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The Stanchies: Canucks keep things interesting in 5-3 loss to Ducks
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
The Stanchion
Mar 25, 2026, 03:35 EDTUpdated: Mar 25, 2026, 04:41 EDT
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With the end of the season in sight for the Canucks, all you can hope for are games that can kind of hold your interest for a bit. The Canucks have spiritually finished last in the NHL, even if the math says it’s still possible for them to climb the standings just enough to ruin their draft lottery odds. But rather than quibble about numbers, let’s just spend this remaining month of hockey holding hands and smiling to the heavens that this season is mercifully coming to a close soon.
So even though the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-3, you can remind yourself it could be worse: you could be hearing JT Miller give a demoralizing post-game speech with no answers as to how things have gotten so bad. Yes, the Canucks were not held to nine ten shots on this night; they in fact had thirty of them, on route to a decent night of hockey for paying customers. Anaheim is a fun team to watch because they can score goals by the bucketful, but are also quite willing to let the other team have their chances. I feel like they are the nightmare team, defensive-minded coaches whisper about in the dark, of a team so willing to sell their soul for offence that they simply cannot comprehend it.
I don’t imagine Anaheim will go far in the playoffs this year, should they make it, but I do picture them giving a team fits if their goalies lock things down. It feels like they might have an upset or two in them if their offence really gets going and/or they sign a relative of Colin Campbell to gain an edge on officiating.
But give me a game of pond hockey any day of the week, especially in a season like this, so it was a nice reprieve to watch Vancouver keep pace with Anaheim for most of the night.
The long and short of it was Elias Pettersson hit the 500th career point of his career, Drew O’Connor set a career high in goals in a season with 17, and Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk reminded us of a simpler time, back when goals were a common occurrence, and Nikita Zadorov was debating which Rolex to wear to the rink.
Thirteen games remain on the schedule; it’s almost over, folks.
We got this.
Best consequences have actions
In Canada, we have a tradition of chasing after geese as children, only to find out that it has consequences when they turn around and square up with you. Suddenly, the funny-looking bird has five of their friends standing behind it, and even though you don’t speak Geeseanese, you understand you’ve messed up.
This was honoured nicely by Elias Pettersson when he chased down Ryan Poehling on a breakaway to start the game, and took a penalty as a result of his efforts:
The Ducks are a bit of a feast and famine team, so you’re never quite sure when they’re going to score five goals on you, and with Vancouver being the worst team in the league last I checked, it felt like the perfect scenario to open up the scoring on the night.
But you know who doesn’t care for your negative thoughts about last place teams? Mr. Kevin Lankinen. He sees a long line at Starbucks and patiently waits his turn; he doesn’t get filled with pessimism. More time in line? More time to meet new folks and/or wonder why a coffee cup at Starbucks costs $55 to purchase.
And no, he doesn’t want to order ahead on the app; he prefers the human experience of ordering at the till, because Kevin is a man of the people. An app can’t tell you how their day is going, but you know who can? Stephanie the barista, that’s who.
So when Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish had chances with the man advantage, Lankinen almost made it look too easy in turning them aside, because a shot on net is just a friend you haven’t met yet:
You know who I bet storms out of a Starbucks when the line is too long? Quinn Hughes, that’s who.
Either that or he demands to be traded to a Blenz.
Best run home Jake
Jake DeBrusk has been making good coin off of his Cameos this season, mostly showing up once a game to wish you a happy birthday while he digs at a loose puck in the crease.
On this night, however, he drew upon his powers as a power play specialist and realized sometimes the best way to score a goal is just to drag the puck towards the net:
Elias Pettersson got the primary assist on the goal, and there is nothing fancy about this effort; it’s simply Jake utilizing “eff this” energy and slamming the puck on net. It’s the equivalent of when a door gets stuck, and you try to finesse your way getting the lock open before you give into your primal urges and simply kick it open while informing said door that this is Sparta, all while your confused partner watches from afar.
All of which is to say I am a big fan of this type of goal because sometimes simple is better, simple is good. Bar down goals may get the views, but honest, hard-working efforts get you blue jean-based metaphors, which help increase your trade value and future contracts.
