The Vancouver Canucks picked up a point but still fell 3-2 in overtime to the Boston Bruins. Elias Pettersson scored his 10th of the season while Filip Hronek had a goal and an assist in the loss. As for Kevin Lankinen, he stopped 18 of the 21 shots he faced in the loss.
Saturday's game was another example of the Canucks falling despite outplaying the opposition. Vancouver finished the night with a 33-21 shots advantage and also won the overall puck possession battle. In the end, though, it wasn't enough as Jeremy Swayman showed why he was selected to the USA's 2026 Winter Olympics team.
One of the reason's the game went to overtime was the Canucks special teams. While Vancouver has been strong as of late while shorthanded, Boston found a way to go two for three with the man advantage. On the flip side, the Canucks were unable to capitalize on their own power plays, going one for six on Saturday.
As for a positive from the game, that would be the play of the Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Linus Karlsson line. According to Natural Stat Trick, the trio had a 12-0 scoring chances advantage and outshot their opposition 10-0. Post-game, Pettersson spoke about his line and why they were able to generate chances all game.
"Yeah, trying to come connected, like all three of us come with speed through the neutral zone," said Pettersson. "So it's not one guy comes with speed and two guys standing still on the far blue line. But yeah, it's easy to play with them, just trying to do my part."
Saturday also saw some changes on the blue line as head coach Adam Foote elected to play younger players with experienced defenders. Tyler Myers played with Elias Pettersson, Marcus Pettersson was matched up with Tom Willander while Filip Hronek was on a pair with Zeev Buium. Post-game, Hronek was asked about playing with his new partner and what he has seen from Buium since he arrived in Vancouver.
"He's a pretty skilled guy, said Hronek. "He can move the puck, and it was a lot of fun to play with him."
In the end, Saturday's game was a step in the right direction. The Canucks outplayed their opponent while giving the Rogers Arena something to cheer about. Even though Vancouver lost, their effort level can not be questioned as they controlled play against a bigger and more physical Bruins team.
Stats and Facts:
- Filip Hronek records his 24th multi-point with the Canucks
- Vancouver picks up points in back-to-back home games for the first time since November 8 and 9
- Filip Hronek logs over 30 minutes for the first time this season
- Kiefer Sherwood leads all players with nine hits.
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
16:24- BOS: Fraser Minten (7) from Alex Steeves and Hampus Lindholm (PPG)
2nd Period:
00:48- VAN: Elias Pettersson (10) from Filip Hronek and Linus Karlsson
7:25- BOS: Elias Lindholm (7) from David Pastrňák and Charlie McAvoy (PPG)
18:44- VAN: Filip Hronek (3) from Zeev Buium (PPG)
3rd Period:
No Scoring
Overtime:
4:41- BOS: Fraser Minten (8) from David Pastrňák and Mason Lohrei
Up Next:
The Canucks start their Eastern road trip on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. These two teams met earlier this season, with Buffalo picking up a 3-2 victory. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT.
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