As Sunday night rolled around, Vancouver was doing its best to move onto a new era. It was always going to be hard, of course. You can’t just snap your fingers and forget about everything you went through. You don’t just wake up one day, untouched by your past, ready to become a new person. It takes time to move on from a long and meaningful relationship; that’s just how life works.
So it was with a heavy heart that the Vancouver Canucks did their best to see what the world would look like without Danton Heinen.
On the surface, an overtime loss is very much what life was like with Danton Heinen. Sure, there were fewer “Did he even play tonight?” and “Wait, Danton who? That’s a player?” this time around, but the end result of a loss in overtime. That’s pretty much how we roll here in Vancouver this year, anyhow.
On a deeper level, the Canucks did play a strong game. They seemed to be attacking the middle of the ice with a consistency we haven’t seen in many a moon, and that weird vibe of “ok, so they all hate their lives, right?” wasn’t floating just above the ice during the entire game. At one point, a player even looked excited after he scored a goal.
Still, there will always be a raised eyebrow to losing to a team playing its second night in a row. The Canucks overtime record is horrendous, but a good team doesn’t even let it get to extra time in this scenario.
So, while that 14-2 edge in high-danger shots for Vancouver is impressive, they still walked away looking like a team that struggled to score goals. A team that has very little in the way of finish. And a top line that has the brightest of spotlights on it ever since Danton Heinen left. Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson combined for zero points on the night but led the team in “ah, I wish that had hit the net” attempts.
And look, I know what you’re thinking: Wouldn’t Danton Heinen have scored in overtime? Of course he would have, but he’s gone, you have to accept that fact. You can’t keep living in the past and chanting “Danton, Danton, Danton” at the games. It isn’t healthy.
The good news is Filip Chytil looked downright impressive for the Canucks. His ability to attack the zone with speed, possession, and a willingness to dangle around guys? Hell, it felt like we were watching a young Elias Pettersson back when he was gaming, and nobody was yelling at him for using social media too much.
The bad news is we’re so broken in this city that we see Chytil playing such free-flowing hockey, and our immediate thought is, “Oh, Rick ain’t gonna like that.”
Which actually brings us to what’s kind of been the underlying theme of the season: The limitations, real or imagined, of the Tocchet GOTI system. We’ve talked about it on end about how Tocchet has a history of offensively underwhelming teams under his leadership, so we don’t need to dive too deep into that. Yes, Clayton Keller truthers, I hear you.
But what we can do is see a game like tonight, where new players have joined the team, and see how they evolve over the next month. Because if Chytil’s game changes from the one we saw Sunday night into one that adapts to the dump-and-chase world, it will be hard to argue that the GOTI system isn’t at play here.
On the other hand, if Chytil continues to play at this level, then that levels a finger pretty firmly in the direction of the roster itself not doing what the coaching staff has said they’ve wanted. Because we’ve heard Rick Tocchet preach about how he’s as tired of this team’s lack of offence as you are; it’s just the players who aren’t doing the right things.
Tocchet spoke about Chytil and Drew O’Connor’s game, but more specifically their speed and how they were able to turn that into controlled zone entries and how he wanted that to rub off on the rest of the team”
“Yeah, they got speed, right? To be a good rush team, you have that speed. They understand too, getting off the wall and get the puck in the middle. So, hopefully, that’s contagious.”
So, in a sense, we have our own little science experiment at play: Will Chytil be a symbol of evolution? Of a player showcasing how the old roster lost its way and didn’t have the heart to perform the way they were supposed to? Or will Chytil be proof that the GOTI system slowly chokes the life out of you, leaving you a husk of your former self, a player more concerned with being in position defensively instead of risking anything on offence.
Or you can say it was the guy’s first game, so of course, he played like lightning in a bottle. So, our sample size is irrelevant, and the entire project is a waste of time.
Either or.
Let’s get to the game.
Best new era
According to Rick Tocchet, Carson Soucy needed a reset, which is coach speak for “figure your sh*t out.” This is how we found out that with Quinn Hughes out at the last minute due to the injury he suffered last game, the Canucks chose to field Derek Forbort and Elias Pettersson (D) ahead of Soucy. Which is a wild turnaround from last season, but that’s kind of how the whole season has gone, so why should this be any different? 2024 feels like a different planet, let alone year, at this point.
