Welcome 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!
It’s finally over! The preseason is finally over! Let’s get into tonight’s game.
Aatu Räty took the first penalty of the game when he was called for holding on Brett Kulak. Kulak clamped down on Räty’s arm to draw the call, a savvy veteran move.
Arshdeep Bains and Daniel Sprong got their signals crossed on a line change, giving the Oilers another power play. Again, the Canucks’ PK stood tall.
Early on, it was all Oilers.
Then the fourth line got to work, causing a neutral zone turnover before getting the puck back to Quinn Hughes, who blasted a point shot past Stuart Skinner. 1-0 Canucks
The Canucks kept up the momentum they built, and Jake DeBrusk made a smart play to maintain possession and draw two Oilers in towards him before sliding the puck back to Elias Pettersson, who made a beautiful backhand saucer pass to Carson Soucy to make it 2-0 Canucks.
The Canucks got their first power play of the night when Mattias Janmark tripped up Filip Hronek early in the second period. This was our first chance to see the Canucks’ power play with Jake DeBrusk on it. The first unit looked solid, but the second unit looked even better. Daniel Sprong and Danton Heinen give the unit a whole new look, and Arshdeep Bains got a chance that he didn’t waste any time in burying to make it 3-0.
It was a strong game for Bains, who looked like he was doing everything he could
not to be the final cut among the Canucks’ forward group.
We haven’t yet mentioned Arturs Silovs, who once again looked phenomenal tonight. He had a few iffy moments off of point shots, but it was a strong night overall for number 31 in the Canucks’ goal crease.
Kiefer Sherwood got under Darnell Nurse’s skin, as the Oilers defenceman took a run at him and was called for interference. Derek Forbort dropped the gloves with Nurse as a result, and the Canucks found themselves on another power play thanks to Nurse’s lack of discipline.
Brock Boeser was called for holding, moving things to 4-on-4. Aatu Räty lost the defensive zone draw and missed his subsequent assignment, leaving Evan Bouchard open in the high slot to make it 3-1.
The Oilers got a good chunk of 5-on-3 time after a Quinn Hughes tripping penalty, as the Canucks’ penalty kill was getting a good tune up opportunity in their final game of the preseason. The PK looked more aggressive than we’re used to seeing, and that seemed to work quite well for them against a dominant Oilers power play.
The Canucks went unscathed and entered the third period up by a pair of goals.
The power play got another opportunity to get some reps in when Mattias Janmark tripped up JT Miller. Again, the second unit got a good opportunity to show what they can do, with Daniel Sprong leading the charge.
Jake DeBrusk scored his third goal of the preseason after the Oilers pulled their goalie with three minutes to go. 4-1 Canucks final.
Some takeaways from tonight:
-The Jake DeBrusk-Elias Pettersson-Daniel Sprong trio established a solid baseline tonight. Sprong was also out late when Edmonton had their goalie pulled, which seems notable, given his past of not being trusted in those spots.
-Good to see Kiefer Sherwood mixing it up tonight.
-The Derek Forbort-Vincent Desharnais pairing held up well tonight, and both guys looked comfortable together.
-Quinn Hughes looks hellbent on repeating as the Norris Trophy winner
What’s your reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!
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