The Vancouver Canuck snapped their four-game losing streak on Saturday with a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Tom Willander scored his first career goal while defenceman Elias Pettersson also found the back of the net. As for the other two goals, they were scored by Aatu Räty while Nikita Tolopilo was solid, stopping 28 of the 30 shots he faced.
Starting with Tolopilo, he was one of the main reasons why the Canucks were able to skate away with a victory. He stopped nine of the 10 shots he faced in the first, including a massive stop on a breakaway against Kirill Kaprizov. Tolopilo also stepped up in the third, turning aside 13 of the 14 shots the Wild directed his way.
The other star for Vancouver on Saturday was Räty. Not only did he record three points, but he also went 14 for 16 in the faceoff. Post-game, Räty spoke to the media about the win.
"It means a lot," said Räty. "We talk about it. I think we played better than the scoreboard has shown in the last few games. It's a game of wins, and we got one today. So that's great."
As for a special moment, that came in the second period when Willander beat Jesper Wallstedt for his first career goal. The 21-year-old also added an assist during his 13:18 of ice time. Post-game, Quinn Hughes spoke about Willander and even reminisced about his own first goal in the NHL.
"he's a really good player," said Hughes. "Steady. You know, the more and more he plays, he gets 80, 100, 140 games in the league. He's going to continue to develop and get better and better, more confident. Just seeing more reps in different situations. Obviously, I remember scoring my first goal and how excited I was, so I'm sure he's feeling that right now, and probably nice to get off his back too."
The biggest storyline from this game, however, happened pre-game as center Elias Pettersson departed warm-ups early and did not play. As per Head Coach Adam Foote, Pettersson is dealing with an upper-body injury and will be getting an MRI on Sunday. More information should be available on Pettersson when the team hits the ice for Morning Skate on Monday.
The best word to describe the Canucks performance on Saturday was gutsy. They didn't back down from the Wild and were able to get some standout performances from their younger players. Ultimately, Lady Luck was in Vancouver's corner as they sent the fans at Rogers Arena home happy for the first time since November 8.
Stats and Facts:
- Aatu Räty records his first career goal
- Tom Willander records his second career multi-point game
- Aatu Räty finishes the game 14 for 16 in the faceoff dot
- David Kämpf goes 15 for 20 in the faceoff dot
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
3:11- MIN: Matt Boldy (16) from Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin
2nd Period:
9:29- VAN: Tom Willander (1st Career Goal) from Linus Karlsson and Jake DeBrusk
11:46- VAN: Elias Pettersson (1) from Tom Willander and Aatu Räty
15:12- VAN: Aatu Räty (2) from Evander Kane
3rd Period:
5:09- VAN: Aatu Räty (3)
17:22- MIN: Mats Zuccarello (2) from Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy (PPG)
Up Next:
The Canucks continue their four-game home stand on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings. Last season, Detroit and Vancouver split the season series with each team picking up a win at home. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
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