Brannstrom’s Third Time Success
Erik Brannstrom scored a crucial goal in the early stages of the third period, putting the Vancouver Canucks ahead. The Canucks cemented their victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night, thanks to two empty-net goals in the final minute, leading to a 4-1 victory.
Key Contributors to Canucks Victory
Elias Pettersson did his thing in the second half, and JT Miller and Quinn Hughes sealed the win by sending the puck into the net unguarded. Canucks goalkeeper, Arturs Silovs, played admirably as he made 28 saves.
In an interesting twist, Chicago’s Ilya Mikheyev, a former Canuck, scored against his former team, giving the Blackhawks an early lead. However, against expectations, star forward Connor Bedard did not score in his first NHL game in his hometown.
Blackhawks performance
Goaltender Arvid Soderblom made 29 for the Blackhawks. Mikheyev set the pace at 6:50 of the first period, deftly turning the ball around a diving Silovs. However, the Canucks got revenge on their power play in the second half, when Pettersson redirected a blind pass from Miller past Soderblom, the puck deflected off the skate of Chicago’s Connor Murphy.
Brannstrom showed his power with a long deflection from the left side that went right through Soderblom’s legs and into the net.
Highlights of the game
After losing 5-2 to the New York Islanders on Thursday, the Canucks again played surprisingly well against the Blackhawks, improving as the game went on. Despite playing on Chicago’s top line alongside Ryan Donato and Philipp Kurashev, Bedard was unable to snap his hitting streak, which stretched to three games.
Game Changing Point
A crucial moment occurred with 5:45 left in the second half. With the score level at 1-1, Silovs skillfully closed his pads to deny Nick Foligno a breakaway opportunity.
Outstanding Statistics
Pettersson’s power play goal is his fifth of the season, with four of those coming in his last six games.
What’s Next?
The Canucks are preparing for their first set of back-to-back games this season, hosting the Nashville Predators on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are looking forward to a two-game home opener against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.
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