The Canucks actually played a hockey game tonight, their first since Sunday, and much to the dismay of a majority of the fanbase, they won the game. It was a night of debuts, as Marcus Granlund made his Canucks debut and “Come Fly With Me” was unveiled as Emerson Etem’s goal song. You decide which one was more important. Let’s dive in.

To start this off, the Canucks paid tribute to the Canadian Armed Forces prior to this game, a necessary and always important ceremony which has become a yearly tradition across the NHL. Erik Karlsson and Henrik Sedin took the ceremonial draw and shared a laugh as they imagined themselves winning the “World Cup of Hockey” this fall.

Emerson Etem opened the scoring for the home squad, midway through the 1st period and as mentioned before, he broke out the Frank Sinatra to really get the young, energetic crowd going!

But don’t worry Canucks fans. The Senators tied it up just a few minutes later, on a questionable goal which proved to be a good one.

As Blake Price pointed out in the 1st, Linden Vey had a strong period and it helped his linemates out as well.

The newly acquired Markus Granlund also looked good in the period, as he started to get his legs and get used to his new linemates. Perhaps the best thing for a new player in a game like this is to fly under the radar and just get used to things. As long as it isn’t negative press, he has to be happy. He also made a great play early in the 3rd period which was almost his first goal as a Canuck. I sped past Erik Karlsson and was in a prime position.

Early in the 2nd period, there wasn’t much going on. There was a few scrums and whatnot, but nothing to write home about. Don’t worry though Pass It to Bulis provided a sobering thought:

But wait, that’s not true!

Thank you guys!

After this happened, the Senators notched a shorthanded goal which put them in 1st place in the league in that category. The Canucks simply broke down defensively. Mark Stone, who had a great game all around, took advantage of the sloppy defence to put the Sens on top.

Just minutes after though, Matt “Beth, I hear you calling” Bartkowski tied up the game yet again with a snipe from the point, and the crowd actually was quite loud. Considering how far out this team is, the Canucks crowd was noticeably there tonight, which isn’t saying much.

Of note on the Bartkowski goal, Markus Granlund tallied his first point as a Canuck and, in turn, has more points as a Canuck than Hunter Shinkaruk. WHO WON THE TRADE? This is a joke. Don’t @ me. 

Then the Canucks squandered the tie once again by allowing Bobby Ryan to score the go-ahead goal near the end of the 2nd. Alex Biega was a little bit at fault for the goal, and people weren’t afraid to point that out.

Linden Vey put himself on display as well, playing like a guy who know’s he is on the trade block.

As we all expected. Matt Bartkowski scored his 2nd goal of the game, early in the 3rd period, furthering his potential on the trade market. It was a long review on the goal, which was challenged by Ottawa on an offside call but there was no conclusive view of the play.

Then, it happened. A glimpse into the Canucks future, a glimmer of hope for the fanbase. A goal scored by Jake Virtanen, with pivotal assists from Bo Horvat and Jared McCann. The future right in front of our eyes. Genuine excitement could be felt and the crowd was abuzz whenever any of the young players were on the ice. 

The Canucks tried their best to give this game away to the Sens, as they spent a majority of the final minutes of the game in the offensive zone, even before they pulled the goalie.

Nevertheless, Emerson Etem (again) scored an empty netter that sealed the deal and sent the visitors from the nation’s capital packing.

This was easily one of the most exciting games of the season for the team, in the worst way. Big mistakes on both sides provided big opportunities, and we witnessed two players who needed a push get on the scoring sheet in a big way. 

Perhaps the most encouraging part of this game was the stellar play from the young players who are sure to be sculpting the future for the Canucks. If you’re on team tank, this result isn’t what you wanted. But the great play from the young guns has to soften the blow in that case, even if just for tonight.