Best of the rest
After the Canucks lone goal of the period, the rest of the opening 20 minutes was uneventful in that it didn’t experience a lot of high danger chances from either team. As a result, it was rather like me in grade 12, finishing with no goals and generally looking unamused about it all.
With that being said, there were a few highlights worth mentioning, even if they didn’t set the world on fire.
The Ducks almost lit the lamp when Zeev Buium turned the puck over in the middle of the ice, leading to Beckett Sennecke dancing around Fil Hronek like a young Jiri Slegr, forcing Lankinen into making a tough save:
The Canucks responded with Tom Willander throwing the puck on net in the general area of Drew O’Connor, and in true Vancouver service industry fashion, hoping for a tip:
And when that failed, Tom Willander showcased his speed when he attempted an end-to-end rush that resulted in an intercepted pass in the middle:
That to me is the quintessential play from Tom Willander this season. You can see the skill set he has, and you can see why some hockey pundits love what they see. A big, right-handed D-man is a prized commodity in the NHL for a reason.
But the next step Willander has to take is to turn these rushes into legitimate scoring chances. And this isn’t to begrudge his rookie season or look down upon it in any way. It’s just when plotting his potential to move up in the lineup, the next evolution for him is using that speed to back defenders off and then using that time and space to find an open teammate or find a shooting lane on net. The jump from Lukas Krajicek to legit top-four d-man is harnessing that power to consistently create dangerous offensive chances.
Now, something we haven’t seen much of from Vancouver this year has been quick, confident puck movement in the offensive zone, the kind of passing that makes Connor McDavid question everything from his life to his head coach. And in one sequence in the first period, Vancouver showcased a bit of razzle dazzle we aren’t used to, moving the puck around efficiently, and were it not for Marcus Pettersson being chosen as the one to feather the final pass, it might have resulted in a goal:
As I said, it was an entertaining game to watch. It might be impossible to have a boring game against the Ducks, given the way they play hockey. They are either scoring goals or doing a Pavel Bure homage by kicking the puck up to their sticks to get a scoring chance on Lankinen:
If you’re watching these highlights and thinking Anaheim looked more dangerous, you would be correct. Vancouver was generating offensive zone time and countering well, which you have to do against a 1980’s modded team like the Anaheim Ducks. They can generate scary offence, but they are very generous if you can cause a turnover. Anaheim commits to their offensive zone adventures to the point of almost begging the other team to counterpunch them.
Best veteran skills
The Canucks have struggled mightily in second periods this season, mostly due to what I assume is a combination of arrogance and shame. Not from the Canucks, mind you, but from the opposition; I imagine the other teams think they are in for an easy night (which, to be fair, they are), but they almost go too easy to start the game. As a result, Vancouver usually has what we in the industry call a “solid period of hockey,” which usually means the media press row meal was quite good. You’d be surprised how many descriptors of a period of hockey are actually related to food quality.
But once that first period ends, the shame settles in on the other team as they realize they might actually lose against Vancouver if they take things too lightly, so they buckle down and come out hard in the second, which sounds dirtier than it is.
And Anaheim followed the script, as they started the middle frame by outshooting the Canucks 6-0, before Alex Killorn converted on a pair of perfect passes from Beckett Sennecke and John Carlson:
Things to note on this goal:
  • That is a tremendous spinning pass from Sennecke that sets this all in motion. He gets closed in on by three Canucks (thirsty boys hunting down a turnover), but spins his way into finding John Carlsson across and up the ice.
  • John Carlson does a good job of cutting to the middle of the ice to try to draw in a Canucks defender to open up room for Killorn.
  • That being said, I don’t think Carlson realized how hard the Canucks would bite, as Fil Hronek releases Killorn and follows Carlson, while Aatu Räty goes full Leroy Jenkins and just sprints at the puck like it’s an ice cream truck on a hot day at Jericho beach.
  • Kevin Lankinen then hits his save animation way too early, as he slides too far to his right and gets about as small in the net as is humanly possible, giving a lane for Killorn to go top shelf where Mom keeps the letters from “Uncle Jim”, the guy who used to fix your fridge while Dad was at work.
