We live in a world in which the Minnesota Wild are the number-one team in hockey. Which is unsettling to me because my brain will always know them as a trapping team trying their best to scrape their way into the playoffs. A team led by Jacques Lemaire, a man who probably finds a 2-0 win a little flashy for his liking.
And so when I find myself unsure of the universe around me when I start to feel like I might be losing my grip on reality, I make sure to hold onto the things I know to be true:
  • Honeydew is better than cantaloupe
  • Wendy’s Spicy Chicken sandwiches are the best on the market
  • A Kelly Sutherland game against the Canucks can never end well
So sure, the Minnesota Wild may have won a thrilling game 3-2 over the Vancouver Canucks to push them even further into the league lead in points. But at least the game ended with a blatant non-call that didn’t go Vancouver’s way. Because let me tell you, nothing assures me I am stuck in the same world I’ve always been in quite like Kelly Sutherland doing Kelly Sutherland things. I also think it’s a true testament to Kelly that both teams probably walked away from this game not wanting to see him for a couple of weeks.
Sometimes you just need some time to heal after watching Sutherland referee a game of hockey, we’ve all been there.
Which is too bad, considering it ended up being a very entertaining game. The results might get lost in the furor over the non-call, but Vancouver, at the end of a six-game road trip, went head-to-head with Minnesota and fared quite well. In fact, the seconds before the overtime winner was scored, Brock Boeser hit the post on a breakaway. And not to summon old tweets of the Canucks owner into our household, but at times it truly did feel so tight, almost like a playoff game.
Most of the night was a defensive, physical battle of the wills before it exploded into the madness of time and space in overtime. I could almost picture the Ultimate Warrior trying to explain the game to me in a promo; me barely understanding what he was saying, but knowing somehow it involved the very soul of the universe.
The Canucks will ultimately be happy with securing nine out of a possible 12 points on a road trip that was missing a few bodies. On a trip that ended up being labelled a “pack mentality” situation, the team came together and played some prime playoff Tocchet hockey: A lot of defending the GOTI, a little bit of scoring, and a hell of a lot of effort.
Sure, now they have to figure out how to win games at home, as nine out of 14 games in December are at Rogers Arena, but if Taylor Swift can’t sing away the demons that have plagued Vancouver on home ice, then what’s the point of living?
So, while you will have to do your best to scrub the image of Kelly Sutherland drinking a cold beer after a job well done, the main takeaway from the road trip is that Vancouver survived without JT Miller and, at points, thrived. Filip Hronek went down, the team kept on chugging. And while Quinn Hughes was certainly the engine for the majority of this road trip, it felt like each player had a moment where they shined. Whether it was Noah Juulsen blocking 388 shots, Corolla Garland scoring a mini-sticks goal, Carson Soucy smirking once again, or Max Sasson picking up his first career NHL point, it felt like the team started to play like the one we saw at the end of last season, where everyone gave their best effort and chipped in where they could.
This felt like a team that is going to make the playoffs.
Or as Tay Tay herself once said, “But if the story is over/Why am I still writing pages?”
Let’s hit up some gifs, shall we?
Best Kevin being Kevin
Kevin didn’t have to steal this one, but he did go head-to-head with Filip Gustavsson in a game in which both goaltenders played very well. Which shouldn’t surprise anyone as they are both, as we all predicted, top goalies in the league. In fact, Kevin and Filip are now tied for third in the league with 12 wins a piece, which, again, who didn’t see this coming?
The game was a bit of a slow burn, which meant Kelly Sutherland was upset because he didn’t have any penalties to ignore, but Minnesota definitely carried the play early on. The first period didn’t see any egregious high-danger scoring chances, but the chances Minnesota did create, Kevin made the stops:
The Canucks were in full protect the GOTI mode, as they kept Minnesota to the edge for the majority of the opening frame. Marco Rossi’s shot was probably their most dangerous-looking chance early on, but Kevin seems to always know where the puck is. I assume he has wall hacks at this point, so I just sort of accept it, but the way this guy reads the play in front of him is honestly very enjoyable to watch.
