Thatcher Demko makes 31 saves and Linus Karlsson scores his first NHL goal as the Canucks vault into a playoff spot with their third-straight win.
Hands up.
However, they deferred to struggling stopper Demko.
You usually go with the hot hand and Demko struggled to regain his game in four-straight starts where he went 1-3-0 and allowed 16 goals. However, he had the answers with a 31-save performance in a 3-1 victory at Bridgestone Arena.
Perhaps, it was just a good hunch or the art of deflection, at least for a day.
Lankinen sports a 13-3-0 road record that’s second only to Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. Demko is now 1-2-1.
Demko delivers the goods
Sometimes, you just get in the zone.
Demko was calm and square and returned to his staples for a much needed and memorable night. The only goal to beat him was a rebound that deflected in off the skate of Novak.
More importantly, the save he made off Steven Stamkos in the second period with the Canucks nursing a 2-1 lead will make the highlight reels for the right reasons. He didn’t panic as Jonathan Marchessault got the puck to Stamkos, who had his chance denied because Demko slid smartly to the right and got a left pad on the effort.
And early in the third period, Demko denied Ryan O’Reilly on a wraparound attempt as the Predators pushed for the equalizer. He then stopped Roman Josi on the power play and kept Gustav Nyquist from scoring a breakaway short-handed goal when Miller lost the handle at the offensive blue-line.
Demko then made a stellar stop off Zachary L’Heureux on a Predators’ power play and Josi again to seal the win.
Swedes do good things
Hoglander is a bowling-ball Swedish winger who, unfortunately, has been known this season for more bad penalties than good plays.
He has a penchant to get his stick up on the opposition as delivers heavy hits and his 13 minors are third-highest in the club. Hoglander has been scratched four times this season and has been the subject of trade rumours.
However, when Hoglander is on top of his game, he’s effective.
It was then up to Swedish rookie Karlsson to share the spotlight for his first NHL goal.
Get inside, reap rewards
It had to be an inside job.
There was no mystery about the route the Canucks had to travel Wednesday.
Getting away from stationary play along the walls and getting to the inside was going create confusion and scoring chances for the league’s second-lowest shot volume team against the pesky Predators. They are now 12 points out of playoff contention, but playing spoiler with a 7-4-0 run.
And instead of deferring pucks to the point — even with Hughes there to pull an accurate trigger — the Canucks were patient with pucks and getting bodies to the net was going set screens for deflections and rebounds.
Dak back on the attack
This all adds up to good news as the Canucks continue their pursuit of a playoff position.
Joshua, who suffered a leg injury Jan. 3 against the Predators, returned Wednesday after missing 11 games. He took an awkward second-period hit from Josi that affected his mobility.
When Sherwood returns — he sat out his third-straight game Wednesday with an undisclosed injury — the Canucks will have a one-two punch of aggressiveness to turn the forecheck into mayhem and turnovers. Joshua and Sherwood also work on the improved penalty kill.
For Joshua, it has been a season of angst and anticipation. He put up a career 32 points (18-14) in 63 games last season, and then eight points (4-4) in 13 playoff games to earn a four-year, $13 million extension.
However, testicular cancer surgery in September kept the imposing winger from training and camp and he missed 14 games. And in a league where it’s hard to play catch-up, his pace and engagement were slow to come around.
He was making strides and much more noticeable until the Jan. 3 injury.
“I want to get back and get involved early and get back to being the player I know I can be,” said Joshua. “Make an impact in any way possible.”
On Wednesday, Joshua took a bad defensive-zone hooking infraction with the Canucks nursing a 2-1 lead, and finished with no shots and two hits in 11:29 of ice time.