This is the kind of goal where I think the Canucks both fully believe in their defensive system and are clearly terrified that none of it is real, all at the same time.
Hronek essentially plays it like he’s facing down a three-on-one, and he’s just trying to stay close to the puck. Aatu Räty should be skating harder so he can take the middle of the ice and try to play Carlson like it’s a two-on-one with Mikael Granlund, but instead, he glides in and then just bull-rushes the puck, which leaves Granlund open behind him.
Obviously, on an odd-man rush and with the benefit of watching on tape, it’s easy to critique such events. I know in real time it is a lot harder and more complicated than saying “x should do z”, etc.
But the Canucks are last place in the league in goal differential for a reason, and it’s breakdowns like this, with constantly blown assignments, that often lead to goals against.
Best case of the second period sads
The Ducks quickly took the lead after scoring their first goal, when Granlund batted in a rebound out of the air off a Leo Carlsson shot:
Clearly, some luck is involved in this, but you also see the dreaded “shift length clock” at the start of the clip, so you know the Ducks had Vancouver hemmed in their own zone for quite a while. Good teams generate their own luck and all that.
Best marriage made in heaven
Leo Carlsson continued his reign of terror in the second, this time by almost walking right around Kevin Lankinen after causing a Max Sasson turnover:
And then Jackson LaCombe, no relation to Timothy LaBrush, sent Zeev Buium’s jockstrap into space, where it will be studied by future generations:
A bit of filth from LaCombe, which is kind of the theme throughout the Ducks lineup; they excel at making you look stupid, and the Canucks are a team that struggles at the best of times against, well, pretty much everything.
Best so anyways, I started blasting
When you’re a bad team, fans appreciate the simple things in life: throw big body checks, shoot the puck, and don’t raise season ticket prices as the last place team in the league.
So at the very least, Vancouver shot the puck in this game, highlighted best by Fil Hronek. Not only did Fil the Pill break the blade off Ryan Poehling’s skate, but he also scared him into closing his eyes and diving to block a shot on a fake shortly thereafter. The end result? Brock Boeser scoring his 17th of the season, and Elias Pettersson bagging his 500th career point:
I absolutely love watching this clip because, at the end of the day, I respect the hell out of Poehling. Dude just ate a shot, has no skate blade, and is still trying to kill a penalty. It’s just the road weary “here we go again” body language of him slumping to the ice to try and block the second goal that gets me howling. Just sort of melts to the ice and prays the puck will hit him, only to watch Hronek skate right around him to find Boeser open on the far side.
And kudos to Brock, that’s a great finish on the shot. I thought he took too long to collect the pass and get his shot off, but he placed it perfectly behind Lukas Dostal.
Best they were this close
Ser Douglas the Tall, on his next shift, almost blew the roof off of the building when determined board work from Teddy Blueger led to a breakaway chance for Curtis Douglas:
See, this is a perfect example of the Anaheim Ducks way of life. Jackson LaCombe is so confident he can get the puck out that he just tries to beat his man along the boards, and the rest of his teammates are already cheating up the ice, assuming he’s got this under control. And to Teddy Blueger’s credit, that is a very determined shift from him to track the puck down and to secure it.
But this is how you can keep up with Anaheim: just work hard, and you will get your chances due to the Ducks ridiculously high belief in themselves. And in this case, Ser Douglas almost flipped the puck into the net, cutting back against the grain, but Dostal robbed us of getting to experience true joy. We deserved to watch a man almost seven feet tall score a goal in a Canucks uniform this season, and it’s unfair that it didn’t happen.
Unfortunately for Ser Douglas, his night took a turn for the worse when he took a penalty after attempting a diving poke check. The problem with being almost seven feet tall is when you dive to the ice, you take up almost the entire zone, which can lead to tripping.
And on that penalty kill, Defensive Minded Elias Pettersson gave us the reaction of the night when he air-mailed a puck into space, putting the Canucks down two men:
All of which led to Granlund scoring on the ensuing power play early in the third period:
Kevin Lankinen kind of fumbles at the puck like he’s back in grade 8 at his first dance again, punting the puck back into the slot for Granlund to put home.
