Dak Doubles Down on Ducks as Canucks Win 3-2 in Final Game of Homestand

The Vancouver Canucks picked up a pair of goals on the power play and were able to squeeze out a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday afternoon.

Dakota Joshua was named player of the game with two goals, leading the way at the end of an extraordinarily long homestand. The 27-year-old winger skated on a line with J.T. Miller and Conor Garland, and the three spent most of their time in the offensive zone. 

When the Joshua-Miller-Garland trio was on the ice, the Canucks had 14 shots on net and only four shots against. The nicest shot came when Joshua went through his legs on the power play for what he called the prettiest goal of his NHL career.

“It's confidence, and this year has been really big for my confidence,” said Joshua. “So, to get to this point, and at least try [the through the legs goal]. Yeah, it does speak to the confidence level right now and [I am] just trying to keep building off of it.

Joshua is feeling good about where he is after recovering from an upper-body injury and was glad he was able to keep his fitness up by working with the Canucks skills coaches during his recovery.

Though the team got their win and two points, the group was not necessarily satisfied with their game on Sunday.

“Just execution, a little bit more push from some guys,” said Tocchet when asked what he wanted to see more of from his team. “I think a lot of turnovers. We can't turn the puck over. I don't care who you are." 

Tocchet liked what the Joshua-Miller-Garland line was able to do in the game.

“I think Gars and Dak, they've been really good together,” said Tocchet. “So, putting put Millsy in there, we're just looking for the more offence, which we got tonight.”

“You're always looking for different situations, but obviously it was a positive.”

Arturs Silovs got his first start of the season for the Vancouver Canucks, and he stopped 20 of the 22 saves he faced and picked up his first win at the NHL level this season.

Game Recap

Brock Boeser got the Canucks on the board in the first period when he scored his 38th of the season on the power play. Boeser pounced on a loose puck from a Quinn Hughes shot and ripped a backhand past Lukas Dostal.

The Canucks took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission and were looking to get even more offence going in the final 40 minutes.

They would strike again with the man-advantage on a highlight-reel, through-the-legs goal from Dakota Joshua. It was Joshua’s first goal since returning from injury and the fans were electric in Rogers Arena when the puck rang into the top of the net.

The 2-0 lead was carried into the second intermission as the Canucks continued to control the pace of play and had the help of two power play goals to possess a lead with 20 minutes to play.

Anaheim came out hot in the third period and scored a pair in the opening five minutes. Olen Zellweger scored his first career goal in the NHL and Mason McTavish followed that up by notching his 18th of the year.

Late in the third, Joshua again found twine off a tremendous, backhanded spin-o-rama pass from Conor Garland.

Joshua’s second goal of the game gave the Canucks a 3-2 lead with 2:13 remaining in the third period. 

And that was all she wrote.

The Canucks are back in action on Tuesday for the first of back-to-back games on the road. The playoff-bound Vegas Golden Knights will welcome the Canucks at 7:00 pm PT on Tuesday night.