Don’t get me wrong, I grew up on Dominik Hasek, so madness in the crease is absolutely my jam, assuming you don’t go full Dan Cloutier. Give me a Roman Čechmánek highlight over a JS Giguere save any day of the week.
But I also very much respect the eerily calm game that Kevin Lankinen can bring to the crease due to how he rarely utilizes thoughts and prayer techniques in net. He still makes exciting acrobatic saves, he’s not a robot like Thatcher Demko in net, perfectly tuned to be tall in his net at all times, using as little movement as possible. Lankinen is like a hybrid goalie, getting into position, but he has no problem trying to do the splits or throw his blocker at the puck.
As for the Canucks, the first two periods of the game were defined by that GOTI lifestyle and very little in the way of offence.
How little offence, you ask? Their best chance in the first period may have been that lethal Carson Soucy-Noah Juulsen combination:
And hey, that would have been a slick goal. Could you imagine Soucy saucing it down to Juulsen and him tipping it between his legs to open up the scoring? That’s something even the NHL Hitz producers would have felt was going too far.
But aside from a handful of chances, the Canucks offence was firmly in Tocchet playoff mode, which meant low on volume but still getting the occasional high-danger look.
Scoring chances through two periods? 21-8 in favour of the Wild.
High-danger scoring chances through two periods? 5-5 dead even. In fact, the game ended at seven a piece.
So yes, it was very much Tocchet playoff hockey in which the Canucks busted their asses and kept Minnesota to the outside as much as possible while they waited to try and land the perfect counter-punch. It feels a bit like playing with fire, except imagine you can also hear a bunch of guys screaming swear words into hot mics.
Best now you’re playing with power
If Minnesota has one weakness this season, it’s their penalty killing, which is near the bottom of the league. It was a fact Quinn Hughes took advantage of when he opened the scoring for Vancouver:
The Canucks have started using this three on the outside, two on the inside formation, and I have to say, I’ve liked the results. With JT Miller out, the no-look pass to Quinn Hughes, which comprised 85% of their puck movement, was taken away from Vancouver. In that vacuum, the Canucks have had Quinn, Garland, and EP40 cycle the puck around the outside while Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser stack in front of the goalie.
The Canucks had struggled to get the pretty power play goals with quick puck movement and Ovechkin-style one-timers, so settling into a strategy that is greasy in nature but gets the job done feels more on brand for Tocchet Hockey anyways. Much like his spaghetti, it might not look that great, but at the end of the day, food is food.
Do I wake up in a cold sweat sometimes wondering why Tocchet snapped his spaghetti in half before boiling it? Of course I do, I’m only human. I don’t know why you would want to slaughter the harmony of sauce and pasta like that, taking away the highway to flavour town and tearing it apart.
But if it works, it works, even if it’s insulting the culture and legacy of good pasta.
And having DeBrusk, a prolific tipper, and Boeser, a guy with a high-level shot and ability to work the crease game as well, it allows the Canucks to get the puck on net and just sort of see what happens, like any proud first year University student does when choosing classes. And as with the Canucks first goal, Hughes shot just sort of goes straight in, helped by the fact the Canucks are stacking that crease.
All of which is to say that yes, JT Miller needs to form an anti-hero group of castaways on the second unit power play called ‘The Suicide Squad,’ and tell me this doesn’t make Tyler Myers make even more sense now.
Best never forget
I will never hesitate to bring up the fact Marc Crawford hated Adrian Aucoin so much that he demanded Brian Burke trade him, which resulted in Dan Cloutier joining the team.
Ignoring everything Dan Cloutier did (or didn’t do), you still have to remember that Adrian Aucoin ended up being a top defenceman for the New York Islanders for three seasons, an absolute minute-munching machine, before settling into a nice career as a reliable top-four guy.
Just imagine a top four of Jovo, Öhlund, Salo and Aucoin, with Sopel and Baron as your bottom pair in 2003. That’s all I’m saying.
