Six seasons into his NHL career, Casey DeSmith finally has his first playoff win.
The 32-year-old goalie made 29 saves Friday, backstopping his Vancouver Canucks to a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.
The win gave Vancouver a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup.
“It couldn’t come at a better time,” DeSmith said. “I was really disappointed with how I played the other night. I thought the team played great the other night and didn’t get the result they deserved. And tonight I thought we really brought it. We earned that one. So it means a lot.”
DeSmith wasn’t supposed to be Vancouver’s starter for the team’s first playoff run since 2020. But after Game 1, all-star netminder Thatcher Demko went down with an undisclosed injury. He’s currently considered week to week.
The backup netminder’s demeanour has allowed him to slip seamlessly into the high-pressure spot, said Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet.
“[DeSmith’s] not an uptight guy, he’s always got a smile on his face. I think it’s infectious when he comes in,” Tocchet said. “Even if he has a tough night or things don’t go his way, he comes in, spends hours [working on his game], never complains and his demeanour is just great for that role.
“I think he was just locked in [tonight]. I think just his personality keeps him even keel.”
Vancouver leaned hard on special teams for the win, going 2-for-3 on the power play and killing off all five penalties it faced.
J.T. Miller had a goal and assist for the Canucks, while Brock Boeser scored and Quinn Hughes contributed a pair of helpers.
Luke Evangelista replied for Nashville late in the third period, scoring his first career playoff goal.
Juuse Saros stopped 10 of 12 shots for the Predators. The 12 shots were a franchise low for the Canucks.
“[The Canucks] defended extremely well, like they have all series,” said Nashville’s head coach, Andrew Brunette. “The whole series is going to be muddy. It’s going to be hard. And we still got to do a better job getting inside.”
The Predators overwhelmed the visitors early, penning the Canucks in their own zone for several minutes at a time.
Vancouver was called for two penalties…
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