Canucks discovering positives in OT loss to NHL-best Avalanche
VANCOUVER — Throughout this Nationwide Hockey League season, there’ll most likely be no “good time” to play the Colorado Avalanche. Possibly in the course of the Olympic break.
The Avalanche has been roaring downhill because the season began, overwhelming opponents whereas shedding solely as soon as in regulation. The Stanley Cup contenders are principally wholesome, had taken 9 of the final 10 factors earlier than arriving in Vancouver, simply dusted the two-time Western Convention champion Edmonton Oilers 9-1, and Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon was about to grab the NHL scoring lead.
Into this pressure of nature limped the Canucks, 1 / 4 of its roster nonetheless injured, and star goalie Thatcher Demko unavailable resulting from one thing apparently greater than upkeep however lower than outright damage.
Even wholesome, the Canucks are usually not the Avalanche.
With backup Kevin Lankinen in internet for the second time in 24 hours, the Canucks appeared as helpless because the Oilers did the earlier evening when the Avalanche scored twice within the first eight minutes on Sunday.
However then the 8-8-0 Canucks performed one among their most spectacular video games this season — or no less than since their season modified three weeks in the past when centres Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger have been injured in the identical recreation — and outplayed the Avalanche for a lot of the following 32 minutes.
Photographs have been 25-11 for Vancouver simply previous the center of the second interval, and the Canucks rallied 3 times earlier than shedding 5-4 on Gavin Brindley’s weak additional time objective at 1:08 when Lankinen spilled a rebound after which opened himself when he swung on the puck and missed.
Jake DeBrusk’s power-play redirect from Brock Boeser’s shot-pass with 3:01 remaining in regulation time earned the Canucks’ some extent towards one of the best workforce in hockey.
The purpose they took off Colorado, on an evening when MacKinnon had 5 factors to soar previous Connor Bedard within the scoring race, gave Vancouver three out of 4 from a tough and determined weekend.
It’s tough to know within the second how a lot that actually means, however solely degrees-of-good are concerned.
The Canucks proceed to bleed objectives shorthanded, and are nonetheless surrendering too many, typically. However together with Saturday’s 4-3 house win towards the Columbus Blue Jackets, their offence is beginning to go, and their five-on-five recreation is certainly getting cleaner.
We’re nonetheless not going to essentially know concerning the Canucks till they get a pair extra our bodies again, and we see proof on Tuesday when the Winnipeg Jets go to Vancouver that Demko is wholesome sufficient to play.
However in video games like Saturday’s, there positive seems to be some substance to the Canucks.
“I imply, I really feel like shedding type of at all times looks like shedding,” winger Drew O’Connor stated. “Nevertheless it’s a giant level. We get three out of 4 on the weekend, so we’ve got to take a look at the positives in some methods. Clearly, we wish to win each recreation. However we fought again after being down a pair early and received the late one to tie it. And I feel that is massive. It is an enormous level, and each level issues.”
At 8-8-1, the Canucks are nonetheless solely .500 however now only one unadjusted level out of a playoff spot.
“Uncooked like this after a recreation, we’re pissed off that we did not win,” veteran defenceman Marcus Pettersson stated. “We’re all opponents, and we wish to win each recreation. However, yeah, we are able to take some positives. We are able to take some issues that we are able to clear up.
“That’s two video games in a row which are fairly good efforts. And much more related, I’d say. I feel we had lots of soar in the present day. We tried pressuring these guys. You recognize, they’re an excellent workforce and it could be simple to type of sit again and attempt to obtain (stress), however I believed we have been on our toes.”
O’Connor batted a rolling puck over Colorado goalie MacKenzie Blackwood’s left shoulder to tie it 3-3 whereas shorthanded at 7:26 of the third interval earlier than Vancouver fell behind a 3rd time at 9:47 when the Avalanche energy play made it 2-for-3 on an ideal bounce to Artturi Lehkonen after Lankinen made a powerful save on Martin Necas’ one-timer.
However an astoundingly dumb cross-checking penalty by Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog on Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes within the impartial zone allowed the Canucks to tie it 4-4 on DeBrusk’s third objective in 4 video games.
Their very own energy play completed 1-for-5 but in addition generated a first-period objective for Linus Karlsson that received the Canucks going.
“You recognize, that is a extremely good workforce over there, clearly for a purpose,” DeBrusk stated. “They arrive at you in waves and many forwards and backwards. I feel it was good of us to get some extent there, however that is not what we would like. We wish the 2.”
To get that with any regularity, the Canucks must repair their 31st-ranked penalty killing, which was a power of the workforce final season however has already been lit up for 2 power-play objectives towards in a recreation six occasions.
“At present, possibly somewhat little bit of a step again,” O’Connor stated of the penalty-killing, “however that’s an excellent unit. We have been making an attempt to get higher at it. We now have to be higher at it so as to win video games.”
