Joshua on Canucks comeback: 'The belief is always there'
Published
The Vancouver Canucks erased a three-goal deficit on Wednesday, storming back to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in the opening game of their second-round series.
The Canucks began their comeback from 4-1 with a goal late in the second period, but it wasn't until midway through the third period that Vancouver exploded with three goals in less than five minutes to take a 5-4 lead.
“The belief is always there,” said Canucks forward Dakota Joshua, who had a goal and two assists in the win. “Just to know that you got to keep playing to the end, anything can happen and in the third, once the crowd gets behind us and gives us a little bit more confidence, you could see it spread throughout the team."
Canucks rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs, who has taken over the net after injuries to Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith in the first round, struggled early in his first start of the second round. Silovs allowed four goals on 14 shots over the first two periods before turning aside all four shots he faced in the final frame as the Canucks stormed back.
Head coach Rick Tocchet elected to stay with Silovs despite two quick goals that left the Canucks down 4-1 in the second period. Zach Hyman beat Silovs a wrist shot that slipped under his left pad just 45 seconds after Cody Ceci had scored on a deflected point shot.
“Goals happen right? Nothing is perfect but I just tried to stay cool,” Silovs said of staying focused after the two quick goals. “I was like battling for guys. They did a such an amazing job today and, in my mind, I couldn't let them down.”
With their win Wednesday, the Canucks improved to 5-0 against the Oilers this season, having taken all four meetings between the two teams in the regular season.
Game 2 will take place Friday in Vancouver before the series shifts to Edmonton for Game 3 on Sunday. Wednesday marked the first road loss of the postseason for Edmonton, who swept both games at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.