Canucks vs Predators Game Review 29/01/2025

Line ups for the game were as follows:

Forwards:

Heinen - Miller - Boeser

Debrusk - Suter - Garland

Hoglander – Pettersson - Karlsson

Joshua - Blueger – DiGuiseppe

Defence:

Hughes - Myers

Forbort - Hronek

Soucy – Juulsen

Goalies:

Demko

Lankinen

Canucks opened strong with a power play and maintained pressure afterward, leading to a good chance for DiGiuseppe set up by Teddy Blueger. The Predators switched the momentum with some good opportunities that were stopped by Demko. Elias Pettersson started a rush with Quinn Hughes leading, to Nils Hoglander scoring his fourth of the season to take a 1-0 lead. Juuse Saros then made a great save on Danton Heinen shortly after the puck left the zone past Soucy, which led to a 2 on 1 where Tommy Novak buried a rebound for his eighth of the year off a shot by L’Heureux to tie the game. The play went back and forth for about 6 minutes where Tyler Myers had a chance that was stopped. 2 minutes later Noah Juulsen got his stick lifted causing a chance for the Predators that was stopped by Demko. shortly after the faceoff, Demko mishandled a pass to Hughes, allowing Stamkos pick it up and set up Marchessault, but Demko made the save. Preds continue the pressure with a set up for Forsberg that was stopped by Demko with the left pad. Play continued with both teams getting some zone time until Cole Smith had a half breakaway but couldn’t bury the backhand. Possession went back and forth until the first period ended. Overall, a Solid period for the Canucks. they had great chances, but some minor slip-ups led to opportunities for the Predators.

The second period started with the Canucks clearing the puck, allowing Pettersson's line, along with Hughes and Myers, to sustain offensive pressure. This resulted in a beautiful setup from Myers to Linus Karlsson, who scored his first career goal to restore the Canucks' lead. They continued the pressure for a bit until the Preds got their bit of zone time but weren’t able to capitalize. L’Heureux had a break but he put the puck wide. Both teams continued going from one end to the other without a whistle until Joshua set up Hughes on a partial break where he missed the net. The Preds had a break that was shut down by Demko and Cleared but behind the play Carson Soucy was slow to get to the bench after getting high sticked by Cole Smith he ended up going right for the tunnel as the broadcast went to a commercial break. A sloppy exit from the attacking zone led to a Predators' chance that ended up hitting Hinostroza. The Preds continued pressure until the Canucks cleared but Nashville kept pushing each time they did until Garland iced the puck. After another icing call the Preds had a chance where Marchessault got a hold of a shot that was swallowed by Demko. Preds put the pressure on the Canucks which ended up drawing a hooking call on Dakota Joshua. Canucks started of with a clear from Pius Suter and that continued as the Canucks wouldn’t let the Preds set up and the penalty was killed. The Predators continued pressuring the Canucks, keeping them in their own zone and shutting down rushes quickly. Their best chance came when Stamkos fired a one-timer off a setup from Marchessault, but Demko read it perfectly and made the stop Colton Sissons had the last chance of the period, and the Canucks came out of it with a 2-1 lead. After Karlsson’s goal, the Canucks slowed down and played more conservatively. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it allowed Nashville to build momentum, leading to more chances for them than for Vancouver. Still, it’s hard to complain when you end the period with the lead.

To start the third, the Predators dominated possession. The Canucks managed a few clears, but Nashville quickly regained control and kept them pinned in their zone. The refs missed their third high-sticking penalty of the game when Forbort took a stick to the face. Suter then took a trip leading to a Nashville penalty. They started off with a good chance then the Canucks got three clears to keep a great penalty killing night going. Hughes had a rush as the penalty expired and the Canucks got some attack time until the puck was deflected out of play. Preds get a great rush of the faceoff and get two close chances with one hitting the crossbar and the other stopped by Demko, at the end of the play Debrusk drew a tripping call sending McCarron to the box and the Canucks to the powerplay. The first half of the Canucks powerplay was sloppy which led to a shorthanded chance for Gustav Nyquist but the puck stood up as he took the shot sending it right into Demko’s blocker. The second unit had a good chance that was stopped by Saros, the first unit came out and the Preds had yet again another chance where Josi was stopped by Demko. After the penalty was killed Garland set up Hoglander for a good chance Garland then picked up the rebound then fell down. The Preds came back with two good chances but couldn’t capitalize. After a bit of back-and-forth play, the Canucks were caught with too many men on the ice, giving the Predators their third power play of the night. The Canucks continued their amazing penalty killing night with the only chance coming at the end with Demko making a amazing save on L’Heureux. The preds continued the pressure with one chance hitting the post. After three icings in a row for Vancouver, Pettersson’s line had a great shift in the offensive zone with two good chances for Karlsson. The Preds got the puck in the Canucks zone and pulled the goalie and held pressure for a bit until Hughes and Heinen combined for the clear but behind the play Forsberg ran into Demko and got called for goalie interference with 35 seconds left. Off the draw the Preds get the puck down in the Canucks zone and get a whistle and the goalie pulled. Off the draw Miller swings it to the other side where the puck went past Josi and Pius Suter picked it up and shot it to the empty net for his thirteenth on the season. The Canucks closed out the period to secure a 3-1 win over the Predators. Although the Canucks had a slower second and third periods they were able to take the win for their third in a row and head to Dallas with momentum to hopefully bring them closer the last wildcard spot.

My three stars of the game are:

First star: Thatcher Demko W 31SV 1.02GAA .969SV%

Second star: Linus Karlsson 1G 0A 2SOG 10:23 TOI

Third star: Quinn Hughes 0G 2A 2SOG 24:36 TOI

Photo from: The Tennesean https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2025/01/29/nashville-predators-schedule-score-vancouver-canucks-live-updates/78020904007/