Head Coach Adam Foote said the 6-foot-6 goaltender had a calm presence in net and it was a strong performance.
“I just thought he was firm,” Foote said. “He used his body, he's a big man, and blocked a lot of shots, and he didn't seem nervous.”
In the middle frame, the Canucks had 12 shots on net and when the Ducks tied the game in the second, Vancouver found a way to win in the third.
“I really like the second period,” Foote said. “I thought Petey played well, our vets played well, I loved Tolo’s game, I mean, he came in, he was strong.”
Three players had two-point nights including Max Sasson having one goal and one assist, while Filip Hronek and Tom Willander had two assists each.
Sasson was proud of the group’s resilience, finding a way to control the game after the first period.
“Definitely in the early parts of the game, it felt like it was kind of a track meet, and I think that more so suits them,” Sasson said. "In the third, we started getting pucks in and letting our guys do their thing up top. Quinn [Hughes] doing his thing, Roney [Filip Hronek] and when we can get that offensive zone stuff going, we're hard team beat.”
The Birmingham, Michigan native also mentioned that he knew his former Abbotsford Canucks teammate, Tolopilo, was more than up to the task of taking on one of the top offensive teams in the NHL.
“The thing about him is he's just so calm off the ice, on the ice, and that's kind of what I expected out of him. I think he said in the media, that's just another game, and that's kind of the way he takes every day. He's so calm in there and I'm really happy for him,” Sasson said.
Goals
In the first period, the Canucks’ defence in the neutral zone led to Vancouver’s opening goal. Max Sasson grabbed an airborne puck, passing to Arshdeep Bains, who found Marcus Pettersson for a shot from the point. Pettersson’s shot ricocheted off the end boards to the weak side, and Karlsson snapped it in.
It was Karlsson’s fourth goal of the season.
