Highlights

Quick Hits

• You really can’t say enough about Lack’s game tonight. Surrendering the first goal on the second shot of the game has to sting, but like a seasoned veteran, Lack put it behind him and settled in for a tour de force performance the rest of the way. Things became especially hairy in the second, as the Bruins upped the ante both physically and in the shot column. Lack’s crease became a timeshare for Bruins forwards, which is a sad indictment of Vancouver’s patchwork blue line, which was all too accommodating as the Bruins initiated physical contact with Lack on multiple occasions without ever having to answer for it. The best example of this would come on the save of the night, a lunging glove stop on a Daniel Paille chance midway through the second.

• Since losing three of their top-four defensemen to injury, depth defender Ryan Stanton has stepped up in a big way. For the second straight night, Stanton saw north of 20-minutes of ice, third among Canucks defenders. It was also Stanton who notched the Canucks’ first goal, a slap-shot from just past the Bruins blue-line. Given that his goal was a deflection off the defenders stick, we can safely assume that’s luck. Stanton isn’t exactly an offensive dynamo, after all. I’ve been more impressed with his turnaround in his own zone. Stanton’s best play of the night, for example, was a lunging defensive play on a Bruins break, created by Adam Clendening losing his edge in the neutral zone. It’s been refreshing to see Stanton recapture some semblance of last season’s form, especially given his disastrous start to this season.

• The Hockey Gods may have taken Miller from Vancouver on Sunday, but they returned Nick Bonino.. It wasn’t the most eventful return to action for the Canucks’ second-line centre. That said, I think it’s safe to assume that Bonino is playing through a fair amount of pain. There was an extended stretch during the second when Bonino just didn’t play. Some speculated that an errant pass to Bonino’s ankle re-aggravated his injury, hence the break in play. There was another moment late in the third period which had Bonino pulling up to the Canucks bench in considerable pain. Both instances looked innocent enough, so I have to wonder how ready Bonino actually is. If nothing else, Bonino’s timing is miles off. The undersized centre missed a wide open chance in the second, failing to rotate and corral the puck simultaneously for a clean look in the Bruins slot. I’m not sure that pass misses his stick when healthy.

• With the return of Bonino tonight, Shawn Matthias was relegated to the role of winger again. There’s been considerable debate in the Smylosphere over where Matthias belongs and I imagine this will just gain steam as Brad Richardson nears a return from his injury. This will be especially true if Linden Vey continues his tailspin into complete uselessness, forcing Willie Desjardins to consider a shakeup at 3c. I’ve long felt Matthias’ game is best suited to the wing. He’s a lank player with a long stride, and well suited to the dirty work expected of checking line wingers. As visually appealing as the idea of Matthias chasing down the opposition for possession of the puck may seem, much of this stems from his constantly being a step behind the opposition mentally. Many of the qualities I look for in a centre (bottom-six or otherwise), Matthias just doesn’t possess. What Matthias does do well is use his speed and length to create chances off the half wall from seemingly nothing. Tonight we saw a great example of that in the waning moments of the second. The lanky Canucks winger caught Boston veteran, Dennis Seidenberg, completely flatfooted, bull-rushing past him for a grade-A scoring chance on Tuuka Rask. In short: keep Matthias on the wing.
• For as long as Zack Kassian has been a Canuck, there’s been a sizeable chunk of the fan-base that’s demanded his presence alongside the Sedins on Vancouver’s first-line. Intuitively, it makes sense. Kassian has excellent vision, is a great passer and has the size to hold his own in front of the net. Most importantly, Kassian thinks the game at a first-line level. Its happened in rare stints during his tenure with the Canucks, but nothing like this stretch he’s in right now. That’s three straight games for Kassian, who’s produced four-goals during that stretch. Don’t go jumping the gun on this one, just yet. I’m not entirely sure that Desjardins is sold on Kassian’s defensive abilities just yet, and that bodes poorly for his long-term future in the Canucks top-six. In the waning moments of the third, Willie D went back to old reliable, icing Radim Vrbata with the twins to close out the victory. 

Looking ahead