The Captain Vs. The Capitals: Canucks Take 2–1 Victory Against
Quinn Hughes carried his team to a victory on Saturday night as the Vancouver Canucks took on the surging Washington Capitals, with the home team holding on to take the 2–1 win. Hughes scored twice for Vancouver, while Pierre-Luc Dubois scored Washington’s lone goal. Kevin Lankinen started his first game since January 14, making 32 saves on 33 shots against. Washington’s Charlie Lindgren managed to stop 23 of 25 shots on net.
Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson (no, not that one) made his NHL debut tonight after a solid showing with the Abbotsford Canucks. He played alongside Vincent Desharnias, getting a taste of Canucks hockey by being trapped in his own zone for a minute and a half in the second period. Pettersson’s debut was not the only lineup shakeup, however, as nearly every line had members shift around by the time the puck was dropped.
Washington came out of the gates flying, oozing confidence as they trapped the Canucks in their own zone for the majority of the first period. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to Canucks fans, as Vancouver’s slow starts have been consistent this season. Despite having a couple of faceoffs in the Capitals’ zone, they lost their draws and ended up being forced back towards Lankinen. Any opportunities to carry the puck out were negated by Washington’s stiff defence.
Desharnais was called for tripping with just a little less than 10 minutes into the first period, giving the Capitals the first power play of the game. Even so, Washington’s best chance came directly after the power play, when Lankinen dove to try and grab the puck, leaving the net wide open for Lars Eller to tip the puck in. However, with a no-go shot, the game turned around for Vancouver. Great forechecking by Nils Höglander helped get the puck back to Hughes, who wove through Washington’s zone to score off a backhand shot. While Washington had the offensive chance, it was Vancouver who finished the play with a lead.
The tidy goal from Hughes was…
