Good Grief: Canucks 3, Blackhawks 0

Anytime the Blackhawks do battle with the Vancouver Canucks, it only seems fitting that old tempters would flare up. However, Thursday evening’s matchup felt more like a preseason friendly, as the Hawks lost 3-0 to the Canucks.

Early in the first period, the Canucks were drew a penalty and enjoyed a power play, during which  Alex Stalock – channeling his inner Curtis Joseph – made an incredibly athletic save:

However, not long after Stalock’s impressive save, Vancouver’s Andrei Kuzmenko scored, putting the Canucks up 1-0 with this shot from the point through a crowd:

Early in the second period, Vitali Kravtsov put the Canucks up 2-0 with a goal that went in off of the stick of Seth Jones:

Vancouver’s J.T. Miller put the game away late in the third period with an empty-net goal, giving the Canucks a 3-0 victory.

Notes

• The Canucks used to induce pure vitriol within my veins. It’s hard to believe that this matchup has come to this. Staying up for a 9 p.m. start used to get my adrenaline flowing. These days, it feels like a chore.
• The Blackhawks power play is flat out bad.
• Stalock held his own, making 26 saves on 28 shots again, giving him a save percentage of .929. Unfortunately, he was awarded zero help from the offense.
• Seth Jones was asked postgame about the goal that went in off of him, which has been a theme lately:

• An injury update from late in the game:

• It seems Vancouver still has a deep rooted hatred for the Hawks … please do not dump food on fans:

• The Hawks have one week of regular season hockey left … then things will finally get interesting!

Game Charts

Three Stars

1. Thatcher Demko (VAN) – Shutout, 33 saves on 33 shots
2. Akito Hirose (VAN) – 2 assists, first NHL point
3. Anyone who stayed up to watch this entire game (SCH) – passion

What’s next

The Blackhawks head to Seattle to take on the Kraken on Saturday evening for a 9 p.m. puck drop.