The reality of it is that Carson Soucy probably was the best choice to take out of the lineup. Not because he’s better than Derek Forbort (he’s not), but because we know Soucy can be better. You can’t reset Forbort when he’s already working as intended. Soucy, though? Maybe this is a little slap in the face that gets him going again.
Best no politics
I don’t talk politics here because this is where you come to forget about the outside world. We come here to ignore real life and pretend that Elias Pettersson missing the net should get him thrown in jail, and it is the most important thing going on in our lives right now.
I merely post this tweet so we can all acknowledge that this is a thing now, and the Four Nations Cup is now must-watch TV.
Also, I am going to take this moment to promise you I will continue to refuse to do tariff-based jokes. I made that promise when I got my degree many years ago and I plan to stand by it.
Best shooting blanks
I’d be Lyon if I didn’t say this was a good save:
I heard that Boeser couldn’t score because of the tari- NO, DAMN IT.
Still, if edging yourself is your kink, then let me welcome you to the Canucks top line of DeBrusk, Pettersson, and Boeser, who managed to not score goals many, many times. They failed in, what does Rick call them again? Oh yes, key moment. They failed in many key moments.
Now, it has only been two games since Danton Heinen was traded, so you do have to give time for the dust to settle from that. You have to give this line time to find its groove.
But in regards to this night, a quick summary of their game was two periods of poop, followed by a solid effort but still nothing to show for it. I give you permission to snidely discuss “11.6” in hushed, angry tones until further notice.
Best 200-foot effort
Despite the lack of offensive production, Elias was working hard all over the ice. Though, to be fair, once Detroit went up 2-1, they sat back and waited for the sweet embrace of death. Anybody tends to look better when the other team is parking the bus.
STILL, we cannot deny that EP40 was willing to block shots in the GOTI, something you know Rick loves:
He needs to start putting up points, clearly, but at least he’s not hurting the team defensively.
Also, pro tip: If you say you want all the pressure and all the heat of being the top guy, you’re going to have to handle media scrums without sounding annoyed when people dared to ask you a question.
Best new blood
Pius Suter was probably the best Canucks forward on the night? He was very noticeable in getting shots off, at the very least? In fact, the Drew O’Connor/Pius Suter/Kiefer Sherwood line was a good watch all night. They had that good blend of speed, tenacity, shot creation, and the threat of Sherwood murdering someone with a hit. It was the kind of game where you wanted to see them play together as a unit next game.
They created scoring chances off of grinding along the boards like it was their first dance at high school and then charging hard toward the net, which is, again, something Tocchet will love:
They just had that “it” factor early on and were moving their legs and generating chances because of it. Which is why it was no surprise that Pew Pew ended up being the guy who scored first for Vancouver:
Now, this isn’t exactly a play we have to break down into tiny details, as it’s pretty simple what happened: D-man go shoot, Suter go tip.
Low to high passes and protecting the boards are a staple of the GOTI system, it just usually ends up looking extremely tedious when it doesn’t work. Floating in weak wrist shots from the point? Gross.
But when it works? Floating in point shots and scoring? That’s just good hard work right there. It’s a fine line, you see.
The main takeaway from this goal should be that Suter and his line were playing very well and that D-Petey showed a lot of confidence in just firing the puck away from the point. He only ended the night with two shots, but his quickness in getting the shot off stood out. He didn’t hold onto the puck for three seconds before finally turning it over, he just made quick confident decisions with the puck. And those confident decisions extended to his passes, as well, as he made several stretch passes – looking like a young Olli Juolevi.
I walked away from this game knowing that D-Petey was better than any of the defensive signings the Canucks made over the summer, and that is both an endorsement and an indictment.
Best facts are facts
Tied with Kevin Lankinen!
Best Calder Myers
With Marcus Pettersson (‘MP3’ as Dan Murphy called him, so I shall also use this label because it reminds me of downloading purchasing songs back in the day) on the team, he’s been described as a very good safety player. He is the kind of defenceman who makes the lives of those around him an easier world to live in. From that Chris Tanev mode where they will eat a hit if it means you get to fly.
