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Canucks' winning streak snapped, J.T. Miller is named NHL's 3rd Star |
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Sunday December 2 - Carolina Hurricanes 4 - Vancouver Canucks 3 (S/O)
Elias Pettersson scored twice as some of the NHL's best young talent was buzzing in the Vancouver Canucks' 4-3 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday in Raleigh.
Here are your highlights:
As I mentioned in my last blog, I'm currently in Victoria to cover the women's hockey Rivalry Series game here at Save-on-Foods Memorial Arena on Monday night. I got to the arena on Sunday and got my Wifi active in time to be able to keep one eye on the livestream of the Canucks for the third period and the extra time.
I saw some serious skill from both sides — first, when Andrei Svechnikov gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead with a rush down the wing for his 20th of the year, five minutes into the third...
Petey then defied the laws of physics with his tying goal, from right down on the goal line.
I also spotted this big save from Thatcher Demko in overtime.
In the end, Pettersson beat James Reimer for a third time in the shootout, but Justin Williams showed once again how clutch he can be when he delivered his second shootout winner in just his fourth game of the season. He also posted the game-winning goal in the Jets' 4-1 win over Winnipeg on January 21, so he has been responsible for all three of Carolina's wins since rejoining the lineup.
Even with the loss, the Canucks have already banked five of a possible six points on this road trip, which is very impressive. And I honestly wasn't mad about seeing the Hurricanes get the opportunity to present their clever Super Bowl Storm Surge after their win in football-mad North Carolina.
So, the Canucks shift from a five-game winning streak to a six-game point streak as they move on to Boston to face the Bruins on Tuesday.
Rather fortuitously, they're in town for Monday's first round of the Beanpot Tournament, where current Canucks Thatcher Demko, Adam Gaudette and prospect Tyler Madden have all laid down impressive performances over the past few years.
My understanding is that Demko (Boston College) and Gaudette (Northeastern) are both in attendance on Monday, along with a good chunk of the Canucks' travelling media contingent.
As I type this, three Canucks prospects are in action on TSN2 — Madden and freshman Aidan McDonough of Northeastern playing against sophomore defenseman Jack Rathbone of Harvard. Rathbone was on the ice when Jack Drury put Harvard up 1-0 early in the first period on a power-play goal that needed a long look before it was officially deemed to be onside.
Northeastern has now replied, tying the game, still in the first, and also on the power play. Zach Solow got credit for the goal, but I spotted Tyler Madden taking part in the celebration.
And as I finish up this blog, Brendan van Riemsdyk has just put Northeastern ahead 2-1 in the dying stages of the second period.
One good thing about having the Canucks' prospects facing each other in the same game — at least one will be guaranteed to get through to next Monday's Beanpot Final.
Tuesday February 4 - Vancouver Canucks at Boston Bruins - 4 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet 650
Standings as of Monday afternoon:
Vancouver Canucks: 53 GP, 30-18-5, 65 pts, first in Pacific Division
Boston Bruins: 53 GP, 31-10-12, 74 pts, first in Atlantic Division
My schedule will be disrupted again on Tuesday as I travel back to Vancouver. With an early start for the game against the Bruins, I'll quickly set that up now as well.
First off — congratulations to J.T. Miller for being named the NHL's third star for the week ending February 2. Miller came out of the All-Star Break with three goals and four assists as the Canucks went 3-0-1 — tied for the second-most points for the week in the league behind only Leon Draisaitl and Steven Stamkos, who had eight points each.
Now with 20 goals and 53 points, Miller's tied with David Perron for 19th in NHL scoring going into Monday's games. With 29 games left on the schedule, he's just three goals and five points away from matching his previous career highs, set with the Rangers and Lightning in 2017-18.
This is Miller's first time ever being named one of the league's three stars, and the second time this season that a Canucks player has earned the honour. Elias Pettersson was named first star for the week ending November 3.
As for the Bruins — after starting out red hot, they went into a bit of a funk before Christmas, going 1-4-4 between December 5 and 21. Since then, they've stabilized again with a 10-3-3 record and will head into Tuesday's game one point behind first-place Washington in the overall NHL standings. They're riding a three-game winning streak that saw them beat Vegas at home before heading to the midwest to earn victories in Winnipeg and Minnesota.
After winning the Stanley Cup, St. Louis has been praised for not showing signs of a hangover, but Boston deserves the same kudos as well after going all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Once again this season, they're strong at both ends of the ice and on special teams — sixth in scoring, first in goals against per game, second on the power play and third on the penalty kill.
David Pastrnak has already tied his career high with 38 goals, remains one goal ahead of surging Alex Ovechkin in the Rocket Richard Trophy race, and was named MVP at the All-Star Game in St. Louis. He's third overall in NHL scoring with 75 points, behind only Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid — and his linemate Brad Marchand sits sixth with 68 points.
I can also tell you, as the manager who owns him in the hockey pool, that Jake DeBrusk has been one of my few bright spots lately. After a relatively slow start to the season, he has picked up the pace since the New Year, with 12 points in 12 games.
After being decimated by injuries on the blue line last season, the Bruins are missing two blueliners right now — Kevan Miller and Connor Clifton. Langley's Danton Heinen is also currently listed as day-to-day with a recent undisclosed injury.
Tuukka Rask is now back from the concussion he suffered in mid-January, looking as good as ever in Boston's 2-1 win over Winnipeg last week. His 2.23 goals against average and .927 save percentage aren't too far off the numbers that earned him the Vezina Trophy in 2014, and his 18-4-6 record this season certainly looks intimidating. Jaro Halak played in Boston's last game, in Minnesota, and also has good numbers this season.
After hosting the Canucks, Boston will hop on a plane for a date in Chicago on Wednesday, so it's not yet clear which goalie will get the nod for which game. One thing we do know is that Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy has worked hard to reduce Rask's regular-season workload this year and keep him ready for playoffs. I'll certainly expect Halak to get one of those starts.
With the Canucks off the ice on Monday, there are no lineup notes to share yet from them. I imagine Jacob Markstrom will return to the net against Boston after another strong outing from Thatcher Demko in Raleigh on Sunday.
Enjoy the games!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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