Best hit me with your best (outside) shot
Matt Boldy, aka not Vasily Podkolzin, had a great scoring chance off a one-timer in the slot:
See, you just watched a clip of a solid shot, and are probably wondering why? Well, it’s because that’s all Vancouver was giving up, really. Minnesota was playing well, and winning battles, but even with high offensive zone time, the dangerous scoring chances just weren’t piling up.
Best signs of life
Aside from Noah Juulsen smashing his OMG moment button earlier in the game, Jake DeBrusk had the best scoring chance for Vancouver when he jumped on a puck that just bounced over a Minnesota Wild stick:
One of the things I like about Jake’s game is how quick he is to react to the puck. Whether it’s in the crease or on a play like this along the boards, he reacts and executes his actions at such a quick level.
Best remember him?
This might have been one of Carson Soucy’s best games of the season, which is shockingly a low bar. As everyone has seen this year, Soucy and Myers have struggled together, but ever since the breakup, they seem to both be in a better spot in life? At one point, Ronnie and Sam just needed to be apart, you know?
And Soucy was more of the dependable guy who clears pucks out of his crease in this game versus the “Oh my god, did Carson Soucy just kick the puck into his own net and then down a bottle of mayo?” guy he has been at times this year:
That puck wasn’t going directly into the net, but it was headed to a pile of bodies behind Kevin, so I am going to assume Kelly Sutherland would have found a way to score there if Carson hadn’t cleared the puck.
Best grease it up
The Canucks power play went 1/3 on the night, but it wasn’t for a want of trying. They once again relied on causing chaos in the crease, and this time it was Dakota Joshua who almost cleaned up the trash:
I feel like after having watched Alex Edler’s entire career, we here in Vancouver have a PhD in knowing how easy it is to shoot pucks into shin pads. NHL players are very good at blocking shots and taking away time and space, which leads to a lot of people just ripping shots into legs.
Which is what makes Quinn Hughes so much fun to watch because the guy dances out there and creates his own shooting lanes on net on a level very few people can.
Sami Salo would get good shots on net, mostly because people were afraid his shot was going to kill them, but we’ve also seen our fair share of defenders rocking the blue line, only to have their shots blocked repeatedly.
Steve McCarthy would get a shot on net here and there, but that’s because he made sure to starch his chin strap.
But most defenders you can just close the gap and take away the threat. Quinn Hughes? He will just start swivelling his thumb stick, and before you know it, he’s dancing all over the ice, and now you’re just praying he skates closer to someone else on the ice, so he’s their problem.
One of the major failings of the old school “Just shoot it from the point” is that shots get blocked at a high rate. With Hughes, though, he just finds a way to create open looks on net, which is what lets the Canucks power play strategy work when they double load the crease.
Best what is happening
Vincent Desharnais had one play in which I am pretty sure Google Maps told him to re-adjust his route several times:
This is just an example of decision-making where I wonder how effective he is going to be in the NHL. Size is important, I get that, we all saw Zaddy Daddy crush people during last years run.
But if you can’t make proper decisions under pressure, it just lends itself to a lot of turnovers. And this wasn’t even a situation in which Vincent was in trouble; he had all the time in the world to get back and pick up that puck, yet for some reason, he followed the puck in a seductive “S” curl, rather than just heading to the boards where the puck was going.
And it’s because of that weird route that he ends up losing the puck and the Wild took over in the offensive zone.
It didn’t result in a goal, but it was just a very clear example of why I have loved Erik Brännström’s game; he can think at a high level and move the puck well. You just have to hope that, by playoff time, Desharnais can find a way to excel in Tocchet’s system and let his size become a big asset.
Best mailing it in
Does Kirill Kaprizov work for Canada Post because he refused to deliver? Am I right?
Because of the strike, you see.
This is also an example of puck luck and how defending that 1-0 lead just feels very, very risky. Despite playing high-level defence, all it takes is one bounce.
