Quinn Hughes' 2 goals lead Canucks to 2-1 victory over Capitals – The Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks

After another disappointing loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks host the league-leading Washington Capitals at Rogers Arena on Hockey Night in Canada. The Capitals swept the Seattle Kraken 3-0 and haven't lost in 12 games during the regular season, so the betting odds for this game are heavily in favor of the away team. However, they were in the game for a reason, as the Canucks eventually overcame the odds to edge out a 2-1 victory. Led by captain Quinn Hughes, they needed just two of his goals to defeat the Capitals and hand the Presidents Trophy frontrunners their 11th regular season loss of the season. This is your game review.

game review

The Capitals came out firing in the first period and jumped out to a 4-0 lead early in the game, but Kevin Lankinen got his footing in the Canucks goal to keep the team going. No points were scored. The Canucks finally got on the board at 12:23, with usual suspect Quinn Hughes adding to his point total with his 13th goal and 53rd point of the season. Nils Hoglander made a great effort on the glass to protect the puck from Trevor van Riemsdyk, who was at the blue line Feed to Hughes, who then cuts into the net and backhands the ball past Charlie Lindgren. The Capitals had several chances to tie the game after that, but Lankinen shut the door again to keep his team ahead in the second period.

The backhand shot hits the target. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/AILuIh9nyj

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 26, 2025

Similar to the Capitals in the first quarter, the Canucks took control of the game at the start of the second quarter. They almost extended their lead to two points early on, but JT Miller rounded Lindgren after hitting the ball at the base and was thwarted by the post. The Canucks did take a 2-0 lead a minute later when Hughes walked along the blue line and fired a wrist shot through traffic for his 15th of the season. With this goal, he tied with Columbus Blue Jackets Zach Werenski at the top of the defensive player rankings and scored his 54th point. The Canucks largely controlled the game the rest of the way, outscoring the Capitals 6-3 with high-danger scoring chances despite trailing 11-8.

It looked like the final frame would be a straight-line affair, with the Canucks and Capitals keeping the whistles to a minimum until Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his third of the season at 12:31. 10 points. After that, the Capitals tried to equalize the score in the final 7 minutes and 29 seconds of the game. However, Lankinen shut the door the rest of the way and the Canucks sent fans home happy with a 2-1 victory, their third straight on Hockey Night in Canada.

goalie duel

• Lankinen was excited to be back in the Canucks' crease, hitting 32 of 33 shots for a .970 save percentage. With this win, he improved his record to 17-8-6.
• Lindgren was also outstanding, allowing just 2 goals on 25 shots and a SV% of 0.920. His record dropped to 11 wins, 9 draws and 2 losses.

What’s next for the Canucks and Capitals?

The Canucks will open a three-game Central Division matchup starting Monday against the St. Louis Blues. Meanwhile, the Capitals will travel to Calgary on Tuesday to face the Flames in the penultimate game of a five-game road trip that ends Thursday in Ottawa.