Canucks Army Postgame: Fowl Return

A win tonight and the Canucks entered the playoff picture in the much maligned Pacific Division. Another loss and they’d remain within spitting distance of the basement.

All this is to say that the stakes were relatively high for the first game of the calendar year. The Canucks would have to bring their best, which meant taking it easy while the rest of us were enjoying last night’s festivities with perhaps a glass or two of champagne. Such is the life of a professional athlete.

This wasn’t the most entertaining of contests, even taking into account the full overtime frame of 3-on-3 play. Vancouver is a team lacking in firepower and Anaheim can’t seem to buy a goal this season – certainly not in any worthwhile quantity. Then again, it’s not how you win them but whether you did and somehow the Canucks managed just that.

Perhaps of some help to the Canucks was the return of their shutdown defender, Chris Tanev. When we last saw Tanev, he was injured blocking a shot late against the Tampa Bay Lightning before the Christmas break. His absence was felt, as the Canucks defence was suspect without their best shot suppressing defenceman. Tanev’s return wasn’t enough to bring the Canucks to possession parity, but it was a step in the right direction to be sure.

The Ducks opened the scoring early in the second period, on a Ryan Kesler goal at the side of the net. Kesler was caught in a jousting match with Matt Bartkowski, before getting loose and potting the opening goal on a Chris Stewart feed. It was Kesler’s first goal against Vancouver and he trolled the eff out of Vancouver in the aftermath.

Vancouver took their time answering back, but as the saying goes, better late than never. The aforementioned Tanev knotted the game at one on an innocent enough looking shot, which just managed to float by the screened Frederik Andersen.

Overtime solved nothing, so this game went to a shootout. Alexandre Burrows scored on the opening attempt, before Jacob Markstrom held the fort for the victory. It was the fourth straight start for Markstrom, who is filling in admirably for Ryan Miller in his stead.