Best speaking of bounces
Marcus Foligno helped get Minnesota on the board when he did the unthinkable: He stopped Quinn Hughes from doing what he wanted to do:
Look, there are some bad things on that play.
  • Quinn Hughes danced with the puck and lost. And while I appreciate that one person yelling at Hughes on Twitter about him being selfish for “trying to do too much,” this is a guy who attempts that play and pulls it off 99 times out of 100. I will never yell at Quinn Hughes for losing the puck while trying to make something happen. I don’t yell at Gordon Ramsay for dropping my lasagna all over the floor; I just get on the ground and happily slop it up with my hands.
  • Elias Pettersson made a big play for the puck and lost. In fact, it wasn’t my favourite game from Elias because it felt like there were several times he went for the advantageous puck steal versus the safe play. It’s a bit like watching a cornerback going for the pick instead of just swatting the ball to the ground. I get it, the flashy play is there, and I know he can pull it off, but it still felt risky.
  • Brock Boeser did the same thing; he skated at the puck and made a big chop at it and missed, which led to EP40 going for the puck and missing, which led to Foligno entering the zone and feeding Frédérick Gaudreau for the goal.
  • Yes, Foligno interfered with Quinn Hughes a bit by finishing a bonus check after Quinn lost the puck, but I am fine with a ref letting that go. That one isn’t even close to egregious to me.
It was just one of those goals where the Canucks tried to make some big plays, offensively and defensively, and the Wild made them pay.
Which makes sense, as they are somehow the top team in the league.
The Minnesota Wild.
Tops in the league.
Somehow.
Best top team doing top team things
You know what you’re going to get from Noah Juulsen, and that’s him being willing to get hit by as many cars as it takes if it means helping his team win. He’s the guy who still picks Reinhardt in Overwatch after all these years, he just wants to get out there and hammer down despite the other team having a Pharah. And I say that with love. I respect the effort he gives every single night. That guy would beat the total sh*t out of me in any sport; I am firmly aware of this.
But he is also one of those guys where you sometimes have to worry about his decision-making. And much like the Desharnais example earlier, this is another play where he has plenty of time to make his decision, before ultimately making the wrong one:
He shoulder checks three times like he’s trying to change lanes on the Alex Fraser Bridge, but still ends up spinning and firing a pass into a turnover. Even worse, he had plenty of time to stop with the puck and take some more time.
These are the kinds of plays where you see the Canucks exploring the trade market to see if they can inject size and mobility on the back end. This is why they traded for Nikita Zadorov last year: He was tantalized by the idea that he could provide both.
It wasn’t a night full of mistakes, mind you, but in close games, where one little thing can change your fortune, sometimes these plays stand out.
Best angry giraffe
My barometer for “is this so tight, almost like a playoff game?” is if Tyler Myers looks pissed during a game and starts shoving people.
This guy doesn’t get riled up often; he could lose a game 9-1, and he would gladly break down what went wrong in the game.
But when the other team starts throwing hits and taking liberties, that’s when CG57 starts showing up on the ice:
Dude is out here bowling with humans.
Best charge into the night
By my accounts, Eriksson Ek skated from around two States away to land that suspiciously high hit on Kiefer Sherwood, resulting in no call and the Wild almost scoring:
So with prison rules firmly put into place by Kelly Sutherland, Kiefer took his revenge in the form of a huge hit on Ben Jones:
To which Kaprizov took as a sign that it was open season on Noah Juulsen:
Such is the way of life when prison rules are used, you end up getting Game of Thrones level domino effects.
Today, Kiefer is taken out by Eriksson Ek, tomorrow Khal Myers is taking Eriksson Ek out with a cross-check to the back.
“I want him to know it was me.”
Best plugging away
The good news: Nils Höglander didn’t take a penalty and get glared at by Rick Tocchet! In fact, he drew a penalty in this game!
The bad news: He still didn’t score:
It is true, though, that this was one of his better games.
