Vancouver Canucks' Pius Suter, right, and Ilya Mikheyev, second right, celebrate Suter's goal against Chicago Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek (34) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER – Thatcher Demko backstopped the Vancouver Canucks to a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, netting his fifth shutout of the NHL season in the process.
Demko stopped all 31 shots he faced in Vancouver’s third straight victory.
Pius Suter and Quinn Hughes each had a goal for Vancouver (32-11-4), while Andrei Kuzmenko picked up two assists.
Chicago (14-31-2) has failed to win back-to-back games all season, with Petr Mrazek stopping 27 of 29 shots.
Suter opened the scoring for the Canucks in the opening two minutes after Kuzmenko found him backdoor, with the Swiss forward sliding it past Mrazek.
Hughes doubled the lead five minutes later, receiving a drop pass from Ilya Mikheyev and dancing his way past two Blackhawks defencemen for his 12th goal of the season.
Nick Foligno had the best chances for Chicago in the third, firing three shots in a row against Demko on the power play.
The Blackhawks and Canucks traded penalties in the second period, with Chicago outshooting Vancouver 10-7.
NEXT UP
Blackhawks: Play the Kraken in Seattle on Wednesday.
Canucks: Host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2024.
