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Canucks' winning streak crashes to a halt with 9-2 loss to the Lightning |
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Tuesday January 7 - Tampa Bay Lightning 9 - Vancouver Canucks 2
After a three-week respite, it's time to start worrying about the Vancouver Canucks again.
The team's seven-game winning streak came to an emphatic end when the Tampa Bay Lightning chased Jacob Markstrom with a six-goal second period and finished up with their crowd chanting "We Want 10!" at Amalie Arena.
Such as they are, here are your highlights:
Vancouver actually finished the night with a slight edge in the faceoff circle, primarily due to Bo Horvat's 11-for-18 night. But two of the Lightning's goals came within seconds of draws, including Steven Stamkos' power-play marker that put the home team up 2-1 midway through the second period.
Brayden Point also showed why he was considered one of the top players in last summer's big class of impressive young RFAs, leading all Lightning players with a goal and three assists for four points. And while Kevin Shattenkirk didn't pick up any points, he led the Lightning with a plus-four on the night.
Meanwhile, first-star honours went to 24-year-old rookie Carter Verhaeghe. His first career hat trick kicked off with the even-strength goal that made the score 4-2 and started an avalanche of three goals in 56 seconds that chased Markstrom late in the second. During garbage time in the third, Verhaeghe added a shorthanded marker and a power-play goal to finish things off.
Verhaeghe was originally drafted in the third round by Toronto in 2013, then packaged with four other players when the Leafs acquired Michael Grabner from the New York Islanders in September of 2015. Two years later, he was dealt to the Lightning in a one-for-one deal for goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis — who's now back in Europe, playing in the German league.
Meanwhile, the Lighting are doing that thing they do, again, successfully developing an unheralded prospect. Verhaeghe bounced between the AHL and the ECHL during his two years with the Islanders organization but landed a steady gig with the Syracuse Crunch after his trade. In 2017-18, he posted 48 points in 58 AHL games, then last season he led the AHL in scoring with 82 points in 76 games for the Crunch.
Last season, Verhaeghe successfully cleared waivers before being assigned to Syracuse. This year, the Lightning chose to keep him on their main roster. Playing primarily on the fourth line, he has been healthy scratched at times and averages less than 10 minutes of ice time a night. After his hat trick, he's at 5-4-9 in 29 games this season.
A hat trick for Verhaeghe is roughly the equivalent of the Canucks getting one from Tyler Motte. The two players are the same age, and Motte was drafted a little lower in 2013 — in the fourth round. He's at 2-1-3 in 16 games this season.
Motte has been a sparkplug for Vancouver since returning to the lineup from his injury, but he and the rest of the fourth line were overmatched on Tuesday. Motte actually led the Canucks with four shots on goal — out of just 23 in total for the night — but he and Jay Beagle both finished up at minus-three, while Tim Schaller was a minus two.
Oscar Fantenberg also had a tough night, finishing at minus-two. Travis Green's logical choice not to tinker with his lineup during the winning streak overshadowed the fact that after a strong start, Fantenberg hasn't been a plus player since the night the streak began, on December 19 against Vegas. He's now minus-seven in his past six games, which leads me to think we'll probably see Jordie Benn back in action on Thursday against the Panthers.
The Canucks are on the ice for a full practice on Wednesday in Sunrise. The tweak at forward is Jake Virtanen moved up with Petey and Miller — for more muscle? — while Brock Boeser slots in with Adam Gaudette and Antoine Roussel.
Of course, all the doom and gloom overshadowed the fact that the Canucks did score first, for the ninth straight game. Elias Pettersson collected his 20th of the year on a quick strike after Boeser stripped Stamkos of the puck.
Last year, Petey's 20th goal came a few days earlier — on January 2, kicking off his hat trick in Vancouver's 4-3 overtime road win over Ottawa. But interestingly, that was also the team's 43rd game of the year — same as yesterday.
Of course, last year Petey was injured the very next night, against Montreal. He missed five games with that sprained right knee — and only scored six more goals for the rest of the year.
Knock on wood — Pettersson has been healthy and durable this season, and seems to have found ways to keep himself out of vulnerable situations. Perhaps the most important part of this road trip will be for him to get through it in one piece — especially with Thursday's return to Florida next on the schedule, where he suffered that early-season concussion last year.
A Panthers game should also still be a revenge game of sorts for Markstrom, who was drafted to be their goalie of the future in 2008. I can't fault him too much for Tuesday's outcome — partly because he's been so good, and also because so many of the Lightning's goals were quick strikes. Hopefully he'll deliver a strong bounce-back performance in Sunrise on Thursday.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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