Kiefer Sherwood鈥檚 goal late in the third period broke a 1-1 tie and propelled the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild Friday in Vancouver.
Elias Pettersson and Teddy Blueger also scored for Vancouver, who got a stellar goaltending performance from Kevin Lankinen, who stopped 36 of 37 shots he faced.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a rock star for us,鈥� said Sherwood of Lankinen after the game.
Brock Faber scored the lone Wild goal, with Filip Gustavsson taking the loss in goal, making 17 saves.
With the win, the Canucks (29-22-11) moved one point ahead of the Calgary Flames and into the final wildcard spot in the NHL鈥檚 Western Conference.
Let it fly, Petey. 馃幆 pic.twitter.com/hGRJY1zmSC
鈥� Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 8, 2025
Pettersson opened the scoring on a power play just over 16 minutes into the first period, converting a pass from Filip Hronek at the top of the right circle. It was the 12th goal of the year for the Vancouver centre and his first in 15 games.
Vancouver鈥檚 lead held through the second period and into the third, when Faber tied things at 1-1 with his 7th of the year, also on a power play, at the 7:12 mark. It was Faber鈥檚 first goal in 16 outings.
With 3:41 to go in the third, Hronek found Sherwood to the right of Gustavsson and he slotted home his 14th goal of the year. It was the second straight two-point game for Hronek, who also had two assists Wednesday in a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
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Blueger sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 54 seconds to play, outduelling Faber for a lose puck. Blueger now has seven goals on the year.
The Canucks continue their homestand Sunday when they host the Dallas Stars (6 p.m.) and the Montreal Canadiens pay a visit to B.C. Tuesday (7 p.m.).
NOTES: The Canucks were once again without injured captain Quinn Hughes鈥� Pending free agent Brock Boeser, the subject of deal rumours ahead of Friday鈥檚 NHL trade deadline, also assisted on Pettersson鈥檚 goal鈥� Vancouver finished 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Wild went 1-for-2.
