3 takeaways from the Canucks’ encouraging 4-2 win against the Leafs

Demko keeps on rocking

The Canucks have now won three straight games with Thatcher Demko in net, and there shouldn’t be any doubt as to who the team’s number one goalie is anymore.

In those three matches, Demko has only let in three goals, and his performance is reminiscent of his standout play in the bubble playoffs last year. The young netminder had a rough start to the season, but he has looked a lot more composed recently and the team should have full confidence with him backing them up.

According to Evolving-Hockey, Demko has saved 4.41 goals above expected over the last three games. In other words, if his play had been average, the Canucks would’ve likely given up seven or eight goals in total rather than three. That difference would probably be equal to an entire win, so Demko has arguably been the main reason why Vancouver has now won three of their last four games.

Let’s hope he can keep up this level of play for the rest of the season.

Other notes

• Pettersson missed his second straight game last night and is still listed as day to day with an upper-body injury. The team has played phenomenally in his absence, and hopefully they’ll be able to keep up the momentum when he makes his return.
• Nils Hoglander continues to produce and make an impact no matter where he slots in the lineup. The rookie was once again on the team’s third line but scored the Canucks’ fourth goal with a beautiful wrist shot that cleanly beat Frederik Andersen and popped into the top corner of the net.
• Alex Edler played his 900th NHL game last night and became the fourth Canucks player in history to do so. He’s still looking for his 100th career goal, and I have no doubt that will come soon with the way he has played this season.

The Canucks are currently playing their best hockey of the season, but will be up for a big challenge on Monday night when the Canadiens come to town. Puck drops at 7 PM Pacific Time, let’s make it three wins in a row!