By Canadian Press

Demko earns third career shutout, Canucks blank struggling Blackhawks 3-0

Apr 6, 2023 | 10:45 PM

VANCOUVER — Thatcher Demko stopped all 33 shots he faced and collected his first shutout of the season as the Vancouver Canucks blanked the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 on Thursday. 

It was the first time since former head coach Bruce Boudreau’s debut on Dec. 6, 2021 that the Canucks have held an opponent off the scoresheet. 

Andrei Kuzmenko, Vitali Kravtsov and J.T. Miller — into the empty net — all scored for the Canucks (35-36-7), while defenceman Akito Hirose contributed a pair of assists. 

The result snapped a four-game winless skid for Vancouver.

Alex Stalock stopped 26-of-28 shots for the Blackhawks (25-47-6), who were coming off a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday but have now lost nine of their last 10 outings. 

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Chicago pulled Stalock with 1:13 left on the game clock and Miller capitalized with 24.4 seconds to go, banking a shot off the boards and into the empty net. 

The Blackhawks outshot the Canucks 14-9 across the third period, but couldn’t get a puck past Demko. 

Jujhar Khaira got a prime attempt 10:40 into the frame, collecting a pass from behind the net and unleashing a shot from the slot, only to see Demko come out to the top of the crease and swallow up the puck. 

The Canucks went up 2-0 early in the second after Jonathan Toews was called for hooking. 

Conor Garland sliced a pass across the Kravtsov who fired a one-timer into the net for his first goal for Vancouver 3:53 into the frame.

The Canucks acquired the 23-year-old winger from the New York Rangers at the end of February in exchange for forward Will Lockwood and a seventh-round draft pick in 2026.

Kravtsov has struggled to find his place in Vancouver’s lineup, though, and was a healthy scratch three games in a row before Thursday’s matchup.

Kuzmenko opened the scoring with a long-range blast 16:16 into the game. 

Stationed at the point, the Russian winger fired a rocket through traffic and past Stalock’s glove for his 38th goal of the season. 

Hirose registered a secondary assist on the play, marking his first NHL point. 

Demko kept the game scoreless with a big short-handed save midway through the first after Ethan Bear was called for high-sticking. 

Boris Katchouk tried to jam in a wrist shot from the side of the Canucks net but the goalie stymied the attempt with a deft left-pad stop.

Chicago went 0 for 3 with the man advantage Thursday while Vancouver was 1 for 3.

ROOKIE LAP 

Canucks defenceman Cole McWard made his NHL debut. The 21-year-old signed a two-year, entry-level deal with Vancouver on Tuesday after completing his second season at Ohio State University, where he put up nine goals and 12 assists in 39 games this year. 

In a corresponding move, the Canucks sent blue liner Jack Rathbone back to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League on Thursday. He was recalled under emergency conditions on March 30 and saw action in three games for Vancouver.

SWEPT UP

Vancouver won all three meetings between the two sides this season. Thursday’s result followed a 5-2 victory at Rogers Arena on Jan. 24 and a 4-2 win in Chicago on March 26.

UP NEXT 

Canucks: Play their final home game of the season Saturday, hosting the Calgary Flames. 

Blackhawks: Visit the Kraken in Seattle on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2023. 

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press