Canucks are first place in NHL after shutout win over the Sabres
Thatcher Demko was sharp and turned aside 24 shots to help the Vancouver Canucks blank the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. A second period goal by Sam Lafferty was all that was needed to win the game 1-0, the team’s fifth straight victory.
The Canucks are now back in first place across the entire league with 61 points in 43 games. They are a top contender to win the Presidents’ Trophy, a feat they have not achieved since 2012.
NHL.com
While they do have the most total points at the moment, they do not rank first by points percentage. The only team they trail in that category is the Winnipeg Jets.
The Jets host the Philadelphia Flyers this afternoon and can pass the Canucks with a win. The Jets and Canucks have been jockeying for position at the top of the NHL standings over the past week as both have been on win streaks.
Demko made several key saves throughout the latter part of this game, pushing the Canucks to victory over the Sabres. He’s now tied for the NHL-lead in shutouts with four and will be heading to the NHL All-Star Game for the second time in his career as he led the fan vote.
THATCHER. DEMKO. š
šŗ: Sportsnet
š²: Stream on Sportsnet+ pic.twitter.com/nj469ebaX3— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 13, 2024
While the final score reads 1-0, the Canucks actually scored twice. A goal by Brock Boeser marker, which was the first of the game, was waved off as it was deemed to be offside after review.
“I think we didn’t have our best through waves of the game but we recognized that pretty early on and realized that you’ve got to win dirty games sometimes,” said Demko after the game. “I’m proud of our group for recognizing that.”
The game took a physical turn after the Buffalo Sabres took exception to a hit made by J.T. Miller on Rasmus Dahlin. There were a lot of scrums and Miller fought the 6-foot-4 Erik Johnson near the midpoint of the game.
Erik Johnson and J.T. Miller are THROWING hands š pic.twitter.com/0MJ6onTAe7
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 13, 2024
Through the first six games of this long East Coast road trip, the Canucks have taken 10 out of 12 possible points and have strung together five consecutive wins. It’s been an impressive showing for a team that is among the hottest in the league.
“It’s obviously great,” said Rick Tocchet after the game about the win streak. “I just like our team… we don’t get too high, too low.”
The Canucks play their next game on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at 10 am PT. They’ll need to brave the freezing cold Buffalo weather to make their way to Ohio for the early game.
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