So, part of me, of course, hopes that Tyler Myers uses this to activate his offensive game again and start busting out the dangles. Which to my surprise, he did a little bit on Sunday:
I don’t know if playing with Quinn Hughes has inspired him, but the Chaos Giraffe has been out here doing his thing over the last few weeks, and I am absolutely here for it. Go end to end if you want; show off that chaotic energy!
Now, normally, that comes at a price. You unleash the chaos; you get the good with the bad. So when Detroit tied the game up and Myers was on the ice, it was easy to point a finger at him:
However, as you can see, he was in position. The problem is he was interfered with, but due to the officials only calling one penalty the entire night, a lot of stuff was largely ignored.
The main issue on this play was Chytil going full Forbort and picking a corner and missing, ending with Garland boofing the puck along the boards, which led to the odd-man rush.
Bit of bad luck, mixed in with some soft interference, large box of condoms, disposable enemas, and Ole Harper.
But never illegal fireworks.
Best how dare you
Normally, I wouldn’t allow Danton Heinen slander, not after all he’s done for this city, but when Drew O’Connor dekes Lucas Raymond out of his jorts, I will allow it:
I don’t think O’Connor is some hidden gem who is about to transform into an elite top-six player, BUT, I do like his game considerably more than Danton. The speed from Chytil and O’Connor felt very noticeable, which, again, could be due to the roster or the effects of the GOTI system. Maybe in three weeks, O’Connor is openly sobbing as he drags the puck to the red line at a robust 5-MPH to dump the puck in and go for a line change.
But on Sunday night? It was one of the more dynamic games from the Canucks this season, even if that bar is incredibly low.
Best he’s heating up
Filip Chytil was straight up the most entertaining player to watch in this game. He just had a willingness to get the puck to the net by any means necessary and it was downright delightful to watch. Not to hammer home a solitary point, but watching the Canucks battle in their own zone along the boards, just to have Brock Boeser bravely smile as he skated to dump the puck in, which a solitary tear sliding down his cheek, that’s depressing sh*t, man.
So you’re goddamn right I am going to get hyped watching Chytil simply take the puck and charge right at the net with it:
That’s good stuff, my friends.
You know what else is good? Skating with the puck from your own end and finding a way into the offensive zone WITH PUCK POSSESSION:
See? See? I wasn’t kidding; that just happened. A guy from the Canucks not named Quinn Hughes or Chaos Giraffe on an absolute bender just skated with the puck from their own end of the ice, all the way onto the other side of the ice while maintaining possession of the puck. Heck, Chytil skated through and/or around four guys in that one shift, ending with a nice pass to Conor Garland for a slapshot (Chytil doesn’t know about Garland’s shot; don’t be mad at him).
For a team that has been starfishing rush chances all season, this was one of the first times where you were like, “oh wait, I remember what fun hockey used to look like.”
Best he’s not wrong
As stated earlier, D-Petey was just making quick decisions out there, and he was effective with it. It’s one thing to make a bad, quick decision. Like, I could play for the Canucks and make a ton of really bad, quick decisions. Nobody wants that.
But when you can make quick decisions that end with good results? That’s what keeps you in the NHL. That or being really tall and having played one good game in your entire career, so GMs will spend the rest of their days trying to unlock that in you.
And those quick decisions lead to more rush chances, like when a D-Petey pass to Linus Karlsson led to a bouncing pass towards the net that Nils Höglander almost tipped by Alex Lyon:
Hey, the Canucks lost, I get it, but that first period at least felt like semi-interesting hockey. I didn’t have to close my laptop and pretend I had been looking at p*rn when someone walked in during the Canucks game, and that’s an improvement.
Best getting in the coaches good books
You know how you make Tocchet happy? Protect those boards, baby!
Drew O’Connor cuts the puck off at the boards and sets up Pius Suter for another high-danger shot on the net, which is music to the Canucks coach’s ears. Moving your feet, cutting off pucks, and getting shots off? That’s NSWF for Spaghetti Rick.
