Tuesday December 18 - Tampa Bay Lightning 5 - Vancouver Canucks 2
How did a visit from the mild-mannered Tampa Bay Lightning turn into one of the feistiest games the Vancouver Canucks have played at Rogers Arena for many a moon? Antoine Roussel lit the match, and a bubble player named Danick Martel fanned the flames.
Here are your highlights from the Canucks' first regulation loss in seven games, against the best team in the league:
Roussel set the stage during his pre-game interview with Dan Murphy, talking about how much fun it is to get up for games against top teams like the Lightning, especially when the Canucks are playing well.
After a successful night in a checking role against Connor McDavid's line in the Oilers game on Sunday, Roussel lined up again with Bo Horvat and Loui Eriksson for the opening faceoff against Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson on Tuesday and was at his yappy, grabby, irritating peak right from that first puck drop.
Roussel was on the ice killing an early Brock Boeser holding penalty when Yanni Gourde was sent off for the Lightning's first minor of the game, just 4:58 into the first period. When Roussel returned once the Canucks went on the power play, he goaded Alex Killorn into high-sticking him, setting up a 5-on-3 opportunity for Vancouver.
Roussel's second-period fight with Gourde also erupted while the Lightning were on the power play—not something you see every day!
Alas, a Lightning penalty kill that's anchored by Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman and shot-blocking machine Ryan McDonagh offers a lot less time and space than Boeser and Elias Pettersson enjoyed against Edmonton on Sunday. The Lightning have the fourth-best record in the NHL while shorthanded and went a perfect 6-for-6 against Vancouver on Tuesday.
The Canucks applied some late pressure to get out of the first period with a 16-12 shot advantage but down 2-1 after Danick Martel set up Cedric Paquette with a spectacular spin-a-rama pass.
CEDRIC PAQUETTE CASHES IN ON DANICK MARTEL'S UNREAL BEHIND-THE-BACK PASS! MARTEL'S FIRST POINT IS A BEAUTY!#GoBoltspic.twitter.com/5Z4HIIB5P6
Martel's assist was his first NHL point, in just his second game with the Lightning. Acquired on waivers from Philadelphia during preseason, the 24-year-old was a late add to Tuesday's lineup after Ryan Callahan was scratched due to injury after warmup.
It's safe to say that Martel made an impression—not only with his passing but also with the second-period hit that injured Troy Stecher, with the Canucks now down 3-1 and just back to full strength after killing off a two-man disadvantage of their own following Roussel's fight with Gourde.
I don't sit in the scoreclock at games, but this camera angle aligns quite well with what I saw live in the moment.
Stecher stayed down for a long time, precipitating a scrum, and didn't return to the game. Word on Wednesday is that the Department of Player Safety won't be reviewing the hit. Though it certainly looks like Stecher's head was impacted on the play, apparently they don't believe the head was the principle point of contact.
Martel received an interference penalty on the play—also curious, given that the puck was in Stecher's feet when he was hit. But unlike earlier in the season, when the Canucks took heat for their lack of pushback after Pettersson was concussed by Mike Matheson, the Canucks showed plenty of fire in their bellies on Tuesday.
There were two more significant scrums before the end of the middle frame—highlighted by the attack on Martel along the boards at 16:31, then the multi-player brawl headlined by Ben Hutton's throwdown with Paquette at 19:11.
Safe to say that the coach was not displeased by his team's response.
#Canucks Travis Green, on Virtanen sticking up for Stecher: "It's not just Jake. Brock grabs a guy, Petey's adapting too, even Goldy was hacking and whacking by their goalie. It's all our guys. But this is just a small sampler of what it's gets like when it's really intense."
And to be clear: much is being made of the other coach, Jon Cooper, giving Martel a supportive fist-bump on the bench. To be clear, that did not come directly after the Stecher hit; it happened after Martel returned to the bench after serving his second minor, after he'd been tag-teamed by Gudbranson and Virtanen.
Tempers boiling over as both Virtanen and Gudbranson come over to Martel after his hit on Troy Stecher. #Canuckspic.twitter.com/DBMWkqoOY5
Also contextually important: Martel is listed at 5'8" and 162 pounds. He hadn't played since November 10. And he was a late add to Tuesday's lineup, who didn't even think he was going to dress.
when you're staring up at some of these guys. He kinda got the worst of it, so I was just saying good job." #Canucks@Sportsnet650
Though I hated seeing Stecher hurt, the level of emotion in Rogers Arena on Tuesday felt like an old-school playoff game. It's been a looooong time since we've had that, and it came in such an unexpected situation.
Though the final score looked lopsided at 5-2, the Canucks were within a goal until the 17:22 mark of the third period and after their comebacks on the road last week, it didn't seem impossible that they might come back to tie. The Lightning did a good job of limiting opportunities in the third, outshooting Vancouver 15-8, but I loved the fact that the Canucks didn't shy away from going toe-to-toe against the best team in the league. Unlike some earlier losses this season against teams like Winnipeg, Washington and Pittsburgh, Vancouver was very much in the game—for nearly 58 minutes.
The Canucks are practicing on Wednesday for the first time in awhile, but it's not a full skate.
No Stecher, Boeser, Pettersson, Horvat, Eriksson, Edler or Tanev at practice today for the #Canucks.
If Jim Benning does need to fill Stecher's roster spot, he'll have to hurry. The holiday roster freeze, which also affects call-ups, goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. local time on Wednesday night.
Michael Del Zotto and Alex Biega were healthy-scratched on Tuesday night but beyond that, it's not like the organization has a bunch of space defensemen sitting around. Farmhands Jalen Chatfield and Ashton Sautner are both sidelined long-term with injuries, and the Canucks announced on Wednesday that Olli Juolevi's first North American pro season is over after he underwent knee surgery.
Juolevi's projected recovery time from the procedure is six months, so it was a pretty serious operation considering we'd been receiving reports for the last month that his knee issue didn't appear to be serious.
#Canucks Juolevi timeline: Nov 17 -- plays last game Nov 21 -- told 'minor knock' Nov 24 -- told by Benning that Juolevi was coming to VAN Dec 1 -- told by Benning '2 to 3 weeks' *skated here in VAN Dec 3 -- Benning scrum 'doesn't need surgery' Dec 18 -- knee surgery
These things happen, and I don't mind a cautious approach of seeing whether an injury will get better on its own before putting a player under the knife. But it is disappointing to see Juolevi's development stalled yet again—and it removes the option of a second-half call-up to start the defensive changing of the guard, perhaps if the team does consider trying to deal Alex Edler at the trade deadline.
One positive: Juolevi's absence means we'll get more of viral cult hero Colton Saucerman in our lives.
The Comets came from behind to beat the Charlotte Checkers 4-3 on the road in overtime on Tuesday, thanks to Darren Archibald's game-winning goal. Now 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, the Comets have climbed to second place in the AHL's North Division although, like their parent club, they've played more games than any of their division rivals.
The Comets will finish out their pre-Christmas schedule in Springfield on Friday before hosting Binghamton on Saturday.
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