Instant Reaction: Promising showings from Kravtsov, Podkolzin, and Demko in Canucks’ loss to Wild

This is going to be a quick and dirty edition of Instant Reaction, because tomorrow is trade deadline day. Before I get into my instant reaction from tonight’s 2-1 loss, I’ll tell you how things are going to go here at CanucksArmy with regard to the deadline.

We’ll be up bright and early and ready to see if the Canucks have anything left up their sleeve. We know they’re working hard and are hoping to make at least one more move. Things were heating up on Wednesday night, but as of Thursday, things had cooled off considerably, according to multiple reports.

We’ll have a live blog all day long written by yours truly, up-to-the-minute coverage, and at the end of the day, we’ll break down GM Patrik Allvin’s press conference where he’ll take questions about all of the moves the Canucks made.

But first, our instant reaction!

I really liked Vitali Kravtsov’s game tonight. Aside from picking up his first assist as a Canuck with a nifty pass to Brock Boeser, Kravtsov put together a strong shift to start the second period that really stood out.

He was strong on the forecheck, created a chance on goal for the Canucks, and hustled on the backcheck after the Wild turned the play the other direction. Kravtsov finished his checks on multiple occasions, and overall looked like a very engaged player in all areas of the ice.

That’s a really nice sign for the young Russian, who was criticized aplenty for his lack of effort during his time with the Rangers. It was a promising game for Kravtsov, and hopefully is something he can build off of moving forward.

Vasily Podkolzin was also noticeable in this one, and skated on a line with his longtime friend Kravtsov. The two skated on a line together for the majority of the game, and Podkolzin, similarly, was noticeable all over the ice. Both players ended the night with two shots on goal — twice as many as they took in Monday night’s win over Dallas.

Aside from the two young Russians, Thatcher Demko is 2 for 2 on looking like his old self again since returning from the injury that kept him out since the beginning of December.

As this organization looks to retool on the fly, they will absolutely need Demko to hit the ground running to start next year, and as we’re continuing to find out, a fully healthy and properly rested Thatcher Demko is an elite Thatcher Demko. The Canucks’ netminder made 34 saves on 36 shots, the first of which he had next to no chance on thanks to horrendous defensive zone coverage. But you’ll see that, and so much more in The Stanchies later tonight.

What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!

Join us on March 3rd for the Daily Faceoff Live: Trade Deadline edition as Frank Seravalli and the panel break down all of the latest rumours, news, and rumblings from around the NHL. The show will be live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter from 9 AM-1 PM PT to keep you up to date on all things trade deadline no matter where you’re watching from.