Canucks Army THE POST GAME – Skate To See It End or Mackinnon’d
By Always90four
4 years agoTHE SKINNY
The Vancouver Canucks brought their dangerously awesome Skate jerseys back for the first time in a few seasons and they were as exciting as the game itself. Adam Gaudette shined with two goals, Quinn Hughes notched two assists, and Brock Boeser scored but it was the Avalanche that had the final say.
Cale Makar was a freaking monster with four assists (yes, he’s very good I’m told) tonight. Nathan Mackinnon was a catalyst with two goals and a helper and scored the eventual OT winner.
Tonight’s game was filled with penalties with the Canucks edging the Avs slightly going 2/6 to Colorado’s 1/5. Vancouver outshot the Avalanche 32-23 but the Avalanche took it 5-4 very early into overtime.
Canucks fans should be content with a point as their team battled back somehow but Colorado was all over them and realistically this one wasn’t theirs to win.
Oh well. Let’s look at how this shook down.
ALL THE GOALS AND A FEW GREAT SAVES
Colorado strikes first right after the TV timeout. No one was happy about this.
Canucks would start this one late thanks to the Canadiens/Devils tilt that went to overtime as well. If there was a cool pregame intro, no one at home saw it.
This big save by Demko was one of many jaw-dropping stops.
Just when we thought they’d be shutout in the period, Adam Gaudette continues his ascension as a reliable NHLer. 1-1.
SECOND PERIOD
Canucks getting cute on their chances but unfortunately, only puppies are cute and Nathan Mackinnon proves why:
Cale Makar to Nazem Kadri shortly after. Imagine saying Makar with a Boston accent. At least it feels a bit better, right?
Seriously, what can’t Gaudette do? Another late one to finish up the second period.
3RD PERIOD
Some penalties were traded and then it’s Nate Mackinnon to Andrei Burokovsky
Canucks wait until the end to get this close and the first one comes under questionable circumstances and then Brock Boeser ties it up right at the end to force OT:
OVERTIME
meh.
THEY SHOOTIN’, AW MADE YOU LOOK
Vancouver wins the Corsi battle with a 66.23 CF% and xGF% with 61.93%. Advanced stats on this night didn’t dictate the final score but it was close.
BRINGING THE HEAT
The amoeba was trying to cover the entire Avalanche zone tonight but the face-off dot to the lower left was the deciding shot.
GAME OBSERVATIONS
- Bo Horvat went 81% at the face-off circle. He was on the ice a lot but he made the most of every shift.
- Adam Gaudette scored on both of his shots and was an absolute beast on the PP2. He has five points in his last five games.
- Thatcher Demko may have lost the game tonight but if you watched the game, you saw his game-breaking saves on display yet again. His team didn’t help him out a whole lot and he probably will want a few of them back but Demko has hit his stride.
- In my notes, I wrote that Vancouver took “eleventy-billion” penalties tonight and I wasn’t far off. The Canucks are a fast team but they aren’t playing disciplined right now. The Pettersson penalty wasn’t like him to be slightly careless. He shied away from making a play that would have put him in the sin bin a few times.
- Tyler Myers didn’t look great tonight. He had the second-highest CA with 17, one back of Edler. He just didn’t look comfortable. The Canucks head out on a six-game road trip so hopefully, he gets back to the Myers that has stood out in a good way.
- Hilary Swank was at the game rocking Canucks gear one game after Bill Murray’s multiple appearances this past week. Maybe the Canucks ARE cool?
- Vancouver’s PP% falls a drop to 24.7% from 25%. If they start to move the puck more and add in a bumper down low, they might get back to a higher closing percentage.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS ON THIS GAME
It’s no surprise the Canucks couldn’t find a win in their special edition jerseys as they haven’t won in any of them, save the 40th-anniversary ones. The power-play was decent but still predictable. It was the PP2 that got all the action tonight and Adam Gaudette was front and center. He’s arrived as far as I’m concerned and Travis Green needs to afford him more opportunity.
Alex Edler and Bo Horvat need to have their ice time shaved down. Edler leads the NHL in penalties which aren’t something you want for a team that doesn’t take a lot of them. That, and he still is afforded shift after shift despite his errors. For Bo, he’s going to get worn out just like Edler and the Canucks cannot allow Bo to be out for any amount of time.
It’s a shame the skate jersey is still winless but you have to be impressed with the late-game comeback. The Canucks haven’t given up and that may mean something come April.
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