Young Stars Post-Game: Canucks prospects takeoff
5 years ago
The Canucks Young Stars took to the ice for the annual pre-season event and Canucks fans were excited.
Despite only facing the Winnipeg Jets twice over the next three days, there is a sense that the roster that the Canucks were bringing had quite a few players that could be Canucks in the near future. Tonights performance was something else as the Canucks exploded offensively in the second period to run up the score quickly.
The full lineup for tonight’s game was as follows:
Just to add to the lineup – the powerplay units were:
PP1 was Pettersson Dahlen Gadjovich Lind Juolevi; PP2 was MacEwen, MacMaster, Gaudette, Jasek, and Brisebois.
It’s pre-pre-season hockey but that doesn’t mean that a post-game isn’t warranted, so let’s break it all down.
Period 1
The Canucks came out to start the game and didn’t have to wait long to get on the board as Adam Gaudette tipped the Guillaume Brisebois point shot
It was clear that the Canucks had come to play as they took it to the Jets for the majority of the first half of the period, leading the shot count by a 7-1 score at one point. They were afforded a powerplay opportunity but didn’t really make anything happen despite having those fairly loaded units.
The Jets best chances in the first parts of the game came off of a couple of turnovers but otherwise didn’t really press offensively otherwise.
The baby Canucks were afforded another power-play chance in the second half and showed a little more life as Gadjovich and Jasek almost combined for goal. The first unit was able to get some sustained pressure after the Jets missed on a shorthanded chance.
Kristian Vesalainen was able to get two glorious chances shortly after the Canucks second powerplay but wasn’t able to bury them.
The game did settle down a bit as the Jets started to generate their own chances, including this one that needed McFadden to bail out his goaltender.
The period ended with the Canucks up 1-0.
Period 2
The Canucks didn’t waste any time getting on the board in the second and didn’t really look back after that.
Rather than trying to break it all down, here are the six (!) goals that the Canucks scored in the middle frame.
Jonah Gadjovich tips the point shot to put the Canucks up 2-0.
Shortly after that, Petrus Palmu bats the puck into the new to put the Canucks up 3-0.
Elias Pettersson with the beauty stretch pass to send Jonathan Dahlen in on the break. 4-0.
Palmu tips the McFadden shot to run the score up to 5-0
Elias Pettersson wows Canucks fans with the bullet to put his team up 6-0.
Gadjovich picks up his second goal of the game to keep the rout going, 7-0.
Michael Spacek was able to get the Winnipeg Jets on the board by displaying some patience to outwait Michael DiPietro and fire it home.
The period came to a conclusion early as stanchion in the boards fell onto the ice and rather than waiting and then playing for 27 seconds, the officials called for the end of the frame. With the Canucks up 7-1, maybe some mercy was given as well.
That was much easier than trying to break down each play as the Canucks were just running away with it.
Period 3
It feels like a broken record, but the Canucks got on the board early in the third period.
Off the turnover, Dahlen takes the shot and Elias Pettersson finds the loose puck to push the score to 8-1.
The third period went as one would expect in an 8-1 score. The Canucks got some decent chances including a fantastic chance for Kole Lind and Dahlen that started with a nice saucer pass by Elias Pettersson. There was pushing and shoving at points as it was clear that the Jets were frustrated.
The Canucks did give the Jets a power play and they were able to cut the lead to 8-2.
Reid Gardiner had a nice chance in the final minutes of the game as he broke into the offensive zone and rang it off the post.
The Canucks take the first game of Young Stars by a score of 8-2
Notes
- The Dahlen (1G-2A) – Pettersson (2G-1A) – Lind line combined for three goals but could’ve had a few others with some glorious chances. If there was one negative note about their play, it was that Pettersson struggled in the faceoff circle.
- Gaudette was really strong in the first period after opening the scoring. He and Palmu were effective on the forecheck and creating chances by taking the puck to the net. They could be an interesting tandem in Utica to start the year.
- Gadjovich had a rough year battling injuries last season but he looked good tonight. Two goals in the blowout isn’t a fair indication of what to expect for the upcoming season but it is good to see that he was noticeable at points.
- The Jansen Harkins, Kristian Vesalainen, and Michael Spacek line was the only ones to keep their heads above water for the Jets. It was clear that they are the players that are a step above the rest.
- These types of games will get fans excited but they can also mask some of the little things to the game. With that in mind, it’s the first game of the year and it may be a long one for Canucks fans, so we’ll just let the positivity flow for one evening.
- The Canucks and Jets Young Stars meet again at 2:00 PM on Sunday.
