Canucks survive late rally from Capitals in 4-3 win – The Hockey Writers Vancouver Canucks Latest news, analysis and more

The Washington Capitals hosted the Vancouver Canucks at Capital One Arena for a matinee to open the NHL’s schedule on Sunday. Vancouver used an early attack to get a stranglehold on the game before Washington tried to claw back into the game. After 60 minutes, the Canucks defense stood tall after 24 blocked shots and earned a 4-3 victory above the capitals.

Three unanswered goals in the first period

With puck drop scheduled for 12:30 PM ET, it would be understandable if Vancouver fans slept in before the scheduled start time of 9:30 AM PT. Their team certainly didn’t after Elias Pettersson gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the game. Washington had two chances to move the puck out of the defensive zone before Conor Garland found Pettersson in the right circle for a shot that sailed off Charlie Lindgren’s shoulder and into the net.

Vancouver continued to pressure Lindgren throughout the first period before adding two goals in less than a minute to deflate the Capitals’ home court minutes before the first intermission. Tyler Myers found a loose puck on the edge of a net-front battle and buried a wrist shot into the center of the net for a 2-0 lead as Lindgren looked up from his belly. Spencer Carbery unsuccessfully challenged the no-whistle, giving Vancouver the man advantage again.

Kiefer Sherwood scored a power-play goal to put the Canucks up 3-0 after the undrafted winger found a loose puck and knocked it past Lindgren at 17:52 of the first period. The 30-year-old powerhouse had a hot streak at the start of the season, scoring four goals in six games afterward scored 19 goals in 78 games in 2024-25. Sherwood led the NHL with 462 body checks last season, more than 100 better than his nearest competitor. He currently ranks fifth in the NHL in 2025-2026 with 28 hits.

Capitals move from sleepy beginnings

Things got worse for Capitals fans before they got rowdy during Sunday afternoon’s attempted comeback. Teddy Blueger scored at 4:54 after a bad turnover by Jakob Chychrun in the defensive zone led to an excellent scoring opportunity in the slot for a 4-0 Canucks lead. Washington woke up to a fight between Victor Mancini and Brandon Duhaime just over a minute after Blueger’s goal at 6:13.

Midway through the first period, Evander Kane was whistled for a tripping penalty before Ryan Leonard scored a power-play goal to put Washington on the board at 4-1. Demko made an excellent save on one side of the young Capitals winger’s net chance before the former Boston College star lifted the puck above an extended cushion for the goal. Washington ended the second period with a 12-7 lead as they began their rally.

Defense rules the third period

In the final frame, Vancouver continued to play smart defense to diffuse the Capitals’ offensive siege. The Capitals fired twelve more shots towards Demko in the third, but only scored twice against the American goalkeeper. At 9:01, Chychrun scored a slam dunk on the side of the net after an impressive cross pass from Hendrix Lapierre for a 4-2 hockey game.

With the Washington net empty six minutes later, John Carlson’s one-timer from the point sailed past front traffic into the top corner, cutting the Canucks’ lead to one at 4–3.

Made it interesting pic.twitter.com/Dm1FAENhhS

— Capitals of Washington (@Capitals) October 19, 2025

Vancouver looked like a tired team, but the Canucks showed good defensive habits in closing out the victory in the final two minutes of the game, as they blocked several shots for Demko to send Capitals fans home disappointed Sunday afternoon by winning their third straight game.

With the win, Vancouver improves its record to 4-2-0 on the season. Washington also drops to the same level after six games (4-2-0). The Canucks continue their swing away Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Washington completes a four-game homestand with a game against the Seattle Kraken that evening.