Canucks hit 100-points for first time in nine years after win over Ducks
Dakota Joshua didn’t need a lot of time to get back up to full speed. After missing six weeks due to injury, the Vancouver Canucks winger scored twice on Sunday to power the team to a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
The Canucks now have 100 points in a season for the first time in nine years. They still have eight games left before the playoffs.
Joshua scored the game-winner with less than three minutes left in what was his second game back in the lineup. He was named first star for his efforts.
The Ducks entered this game having won just two of their last 14 games. They were on the second half of a back-to-back after losing 6-1 against the Edmonton Oilers last night.
The highlight of the game came in the second period when Joshua went between-the-legs and put one past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal.
DAKOTA JOSHUA BETWEEN-THE-LEGS GOAL 😱
📺: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/W9mpYG1lMO pic.twitter.com/wNd3Im9dAV
— NHL (@NHL) March 31, 2024
“That goal was pretty special,” said head coach Rick Tocchet about the play after the game. “It was beautiful.”
“I don’t know if I try it a whole lot but back in the day I used to be on the power play so I know some things to do out there and I was just lucky enough to have that one go in,” explained Joshua.
Arturs Silovs made 20 saves to secure the victory. It was his first NHL start this season and his first game action at any level in a few weeks.
“I think maybe the first 10 minutes was a little bit adjusting but after that was fine to play,” said Silovs after the game. The Latvian goalie improves to 4-2-0 across his career thus far.
The power play scored twice after sputtering for the past few months. Despite the success, the team wasn’t thrilled with the process in today’s game.
“Honestly it’s nice to score but I thought we were OK, like one rep we couldn’t even get set up,” said J.T. Miller about the unit. “I think we just need more urgency. I thought we had a couple of good looks but we need more.”
Through 40 minutes, the Canucks looked like they were going to cruise to victory against a bottom-dwelling team. The start of the third period is when things started to change dramatically and the Ducks quickly managed to get even, tying the game with 15 minutes left.
A phantom penalty call on Noah Juulsen gave the Ducks a chance to put the game away with just five minutes left. The Canucks killed the penalty and then scored the game-winner just minutes later.
Dakota Joshua doubles down for his second of the night! 💪 pic.twitter.com/JcqqkcVgj1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 31, 2024
Despite securing the two points, the team was clearly not happy with their performance.
“It wasn’t a good game,” said Miller. “Nice to get two points I guess.”
“Just execution, a little bit more of a push from some guys,” said Tocchet when asked what he was left wanting in this performance. “A lot of turnovers and you can’t turn pucks over, I don’t care who you are. I don’t know if it was a respect factor … when you throw a lot of turnovers that means you don’t respect the opponent.”
The Canucks have now concluded their nine game homestand and will head back on the road. They play next against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night in Nevada.
“I’m excited to get on the road to be honest,” said Quinn Hughes after the game. “It’s going to be a big road trip for us, especially with how the last couple games have gone. This is a really good test for us and we’ll be ready.”
The Pacific Division leaders clinched their spot in the postseason yesterday. However, their lead on the division is shrinking as the Oilers are just six points behind with two games in hand.
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