I know not many people escape Rick Tocchet Penitentiary once they’re in it, but I have hopes for Nils. I know Nearly Neils is Nearly Traded, but I truly hope the Canucks wait for his play to rebound, or at the very least, don’t sell low on him. The guy is a reclamation project waiting to happen.
Best all aboard the who train
No offence to the WWE’s Godfather, but clearly Jake DeBrusk’s spirit wrestler is Duke the Dumpster Droese:
This guy is the ultimate garbage man; he’s just out here trying to do his job while also winning a World Championship.
Get a puck near the crease; odds are he will find it.
Now we know he was known as a streaky player, and we’re seeing that in Vancouver, so remember this when he goes quiet for a bit.
But enjoy the fact that he’s put up eight goals in the last six games and has been a vital part of the Canucks successful road trip.
I don’t know how he does it half the time. He just sort of shows up and is all “oh hey buds” and pops in a loose puck. Like, Elias Pettersson is fighting for his life in front of the net, battling for position and spinning in the crease to get a shot off, and here comes Jake just sort of gliding on through, tapping the puck.
I mean, I get it. The guy has a high hockey IQ. You can see him running his route to the net on the original shot in case there’s a rebound, and then you can see him spinning back once he sees EP40 has a play on the loose puck. He knows where to be on the ice.
He just makes it look way too easy. He makes it look like we all could have been NHL players, and that’s just not fair, you know?
And on top of that, he’s out here busting out the “shame, shame, I know you’re name” goal celly taunt:
The guy is outscoring Garland and now out celebrating him, this is an unprecedented road trip for Jake.
Best you can never leave me
Jake Middleton doesn’t want you to be happy; never forget that:
Instead of revelling in multiple finger points from Jake, you’re now watching the Canucks get cycled to death in their own zone, leading to Jake DeBrusk falling to the ice like one of Jack’s French girls, as is tradition, which then leads to the Wild evening the score up.
Close game? Check.
Simmering undertones of anger and hatred? Check.
Wondering if the Canucks would have won if they had worn the Skate jersey? Check, check, check.
This game had so tight written all over it.
Best powering up
We have already decided that JT Miller starts his own group on the second unit.
I am not moving away from this five-man group until they get ice cold, as they almost scored on this play as well:
I like the puck movement from them. Garland knows to get the puck to Hughes or Pettersson and is skilled enough to knock down hard east-to-west passes without feeling the urge to make a no-look backhand pass to the point.
Best upping the temp
The third period was where the tempo of the game started to rise.
Don’t worry, it was still a GOTI game, but the Canucks were matching the Wild on scoring chances and, in fact, led them 6 to 4 at evens in the final frame.
That being said, Matt Boldy almost sent Nils to the Rick Tocchet Penitentiary when he froze him in a shot-blocking animation, leading to a dangerous one-timer from Declan Chisholm:
Kevin wasn’t fooled by the rocks that Matt wore; he knows he’s still Boldy from the Block, so he was able to shut down that chance. Still, I won’t lie; part of me was in fear for Höglander’s ice time the second I saw him make that mistake, so I can only imagine what goes through his head on the ice right now when he screws up.
The Canucks pushed back, however, with a Brock Boeser shot he learned from Da Beauty league, where you try and beam the goalie in the head so the puck bounces out for a tap-in rebound:
Jake DeBrusk, you’ll notice, got that play started with a nice defensive effort that yes, he made look stunningly easy.
Best revenge is a dish best served a couple of period laters
I feel like this is the penalty the Wild thought should have been called in their favour, and you know what, I have no issue with that:
Much like we’ll see with Garland later, I can see arguments where someone might wonder if there was some embellishment, but at the end of the day, if the officials had called a penalty here, it would have been more than fair. But prison rules and revenge led to no call, even if karma was properly dished out.
And since there was an attack on one party, there must be retaliation, which is what Middleton did when he landed this big hit on Max Sasson:
Like I said, it was an entertaining game despite the Wild having awful jerseys that even Value Village would be hesitant to take in.
