On Monday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Patrick Johnston discussed the Canucks’ recent struggles on special teams, Tyler Myers’ performance, and the looming return of Thatcher Demko.
Quads pointed out the Canucks’ struggles on the penalty kill in their recent game against Tampa Bay. “[Tampa Bay] was firing pucks from all angles. The guts of the ice were wide open for business. I know Tampa has a great power play, but the Canucks need to be as well, or just standing in the right spot. They were in that game right until the end but probably win that game if they don’t give up the power play goals. The too-many-men penalty at the end was really bad by Soucy.”
“That’s a moment you expect your guys to be better, and Soucy screwed up,” Patrick agreed. “Those things happen, but the timing is important. It’s like Nils Hoglander taking a tripping penalty at the end of the period, that drives the coach crazy. It’s unnecessary.”
PJ and Quads praised Tyler Myers for his performance. “Tyler Myers was great in the second half of Sunday’s game. Every fan has the guy they want to go after, and I think over the last couple of seasons it’s been unfair for him. He gets singled out for every mistake but rarely gets praise for his moments. He had a hell of a game. A couple of goal-stopping plays, and he deserves the credit this game.”
The discussion shifted to goaltending, as Patrick noted the value the Canucks found in Kevin Lankinen:
“It’s wild looking at the money being thrown at goalies. I understand teams want to lock in their elite goalies, but it does amaze me when you sit and look at the fact Kevin Lankinen was sitting there all summer and ended up signing for just above league minimum. Watching the game last night, there is a difference between Vasilevsky and Lankinen, but it’s marginal.”
He continued: “They do have some interesting dilemmas ahead of them in terms of what they’ll do with Demko right now, Kevin Lankinen, if there’s another guy coming down the pipe. It’s a testament that if you’re smart about it, you can find good goaltending. Lankinen has been fantastic, and he was a very good backup in Nashville and very good 1B in terrible Chicago. I was shocked to discover this guy who had played well in the NHL for four years was unsigned. This was an Allvin win, he stood his ground and got a good goalie at an incredible price.”
Quads added context to the goaltending situation: “The team hasn’t played spectacular to this point. Lankinen has masked a lot of those issues, but if he were to slip up—and I’m not saying it’s going to happen nor do I want it to—Demko is a perennial Vezina contender. At some point, he’ll probably be starting every fifth game. Down the stretch, Demko is going to be starting. They’re not going to keep a rotation every third game if Demko is ‘the guy’ for the playoffs.”
“The Canucks have done this before, like in 2011,” Patrick continued. “They have two good goalies. Are they going to lean on just one? Obviously, Demko should be in his own class, and so he should be able to ride in the playoffs.”
You can watch the full replay of the show below:
Sponsored by bet365
