Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at CanucksArmy where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!
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It&#8217;s not every day two teams who are both coming off a loss to the same opponent face off against one another, but that&#8217;s what happened when the puck dropped for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs tonight.
The Canucks wasted little time in opening the scoring in this one. Elias Pettersson won a D-Zone faceoff, and the Canucks&#8217; new-look first line went the other way, and was officially a +1 early on.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
🚨CANUCKS GOAL🚨
Brock Boeser scores 31 seconds into the game! 
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/WIwzmX7yCL">pic.twitter.com/WIwzmX7yCL</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1878235639696527544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Brock Boeser from Myers and Pettersson. 1-0 Canucks early. 
Pius Suter was called for tripping, giving the Maple Leafs the first power play of the contest. The Canucks, with some help from Kevin Lankinen, killed both penalties off. It was a fine opening period from the Canucks, and Lankinen did his part in making sure the Canucks got to the second still protecting a lead.
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Nick Robertson gets a good shot off but Kevin Lankinen is there to make the save! 
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/7aMOzOBkuX">pic.twitter.com/7aMOzOBkuX</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1878241180648902957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The big story from the opening 20 minutes was that the Canucks&#8217; new look top six &#8212; DeBrusk and Boeser as the top line with Pettersson, and Höglander and Garland with Miller on line two &#8212; thoroughly controlled play.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a>&#39; new-look top six was dominant in the opening 20 minutes. 
When Miller&#39;s line and Pettersson&#39;s line were on the ice at 5-on-5, Vancouver out-attempted the Leafs 11-1, outshot them 7-0 and out-scored them 1-0.
&mdash; Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThomasDrance/status/1878245084799340617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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This is what will separate the Canucks, two great top six lines. We&#8217;ll see if it can last.
Miller took the Canucks&#8217; third penalty of the game in the second when he got his stick in William Nylander&#8217;s face. Toronto&#8217;s power play has been struggling as of late, and those struggles continued tonight.
What became a bit frustrating from a viewing perspective was how the Canucks elected to play low-event hockey and dump the puck in every chance they could. But hey, that&#8217;s how this team feels they have to play in order to pick up wins.
The Canucks pushed their lead to two in the dying moments of the second when, after Pettersson drew a penalty, Quinn Hughes went to work at 6-on-5 with the official&#8217;s arm in the air. The Canucks&#8217; captain fired a puck through traffic that eventually found its way to the back of the net to give the Canucks a 2-0 lead heading into the third.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
🚨CANUCKS GOAL🚨
Quinn Hughes&#39; point shot finds its way to the back of the net! 
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/8OJueNZoNa">pic.twitter.com/8OJueNZoNa</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1878256780876165152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In the third, Hughes did more great things for this team on the first shift of the third. Hughes brought two Leafs with him, found Kiefer Sherwood in the middle of the ice, and Sherwood promptly deposited the puck behind Hildelby.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
🚨CANUCKS GOAL🚨
Quinn Hughes makes an incredible play along the blueline. He eventually sets up Kiefer Sherwood who buries it! 
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/yV3g2oFGd1">pic.twitter.com/yV3g2oFGd1</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1878262697738871257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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3-0 Canucks. 
That would stand as your final, as the Canucks did a great job of locking this one down.
Some more takeaways from tonight:
-My expectations were so much lower after last night&#8217;s game, but you can never underestimate the Leafs&#8217; ability to not show up on any given night. Especially when they&#8217;re favoured to win. 
-I really don&#8217;t like Jonathan Lekkerimäki on the fourth line. That cannot be where he plays in this lineup for any stretch of time. 
-Erik Brännström not being able to get into the lineup before Guillaume Brisebois got another chance is just weird. 
-Solid night for Elias Pettersson on the defensive end. Added a point too. I like that configuration of the Canucks&#8217; top six. Pettersson is so good defensively, and giving him that responsibility of going up against the opposition&#8217;s best seemed to get the best out of him. 
-Didn&#8217;t like to see Max Sasson taken out of the lineup instead of Phil Di Giuseppe or Danton Heinen. 
-Vinny Desharnais out of the lineup surprised me. Forbort, Juulsen, and even Soucy seem like they could use a game off. 
-MVP-type performance from Quinn Hughes in the centre of the hockey universe. 
-This will be an interesting one to dive into in The Statsies tomorrow. 
-Canucks&#8217; first regulation win in eight games.
What&#8217;s your instant reaction to tonight&#8217;s game? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at CanucksArmy where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2111" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="329"></div>
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It's not every day two teams who are both coming off a loss to the same opponent face off against one another, but that's what happened when the puck dropped for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs tonight.

The Canucks wasted little time in opening the scoring in this one. Elias Pettersson won a D-Zone faceoff, and the Canucks' new-look first line went the other way, and was officially a +1 early on.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1878235639696527544

Brock Boeser from Myers and Pettersson. 1-0 Canucks early. 

Pius Suter was called for tripping, giving the Maple Leafs the first power play of the contest. The Canucks, with some help from Kevin Lankinen, killed both penalties off. It was a fine opening period from the Canucks, and Lankinen did his part in making sure the Canucks got to the second still protecting a lead.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1878241180648902957

The big story from the opening 20 minutes was that the Canucks' new look top six -- DeBrusk and Boeser as the top line with Pettersson, and Höglander and Garland with Miller on line two -- thoroughly controlled play.

https://twitter.com/ThomasDrance/status/1878245084799340617

This is what will separate the Canucks, two great top six lines. We'll see if it can last.

Miller took the Canucks' third penalty of the game in the second when he got his stick in William Nylander's face. Toronto's power play has been struggling as of late, and those struggles continued tonight.

What became a bit frustrating from a viewing perspective was how the Canucks elected to play low-event hockey and dump the puck in every chance they could. But hey, that's how this team feels they have to play in order to pick up wins.

The Canucks pushed their lead to two in the dying moments of the second when, after Pettersson drew a penalty, Quinn Hughes went to work at 6-on-5 with the official's arm in the air. The Canucks' captain fired a puck through traffic that eventually found its way to the back of the net to give the Canucks a 2-0 lead heading into the third.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1878256780876165152

In the third, Hughes did more great things for this team on the first shift of the third. Hughes brought two Leafs with him, found Kiefer Sherwood in the middle of the ice, and Sherwood promptly deposited the puck behind Hildelby.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1878262697738871257

3-0 Canucks. 

That would stand as your final, as the Canucks did a great job of locking this one down.

Some more takeaways from tonight:

-My expectations were so much lower after last night's game, but you can never underestimate the Leafs' ability to not show up on any given night. Especially when they're favoured to win.
-I really don't like Jonathan Lekkerimäki on the fourth line. That cannot be where he plays in this lineup for any stretch of time.
-Erik Brännström not being able to get into the lineup before Guillaume Brisebois got another chance is just weird.
-Solid night for Elias Pettersson on the defensive end. Added a point too. I like that configuration of the Canucks' top six. Pettersson is so good defensively, and giving him that responsibility of going up against the opposition's best seemed to get the best out of him.
-Didn't like to see Max Sasson taken out of the lineup instead of Phil Di Giuseppe or Danton Heinen.
-Vinny Desharnais out of the lineup surprised me. Forbort, Juulsen, and even Soucy seem like they could use a game off.
-MVP-type performance from Quinn Hughes in the centre of the hockey universe.
-This will be an interesting one to dive into in The Statsies tomorrow.
-Canucks' first regulation win in eight games.

What's your instant reaction to tonight's game? Let us know in the comments section below!

Sponsored by bet365
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Instant Reaction: Hughes tallies three points as Canucks beat Leafs 3-0

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