CanucksArmy Post-Game: This Is So Stupid
5 years ago
Under different circumstances, the story tonight could have been how the Canucks held their own against one of the best teams in the league, outshooting them at five-on-five and going a perfect four-for-four on the PK after struggling mightily in that department for much of the season.
Instead, Danick Martel tried to decapitate Troy Stecher and the refs blew the call.
Oops.
The game descended into a series of fights and scuffles in the second period and the teams would combine for 58 penalty minutes, but for brief interludes, a hockey game was played. The Canucks would actually perform about as well as could be reasonably expected over that time, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. The Lightning would go on to add a late goal and an empty netter to seal the game at 5-2 and end the Canucks undefeated streak at 5-0-1.
HIGHLIGHTS
SHENANIGANS
Failed to load video.
ALPHONSO DAVIES
QUICK HITS
- The Canucks may not have come out on top on the scoresheet, but the real loser of tonight’s game was the league, because the officiating was borderline laughable. Antoine Roussel received a phantom roughing penalty after fighting Yanni Gourde midway through the second frame, while Gourde was assessed a game misconduct. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, the Lightning received a power play in the aftermath. Later, they missed an offside call that was so obvious all ten players on the ice stopped playing for a moment, assuming it would be called. Most notably, when Danick Martel laid a blindside hit to the head of Troy Stecher, he was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for interference rather than the five-minute major and game misconduct he would have received had he been called for making an illegal check to the head. As a result, the game got away from the officials and descended into series of brawls throughout the second half of the period.
- I’m not generally a fan of fighting in hockey, but you can’t fault the Canucks for responding the way they did. If the league wants fighting to decrease, they have to get calls like the Martel hit on Stecher right. When that doesn’t happen, it’s obvious players will take matters into their own hands. I’m not sure what else you can expect, really. This team got a lot of heat for how they responded to Mike Matheson’s hit on Elias Pettersson earlier this season, and you know they weren’t going to let that happen again.
- You have to think Danick Martel will be getting a call from the league after that hit. We’ve seen player incur suspensions due to less blatant hits targeting the head in the past, and Troy Stecher was injured enough on the play that he did not return. It was only Martel’s second career NHL game, so he has no prior history of supplemental discipline, but I won’t be surprised if he sits for a game or two.
- Speaking of Stecher, his absence resulted in Alex Edler playing a whopping 30:05 tonight, by far the most he’s played this season. In spite of the loss, he finished the night with a 58% shot share at even strength, three shots on goal, and an even plus/minus (I know it’s a bad stat, but it’s nonetheless impressive in game where the Canucks gave up five goals). He’s quietly on pace to have his best offensive season since 2011-12 despite missing 15 games, and has seen his shot-share rise 6 percentage points since returning from injury. With Olli Juolevi now out for the remainder of the season, the Canucks may find it hard to move on from him this summer.
- At the other end of the spectrum, Adam Gaudette played just 6:13 tonight, and looks as though he’ll be the one returning to Utica when Brandon Sutter returns to the lineup. While he played by far the least minutes on the team, he did play 1:28 on the man advantage and skated primarily with Nikolay Goldobin and Jake Virtanen at even-strength. Six minutes is low by anyone’s standards, but at least you can say he’s getting opportunities offensively.
- I liked what little we saw of the Goldobin-Gaudette-Virtanen line, and wouldn’t mind them getting an extended look if Sven Baertschi ends up on Horvat’s wing when he returns. The Canucks could use some scoring punch in their bottom six, and if you want to know why, look no further than the Bolts fourth line of Cedric Paquette, Adam Erne, and Danick Martel. They all played less than ten minutes tonight but had two of the Lightning’s five goals.
- I’ve been surprised and impressed with Jake Virtanen’s progression this season. The goals haven’t been a huge surprise, given that he’s always had a good shot, but one thing I did not see coming was the steps he’s taken as a playmaker to round out his offensive game. He made the nicest play of the game for the Canucks, earning the primary assist on Motte’s goal in the first period. We’ve been hard on Jake in the past but it’s been genuinely nice to see him develop into a useful piece this year. The Canucks are pretty limited when it comes to options on the right side, and Jake’s proven he deserves to be in the top six for the time being.
