VANCOUVER – Coming into the NHL season few people would have expected Kiefer Sherwood to be leading the Vancouver Canucks in goal scoring.
Sherwood scored his second goal of the game at 1:42 of overtime to give the Canucks a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
Sherwood now has six goals in 10 games, most on a roster that boasts scorers such as Brock Boeser, Conor Garland and Elias Pettersson.
The bruising six-foot, 194-pound left-winger is more noted for making his mark with crushing body checks. Last year he set an NHL record with 462 hits. Against the Oilers he had four hits, giving him 45 this year.
Sherwood said there’s nothing fancy about his game, just hard work. He credits his third-line teammates, centre Aatu Raty and Drew O’Connor, with a tireless forecheck that creates chances.
“We want to be relentless on the forecheck and get pucks back,” said the 30-year-old Columbus, Ohio, native. “We just trust the process and stick to the blue-collar mentality we are trying to build.
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“That momentum and energy is contagious for the next lines, too.”
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Head coach Adam Foote said Sherwood is utilizing his speed this year while managing to keep his emotions in check.
“That’s what probably made him get a job in this league,” said Foote. “He played with so many emotions and energy. Now he’s learning to manage it.
“A guy like that, you want to play with those emotions. Sometimes he’s going to be off five, 10 per cent. You just don’t want him to be off 20 or 25 per cent. He’s doing a good job with that.”
Under Foote, Sherwood has learned patience and to play under control.
“The coaches say keep your emotions in check,” he said. “It’s a long 60 minutes. There are going to be ups and downs, power plays and penalty kills. We just have to rely on the strength of the team and get our work boots on.”
On the winning goal Sherwood deflected in a Boeser pass to help the Canucks (5-5-0) snap a three-game losing streak.
Sherwood’s first goal came with just 41 seconds left in the second period. He picked up a loose pick near the blue line, cut between two Oiler defencemen, and fired a hard shot past Edmonton goaltender Calvin Pickard to give Vancouver a 3-1 lead.
Earlier in the period Sherwood had a goal called back after a video review showed the Canucks were offside on the play.
Boeser had a goal and two assists for Vancouver while Elias Pettersson scored his third of the season.
Garland added two assists.
Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl forced the overtime when he scored his second goal of the night on a power play with 5:03 left in the third period.
Jack Roslovic, with his first goal of the season, also scored for the Oilers (4-4-2).
Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko stopped 26 shots. Pickard made 23 saves.
Boeser isn’t surprised by what Sherwood has shown early in the season.
“He brings that energy each and every night,” he said. “I’m super happy for him.”
Pettersson said Sherwood has proven he has skill to match his brawn.
“He plays with an edge, plays with that speed all the time,” said Pettersson.
During the game Canuck fans began a Kiefer Sherwood chant.
“You just try to stay in the moment,” Sherwood said. “It means the world. That’s why you play the game. You just try to give them moments to cheer for and keep building on it.”
UP NEXT
Oilers: Host the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday.
Canucks: Host the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