Best pushing forward
Elias Pettersson heard your concerns about not shooting and he promises he’s going to be better:
This one felt like a group effort, what can I say. Both teams stepped up and tried to gut out the win; that’s good sh*t, pal.
Best Pew Pew Pew
Quinn Hughes scrambling around like Josh Allen, trying to get two touchdowns on one play; you love to see it:
There is legitimately no play there when Quinn starts with the puck. The Wild are sitting back like good hosts, plugging up the GOTI, and just counting down the clock until both sides get a point. Yet here’s Quinn dancing and driving all over the ice, almost generating a goal created out of pure force of will.
This guy is like me when I hit the Vegas buffets; I am going to get my money’s worth and there is very little people can do about it.
Best overtime madness
3 on 3 overtime tends to be banana cakes at the best of times, but this one felt extra spicy.
First up, we had the usual, which is Kevin Lankinen making incredible saves:
I’m at the point where I don’t even blink at these anymore; I just sort of expect it. I’m the guy you made breakfast for a couple of times and now I just assume you will do it all the time, I am clearly taking Kevin for granted, I’m sorry.
Then you have Kelly Sutherland doing Kelly Sutherland things:
Look, I get it. Prison rules, all that, etc.
But how do you not call that penalty? Sutherland is looking right at it. He sees Kaprizov flub the shot. He sees Kaprizov stop skating. He sees Kaprizov put out his stick and interfere with Garland’s skating path.
And then he just looks the other way.
I shouldn’t be seeing an NHL referee use the same strategy I use when there are dirty dishes piled up in the sink.
That is a penalty 99 out of 1oo times, and the one time it isn’t, it’s because the official had to leave the ice due to a Luongo incident.
“But Wyatt, Garland embellished on the play!!”
  1. I’m not sure if he did, the dude was trying to skate a two on one into existence. I’m not sure he actively thought the right play was to dive and halt the odd-man rush.
  2. Even if he did add some flair to it, how many times have we seen a stick get in the skates of someone and even if it doesn’t look egregious, the league is like “Well, you’ve gotta call it, don’t put your stick in a spot where they can make that call.” Like, even if Garland doesn’t fall, that’s still Kaprizov impeding the progress of a guy developing a two-on-one situation.
That was a game-altering decision by Earl Hebner Kelly Sutherland right there.
And I get it; talking about bad calls is a slippery slope. It often leads to “WELL WHAT ABOUT” on a level that makes me very, very tired.
But if the tables were reversed and Quinn Hughes does this to a Wild player, I would be absolutely blown away if Quinn didn’t get called there. This is universally a penalty, no matter what situation. I truly don’t know how this doesn’t get called.
I mean, I do, it’s Kelly. But still.
Just an incredible display right there.
Best looking directly into my eyes
I will say if that horrible non-call was good for anything, it was watching what I can only describe as cocaine energy-inspired defence from Kiefer Sherwood:
You know I love a good active stick, but I didn’t know a stick could get this active. I truly think Rossi was mesmerized by that stick movement, hypnotized by the snake-like maneuvers being used in front of him. The poor guy was so broken by the end of that display that he just ended up passing it right to Kiefer. This might be the best two-on-one defence I have seen this year.
Best all for naught
Despite Kelly, the Canucks still had two chances to win this game before the Wild ended it.
First up was Garland recognizing a tired line was on the ice, so he goes full Bertuzzi and tries to truck the puck on net:
And then shortly afterwards Brock Boeser got sent in all alone, only to hit the post:
Only for the puck to bounce off the post, around the boards, turning into a two-on-one that Kaprizov, of course, ends with the one-time clapper:
Objectively, seeing the crowd absolutely explode after that goal was dynamite to watch. That’s sports at its best, with two teams trading shots back and forth until, eventually, the hometown hero lands the kill shot. This wasn’t Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul; this was prime Anderson Silva ninja-kicking Vitor Belfort and putting him to sleep. This was the kind of stuff that sells the sport.
That being said, one of the big talking points from this game will be that non-call, and it’s hard for it not to be.
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