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Boeser scores but Markstrom shines as Canucks losing streak reaches 6 games |
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That Brock Boeser goal was a delight, wasn't it?
That was really about the only good part of the Canucks' 3-1 loss to the Flames, as they opened their four-game series against Calgary on Thursday night.
Also — Thatcher Demko made a few key saves, helping the Canucks chip away at their team goals against — still 30th, but down to 3.88 from an even 4.00 last Sunday. But when you still end up scoring two fewer goals than your opponent, you can't make any progress in the standings. The Flames now have a three-point cushion between themselves and the Canucks in the North Division. And since Calgary has played four fewer games than Vancouver and three fewer than Edmonton, their points percentage actually slots them into fourth place, ahead of Edmonton — even as Mike Smith and the Oilers shut out Montreal at the Bell Centre on Thursday night.
The template of Thursday's Canucks game looked a lot like what we saw in Toronto on Monday. Vancouver started fantastically, outshooting the Flames 14-8 in the opening period and 24-14 through two. But Jacob Markstrom did what he did so often for the Canucks during his time in Vancouver — making timely saves early to keep his team in the game. And the Flames went to the dressing room after 20 minutes with a one-goal lead after a puck banked into the net past Demko off of Jordie Benn.
Nate Schmidt was indignant when something similar happened to him, later in the game.
Another interesting note: Can't give Manny Malhotra the credit for this anymore, but the Canucks got beat down pretty badly in the faceoff circle on Thursday. Brandon Sutter was just 1-for-10 — which leads me to wonder if there's an injury issue that might be throwing him off. And Bo Horvat was an uncharacteristic 8-for-21. That's just a 38 percent win rate — even lower than his 28-for-62 (45.2 percent) over the three games in Toronto.
With Tyler Motte already on the shelf, the Canucks also lost his replacement to injury on Thursday night. Justin Bailey was hammered into the end boards by Milan Lucic early in the second period, and did not return.
The Canucks did look like a bit of rest had energized them a bit, but Calgary held the physical edge as a team. Total hits were 21-12 for the Flames, led by three from Lucic.
Thinking about the rough stuff, it was a very quiet night for superpest Matthew Tkachuk, knock on wood. He had four shot attempts and a couple of hits, but wasn't in the heat of the action.
As for Chris Tanev, he played a relatively low key 21:24, and finished with just two blocked shots. After starting the season in the top six, Josh Leivo skated on the fourth line on Thursday, playing just 9:27, all at even strength. He has just two assists in 12 games this season and was scratched from Calgary's lineup last Saturday in the Battle of Alberta, so his impact in Calgary has been limited.
I couldn't watch when Nils Hoglander got cut by his visor in Toronto on Monday. But he showed his toughness by coming right back into the game, and now has a bad-ass black and blue mark to commemorate his wound. He had another very good game on Thursday, finishing with seven shot attempts.
We may have to wait awhile to see a lacrosse goal attempt from Hoglander, though. When he was asked about it during a between-periods TV interview during the last road trip, he said he thought there might not be enough room behind the net on the North American-sized ice to make it work.
It's also heartening to see that the only Canucks player who directed more rubber at the net than Hoglander on Thursday night was Elias Pettersson. He had eight shot attempts, five of which were on goal, and threw in a solid 3-for-6 effort in the faceoff circle, as well as making the incredible deke and bank pass that set up Boeser's goal.
Petey's now on a five-game point streak and has 10 points in his last nine games, giving him 12 for the season. He's finding his way and when he hits full stride, it should help raise the spirits of the entire team.
Will it be soon enough for Jim Benning and/or Travis Green? With the losing streak now at six games, cries are getting louder and louder that if things don't turn around during this series with Calgary, jobs could be on the line.
It's impossible to know what's going on behind closed doors, and I still tend to think that a mid-season regime change could do more harm than good. But if Markstrom continues to shine, the next few days are going to be tough for the organization. All we can do is wait and see.
The Canucks are scheduled to practice at noon on Friday. Game 2 of the series goes Saturday night, wrapping up Hockey Day In Canada. And stateside, the Utica Comets will play their third game of the season on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT against Binghamton. As the New Jersey Devils' affiliate, the AHL Devils have set up their home base this season at the Prudential Center complex in Newark. Saturday's game will be played at the Devils' practice rink, RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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