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Miller scores two to take over team scoring lead, but Canucks fall to Wild |
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Wednesday February 19 - Minnesota Wild 4 - Vancouver Canucks 3 (S/O)
Up for debate: whether the Vancouver Canucks gained a valuable point against the Minnesota Wild, or let an important one slip away.
With the playoff race in the Pacific Division still looking like it's going right down to the wire, this might be a game we look back on in April after the Canucks mounted a third-period comeback, but let their lead slip away in both regulation time and the shootout as Tyler Toffoli made his Vancouver debut.
Here are your highlights:
With all the twists and turns in the game, I couldn't help but feel a bit warm and fuzzy for new Minnesota coach Dean Evason, who's getting his first crack at an NHL head job at age 55 and got his first win on Wednesday after taking over from Bruce Boudreau last Friday. Evason's son was in the house as part of the Wild's dads and mentors road trip, and his two daughters were also in attendance, so it was a special night for him.
Additionally, it was a feel-good game for much-maligned Alex Galchenyuk, who scored a bit of a flukey game-tying goal with 4:45 left to play in the third period — his first point with the Wild after being traded from Pittsburgh a week and a half ago. Then, he went on to score the shootout winner in the fifth round.
For all the bad press that Galchenyuk receives, especially as he has bounced from Montreal to Arizona to Pittsburgh and now Minnesota over the last two years, he actually leads his 2012 draft class in NHL games played (539 at age 26) and his 314 points rank him second in the class, behind only Filip Fosberg (345 in 448 games).
He had just 17 points in 45 games with Pittsburgh this season before he was traded. It'll be interesting to see if he can find his game again with the Wild — perhaps in the same way Tanner Pearson did after he was dealt to the Canucks from the Penguins at the deadline last season?
But those thoughts probably aren't why you're here. Let's talk Canucks.
Jacob Markstrom is not afraid to take ownership after a loss, and that was the case on Wednesday. He was hard on himself for not shutting the door in the shootout, and for not stopping Kevin Fiala's rocket of a shot that opened the scoring just 63 seconds into the game — and was the Wild's only shot in the first 11 minutes or so.
After getting caved in against Chicago last week, outshot 49-20 in a 3-0 win, it's definitely odd that Vancouver outshot Anaheim 38-28 in Sunday's loss, then lost again when outshooting Minnesota 34-28 on Wednesday. That certainly doesn't line up with what the Corsi gods would like us to believe!
Tyler Motte's return to the lineup after eight games also should have signalled a win, based on this season's trends. And he was a difference-maker in his 14:04 of ice time — leading the Canucks with five hits in a relatively chippy game, helping the penalty kill stay perfect for the first time in four games and taking a hit to make a play on the Canucks' first goal, when Quinn Hughes came out of the penalty box and set up Jay Beagle for a goal-scorer's 2-on-1 that tied the game early in the second period.
That's Motte getting crunched at the top of your screen before Hughes and Beagle get loose.
That was just the second goal of the year for Beagle.
"He looked at me and I said 'Oh shoot, he's coming to me,'" laughed Beagle after the game.
"No. Motter makes a great play. I figured because he's a lefty, I'm a righty and I'm driving that far post, that he was going to try to get it to me, but as soon as we met eyes, I knew he was going to try to, and made a great pass. Slid it under him. Gotta bury that."
The Wild re-took the lead before the end of the second, but J.T. Miller came out with guns blazing in the third, putting the team on his back once again.
A nice possession shift resulted in his career-high 23rd goal of the year when he redirected a hard pass from the point by Toffoli in the slot to tie the game. Then, he scored from the left circle on his next shift after Elias Pettersson kept the play alive by hustling down to beat out an icing call.
That second goal was also Miller's 59th point — a new career high and one more than Elias Pettersson, who was held off the scoresheet on Wednesday. Miller is currently the Canucks' leading scorer and 17th overall in the league.
By the way — have you seen the lead that Leon Draisaitl has opened up at the top of the scoring race? He had 17 points in nine games in January and is now at 16 points in nine games so far in February, which gives him 95 on the season to date, in just 60 games. He's 11 points ahead of second-place David Pastrnak and Nathan MacKinnon and at this rate, he'll have no trouble surpassing the 105 points he put up in his breakout season last year.
Draisaitl's 61 assists also lead the league — but he scores when it matters. Ten of his 34 goals have been game-winners this season, which has an awful lot to do with why the Oilers currently sit first in the Pacific Division.
Edmonton also picked up a point on Wednesday, losing in overtime to Boston, while Arizona lost in regulation to Dallas.
So — heading into Thursday's games, the Oilers have a one-point lead over Vancouver and Vegas in the Pacific, with the Flames and Coyotes two points further behind in the wild-card spots and Winnipeg one point behind them in ninth.
Games to watch over the next two days:
On Thursday: Winnipeg at Ottawa, Arizona at St. Louis and Tampa Bay at Vegas
On Friday: Nashville at Chicago, Boston at Calgary and Minnesota at Edmonton
The Bruins are also the Canucks' next opponent; they'll be finishing off a back-to-back when they touch down at Rogers Arena on Saturday.
Travis Green is taking full advantage of his team's lighter schedule to let them rest and recover as much as possible before going into the busy stretch run. Thursday's practice is an optional.
And to close — I'd be remiss if I didn't share the video from Wednesday's night's Top Dog race, where Tanner Pearson's dog Emma earned 'barking rights' over five canine rivals in a magnificently chaotic second-intermission spectacle.
Fun fact: the "Hockey Gaud," Adam Gaudette, named his dog Zeus.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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