Canucks Army Postgame #76: Thank God For Brock Boeser
7 years ago
Brock Boeser scored his second goal in three games tonight, in his home-ice debut. He played 15:51, had three shots, and even played regular minutes with Henrik and Daniel Sedin on the man advantage.
That’s fantastic news, because the Canucks were terrible.
For the first 40 minutes, they weren’t just bad, they were mind-numbingly awful. They spent large chunks of the first two periods hemmed in their own zone, getting absolutely rag-dolled by the Ducks, and looking on hopelessly as their goaltender faced repeated five-alarm chances courtesy of the opposition. Thanks to the magic of score effects, the Canucks appeared to finish the game within spitting distance of the Ducks in shot shares, but that’s only because the team’s fate was sealed before the first commercial break.
Ryan Miller was nearly chased out of the game in the first minute and a half.
And then, like a perfectly-coiffed angel, Boeser descended upon Rogers Arena, and for a brief moment, gave Canucks fans some semblance of hope for a brighter tomorrow.
The final score was 4-1, but easily could have reached double digits if not for the continuing stellar play of Ryan Miller. That’s not what Canucks fans will remember, though.
They’ll just remember the goal.
STATS
HIGHLIGHTS
GAME NOTES
- It honestly cannot be understated how badly tonight’s game needed that Boeser goal. Tonight’s tilt was borderline-unwatchable, even by this season’s standards. Boeser’s play tonight was really the only positive. He was one of only five Canucks forwards to finish in the black by shot shares, and looked comfortable at even-strength and on the man advantage. For a team that desperately needed PR victories, getting Boeser inked and into a few games, and him looking as good as he has, is a potentially job-saving turn of events. I’d say Jim Benning’s job is safe for at least another year based on the good will he’s managed to garner in the last few months.
- I’m not entirely sure what’s to be gained by keeping Brandon Sutter in the lineup this late in the season. He’s clearly hurt, and played yet another forgettable game in what’s been a string of terrible performances over the last third of the season. He was -7 in even-strength shot attempts, and spent most of the game in his own end. Don’t let the assist fool you, he was abysmal tonight, as he has been for the past 30 games or so.
- So much for the luxurious defense. The Canucks allowed 39 shots tonight, with 10 coming from high-scoring areas. The Canucks gave up the middle of the ice willingly and often tonight, and the “structure” that was being raved about early in the season is nothing but a distant memory at this point.
- Operation “Play The Kids” is still a work in progress. Boeser played over fifteen minutes tonight, and Sven Baertschi led all forwards in time-on-ice, but Nikolay Goldobin played just 10:45 tonight. It’s a little disappointing considering that Brandon Sutter (18:53) and Michael Chaput (17:23) were second and fourth respectively in ice-time tonight.
- Speaking of Chaput, while his usage has been questionable throughout the season, he’s actually been one of the Canucks’ best players by shot shares down the stretch. He’s been in the black in terms of puck-possession metrics regardless of whether he’s played as a fourth-line centre or at first-line right wing. With that in mind, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Canucks bring him back next season. As a cheap depth player, the Canucks could do far worse
