Elliotte Friedman makes his opinion known about Canucks' 'turnaround' in shutout win against Maple Leafs despite travel woes

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared his thoughts about the Vancouver Canucks' 3-0 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Speaking on Monday, Jan. 13 episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, he described the victory as a potential turning point.

"Like I said, the Canucks, they felt, I mean, you were there, they felt really good about themselves after that game, especially the game they lost in Carolina, was a really low,” Friedman said.

"Carolina doesn't play a lot of low-event games. They shoot the pot from everywhere. It was kind of a weird game for the Hurricanes, but they dominated. They didn't let the Canucks do anything."

He continued:

"And then, for them to come in Toronto and bad travel like that, and when you could tell they had a little bit of extra hop in their step after that one, and they're hoping it's a little bit of a turnaround for them." [7:20]

The Canucks faced tough circumstances before the game. After losing 2-0 to Carolina on Friday, they had delayed travel to Toronto. The team arrived just hours before the game on Saturday afternoon.

Despite these challenges, Vancouver performed well. Goalie Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves, earning his fourth shutout of the season.

Maple Leafs played a controlled game, but their offense failed to break Canucks' defense. Leafs edged out Canucks in the faceoffs with 51% control but Canucks recorded 22 hits and had 21 blocked shots.

Vancouver Canucks' challenging win over Toronto Maple Leafs

The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs with a shutout on Saturday after overcoming travel issues and back-to-back games.

The Canucks scored early, just 31 seconds into the first period. Tyler Myers fired a point shot that deflected off Brock Boeser in the slot, giving Vancouver a 1-0 lead. This ended Boeser’s five-game goal drought and set the tone for the game.

Quinn Hughes added the second goal late in the second period at 18:12. His point shot bounced off Toronto defenseman Simon Benoit’s stick and into the net, making it 2-0.

Kiefer Sherwood scored early in the third period, just 47 seconds in. Hughes made a no-look drop pass to Sherwood, who fired a shot high to the glove side. This goal gave Vancouver a 3-0 lead and secured the win.

Goaltender Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season. His performance included a crucial glove save on John Tavares’ breakaway in the first period.

The win over the Maple Leafs ended Vancouver’s four-game winless streak. The Canucks play their next game against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.