Best at least they tried
D-Petey just plays with the confidence of a man who hasn’t been destroyed by the GOTI system, and I enjoy it. He still has that youthful energy about him where he can take shots on net from anywhere and not have an existential dread of being sent to Tocchet Penitentiary hanging over him:
We know Jake DeBrusk will get hot again any day now; it was clearly printed on the label when we bought him that he’s streaky.
Until then, all we can do is watch him work in the blue paint and support him with a couple of claps and firm nods.
Best rare occurrence
It is not often Corolla Garland gets embarrassed defensively. Embarrassed about his 15-flex stick? Sure. But defensively? Rare. Very rare.
So colour me surprised when he was absolutely ethered by Moritz Seider on this blue line walk:
I assume Corolla thought he was going to flip coverage on the play, but it never happened.
Instead, we now have a clip people can use when they scream about me giving him a third-place vote on the Selke trophy.
Best we can’t keep doing this
Noah Juulsen remains in the lineup because he’s big, he’s right-handed, and he just loves penalty-killing.
My only issue with him is how “playing efficient defence” is not on that list. Which I know last year I ragged on him pretty hard, only for him to end up showcasing a couple of solid months of hockey. But this year? That Juulsen is nowhere to be found.
Instead, we have Michael Rasmussen slowly guiding Juulsen into the perfect position to screen Kevin Lankinen:
Boxing out the crease remains a mystery for this Canucks team. It’s like explaining to a tourist how Park Royal technically has two sides of the mall, but the North side doesn’t really count. Nobody seems to get it.
Best dingle dangle
I have no idea the last time I showed multiple video clips of a Canucks forward entering the offensive zone with possession like this:
He just has the swagger in his game. I’m not saying it’s going to lead to 100-point seasons or that he’ll ever replace Danton Heinen, but in terms of him being a good roll of the dice as a second-line centre? First game returns feel good. Still, a long way to go, don’t get me wrong, but it was fun to see him attack with the puck like this.
Best going for broke
Brock Boeser didn’t score any goals on the night, but he did miss the net by around 98 feet on this rush:
To be fair to Brock, there are very few players I want picking the corner like that, and Brock is one of them. Most players, I am hoping, keep it low and on the net, so at the very least, maybe you crash in the rebound.
But Brock, you want to go for that top-corner shot? At least I know it’s theoretically possible with him, so I can’t get too mad at that. I think you only get frustrated with that on the premise that Boeser just hasn’t been producing lately, so this feels like more of the same.
Best time machine
This wasn’t counted as a high-danger chance because he didn’t get the shot off, but I won’t lie; I clearly saw flashbacks of 2009 running through my head when it happened:
Patrick Kane almost going end to end in the year 2025? I don’t need that in my life.
Best the struggle is real
The first period felt dynamic, while the rest of the game felt like they were back to the GOTI grindstone of “win some puck battles, throw the puck on net,” which is why this shot from Hronek felt like a warm blanket of comfort; We know this lifestyle, this is who we are:
And when they did get rush chances, that top line just didn’t have that key lime pie in them to make it count:
The silver lining is that I can’t remember the last time I saw Elias Pettersson skate that fast!
The non-silver lining is that Brock Boeser was clearly in his head at this point because he tried forcing a pass into a clearly covered Jake DeBrusk. I can almost hear Ken Dorsey making that play call from here.
Brock would then almost set EP40 up for the tap-in goal in the crease, but whoopsy, ice is slippery, I guess, so Pettersson fell to the ice instead of scoring:
That being said, you could feel it in the air that the Canucks were going to find a way to score a goal eventually.
Best ok sure
Disrespect to Danton Heinen. Lunacy.
Best hot debut
Hey, you know what’s really fun? Filip Chytil dancing his way to the front of the net and scoring:
You should listen to the audio on this goal, because I’ve heard many a crowd celebrate a goal, and this one was a heavy celebration. Not to playoff levels, of course, but this fan celebration had some emotion behind it. Not a “we can finally say goodbye to Danton” level of emotion, but an “Oh thank god our new guy scored, maybe there is hope for us after all” type of release.
It’s tough to watch guys go to other teams and put up multiple-point games and not feel a bit of trepidation. So, while this goal doesn’t guarantee anything, I think it represented a bit of hope for a fan base that has been mired in a months-long divorce from their parents.
Also, how can you not love this goal-scoring energy?
