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Vancouver Canucks left wing Kiefer Sherwood reacts in the face of St. Louis Blues right wing Alexey Toropchenko after scoring (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)

Vancouver Canucks News & Rumours: Sherwood, Lankinen & Boeser

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 1:50 PM ET

The Vancouver Canucks found a way to win in St. Louis, and they needed every bit of grit they could muster. It wasn’t pretty. The Blues outshot them by more than two to one, but the scoreboard still read 4–3 Vancouver after the shootout.

The story of the night was Kiefer Sherwood, who picked a fine time for his second-career hat trick. He scored one in each period, each in a slightly different way — a power-play finish, a breakaway, and a smart wrist shot off a broken stick play that fooled Jordan Binnington. When Jake DeBrusk buried the only shootout goal, the Canucks finally grabbed just their second win in six games.

Kevin Lankinen was busy, facing 39 shots and stopping 36 of them. For stretches of the game, he was the only reason Vancouver hung around long enough for Sherwood to work his magic. The win moves the Canucks back to .500 at 6–6–0. It’s been a patchy start to the season. Long lapses have followed moments of brilliance. But nights like this remind fans that there’s still plenty of fight in this group.

Item One: Sherwood Keeps Rolling for the Canucks

You can’t talk about this game without putting a spotlight on Sherwood. The 30-year-old winger has come out of nowhere to become one of Vancouver’s most-reliable forwards. With nine goals already this season — five of them against St. Louis — he’s found a groove few expected. Ironically, I read posts yesterday saying that the Canucks would be hesitant to re-up him when his current contract runs out. Ya think!

Sherwood doesn’t score fancy goals. He goes to the net, wins pucks, finishes checks, and makes defenders miserable. What makes his success even more impressive is how it’s happening while he’s shooting at a scorching 37.5 percent clip. That number might not last forever, but his compete level and physical edge will. If Brock Boeser’s injury lingers, Sherwood might be in for an even bigger role.

Item Two: O’Connor Steps Up for the Canucks

One of the quieter stories of the night was Drew O’Connor finding his touch again. After going 10 games without a point, he picked up two assists — both on Sherwood’s goals — and finished the night plus-2.

Drew O’Connor, Vancouver Canucks (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

O’Connor’s been forced into a larger role because of injuries, and he handled it well. He played over 16 minutes, his most of the season, and didn’t waste a shift. The Canucks have been waiting for someone to grab a depth spot and hold onto it; O’Connor looked like that guy Thursday. He might not light up the scoresheet every night, but his effort was exactly what a bruised lineup needed.

Item Three: Lankinen Earns a Canucks’ Win

Lankinen has had an uneven start as Thatcher Demko’s backup, but this was one of his better games. He made 36 saves, including several in overtime, and stopped all three shooters in the shootout. The Blues carried most of the play, but Lankinen stood tall.

His numbers this year — a 3.53 goals-against and .885 save percentage — don’t look great on paper, but stats can lie. What matters is that he gave the team a chance. In games like this, that’s half the battle. The Canucks aren’t asking him to steal the net from Demko; they just need him to keep them afloat when they’re out of rhythm. He did that and more in St. Louis.

Item Four: Boeser Injured, Canucks’ Roster Moves Will Follow

The only downer from the win was losing Boeser early as he took a puck to the midsection just 33 seconds in and didn’t return. The Canucks finished the game with only eleven forwards, which is not ideal when the team’s already shorthanded.

Mackenzie MacEachern, when he was with the St. Louis Blues. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)

In response, MacKenzie MacEachern (who had been recalled from the Abbotsford Canucks) jumped right into the lineup. At the same time, Nils Aman had been sent the other way to the American Hockey League. MacEachern, facing his former team, played limited minutes (just over 12) but brought energy and experience to a depleted lineup.

Boeser’s status is still unclear, but if he misses time, the Canucks will need more games like Sherwood’s. It was the kind where someone unexpected takes charge.

What’s Next for the Canucks?

Vancouver heads to Minnesota next, hoping to turn Thursday’s messy-but-meaningful win into something more sustainable. There’s no shortage of effort, but the team still struggles to find its structure. The pieces are there; they need to get healthy. Until then, the only thing to do is to keep grinding.

If Sherwood and O’Connor can keep pushing, and Lankinen can spell off Demko without a drop-off, the Canucks might be able to steady things before the standings get away from them. For now, it’s baby steps — but at least they’re steps in the right direction.