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Canucks ready to return to Rogers Arena on Sunday after losses in Chi & Wpg |
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Friday November 8 - Winnipeg Jets 4 - Vancouver Canucks 1
Life moves fast in the NHL.
On Thursday afternoon, the Vancouver Canucks were riding an eight-game point streak. After defeats in Chicago and Winnipeg, they were on a three-game losing streak by Friday night.
Here are your highlights from Friday's 4-1 loss to the Jets.
In Chicago, the Canucks were undone by a flat start. They came out much better in Winnipeg, outshooting the Jets 13-9 in a fast-paced and scoreless opening frame. J.T. Miller opened the scoring for the Canucks at 6:53 of the second, with another deft tip from close range to pick up his eighth of the year and second in as many games.
I felt terrible for Tyler Myers when he watched helplessly as his old teammate Nikolaj Ehlers lay motionless on the ice after tripping over Myers' stick and crashing hard into the end boards just 3:15 into the game. Thankfully, Ehlers was able to get off the ice under his own power and was back out just two and a half minutes later — I don't think he missed a shift.
The miracle recoveries continued on the Canucks' side in the middle frame, when both Chris Tanev and Tyler Myers were felled by shot blocks, but returned to action before the period was out.
After Tanev missed the final two periods in Chicago on Thursday with an upper-body injury, he wasn't even expected to play on Friday. But there he was, taking his regular shift with Quinn Hughes and playing 6:08 in the first period.
In Chicago on Thursday, the refs called everything. On Friday, officials mostly let the teams play. Bo Horvat got whistled for the first minor of the game at 8:28 of the second period, and Tanev was on the ice for the next 3:15 of game action — first, killing the entire Horvat penalty against a revamped Jets power play, then staying on the ice after a TV timeout when Jay Beagle was whistled for a hook just 16 seconds after Horvat's penalty ended.
Tanev was hurt when he blocked a big blast from Patrik Laine, 26 seconds into the Beagle minor, but was stuck on the ice for another 45 seconds or so — with his movement impaired and the Jets still pressing.
Ironically, the penalty killers kept it together until he got off the ice. Tyler Myers had relieved him for just 11 seconds before Jack Roslovic tied the game.
Four minutes later, after an unsuccessful Vancouver power play, Myers was also felled by a shot from Laine, leaving the Canucks with just four defenseman — and Troy Stecher as the only natural righty.
Vancouver iced the puck after Myers was hurt, and even though Jay Beagle won the subsequent defensive-zone draw, the Jets quickly gained possession. The unlikely pairing of Alex Edler and Jordie Benn was on the ice when Mark Scheifele scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal with 3:06 left to play in the second period.
The good news was that both Tanev and Myers returned before the end of the middle frame, and took regular shifts in the third.
Tanev finished the night with a team-high four shot blocks, two of which came *after* he returned from his injury. He's now up to 49 for the year, second in the league behind Edmonton's Oscar Klefbom, who has 50.
Fully manned once again, the Canucks mounted some pushback. They outshot the Jets 11-7 in the third — impressive, considering they were at the end of a tough stretch of schedule. I remember them being a listless bag of bones in that 4-1 loss in Winnipeg last year.
But Connor Hellebuyck was sharp, and improved his lifetime record against the Canucks to 6-1-0, with just 11 goals allowed in those seven games.
I'm still a little unnerved that the Canucks' fortunes are turning after that weird 3-on-0 overtime goal by St. Louis on Tuesday. To me, it immediately felt a lot like the blown lead in Buffalo last November that signalled the end of a six-game point streak and ushered in the eight-game losing streak that effectively derailed the season.
The big difference this time is that the team is healthier — assuming nothing untoward is discovered with Tanev or Myers (or anybody else) once the club returns to Vancouver. And — the club is back in Vancouver for a week. The turnaround is quick for the afternoon game against New Jersey on Sunday, but the every-other-day schedule for the rest of the week should be manageable.
Sunday November 10 - Vancouver Canucks vs. New Jersey Devils - 1 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet 650
Standings (as of Saturday morning)
Vancouver Canucks: 17 GP, 9-5-3, 21 pts, third in Pacific Division
New Jersey Devils: 15 GP, 4-7-4, 12 pts, eighth in Metropolitan Division
Since the Canucks are off on Saturday and have the early start on Sunday, I'll set up the first game of the homestand now, starting with a positive. The Canucks are still unbeaten in regulation at Rogers Arena this season, with a 4-0-2 record.
And, the homestand kicks off against the 27th-best team in the NHL going into Saturday's games. Like a lot of people, I was all in on the New Jersey renaissance during the summer with the drafting of Jack Hughes and the acquisition of players like P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds and Nikita Gusev. It's no secret that the Devils have disappointed in the early going — but we also don't have to go back very far to remember that one of New Jersey's four wins this season was the 1-0 shutout of the Canucks on October 19, with Jack Hughes scoring the game's only goal.
On Sunday in Vancouver, the Devils will be wrapping up a nine-day, five-game road trip that started in Carolina before continuing across Western Canada. New Jersey's fortunes have diminished as they've gone along. They started out with a 5-3 win over the Hurricanes, then followed up with a 2-1 shootout victory in Winnipeg before dropping a 5-2 decision in Calgary on Thursday, then getting shut out 4-0 by Edmonton on Friday.
Meanwhile, the distraction of Taylor Hall's contract status has loomed, especially in Edmonton. He did the only thing he could when he faced the media before Friday's game — downplay his situation.
The Devils are also off on Saturday. Here's how their lines rolled in Edmonton, though they could certainly change on Sunday given the outcome of Friday's game.
I'll leave it there for now. Enjoy the weekend games!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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