After beginning the season 0-1-2, the Vancouver Canucks have reeled off two wins in a row and now sit at a extra respectable 2-1-2. They’ve seemingly figured issues out and are taking part in extra just like the group that gained 50 video games final season and completed atop the Pacific Division. With Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on the horizon, they might end their first highway journey of the season 3-1-0 and return residence to Rogers Area three wins higher than they left it.
Myers Dishes a Spotlight-Reel Help In 1,000th Recreation
Tyler Myers hit a serious profession milestone towards the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday when he skated in his 1,000th recreation. He grew to become the four-hundredth participant in NHL historical past to take action and the eighth in franchise historical past to do it in a Canucks jersey becoming a member of Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Markus Naslund, Trevor Linden, Dave Babych, Ryan Walter, and Pit Martin. And to high it off, he recorded a fantastic thing about an help within the second interval when he made a no-look go between the legs to Brock Boeser who backhanded it into an empty internet for his third of the season.
Myers has performed for 3 groups all through his 16-season profession and is on the cusp of taking part in extra video games within the blue and inexperienced than he did for the group that drafted him. He performed his 365th with the Canucks on Sunday, which tied him for the quantity he performed with the Sabres.
Associated: Tyler Myers’ Path to 1,000 Profession Video games
Myers has had an up-and-down profession with the Canucks since he signed his preliminary five-year deal in 2019. He was even given the nickname “chaos giraffe” for his questionable defensive recreation and lack of self-discipline. However ever since Rick Tocchet, Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar got here into the image behind the bench, he has shed that nickname and grow to be a really regular and dependable presence within the high 4. A lot so that he’s a part of a trusted shutdown pairing alongside Carson Soucy – a pair that went toe-to-toe with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl within the 2024 Playoffs.
After signing a three-year extension within the offseason, Myers will possible retire as a Canuck. Regardless of not changing into the elite offensive risk that he flashed throughout his Calder Trophy season in 2009-10, he has moulded himself right into a dependable two-way defenceman able to taking part in in all conditions. I for one am joyful Patrik Allvin re-signed him, and that he was in a position to hit this milestone carrying Canucks colors.
Hoglander-Pettersson-Garland Line Shines Towards the Flyers
Tocchet has been taking part in round together with his high six ever because the starting of the season. He has stored the duos of JT Miller and Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk collectively and cycled in Arshdeep Bains, Danton Heinen, Daniel Sprong, Nils Hoglander, and Conor Garland because the third winger. However on Saturday, he broke away from one in all his duos and aligned DeBrusk with Miller and Boeser and Pettersson with Hoglander and Garland.
The latter labored out fantastically because the trio linked on a reasonably three-way passing play that resulted within the first aim of the sport. Garland began the play together with his trademark tenacity on the boards, working laborious to get the puck to Filip Hronek on the level after which preventing for it after he returned it to him behind the web, the place he arrange Pettersson with a no-look go. Pettersson then dished it over to Hoglander for a tap-in that Samuel Ersson had no concept was coming.
That was simply the primary of many shifts the place they seemed harmful as a line. In accordance with Pure Stat Trick, they out-chanced the Flyers 6-2 and completed with a formidable 61.11 Corsi For share (CF%). If this recreation was any indication of how good of a combo they may very well be in the long term, followers can be in for a deal with once they return to Rogers Area subsequent week.
Lankinen Speeds Forward of Silovs Early within the Season
Kevin Lankinen obtained his second straight begin on Saturday and additional solidified his spot because the Canucks’ beginning goaltender. After posting his first shutout in his third recreation, he has a glowing 1.28 goals-against common (GAA) and .953 save share (SV%) together with a 2-0-1 file. His solely blemish is a shootout loss to the identical Flyers he simply blanked, the place he solely allowed two targets in regulation. He has introduced a chilled presence to the crease within the absence of Thatcher Demko and will type a Linus Ullmark-Jeremy Swayman-type tandem when Demko ultimately returns to the web.
“I’m feeling snug, feeling assured…The blokes have been actually nice at welcoming me and making me really feel good and comfy round everyone. This group, simply how good it’s, it’s enjoyable to play behind it and the fellows we have now right here simply show it each single night time.” – Kevin Lankinen after shutting out the Flyers 3-0
The Canucks entered the season with plenty of query marks when it got here to their goaltending. Lankinen has are available in and answered them with a large exclamation mark, filling the outlet left by Demko when he couldn’t begin the season as a result of lingering harm suffered within the 2024 Playoffs. Tocchet has taken observe of his success during the last three begins and is seemingly planning to trip him – though he didn’t decide to beginning him towards the Blackhawks on Tuesday.
“He’s taking part in nice, I gotta play the man,” Tocchet stated with a smile. “I like his composure, he’s good at popping out and stopping pucks, that’s an enormous issue for us.”
I don’t learn about you, however that sounds prefer it’s Lankinen’s internet for now. Silovs hasn’t pushed again together with his performances to this point, posting an unpleasant 4.50 GAA and .827 SV% in two begins, making it a simple choice to trip the veteran for so long as potential.
Canucks Have Discovered One other Joshua in Sherwood
Lankinen isn’t the one beginner making noise recently. It took Kiefer Sherwood 4 video games to make his first mark within the aim column, however he’s been offering a considerable amount of physicality and Alex Burrows-like prickliness to the lineup ever since his first recreation. He obtained that first tally towards the Flyers with a fast shot off a faceoff win by Teddy Blueger and led the hit parade with 9 hits. He now leads the league with 32 in 5 video games and is already turning out to be one other astute signing by Allvin.
The truth is, it’s wanting much like when Allvin grabbed Dakota Joshua from the St. Louis Blues just a few years in the past. He first established himself as a bodily presence within the backside six, after which grew to become a flexible winger that would not solely hit, however rating as properly. If Sherwood can do the identical over his two-year contract, the Canucks may have two hitting machines able to throwing up 300-plus hits a season.
Brannstrom & Desharnais Might Flip Into Preferrred Backside-Pairing
Erik Brannstrom and Vincent Desharnais have been an efficient pairing for the second recreation in a row. In 19:14 of even-strength ice time collectively, they’ve a decent 51.72 CF% and the Canucks have out-chanced their opponents 7-5 together with producing two high-danger scoring probabilities. Lankinen additionally has not allowed a aim with them on the ice.
Contemplating how a lot the Desharnais-Derek Forbort pairing struggled earlier than Desharnais was a wholesome scratch (31.58 CF%; out-chanced 4-1), Tocchet have to be loving this new improvement. He stated as a lot in his media availability after the Flyers recreation: “I assumed they performed very well, me and [Adam Foote] talked earlier than the sport, I stated ‘we obtained to get them some ice time’…I assumed we obtained them on the market on the proper time…they fed off one another…they may very well be an excellent pair for us.”
Miller Injured Towards Flyers
JT Miller was seemingly injured through the opening faceoff towards the Flyers. He went to the dressing room for a couple of minutes and returned to the sport, however didn’t take a single faceoff as a substitute deferring to Boeser or DeBrusk. Tocchet stated after the sport that he was coping with some stuff they usually didn’t need him to take any extra attracts. Hopefully, the 2 days’ relaxation will do him some good and he’ll be capable of do all the things he usually does when the Canucks face the Blackhawks on Tuesday.
What’s Subsequent For the Canucks?
The Canucks will head to the Windy Metropolis to tackle the Blackhawks of their remaining recreation of the highway journey on Tuesday. Word the beginning time, 5:15 pm PT. They’ll then return residence to face Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins for a short three-game homestand beginning on Saturday.
