Saturday April 9 - Vancouver Canucks 4 - Edmonton Oilers 3 (S/O)
Before the puck dropped on Saturday for the Canucks and Oilers' final game of the season, Columbus had already beaten Chicago and Toronto had lost to New Jersey.
The Canucks were guaranteed 28th place in the standings, while the Oilers were locked into 29th, setting up a true mean-nothing game. Yet fans were treated a seven-round shootout extravaganza that wrapped up with a game-winning goal from Emerson Etem. The Hockey Night in Canada crew back in Toronto had to wait until 10:03 p.m. Pacific Time to start rolling their postgame content. I'm sure they loved that!
But...the Canucks and their fans got to close out the disappointing 2015-16 NHL season on a winning note. Here are your highlights:
The Canucks got off to a pretty decent start in this game, outshooting the Oilers 12-10 in the first period and taking the early lead on Derek Dorsett's fifth of the year midway through the opening frame. But Vancouver sagged noticeably as the game wore on—getting outshot 16-4 in the second—before finding their second wind in the third as they found themselves with a chance to win a game that they really had no right to be in.
That being said, the Canucks never trailed and the game could have wrapped up tidily in regulation had the officials not called Ben Hutton for a meaningless holding penalty when he and Nikita Tryamkin tag-teamed Connor McDavid with Vancouver up 3-2 with 2:55 to play in the third period.
In that situation, the "game management" decision should have been "let the clock run down," but instead Patrick Maroon tied the game on a power-play goal that was upheld after a coach's challenge for goaltender interference, forcing overtime with 1:27 left to play.
Considering the Canucks' trials and tribulations early in the season at 3-on-3, it was actually an odd treat to watch them give it one more shot. I shuddered when Henrik, Daniel and Chris Tanev lined up against McDavid, Eberle and Sekera for the opening faceoff, but then a funny thing happened: Vancouver outshot Edmonton 4-0 in the extra frame, with Daniel generating the two best scoring chances. Go figure.
That set us up for the shootout—and Alex Burrows got his moment in the spotlight. His nifty shootout goal ultimately wasn't the game-winner, but it did offer up a moment for the crowd to give him a big cheer—and for him to shoot one more arrow into the sky in honour of his late friend and teammate, Luc Bourdon.
Should we read into the fact that even the Canucks twitter feed is acknowledging that last night may have been Burrows' last game with the team? Or should we listen to the words coming out of the player's mouth: "Things can change quickly in this business so you never know."
"We talked about battling together and finishing off on a good note, and I think we did that" - Burrows #Canuckshttps://t.co/anfgXIfEXt
For today, I'm happy that the stars aligned to give Burrows a moment of appreciation—whatever the future may bring.
Other players who finished out the year on reasonably positive notes:
• Emerson Etem, who not only scored the shootout winner but finished the season on a five-game point streak, where he went 4-1-5.
Trending positive for next year or a late-season mirage? We'll have to wait till September to find out but for a team that desperately needs scoring, I suspect a job next year is now his to lose.
• Jannik Hansen, who picked up his career-high 22nd goal of the year late in the third and finishes out the season second behind Daniel Sedin in team scoring. Hansen also finished out the year as the only Canuck in positive double digits in plus-minus, with a plus-16.
• Jacob Markstrom, who finished out the year in a virtual dead heat with Ryan Miller in terms of personal numbers and got the crowd in Rogers Arena roaring with one more amazing save sequence on Saturday.
This was awesome, but Markstrom's bare-handed save back in March is still his save of the year in my book.
• I shudder to point this out, but Matt Bartkowski's two assists on Saturday earned him third star honours in the game and moved him into a third-place tie with Chris Tanev in scoring among Canucks defencemen, with 18 points. His six goals also tied Alex Edler for No. 1 among the team's blueliners.
However...this chart's a couple of weeks old, but Bartkowski was the runaway loser in the Canucks' Corsi sweepstakes this year, which means the Canucks gave up way more chances at 5-on-5 than they generated when he was on the ice.
#Canucks season Corsi +/-. Team is highly negative. Virtanen, Tanev, Sutter survived the mayhem. Hey, Bartkowski. pic.twitter.com/xBt41fNGPX
Puck possession isn't everything, but I think this lines up pretty well with the eye test when watching Bartkowski on many nights. His mom gave us one of the most spontaneously entertaining moments of the year, but I sincerely hope the Canucks can upgrade his spot in the lineup next season.
• I don't think anybody bothered to explain to Nikita Tryamkin that Connor McDavid is one of those superstar players who should be treated with kid gloves. Tryamkin was a beast against McDavid in both games this week, which makes me excited to watch that rivalry unfurl in the years to come.
Now, on to the important stuff. With 28th spot locked down, it looks like the Canucks' chances of picking in the top three this year are just better than one in three.
Also on the prospect front, Brock Boeser had a huge performance in the Frozen Four championship game, scoring a shorthanded goal and adding three assists as North Dakota rolled over Quinnipiac 5-1 for the national title.
Boeser set up his linemate—and unrestricted free agent—Drake Caggiula for two goals on Saturday. The pair, and unrestricted free agent Troy Stecher, were all named to the tournament All-Star team, with Caggiula earning top honours.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
Cam Johnson, UND Connor Clifton, QU Troy Stecher, UND Travis St. Denis, QU Brock Boeser, UND Drake Caggiula, UND (MOP)
It's fantastic to see a Canucks prospect show so well in a big-game situation, and it certainly sets up the possibility that Boeser is ready to turn pro after just one season in college.
I'd estimate Boeser has about 15 more minutes left in a NoDak jersey.
The team's achievement is that much more impressive when you consider it came in ND's first year under new coach Brad Berry, after Dave Hakstol made the jump to the NHL—and got the Philadelphia Flyers into the playoffs on Saturday.
Finally, for today—more on Thatcher Demko. In an interview with the U.S. College Hockey website after winning the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA's best goalie, Demko offers a glimpse into his current mindset.
Keep in mind, he is addressing a college hockey audience here. That could be a factor in his choice of words.
Like I said yesterday, for a big decision like this, I'm more than willing to accept the idea that the young man and his family need a little time before they sign on the dotted line. I hope, though, that we will see him commit to the Canucks before the draft and join the team at prospects camp this summer!
And a long summer it will be. The Canucks players are scheduled to meet with the media on Monday, with Jim Benning and Willie Desjardins addressing the press on Tuesday, so we'll have plenty more to dissect over the next few days as the playoffs get set to begin.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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