Off the turnover – Loui Eriksson snaps it past Lundqvist to put #Canucks up 1-0 pic.twitter.com/vKl1DyrJ1I
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) November 26, 2017
Jake Virtanen pulls it in front and picks the corner#Canucks up 2-0 pic.twitter.com/BBdgQOfrJX
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) November 26, 2017
Jesper Fast tips the puck past Markstrom – #Canucks lead cut to 2-1 pic.twitter.com/UjRjaWFCiB
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) November 26, 2017
Michael Grabner's shot alludes Markstrom to tie the game at 2#Canucks pic.twitter.com/wBp0vwnHWd
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) November 26, 2017
The #Canucks get the fortuitous bounce – Vanek feeds Gagner to put them back up 3-2 pic.twitter.com/xgPIUxwlW1
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) November 26, 2017
Jimmy Vesey scores to tie the game at 3#Canucks pic.twitter.com/kY98kL3w1E
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) November 26, 2017
Game at a Glance, presented by @ToyotaBC – #Canucks collect a point, lose to Rangers 4-3 after a seven round shootout. pic.twitter.com/jbH662HuW6
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 26, 2017
The Numbers
Quick Hits
"I'm not disappointed. We played well tonight against a real good hockey team and we responded nicely from New Jersey." – Coach Green pic.twitter.com/maRIqyePiB
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 26, 2017
- The Canucks should have won this hockey game. Canucks head coach Travis Green said afterward that he wasn’t disappointed by today’s effort, and he shouldn’t be. The Canucks dominated the flow of play at even strength whether you’re looking at shot attempts, expected goals or the good old-fashioned eye test. This was their game to lose. Unfortunately, with his patented soft-goal a game, Markstrom helped them to do just that — lose. Otherwise, Markstrom was fine. But in a game like today’s, where the margin between a win and a shootout loss is that wafer-thin, that’s what cost the Canucks a point.
Rangers only had 1.8 xG today. Canucks had 2.6. I don't want to be too hard on Markstrom, but it's not unreasonable to suggest he cost them a point here.
— J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) November 26, 2017
- There’s a world of difference between Markstrom cost the Canucks a point, and Markstrom is bad. I had Nick Mercadante from Blue Shirt Banter and Hockey-Graphs on the Nation Network Radio show on TSN 1040 yesterday to discuss, among other things, the Canucks goaltenders. If you’re picking which of the Canucks goaltenders has been better, it’s Anders Nilsson, but just barely. They’re both in the top 15 by a lot of the goaltender metrics he tracks to analyze the position. It’s fair to give Markstrom a tough time for today’s game, and most rightfully are doing just that, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that he’s been mostly good. It’s just the constant stream of soft-goals that make his performances so frustrating, fair or otherwise.
Nation Network Radio November 24 Hour 1 https://t.co/LMaPptW6gZ
— TSN Radio Vancouver (@TSN1040) November 26, 2017
- I’m not sure it’s just a coincidence that the Canucks played one of their best games of the season (results notwithstanding) without Brandon Sutter and Erik Gudbranson out of the lineup. The Canucks dominated today. And the Rangers top line never really found their legs, too. Just a thought, but the optimal Canucks lineup when both of them are healthy might not include either of them.
Canucks playing one of their best games of the year. I’m not gonna mention who’s not in the lineup.
— Jason Brough (@JasonBroughTSN) November 26, 2017
- The Sedin line with Loui Eriksson was the Canucks best line today. Eriksson had the opening goal, and in overtime, it was the Sedins who had full control of the puck for minutes at a time. Eriksson is a great match for the Sedins. He sees the ice well and can really hound the opposition for the puck when his feet are going. The Canucks controlled over 53% of the shot attempts last season together, so I’ve always felt comfortable in assuming that their lack of offence was always more a luck thing than a poor fit. That they’ve maintained a dominant shot share together and scored as often as they have proves that was more likely than not the case. Tonight, the trio had a +13 five-on-five shot attempt differential. Not bad.
- Jake Virtanen played one of his better games of the season alongside Markus Granlund and Brendan Gaunce — sidenote: that trio has the makings of a great shutdown line. Virtanen led the Canucks with five shots and both teams with nine shot attempts. And one of those attempts found their way to the back of the net, too. All the same, Virtanen played the fewest minutes of any Canuck at even strength. I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything he can do to prove his mettle to this coaching staff. To date, I’m skeptical.
Charts will be up later today or tomorrow due to pvr issue I'm currently missing three minutes of the game. #Canucks
In his 10:01 played today JV18 had
9 Shot Attempts
8 Controlled entries
Only 2 hits though
(Highly doubt he played in the video I lost) pic.twitter.com/AlWxf4oX9U
— Darryl Keeping (@dkeeping) November 26, 2017
- Today makes 83 straight games without a goal for Brendan Gaunce. That’s… not ideal. Gaunce had a chance in the slot to score and give the Canucks a 4-3 lead with just a handful of minutes left in the game, but was stoned by Lundqvist. The chances are coming. Gaunce’s individual expected goal and shot rates are all on the rise from last season. To the eye, he looks better offensively too. He’s engaged in the play and he’s even winning the odd puck battle with, gasp, speed. I have to think the goals are going to come. Eventually.