Canucks: 3 takeaways from 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets

The Vancouver Canucks continued their road trip and gruelling schedule with a stop in Winnipeg for the first of a back-to-back set with the Jets. Having already won two games at Bell MTS Place this season, the Canucks were looking to ground the Jets on their home turf for a third time.

And they did just that.

It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but Vancouver competed with the Jets really well. They battled hard, and were able to get good zone time, particularly in the second period. Sure, there were some poor breakouts and lost puck battles, but the Canucks didn’t break, and it was great to see the team not lay back and actually try to play a full 60-minute game for once.

They started off strong with a 2-0 lead halfway through the first and ended up carrying the momentum until the end of the game, thanks to strong performances from two players in particular.

Here are three takeaways from Monday’s victory over the Jets:

Thatcher Demko was dialed in

Before the Canucks went through their COVID outbreak, Thatcher Demko looked unbeatable and gave the Canucks hope to win. After the outbreak, it was clear he wasn’t 100%. After all, he was one of the many players that caught the virus.

On Monday, however, it looked like he was back to form.

Demko managed to save the Canucks once again when they made defensive mistakes. He made point blank saves and looked confident in goal, stopping 39 out of 40 shots faced.  Whether it was with the pads, blocker or glove, Demko was there to shut the door.  In fact, Demko is now 3-0 at Bell MTS Place so far in his career. His last game there was his first career regular season shutout in a 4-0 Canucks win on March 1st.

One big save was on Pierre-Luc Dubois while the Jets were on the power play late in the first. While the Canucks were trying to find the puck, it found its way to Dubois but he was denied by Demko’s pad.

In the third, Demko looked calm and collected as he stopped Kyle Connor on a breakaway.

In what has been a very dismal season for the Canucks, Demko continues to be one of the few bright spots.

Nils Höglander has another solid game and gets two goals

Speaking of bright spots in a dismal season, Nils Höglander also had himself another solid game.

Höglander had his first career two-goal game on Monday, and he has tallied six points in his last five games. He now has 12 goals and 26 points in 50 games this season.

The Athletic’s Harman Dayal had a pretty interesting stat that put Höglander in some good company:

The rookie was battling hard for loose pucks and was trying to get plenty of scoring chances for the Canucks. When he was on the ice, it seemed like he was everywhere. When Höglander had the puck, he tried to make something happen and he scored two goals! He was second among Canucks forwards with a 56.67 Corsi For Percentage, according to Natural Stat Trick.

On the first goal, he broke up the pass between two Jets’ players and raced down the ice. His initial shot was stopped by Laurent Brossoit, but he was able to bury his own rebound.

On the second goal, he skated down the wing, took a shot that went off the Jets’ defender and somehow managed to beat Brossoit again. At first glance, it looked like it went off Brock Boeser but it ended up being Höglander’s tally.

Höglander has been fun to watch all season, and this was no different on Monday night.