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Saturday Canucks rewind game goes back to 2011 and Goldobin signs in KHL |
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First things first — a reminder that Sportsnet Pacific will be broadcasting Game 5 of the 2011 Western Conference Final between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night at 7 p.m. PT.
Brendan Batchelor has set the lines:
Dan Murphy and Kevin Bieksa had been planning a pregame show on Instagram live, also, but they've decided to put that on hold due to the tragic passing of Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave on Saturday morning, a few days after he was admitted to hospital with a brain bleed.
Deepest condolences to Cave's family and loved ones. Born and raised in Battleford, Saskatchewan, he was just 25.
For another walk down memory lane, I recommend Ed Willes' latest column in The Province, where he chats with Jim Robson and Tom Larscheid about their long broadcasting partnership — which, at times, was like mixing oil and water. A very fun read!
Back in the present day, Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet caught up with Tyler Toffoli — who is now back in California, but had nothing but good things to say about this short time with the Canucks this spring.
I was in the dressing room on the first day Toffoli met the Vancouver media after his trade. At that point, he was still visibly disappointed about having had to leave his comfort zone in Los Angeles. Major kudos to him for adjusting his mindset so quickly and giving everything he had for his new team.
And speaking of trade acquisitions who gave their all in Vancouver this season — I watched some J.T. Miller with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday.
Let me tell the story this way...
If you're not aware, all NHL games from the 2019-20 season are currently available for free until April 30 on the NHL Live app and streaming service. For a few more weeks, you can go back and re-visit any of the Canucks' highs and lows of this season at your leisure.
Because I subscribe to the service, I can go back farther. So, to satisfy my craving for playoff hockey on Friday night, I pulled up Game 1 of that insane 2019 first-round series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
You may recall — I made the trip to Tampa for the first two games of this series last year. I wanted to get a look at the historically good Lightning as they began their march on what I expected would be a serious Stanley Cup run.
Of course, that didn't happen. And in the end, I saw something much more unexpected — that underdog Columbus team overcoming a 3-0 first-period deficit, then gaining so much confidence that they pulled off the first-round sweep.
In the midst of all that drama, I didn't pay particular attention to J.T. Miller on the Lightning's roster, but he was prominent in the game, playing on a chippy third line with Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli.
Miller's line started the game, and he finished a plus-one with 14:59 of ice time — drawing a secondary assist on the Lightning's second goal, intercepting a clearing attempt by Sergei Bobrovsky to help set upCirelli midway through the first period.
Other than his ice time, which increased dramatically in Vancouver this year, Miller's final stat line in this game looks a lot like what we've come to expect.
He played a very well-rounded game — not on the ice for any goals against, three shots on goal, one shot attempt blocked, one hit, one takeaway, three blocked shots, and a 6-for-11 record in the faceoff circle. He also played in all situations, logging 1:53 on the power play and 1:25 on the penalty kill.
In a very odd game, Miller's line was arguably the most effective for the Lightning against the hard-working Blue Jackets. I know the Lightning were tight for cap space, but it seems kind of amazing that he was deemed to be expendable, especially given what we've seen from him this season.
During the pause, I have enjoyed the opportunity to watch broadcasts of games I attended live, and this one was no exception. It's so interesting to fill in the blanks with commentary and things like coaches' interviews, all preserved in real time, and see how they align with my memories.
And to wrap up today — looks like Nikolay Goldobin's time with the Canucks organization is finished.
Remember how excited the fanbase was at the 2017 trade deadline, when Jim Benning pulled the trigger on the Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen trades and brought back promising prospects Jonathan Dahlen and Goldobin in return?
So much for that. After he was shuffled off to the San Jose Sharks at the 2019 deadline, Dahlen returned to Sweden this season, where he led Timra of the Swedish second-tier league in scoring with 36 goals and 77 points in 51 games.
Now, Goldobin follows in Dahlen's footsteps, returning to his hometown of Moscow. The 24-year-old was second in scoring behind Reid Boucher on the Utica Comets this season, with 50 points in 51 games. He had one brief call-up with the Canucks this season, playing 8:37 in that crazy 8-6 collapse in Pittsburgh in late November before being healthy-scratched three times.
A restricted free agent who made $900,000 this season, Goldobin will be joining the top team in the KHL, led offensively by Minnesota Wild prospect Kirill Kaprizov and our old pal Linden Vey.
With the Canucks' depth chart up front still overflowing, it's not surprising that there's no longer room for Goldy.
All told, Goldobin had 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points in 114 games with the Canucks.
Best of luck to him in Russia!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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