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!
For one last time this season, it’s time to react instantaneously to a Canucks game, one that might be Brock Boeser’s last as a Vancouver Canuck.
After a stirring ovation and salute to Boeser, a pair of anthems, and some tedious back-and-forth action, Alex Pietrangelo drew a hooking penalty against Pius Suter, giving the Vegas Golden Knights the evening’s first power play.
In a hilarious sequence, Kiefer Sherwood clipped Pietrangelo’s skate while forechecking on the PK, opening the door for Drew O’Connor to rifle a shot on Akira Schmid shorthanded. Lankinen was sharp over the back-half of the PK, making several point-blank stops on Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev.
No one would fault either club for phoning this one in. Neither clinching the division nor being firmly eliminated from playoffs deterred either club from treating game 82 like it was game one of the 2024-25 playoffs—lots of hits, lots of shot attempt,s and lots of rebound chances from the crease, including Suter’s 25th of the season 8:23 into the game!
1-0 Canucks
It was a terrific, cheeky little sequence wherein Nils Höglander drew two Vegas skaters to the half-wall before backhanding a pass to a streaking Conor Garland for the turning wrister on Schmid. Suter sashayed across Schmid’s line of sight, picked up Garland’s rebound, and hit 25 goals for the first time in his NHL career. Ka-Ching!
Past the midway point of the period, Howden floated a backhander that pinged off the crossbar and nearly dropped off Lankinen’s back and into the net.
Minutes later, Quinn Hughes had a shot eephus its way over William Karlsson’s stick-blade and Schmid, pinging off the inside of the crossbar and out—weird!
The Golden Knights pretty well controlled the first five minutes-and-change. Aside from Howden’s handful of attempts and ricochet off the bar, it was all Vancouver after Suter’s goal.
Hughes opened the second period with some escape-artist s*** that made colour commentator Ray Ferraro’s jaw drop. Then Elias Pettersson smoked the referee with an outlet pass attempt that got Ferraro and John Shorthouse laughing. It was nice to have fun on the broadcast, even in a game as meaningless and stakes-less as this one.
Five minutes into the period, Jack Eichel drew a tripping penalty against Garland, giving Vegas their second power play of the game. The opening minute of the PK looked like a power play for Vancouver, with the Canucks turning a lost d-zone faceoff into a 3-on-2 rush chance. After regrouping in the neutral zone, the Canucks’ penalty killers played a game of four-corner-keepaway, killing any possible power play momentum for Vegas.
After a spectacularly dominant shift from Hughes, the Knights rallied for a handful of dangerous chances on Lankinen, including a second shot off the post.
Past the midway point of the second, Lankinen made an incredible stop on Dorofeyev, off a beautiful pass from Eichel at the goal line.
With five minutes left in the period, Dorofeyev batted down an outlet pass of Pettersson’s at the top of Lankinen’s crease, prompting the Finnish netminder to make his fifth save on the Russian winger.
Later, Teddy Blueger and Tanner Pearson collided inside the neutral zone, resulting in Blueger going down the tunnel as a precaution. Somehow, Pearson came away unscathed. Fortunately, Blueger would return to the game at the start of the third period.
A coverage miscue from Vancouver in the dying minutes of the period led to an equalizer from Victor Olofsson, set up by original misfits Karlsson and the newly acquired Reilly Smith.
1-1 Tie
Lankinen’s mysterious absence following the second period added some spice to the game, resulting in Nikita Tolopilo filling in as the team’s reliever for the final twenty.
Tolopilo was sharp to start, turning aside several chances off the rush from Vegas. At one point, Tolopilo got a late touch on a shot from Olofsson, which deflected the puck off the post and wide. Tolopilo would not be so lucky on the next rush chance, as Dorofeyev finally found the back of the net on his sixth shot of the game, breaking the lengthy stalemate.
2-1 Golden Knights
Pettersson would draw a hooking penalty against Howden almost immediately after Dorofeyev’s goal, giving them their first power play opportunity of the game.
Vancouver managed two attempts to Vegas’ one, which is a polite way of saying, “the power play sucked.”
Right as the power play expired, Eichel tipped a point shot from Ben Hutton—yes, that Ben Hutton—stretching Vegas’ lead to two.
3-1 Golden Knights
Cole Schwindt drew a hooking penalty against Marcus Pettersson a shift later, giving Vegas a third power play opportunity. Fortunately, they didn’t score. Unfortunately, Vegas got Tolopilo doing some aggressive coast-to-coast splits, the kind that got my popliteus aching!
Sherwood threw some hits, which was nice.
With less than three minutes left, Tocchet yoinked Tolopilo for the extra attacker, deploying a unit of Boeser, Suter, Garland, Höglander, MPettersson, and Kirill Kudryavtsev.
A turnover in the neutral zone landed on Cole Schwindt’s stick, resulting in his first NHL goal—in game 82 of the season.
4-1 Golden Knights
Mercifully, this abject failure of a season is finally over.
Hopefully, the club can find a way to keep Boeser beyond this season. Don’t let this disastrous season-ending whimper be the last time we see him as a Canuck.
Happy retirement to Pat O’Neill.
What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below. And be sure to tune into Rink Wide Vancouver moments after the final horn!
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