Sherwood, Demko lead Vancouver Canucks to 5-2 win over New York Islanders

Vancouver Canucks' Kiefer Sherwood (44) looks to pass away from New York Islanders' Bo Horvat (14) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — Kiefer Sherwood had two goals and one assist, Thatcher Demko finished with 26 saves and the Vancouver Canucks beat the New York Islanders 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Aatu Raty, Derek Forbort and Teddy Blueger also scored for Vancouver.

Casey Cizikas and Tony DeAngelo scored for New York and Ilya Sorokin made 15 saves before he was pulled early in the third period. Marcus Hogberg had five saves in relief.

The Canucks scored three times in a 7:06 stretch to take a 4-2 lead after the Islanders took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period.

Blueger scored 65 seconds into the third period to chase Sorokin. Sherwood added an empty-net goal with 1:52 remaining.

The Islanders remain on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture after losing three of four on a four-game homestand.

Takeaways

Canucks: Demko started his second straight game since his return to the lineup after sustaining a lower-body injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 8. The 2024 Vezina candidate also missed the first 24 games of the regular season while recovering from a knee injury sustained during the first game of the 2024 playoffs.

Islanders: DeAngelo gave the Islanders a short-lived one goal lead in the second period and extended his point streak to four games (one goal, four assists).

Key Moment

Demko made two stellar saves on Bo Horvat in the first period which allowed Vancouver to weather an early barrage from the Islanders and eventually score the first goal when Sherwood redirected a shot from Quinn Hughes.

Key Stat

Raty scored his third of the season to even the score at 2-2 in his first game back at UBS arena since the Islanders traded him and additional assets for Horvat in January 2023.

Up Next

The Canucks visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday while the Islanders play at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Scott Charles, The Associated Press