Saturday March 5: Vancouver Canucks 6 - Toronto Maple Leafs 4
The last time the Vancouver Canucks won a game in Toronto, they were cresting through the brightest period in franchise history. On December 17, 2011, the team was on the way to its second-straight Presidents' Trophy and Daniel Sedin was the defending scoring champion.
Roberto Luongo was in net that night for Vancouver's 5-3 win, while Jonas Gustavsson guarded the twine at the other end of the ice. Chris Higgins, Mason Raymond, Daniel Sedin, Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen scored for Vancouver. Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel replied for the Leafs.
Looking at the game sheet, only a handful of players who picked up a point that night are still in the league. Bozak, with the Blues, and Kessel with the Coyotes, of course. Alex Edler, currently on the injured list with the Kings. And James Reimer, who backed up for Toronto that night, is now week-to-week with a lower-body injury in San Jose. That's it.
As a product of London, Ontario, Bo Horvat grew up identifying as a Detroit Red Wings fan. In 22 career games against the Leafs, he has 16 points, the most of any team in the Eastern Conference. But since Horvat joined the Canucks at the beginning of the 2014-15 season, Vancouver had gone 0-10-1 at the Air Canada Centre/Scotiabank Arena.
Until Saturday night.
J.T. Miller isn't Canadian and is only in his third season in Vancouver, but even he understood the significance of the Canucks' 6-4 win, which closed out their four-game road trip at 3-1-0.
"That's one of the games you're going to remember,"
Miller said after the game.
The Canucks have certainly endured some tough times in that Hockey Night in Canada spotlight in Toronto in recent years. This time around, Miller stepped up with the game's first goal, added an assist, and went 10-for-18 on the dot in a game where Horvat struggled on faceoffs, winning just 5-of-23.
I just saw a stat on Sunday's Devils/Sabres broadcast, of all places, pointing out that Miller has the highest points-per-game of any player in the NHL over the last calendar month — since the All-Star Break.
They bring it up because Jack Hughes is second, with 1.71 points per game in seven games played.
With 19 points in 11 games, Miller is at 1.73 points per game. That ties him for third place in real points — with McDavid, Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk. Mitch Marner leads everyone with 21 points in 13 games, and Calgary's Elias Lindholm has 20 points in 12 games.
Lofty company. Can't say I've heard any of those other guys' names on the trade block.
The Leafs have been said to have interest in Miller if he's available. But I think that interest would be more inquisitive than anything else. Maybe Toronto could use Miller's jam for their playoff run, but I would think that Kyle Dubas would be more focused on trying to shore up his goaltending and defense, with the rather worrisome run his team is on.
And the longer the Canucks keep their playoff hopes alive, the harder it will be for Patrik Allvin and his team to sell the idea of moving on from Miller. To the ticket-buying fanbase, who they desperately need to stay interested and spending as the organization works to recoup its Covid-19 losses, and also to the dressing room — a group that has bought in and done everything that has been asked of them since Bruce Boudreau came on the scene three months ago.
Closing out a road trip with two come-from-behind regulation wins is a pretty neat trick. And getting your three winning goals on this trip from Juho Lammikko, Vasily Podkolzin and Alex Chiasson is the kind of bottom-six production that was a pipe dream while Travis Green was behind the bench.
The Canucks are now 20-8-4 since Boudreau took over on Dec. 5, for a points percentage of .688. They're seventh in the league in points during that time and third-best in the West, behind only Colorado and L.A. In points percentage, they sit sixth, behind only Colorado and St. Louis in the Western Conference.
They're 12th in goals per game, sixth in goals against, tied for ninth on the power play and even improved on the penalty kill — now tied for 23rd.
And, of course, they woke up Sunday morning sitting three points out of the second wild-card spot in the West.
I enjoy the fact that Bruce Boudreau makes no bones about the fact that he watches the standings, and that he emphasized to his group how important it was to get two points against the Leafs — because they don't play again till Wednesday, and there will be plenty of games in the meantime for the other teams that are in the Western Conference playoff mix.
A quick n' dirty rundown:
SportsClubStats shows the Canucks' playoff chances having increased by 8.4% on Saturday night, now up to 24.7%.
Their big loser in the West on Saturday was Edmonton, dropping by 16.8% and down to 43.7% after their lackluster 5-2 loss to Montreal. The Oilers wake up Sunday sitting outside the playoff picture, in ninth place in the West. They're just two points ahead of Vancouver, but have played one fewer game — and their next game is a Battle of Alberta matchup in Calgary on Monday, before they return home for five.
They're basically hosting the same teams as the Canucks, who will open a seven-game homestand against Montreal on Wednesday. Montreal will also have some days off between now and then, and is also riding an incredible hot streak under a new coach. The Habs are now 7-1-0 in their last eight games under Martin St. Louis.
The Canucks will enjoy their little break with 62 points in 57 games. Here's what else is up with the other teams that they're battling for those precious playoff positions — with points based on position as of Sunday morning.
Los Angeles Kings - 2nd in Pacific - 67 points in 56 games
• leading Buffalo 1-0 midway through the 3rd period on Sunday morning as I type this
• have a back-to-back in Boston on Monday, then play 4 of 6 at home leading into the trade deadline, including three very winnable games against San Jose
Vegas Golden Knights - 3rd in Pacific - 66 points in 56 games
• home to Ottawa on Sunday, then out on a five-game Eastern road trip before playing two games at home before the trade deadline
Nashville Predators - 1st Wild Card - 66 points in 55 games
• play 5 of 7 at home leading into trade deadline
• huge game this Tuesday, when they host Dallas
Dallas Stars - 2nd Wild Card - 65 points in 54 games
• play 5 of 6 on the road
• just two in-conference games, Sunday afternoon in Minnesota and Tuesday in Dallas
Edmonton Oilers - 9th place - 64 points in 56 games
• see above
Vancouver Canucks - 10th place - 62 points in 57 games
• see above
Anaheim Ducks - 11th place - 61 points in 57 games
• fading, with a 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games (Nashville & Vegas are the other two teams on this list that are below .500 in their last 10)
• host San Jose on Sunday, then play 5 of 6 on the road; only meaningful conference matchup is in Nashville on Thursday
There's also still an outside chance that Minnesota could work its way into this conversation — currently third in the Central with 67 points in 53 games. And Winnipeg could also still push back in, now with 58 in 55.
It's a crowded field, with plenty of drama set to unfold over the next two weeks that will help determine which teams will be trade-deadline buyers and sellers.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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