'Scoring by committee' key to Vancouver Canucks' playoff push

Vancouver Canucks' Teddy Blueger (53) and Kiefer Sherwood (44) come to celebrate with Carson Soucy (7) after his goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks need goals as they push to secure a playoff berth.

They got two from unlikely sources Wednesday as the Canucks edged the Anaheim Ducks 3-2.

Depth centre Teddy Blueger snapped a 28-game scoring drought midway through the second period when he blasted a shot in past Ducks goalie John Gibson from the top of the faceoff circle. It was his sixth goal of the season and his first since Dec. 21.

Then, with less than two minutes to go in the middle frame, defenceman Carson Soucy found the back of the net for his third goal of the campaign — and his second in his last 31 appearances.

“Depth scoring is just always important, especially when you're trying to make a run here," the blueliner said. "I think, just as a group, we did a good job creating tonight. But it's always nice when you can kind of help the team get a win this late in the season.”

Whether Soucy's goal would count wasn't immediately clear.

Canucks' winger Kiefer Sherwood was in the crease when the puck sailed in and the Ducks challenged the play for goaltender interference.

After a lengthy review, officials determined Anaheim's players caused Sherwood to make contact with the goalie and the goal would stand.

“I was getting worried. I thought it was a goal. But obviously they got it right," said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. "Talking to the refs this year, it really has to be egregious for them to take goals away. They want goals to stand in the NHL. So (Sherwood) couldn’t get out of there. So I think it was the proper call.”

Vancouver (28-22-11) took a 3-1 lead and got its fourth power play of the night.

“It was almost too good of a net presence," Soucy said. "But I think that's kind of what we've been harping on lately, is we got to get some greasy goals. We've got to get guys in the paint.”

The Canucks' leading goal scorer padded his total Wednesday, too.

Jake DeBrusk notched his 22nd of the season with a power-play marker early in the second.

It was nice to see teammates getting rewarded, he said.

"Those guys work really hard and it's one of those things, especially because they both play penalty kill minutes and things like that," DeBrusk said. "But [Soucy] was a good one, and Teddy was a good celly, too. So happy to see it, happy for those guys. But it's always nice when goals come throughout the lineup.”

Heading into Wednesday's game, the Canucks had been outscored 18-10 since the NHL returned from its 4 Nations Face-Off break. Vancouver went 1-4-0 across the five-game stretch.

Several of the team's top scorers have struggled recently, including star centre Elias Pettersson, who has just 11 goals and has not scored since Jan. 21.

After putting up 40 goals in 2023-24, Canucks winger Brock Boeser currently sits at 18 this season, and while captain Quinn Hughes continues to lead the team in points with 60, he's currently sidelined with a lower-body injury.

"It's important other players chip in offensively down the final stretch of the campaign," Tocchet said.

“Depth scoring is huge. We’re a team that has to score by committee," he said. "A lot of different guys have to contribute, we don't have two or three guys that can fill the net. We need that depth scoring.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press