Vancouver Canucks vs Edmonton Oilers Post Game Recap: Hockey Season Is Back!

5 years ago

The Rundown

The training camp has come and gone. Tonight, we finally got some fresh Canuck hockey to watch. We all finally got our first look at Elias Pettersson in a preseason game. A true breath of fresh air. However, when the game got underway a waft of familiar stench floated around Rogers Arena.

1st Period

Was so nice to be able to hear John Shorthouse and John Garrett again, like really. However, the Canucks came into this game with a lot of fanfare surrounding superstar rookie Elias Pettersson, who was on a line with Sven Baertschi and Nikolay Goldobin. Rest of the skaters are down below.

All in all, a busy period for the boys in blue and green. Lots of good chances for Vancouver, ranging from a 2 on 1 with Michael Del Zotto and Goldobin, to a breakaway for Baertschi.

However, halfway through the 1st period, it’s the Oilers who strike first, and Anders Nilsson doesn’t do himself any favours in trying to win the backup position away from Thatcher Demko. Jesse Puljujarvi finds his way to the slot and slightly fans on the shot. Doesn’t matter as it goes through Nilsson’s pad to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead.

The Canucks tried pressing on the counter-attack, with Pettersson setting up Goldobin for what looked to be a sure-fire goal. Little did we know that Cam Talbot would make what would’ve been a save of the year candidate had it been in the regular season (Gotta tip your cap where it’s due, this save was crazy).

The Canucks would keep coming on the attack but ultimately can’t find the back of the net. Virtanen beats Talbot with a shot but rings it off the crossbar. Horvat had a beautiful cut right through the middle of the ice but whiffed on the shot, and the Canucks power play was firing from everywhere, but Pettersson couldn’t blow one past the Oilers netminder. However, Pettersson did do this to poor Ryan Strome.

2nd Period

The 2nd period started off with another rough goal against for the hometown team, as Ty Rattie bangs one home off of a power play scrum in front of Nilsson gives the Oilers a quick 2-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for the Canucks to fire back, and it’s the old reliable duo of Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi (Longer than 1 season). Horvat fires a pass to Sven sitting right out in front, and Baertschi puts it through his legs to surprise Talbot and get the Nucks on the board.

As far as goals go, that would do it for the 2nd period. Lots of chances again for Vancouver, ranging from Pettersson clap bombs from the right circle to Horvat hitting posts left right and center. It would be 2-1 for Edmonton heading into the 3rd period.

3rd Period

Just like the 2nd period, the first notable event in the 3rd period is an Oilers goal. Both Canucks defenders leave Caleb Jones alone in the slot, and he shoots another one past Anders Nilsson to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead.

The Canucks were able to halve the lead yet again though, as the powerplay would strike after numerous chances. Pettersson passed the puck down low to Horvat, who rang another shot off the post, but Nikolay Goldobin is there to bury the chance short side and in to make it 3-2!

The Oilers would get the last laugh in the hockey game, as a Ben Hutton mental gaffe allows Ty Rattie to come in on a breakaway where he’ll ultimately squeak one past Anders Nilsson to make it 4-2.

The Wrap Up

Despite the loss, there were lots to like about how the Canucks played tonight. They were able to control play for a majority of the evening and led in the shot column 37-28. Ultimately some untimely gaffs in the defensive end and an inability to shoot the puck a couple inches horizontally a couple of times led to the Canuck’s downfall, but there are a couple of individual players we’re going to highlight tonight.

#YouthMovement

Elias Pettersson: An absolute stud. Really showcased what he can do tonight, and was the best player on the ice for Vancouver. Understanding that this is only a preseason game, he was tremendous; looking lethal on the power play and at even strength.

Bo Horvat: Horvat came ready to play tonight, no question. He was battling hard throughout, had a couple of spectacular rushes, and ended up with 2 assists to finish off the evening. That boxscore doesn’t do him justice, as he hit multiple posts throughout the hockey game.

Jonathan Dahlen: Personally, would’ve liked to see more from him throughout the game. On a line with Bo Horvat from the start, he wasn’t noticeable until the 2nd period and later in the game. Had a couple of good scoring chances, but all in all, nothing that made me jump out of my seat. Now, on the flip side, he didn’t do too much that made me cringe or facepalm so can’t complain. He’s destined to start in Utica, and tonight’s showing didn’t do anything to change that plan.

#CampBattles

Sven Baertschi/Nikolay Goldobin: Both of these wingers are fighting for a spot on the Vancouver Canucks top line alongside Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, and both of these young wingers showed up to play tonight. Baertschi had a cheeky goal through his legs but was also visible early and often throughout with great scoring chances. Goldobin, on the other hand, was electric. Early returns show he has undeniable chemistry with Pettersson and he was visible on the backcheck. Goldobin scored a goal and easily could’ve had 3 tonight. A great showing for the 22-year-old requiring waivers to be sent back to Utica if all else fails.

Ben Hutton: Ben Hutton was having a pretty good game until his gaffe in the 3rd period led to the 4th goal of the hockey game for the Oilers. All things aside, I thought Hutton was more physical, made some nifty moves on the powerplay to avoid a defender. Got shots through, and most importantly fed either Pettersson directly or fed Goldobin who would then feed Pettersson. Unfortunately, people are going to remember that gaffe and give him a hard time. We’ll see how Hutton rebounds in his next taste of game action.

Anders Nilsson: The worst showing tonight out of any Canuck in the lineup. If there wasn’t a battle for the backup job going into camp, there will be now. Some fans in Vancouver believe that Demko has every opportunity to win a job on the big team in camp. Understanding that Demko still has adjustments to make and that playing every day will do him more good than it will harm, the door has been opened for him after that performance from Nilsson. 3 of the 4 goals tonight were of the ‘soft’ variety. I don’t want to harp too much after just 1 pre-season game, because everyone has bad games. Nilsson just can’t afford any more or he could find himself back on a bus with the Comets.

MOVING FORWARD

So, this was my first post-game recaps for CanucksArmy and I just want to get the readers thoughts on an idea I’m thinking for the upcoming year. As seen above, I’d love to get some hashtags to talk about what went on throughout the game and ultimately the season. So if you guys have ideas for hashtags, feel free to leave them in the comments. Every post game recap, before the next game I’ll pick 2-3 hashtags that I’ll focus on and talk about in the next post-game article. Maybe it’s something along the lines of how good the rookies are doing, the positives to the team not winning as many games as some fans would hope, veterans production… or lack thereof, or a certain player scoring, trending upwards in his development. I’ll pick whichever hashtags seem to be getting the most attention down in the comments. I’ll also be posting the hashtags selected on my twitter @cole_marton during the games to spark conversation. This season may not be the ‘best’ season, but let’s try to have as much fun as possible while watching the kids develop. That sounds like a pretty solid plan in my books. Hoping you all feel the same way!

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