That feels more like the team we know. The Canucks played a fantastic road game and beat up the Flyers in their home opener to a 3-0 tune. Backed by Lankinen in Tyler Myers’ 1000th NHL game, the Canucks played their most complete game of the year and are now sitting at 2-1-2 on the year. Doesn’t look so bad as it did a few days ago. If you missed the game, here are your highlights:
Goals from Hoglander, Boeser, and Sherwood did the work up front, and 26 saves from the suddenly hot Lankinen did the work on the back end. If the Canucks can get this type of performance out of their goalie situation with Demko still on the shelf, that will go a long way to quell some fears in Vancouver. Lankinen for his part is feeling more settled with the team… he only signed during training camp, so hasn’t been around that long!
“I’m feeling comfortable and confident ever since I got here from just knowing some of the guys,” said Lankinen. “They’ve been great and making me feel good and it’s fun to play behind this team and the system. We’re proving it but obviously there’s still more work to be done.
“I feel like every night is a big challenge. We matched their battle level and I was happy for the result.”
Tocchet seems happy with him, especially as Lankinen seems to be taking the reins of the starting goaltending job from Silovs.
“Since training camp when we acquired him, he has been playing really good for us,” said Tocchet. “Obviously, he was great tonight. The Flyers had a bunch of chances and could have got back in the game and he held the fort.
“To win back-to-back games with the efforts he’s putting in for us, it’s big.”
The Flyers hit a couple of posts in the game, but Lankinen gobbled up everything else that was thrown at him and looked solid throughout the night.
Overall it was a solid team effort with the stars of the team not having to lead the way. Brännström played well and helped the team transition the puck better. Sherwood got his first as a Canuck on a new-look line with Blueger and Heinan that was a solid grouping. Soucy, Myers, and Desharnais all had good outings…
As for the stars, Petterson’s play seems to be getting better each game, and had a great assist on Hoglander’s goal. Boeser potted an easy one off a slick feed from Myers. Hughes was a bit quieter with only four shots on net. JT Miller didn’t hit the scoresheet, and apparently aggravated an injury taking a faceoff in the first… but was pretty mum about it after the game.
“He’s dealing with some stuff and we’ll find out in the next couple of days,” said Tocct. “We didn’t want him to take draws but he still played well for us. I expect he’ll play Tuesday but we’ll have to see how it is. He’ll get a couple of days off to rest it and see how it goes.”
On the topic of injuries, Dakota Joshua was at the game-day skate in a non-contact jersey. Tocc said it was a lot about pain management and getting back to practices, but would love to get him back in the lineup.
“He wins corner battles and is one of our best net-front guys, so when he comes back, it’s like having a major trade,” he said.
Lastly, playing 1000 games in the NHL is a major feat. For someone who takes as much punishment as Myers does and has (both on the ice and off it), it’s pretty amazing how he’s carved out his path. I’m going to quote what Ian MacIntyre wrote, as it’s a pretty unique insight into the team and to Myers.
Before his first-born son was even 24 hours old, Tyer Myers was called back to neonatal intensive care in Winnipeg because Tristan Myers was suffering a pulmonary hemorrhage, bleeding in his lungs, and doctors were unsure if the baby would survive.
Tristan was born five weeks early by emergency C-section after Myers’ wife, Michela, feeling something might be wrong, underwent an ultrasound that showed the baby was not moving. On the road in Florida with the Winnipeg Jets, Tyler rushed home as fast as he could.
Tristan had lost 80 per cent of his blood before he was born. It was 12 days before Tyler and Michela could even hold him, and weeks before the baby was well enough to leave hospital and go home.
“He had a traumatic birth,” Myers told us Saturday night. “Basically, it led to him having cerebral palsy and bilateral cochlear implants, which allow him to hear. He had a little bit of a speech delay, but he's thriving, and both his mom and I are just incredibly proud of him.”
And why is this important to know after Myers helped the Vancouver Canucks beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 in the 34-year-old defenceman’s 1,000th National Hockey League game?
Because before he played it, when Myers was sitting in the dressing room trying not to overthink his life path to this moment, Canucks staff rolled in a monitor and played a video that Michela had made earlier Saturday with Tristan, his little sister, Skylar, and their baby brother, Tatum. And Tristan, now seven years old, read the Canucks’ starting lineup and called out his father’s name.
In the dressing room, on the opposite side of the continent, Myers became an emotional mess.
“Yes, I was. To get the video of the starting lineup with the kids,” Myers said, pausing again to compose himself, “that was an all-time moment. I didn't know it was coming. It really threw me for a loop. You know, it gave me an incredible amount of emotion going out onto the ice. I had to settle myself down a little bit at the start. And even throughout different times of the game, I had to settle myself down a little.
“Tristan did the whole read, which was very emotional just given what he's been through. And to hear him. . . speak the way he does, let alone doing the starting lineup, it was pretty special.”
Hats off to Tocchet and the Canucks staff for making that happen. If you want to read all the accolades the teammates were throwing at him you can in his article, as it’s clear he means a lot in that dressing room.
They also made some shirts to celebrate the occasion, which I’ll post in the comments.
The Canucks continue their road trip Tuesday night in Chicago.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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