Canucks Army Post-Game: With A Vengeance
7 years ago
There’s no sense mincing words: for the past few years, there hasn’t been much to cheer for in Vancouver. The team has been, at best, mediocre since 2014, and many Canucks’ fans have been more concerned about where the team is in the draft standings than where they rank in their division.
Tonight, however, was different. Between the shenanigans in the Canucks’ last matchup with Toronto, and Patrick O’Sullivan mouthing off on Toronto radio this afternoon, Team Tank and Team Playoffs were able to unite. For just one night, the bickering about the team’s direction was put aside, and Canucks fans sat with bated breath hoping for a win.
And wouldn’t you know it, they got one. Did they deserve it? Nope. Will we take it? Hell. Yes.
STATS
FIRST PERIOD
The Canucks struggled to get their footing early, allowing six shots in the opening eight minutes. The majority of the Canucks struggled to get zone time and were caught chasing the Leafs on many occasions. During a particularly ugly shift, Luca Sbisa was penalized for a slash on James Van Riemsdyk. Surprisingly, this was a bit of a turning point for the Canucks, who had a great kill and generated the best chance of the leaf’s powerplay, thanks to a shorthanded rush by Bo Horvat.
From that point forward, the Canucks came roaring back and managed to put themselves up 1-0 off a rare slap shot from Daniel Sedin.
The Canucks continued to press, finishing the first period with a 9-7 lead in shots on goal, but the score remained 1-0 after 1.
SECOND PERIOD
The Canucks struck early in the second when Alex Burrows threaded a beautiful pass to Sven Baertschi, who slid it through Frederik Anderson’s 5-hole to make it 2-0 for the home team. Erik Gudbranson quickly followed that up by making good on his promise to “kill” Matt Martin… kind of. There was a fight, and Gudbranson got a couple of licks in on Martin, which is good enough.
The Canucks sat back for the majority of the time remaining in the second, and it cost them when James Van Riemsdyk scored to put the Leafs within a goal. Luckily for the Canucks, they were able to hold on to keep the score 2-1.
THIRD PERIOD
It was the Leafs’ turn to strike early this time, as the Canucks were caught looking lost and overwhelmed in their own zone. None of the Canucks players had eyes on Auston Matthews, who was able to get open in the slot and tie the game at 2.
Things didn’t improve from there. The Canucks had a few chances of their own, but the Leafs dominated for most of the final frame. They couldn’t put it away, though, so the game was headed to overtime.
OT/SHOOTOUT
Overtime was more of the same, with the Leafs beating the Canucks 7-1 in the shot clock. They just couldn’t beat Ryan Miller, though. The game was settled with a shootout. In the end, the Canucks came away with the win thanks to 2 saves from Ryan Miller and goals from Bo Horvat and Markus Granlund.
NOTES
- It wouldn’t be Canucks Army if I didn’t start off on a sour note. Please, for the love of God, get Brandon Sutter off the Sedin line. It’s just a bad fit. On the surface, the decision actually makes a weird sort of sense. Sutter is a right-handed shot who possesses the type of speed that can increase the Sedin’s options while entering and exiting the zone. I even defended the move early on. But it’s just not working. The line had a goal tonight, but got their teeth kicked in at even strength. Each member of the line had a CF% south of 40 on the night.
- Predictably, Gudbranson fought Martin tonight. It wasn’t an especially memorable bout, but each player got a few punches in and can sleep soundly tonight. The real winner of the fight was Erik’s father, Wayne. He coined a phrase I’d wager will live on in our collective memories much longer than tonight’s fisticuffs.
- Gudbranson’s always seemed like a kind, intelligent guy. Fighting seems so out of character. My personal theory is that Erik knew violence only begets more violence, and tried to bury the hatchet with Martin by showing him the one thing he’s never seen: love.
- The Canucks’ best line tonight was the Baertschi-Horvat-Burrows trio, as it has been on many occasions this season. Burrows got an assist on the game’s second goal, making it 10 points in 12 games for the 35-year-old. That’s pretty astounding given that even he thought his time in Vancouver might be over at the end of last season. It’s also good news for anyone hoping for a fire sale at this year’s deadline. Burrows only makes 3 million dollars in actual salary this season, and could be very attractive to an internal budget team, especially if he continues to play this well.
- Ryan Miller was the hero in a losing cause the last time the Canucks and Leafs faced off against each other, coming in to defend Troy Stecher in a scuffle with Matt Martin. Tonight, he played the hero again, but in a winning cause, stopping 38 of 40 shots. In a nice bit of poetic justice, it was Stecher who helped Miller out this time around, yanking a puck off the goal line with just a minute to go in regulation.
- In all honesty, the Canucks probably got lucky tonight. They were out-shot and out-chanced handily at even strength, and their goaltender bailed them out on numerous occasions. That being said, tonight was as entertaining as it gets, and it was nice to see the Canucks get a win in a game that felt like it meant something for once.
