Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at CanucksArmy where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!
You made it! So glad to have you with us tonight. Okay, so things haven’t been great for the Canucks lately. They got thumped by the Winnipeg Jets, then in their return to home ice, got thumped again by the LA Kings. The JT Miller side show reached a new level, and the Canucks are reportedly trying to trade him. So much so, that Miller was almost held out of this game due to the traction a deal with the New York Rangers was gaining. So yes, there’s all that, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.
We’ve got a game to dive into!
This game started with JT Miller diving in on a play and giving up an odd-man rush right away. Not a great start, given the events of Thursday night. On his next shift, Miller nearly set up Conor Garland for a goal, but Garland’s attempt hit the side of the net.
This play was more indicative of how Miller’s night would go. The Canucks’ best chance at scoring in the first period when Nils Höglander made a strong move to the net and nearly deked out Stuart Skinner enough to open the scoring in this one. Unfortunately, Skinner’s left pad stayed strong to the post long enough until reinforcements arrived.
At one point, the Canucks were outshooting the Oilers 11-5, and it was at that point that Kris Knoblauch elected to put Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid on the same line. It was there that Thatcher Demko made his best save of the period, flashing the blocker to rob Zach Hyman.
Evan Bouchard was called for slashing with just over five minutes to go in the period, and Quinn Hughes wasted little time in getting things right for his team’s power play.
1-0 Canucks. JT Miller with the assist, and Quinn Hughes with the goal.
And they weren’t done there, as Danton Heinen deflected a Tyler Myers point shot and then promptly buried an ugly rebound off of Stuart Skinner to make it 2-0 in a hurry.
Things got worse for the Oilers, as Mattias Ekholm – who had already been having a pretty bad first period – was called for high-sticking on Nils Höglander. The Canucks’ power play got right back to snapping the puck around with plenty of movement in between, and a shot from Hughes made it 3-0 Canucks. 
Two goals for Hughes, two assists for Miller, and a 3-0 Canucks lead heading into period number two.
Darnell Nurse tripped Jake DeBrusk up, and the Canucks’ now officially hot power play got another chance to extend the Canucks’ lead. They passed on that opportunity this time, and the Oilers’ loaded-up top line got to work on a comeback.
Connor McDavid broke Tyler Myers’ ankles, then drove to the middle, and, well, you can see the rest. Filip Hronek with the primary assist on this one.
3-1. 
Carson Soucy was called for interference on a Connor McDavid zone entry, and it was the Oilers’ turn to get on the power play. The Canucks penalty killers did a good job of keeping the Oilers to the outside, and it was actually the Canucks who had the best chances of the man advantage. But they got another chance, and when you give them more chances, they’re eventually going to strike.
Leon Draisaitl is just downright impressive. 3-2. 
The Canucks entered the third period defending a one-goal lead. Oh, and this happened.
The Canucks did a good job of keeping the Oilers at bay as they tried to tie this one up. Miller and his line were dialled in on the matchup down the stretch. With just five minutes to go, the Oilers had 15 shots on goal.
Elias Pettersson turned in a strong shift with just under five minutes to go, as he got in on the forecheck and disrupted the Oilers’ top pairing of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard so badly that Ekholm took a cross-checking penalty. Getting more power play time is a great way to defend a lead.
With 2:24 remaining, the Oilers pulled their goaltender and sent out an extra attacker.
The Oilers pressed, but the Canucks held on. Although there were some extracurricular activities at the end of it all, the Canucks held on. They really did it.
3-2 final. 
Some more takeaways from tonight:
-I’ve liked Nils Höglander’s jump as of late. He had the dash in the first period, but he also had a bad read where I’m sure the head coach would’ve liked to see him reload on a 50/50 puck but instead chose to go looking for the puck.
-Still not liking Brock Boeser’s game, although he did have some more juice tonight than he has lately.
-One of JT Miller’s best periods.
-We don’t call high-sticking on Connor McDavid? Okay, gotcha. Match penalty in the end was fitting, at least.
-Per Sportsnet Stats, Quinn Hughes is the first defenceman with 50 points through 41 games played in back-to-back seasons since Paul Coffey in 1987-88/1988-89. That seems good.
-Max Sasson with a pretty solid night in his return to the lineup.
-Where was this for the past month?
What’s your instant reaction? Let us know in the comments section below! And be sure to tune into Rink Wide Vancouver LIVE on YouTube just moments after the final horn!
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