The Canucks seem to be finding their footing after a bumpy start that had some people in a tizzy. With a little line juggling and settling-in adjustments, the boys are looking more like their old selves. It was a solid 6-3 win against the Hawks – beating teams you should beat is a good thing. If you missed the game, here are the highlights:
The Canucks put on their best offensive effort of the year, which was a joy to see. Two goals from Heinen on an elevated third line, and one each from Miller, Garland, Boeser, and Suter rounded out the scoring. The Canucks were creative and at times dominant up front, as their summer signings seem to be finding better places in the line up. Credit to Tocchet for moving people around to find the best fits – it’s a little tough integrating 8 new players. The Heinen-Blueger-Sherwood line looked really solid, and having Garland and Hoglander play with Petey is starting to carry some weight. I’m happy local boy Heinen was able to pot a couple, and he seems pleased with the team’s effort.
“Good forecheck by my linemates and a good hold there at the point. Two great plays and I was lucky to have an empty net for it to go in,” said Heinen. “It gets you going a little bit and we were just trying to keep it simple, get pucks in deep and get the cycle going and not get too fancy.
“We knew if we could try to put in a full 60 (minutes), or at least get as close as we can and keep on building, we could finish the road trip right.”
Tocc was pleased with the game, for the most part…
“I like the fact that we scored six goals and it’s nice to get offence through the depth of the team and power play goals, so overall, I’m happy with the game,” he said. “But (protecting) the guts of the ice is something we’re not as good at as last year.
“We have to figure that out. Too many opportunities in the middle of the ice. The (Teddy) Blueger line was in good spots and playing close together. And for the most part, the guys stayed in it. I thought that was (Erik) Brannstrom’s best game. He distributed the puck well and I was pleased on his break-outs.”
Yes, up front, all good. On the back end, still lacking. Hronek looked more dynamic last night, which is great. Hughes, somehow, seems to have found another level to his game. He is outright dominant at the moment. Which overall is a great thing for the Canucks, why wouldn’t you want one of the best (if not THE best) defenseman on your team? The problem for the Canucks is everything after the Hughes-Hronek combo. As Drance pointed out through the first 40 minutes:
The Canucks found their game defensively in the 2nd, but the non-Hughes minutes remain a problem for this hockey club.
With Hughes at 5-on-5 shots are 11-4 and VAN has outscored CHI 3-0.
In all other minutes the shot count is 7-16 in Chicago's favour + CHI has outscored VAN 2-0.
That’s not a great prescription for winning down the stretch.
Thankfully, right now, Lankinen has stepped up to the plate and is delivering the goods. He’s looked solid in all his starts, and is giving confidence to the team. For only coming over in pre-season, that’s not bad.
“Every start he’s had he’s been really good,” lauded Tocchet. “I didn’t know much about him, but he looks confident and he likes our system, but we’re not quite there yet. We’re giving up too much. He’s just an unflappable guy.”
“I try to enjoy this as much I can,” Lankinen told Sportsnet late Tuesday. “But at the same time, I'm trying to stay present. I've done so much work, not just this summer but the last few years, to prepare for an opportunity to play more games and prove to myself and everybody else that I can be an elite goalie in this league. I think it's just all that preparation and hard work — and mental work — that's helping me with this opportunity I've had here the last couple of weeks. So, I'm just trying to keep the foot on the gas and help the team win.
“Obviously, the NHL is the best league in the world and it's never easy to win a game, so you've got to enjoy those moments because those are the ones that fuel your passion, fuel your motivation. But at the same time, you're never satisfied because there's always more.”
The win bumps the Canucks up to 3-1-2 on the season, as they’ve nabbed a possible 8 of 12 points. With four of those games coming on the road, that’s not too shabby a start.
The boys have the next three at home, starting with Pittsburgh on Saturday. Until then, you got the comments:
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