinen about his early goal. “You want to always be ready for the start but I’ve got to be honest when it goes in you definitely get a bit of a jump.”
“I like the fact that we scored six goals. It’s nice to get some offence through the depth of the team. Nice to get power play goals,” said head coach Rick Tocchet postgame.
The visiting team had four goals and led by two by the end of the first period with two of their own markers coming from Heinen.
Weāve entered Danton Heinen hatty watch. š pic.twitter.com/UktNlKhGHQ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 23, 2024
Miller finished with three points despite being a game-time decision as he continues to fight through injury. He now has six points in six contests this year and was one of five Canucks to record multiple points tonight.
While they won easily, not everything went perfectly for the Canucks in this contest. The Blackhawks hung around for the first period and kept things interesting. However, the visiting Canucks were too much to handle over the full sixty-minutes and shut things down for the rest of the game, adding more goals along the way.
“Overall I’m happy with the game but the guts of the ice is something we’re not as good as last year,” said Tocchet.
“We’ve got to really start to figure that out, I think we’re giving up too much in the middle of the ice.”
Goalie Kevin Lankinen won another contest and he’s clearly wrestled the starting job away from Arturs Silovs. The three goals he allowed tonight were his most in a game this year but his performance was still more than good enough to secure the win. Lankinen came up with a few big saves when needed.
“Every start he’s had, he’s been really good,” explained Tocchet about his goalie. “He looks really solid, confident.”
“He’s just an unflappable guy.”
I enjoy watching Kevin Lankinen play goal. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/h7dDFBezDG
— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) October 23, 2024
The reigning Pacific Division champions are looking more and more like the contender that nearly made the Western Conference Final last season. They finished their first road trip of the year with a 3-1 record.
The Canucks play their next game on Saturday night back at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They’ll look to tack on another game to their growing win streak.