When the Canucks scored a goal before Heinen was traded, it felt so sad. They looked like my dog does when the fire alarm goes off; they just seemed sort of sad and confused by all the noise. Only Conor Garland kept up the goal-scoring celebration energy.
Now we have Chytil to step up to the plate and bring us that angry “CHEER FOR ME, CELEBRATE ME, WITNESS MEEEEEE” energy you need once in a while.
Best we all have dreams
Boeser had his chances, man. Elias Petterson does a tremendous job of drawing in three Wings to his side of the ice, which allows him to send a puck for Nearly Nils to skate into, to which he attempted a pass back to Brock for the tap in:
The third period was much better for the Canucks top line, but yeah, just couldn’t cash in on those key moments.
Best shock collar
I assume Tyler has an angel and a chaotic giraffe on his shoulders, and today, the angel won:
“Go for it CG57, you won the Calder, who the **** do these people think they are telling you what you can and cannot do? You’re 12 feet tall, they’re lucky you don’t crush them to death. Just skate for the loose puck, you got this.”
“Tyler, please don’t.”
Myers ran away from that puck like someone dropped a live grenade.
Best never in doubt
The Red Wings had one, count it, one shot in the third period. Their best scoring chance, however, was one that missed the net:
The dramatic slow motion is why I included this clip. That and to really hammer home how much Detroit sat back in this game.
Best keep on keeping on
He lost the puck once he got in the zone, but who cares? They would have turned over possession on a dump and chase, anyways:
Honestly, I could not be more intrigued to see if the GOTI system coaches this out of him or if it really was a case of players being mopey and upset about their high-priced job asking them to skate a lot.
Best off to overtime
The Canucks made it to overtime, and oh my goodness, I cannot describe how much I hate flinging the puck around like the Canucks did in this session:
Look, you all know I love Garland. I think he’s a vital part of this team. But I do NOT love him in overtime. His complete lack of a shot, combined with his willingness to go for it on high-risk passes, just drives me nuts at times. Which, on the surface, Garland should be a great player in overtime – hard on the puck, plays good defence, and has good passing.
But I don’t know; I just feel like instead of waiting for the perfect kill shot to open up, he’s more willing to try and thread a needle of a pass instead of being patient and waiting for a better look.
Either way, tossing that puck back along the boards almost cost the Canucks the game were it not for Kevin.
Don’t worry, Garland will be in the game losing goal clip shortly.
Best storybook ending
The Canucks actually had a chance to end the game with an Elias Pettersson goal which would have blown the roof off of Rogers Arena, but we’re not allowed to have good moments like that in life:
You know what I hate about that? Missing the net.
I know, I know, I just…Look, I know EP40 can hit that shot so I don’t behoove him for going for it, but I also can’t help but wonder, would Danton Heinen have scored there?
Best rise before the fall
We now head back to Conor Garland, who, upon receiving a nifty pass from MP3, tried to find the hot hand in Chytil to end the game:
I am kind of torn because Garland has no shot to speak of, so passing to the guy who just put on the snipe show makes sense.
But it’s also a tough pass to a guy at a sharp angle, and Chytil’s fumble of the puck ends up with Detroit racing down the ice the other way to score the goal.
Again, this is why Garland isn’t my favourite in overtime. His shot isn’t great, so passing is probably his best option there, but even that play wasn’t the kill shot you want from a team in overtime.
If you want a kill shot, let’s watch Detroit.
Best finish him
Detroit runs a solid 3-on-2, and for reasons I’m still not quite sure of, at no point did Kevin even think that pass was a possibility. He just comes out of his net, stares down the shooter, and then has to gasp in horror at the pass over to Alex DeBrincat:
To Garland’s credit, he makes a valiant effort to block that shot, but alas, it ends in short king on short king crime.
Leaving the Canucks with yet another overtime loss. Something we are all very, very used to.
But at least this one felt more lively? More fun? I don’t know. It just felt like some of the gloom of the last few months wasn’t so heavy.
Maybe it’s just hearing about players excited to be here rather than answering questions about why they hate each other that lifted my spirits.
Either way, this week of hockey ahead of should be an interesting one.
Best jersey Botch
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