Again, a bit of bad luck, but also the kind of goal that happens when you are able to generate 30+ shots on the night.
Best fighting the good fight
But as we said earlier, the Canucks did a solid job of keeping pace with the Ducks, even if it felt like an inevitable “on your left” night of power disparity. Even down a goal in the third, the Canucks rallied to tie the game up once again, this time after Drew O’Connor nabbed his 17th of the season:
DOC does a good job of knocking down the pass to the point, which Evander very adroitly pokes up the ice and turns into a semi-breakaway chance, leading to DOC smashing in the rebound and looking pretty excited about how everything played out.
I also want to point out a chart that @Hamalytics posted on X today, which showcases that you know what, this Evander Kane/Elias Pettersson/Drew O’Connor line is pretty solid, all things considered:
I think Drew O’Connor’s motor and Elias Pettersson’s defensive acumen kind of balance out the worst of Planet Ice’s defensive issues. To Evander Kane’s credit, I truly think he will be better and better as he recovers from major surgery from last season. You see it in sports more and more: players taking a year to fully recover from major injuries. While time is not on Evander’s side, I do think he has played better as this season has worn on.
Will he ever be an elite defensive player? Clearly not, that will always be an issue for him. But during a terrible season such as this, Evander Kane’s ability to generate offence has stood out over his fellow teammates. Which again, low bar, I get that, but as you see on this play, he does have the ability to generate counterattacks with his hockey IQ and skill. While he doesn’t always generate high danger chances, there is something to be said about the positives of a volume shooter.
Best legal loopholes
Cutter Gauthier turned a blocked Marcus Pettersson shot into a breakaway, but as others have pointed out, that’s also known as a glorified shootout attempt, something Lankinen is elite at stopping:
The problem is normal shots can beat Kevin out of nowhere, which kind of deflates things a bit:
To me, this goal highlights the issues I think Adam Foote has with Aatu Räty in the defensive zone. Don’t get me wrong, I think Kevin Lankinen wants this shot back, but you also watch Aatu Räty skate back, and he’s just sort of gliding. He’s all vibes there. If he takes one stride, he can probably tie up Mason McTavish or at least hurry his shot, or maybe hit his stick. Sometimes in hockey, it’s simply about giving yourself a chance to make a play. Even on a breakaway, maybe it seems like it’s up to the goalie to solve the issue, but how many times do you see a save being made, then a guy follows up and bangs in the rebound? Skating hard and putting in effort is a cliche, but it’s also a cliche for a reason. You have to give yourself as many chances to make a play on the puck in this league.
Yet we see at other times Aatu Räty rush at the puck and go full effort, but it’s just the wrong call to make at the time because it leaves a man open. That’s where you wonder about his hockey IQ at the NHL level.
I know the Adam Foote Era is probably hard one to learn structure in, so you do wonder how much of it is on the way the team plays vs Aatu Räty himself, but when I watch him, I just see how much he struggles in the defensive zone and it makes it hard to envision him locking down a bottom six role if things continue like this.
Best finish hard
The Canucks didn’t sit back after going down a goal, however, as Linus Karlsson attempted to score around 47 times on one shift:
And then Liam Öhgren got a breakaway chance after yet another gorgeous, angled tip pass from Brock Boeser along the boards:
We’ve seen a few of these from Boeser playing on the Brö line, where he cuts to the board and angles out an outlet pass into a breakaway, and I absolutely love it.
And then Zeev Buium showcased how to play a two-on-one odd-man rush against, by cutting off Poehling’s passing options off perfectly, leading to Lankinen making a good save on the shot:
It was a good night of back and forth action, what can I say.
Best put it to bed
With an empty net, you just knew Elias Pettersson was itching to get out on the ice to make a save. He didn’t disappoint the home crowd, either, as he made a slick blocker save in the waning seconds of the game:
But what happens when Elias Pettersson isn’t there to stop the puck? Troy Terry scores:
They were in the game until the end, which is about all you can ask for at this point.
A few more weeks, we got this. Stay strong.
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