The Vancouver Canucks lastly wrapped up their preseason schedule on Friday (Oct. 4) towards the Edmonton Oilers, coming away with a strong 4-1 victory. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead on objectives by Quinn Hughes, Carson Soucy and Arshdeep Bains and by no means appeared again after that. Due to nice penalty killing and hermetic goaltending by Arturs Silovs, they have been by no means unsure of profitable the sport and will really feel fairly good heading into the common season on Wednesday.
Remaining Roster Battles Between Raty, Bains & Aman
The Canucks’ top-six is seemingly set in stone for opening night time with J.T. Miller centring Brock Boeser and Danton Heinen and Elias Pettersson between Daniel Sprong and Jake DeBrusk. The battle is being waged on the backside of the lineup with three forwards making an attempt to take spots on the roster that shall be submitted to the NHL on Monday. As Sportsnet’s Ian MacIntyre said in a current article, it’s doubtless solely one among Aatu Raty, Bains or Nils Aman will have the ability to make the crew. All three have had strong preseasons and should be on the ultimate lineup card towards the Calgary Flames on Oct. 9. Nonetheless, in actuality, with basic supervisor Patrik Allvin eager to keep away from long-term injured reserve (LTIR), two of them will most likely be dispatched to Abbotsford (or in Aman’s case positioned on waivers).
Raty has been spectacular because the Younger Stars match in Penticton, showcasing his improved skating and faceoff capability in each dots, finally usurping veteran Teddy Blueger on the third line. He has performed between Nils Hoglander and Conor Garland all through coaching camp and would have once more within the last preseason recreation if Garland hadn’t tweaked one thing within the morning skate. Even after struggling in that recreation and incorrectly studying his protection on Evan Bouchard’s aim, Tocchet nonetheless had him centering the third line in follow on Saturday with Hoglander and Kiefer Sherwood flanking him.
Aman has quietly accomplished his job this preseason, killing penalties and displaying flashes of offensive potential. Mainly he’s been the identical man that performed 43 video games final season for Tocchet and was a low-maintenance heart/winger on the fourth line. He would most likely get claimed if he was positioned on waivers, given his low cap hit and skill to fill a bottom-six position with no fuss. Nevertheless, Phil Di Giuseppe cleared and was despatched to Abbotsford, and he’s just about the identical kind of ahead, simply older.
As for Bains, he simply performed his two finest video games of the preseason towards the Oilers, first on the street in Edmonton after which in his hometown of Vancouver. He scored power-play objectives in each video games, and appeared good doing it, roofing a shot off a go from Sherwood on Monday and ending a three-way passing play with Heinen and Hoglander on Friday. He has additionally proven nice consciousness defensively, which is a trademark of what Tocchet seems for in forwards enjoying wherever in his lineup.
Associated: Arshdeep Bains Ought to Begin the Season With the Canucks
As I stated, they’ve all made their case to be on the opening night time roster. Now it’s as much as the teaching employees who they really feel will most profit the crew after they drop the puck on Wednesday. If it have been me, I might select Bains at this level, particularly if Pius Suter is wholesome and might heart the third or fourth line.
Penalty Killing Seems to be Good Going Into Common Season
Whereas the rosters haven’t been consultant of what the Canucks will see within the common season (apart from the final two video games), their penalty killing has been a brilliant spot all through the preseason. They solely gave up one power-play aim and principally shut down the vaunted Oilers’ man benefit when the massive weapons Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have been within the lineup. They have been aggressive, in good place with their sticks and our bodies, and decisive with their clears. Most of all, they didn’t enable plenty of high-danger possibilities. In response to Pure Stat Trick, they solely gave up 4 throughout your complete preseason – second solely to the Dallas Stars who gave up three. Additionally they completed second to the Carolina Hurricanes in total scoring possibilities towards, ending with 11 in comparison with the Hurricanes’ 9.
The Canucks have a brand new penalty-killing coach this season in Adam Foote, who was arguably among the finest defensive defencemen – and penalty killers – within the Nineties and early 2000s (from ‘Canucks: Penalty kill consideration now falls on Adam Foote,’ The Province, 6/6/24). He’s taking over from Mike Yeo, who departed for the Ottawa Senators within the offseason. His new system, which appears to be primarily based on aggressiveness and good sticks, seems to be working. We’ll see the way it goes within the common season, but when he could make the Canucks’ a top-five penalty-killing crew once more, which we haven’t seen since 2014-15 after they completed second, wins needs to be simpler to come back by.
Silovs Ought to Begin Opening Evening After Sturdy Efficiency vs. Oilers
Arturs Silovs had the privilege of enjoying within the last recreation of the preseason and thus making a closing argument for his case to be the starter on Wednesday. It turned out to be a powerful one as he made 28 saves on 29 pictures – together with a highlight-reel magnificence the place he went post-to-post to cease Zach Hyman. He appeared in midseason kind, and can most definitely be within the crease when the Canucks open the season towards the Flames.
Silovs was rocking the white pads ala Thatcher Demko and appeared a bit just like the 2024 Vezina Trophy runner-up together with his athleticism and positioning. If the Canucks get this model of the Latvian netminder persistently, Demko can take his time recovering and are available again not simply one hundred pc however 110 p.c. Relying on how Kevin Lankinen does, it’d drive a tricky resolution for administration; do they ship Silovs right down to Abbotsford, or put Lankinen on the commerce market?
Fast Hits
- The Canucks might need a harmful second-unit energy play this season. Even Bains – who isn’t a confirmed commodity within the NHL on the facility play – has appeared harmful on the market, scoring two objectives. When Dakota Joshua is again, they are going to have a fairly good group to select from: Sprong, Hoglander, Heinen, Sherwood, Garland, Suter, and presumably Bains. Perhaps the primary unit received’t need to play virtually the total two minutes anymore.
- If he isn’t already, Sherwood may turn into a fan favorite this season. He was signed in free company due to how annoying he was to play towards within the playoffs, and he’s already proven that attribute within the preseason. He acquired beneath the pores and skin of Darnell Nurse, prompting him to depart his defensive place and go after Sherwood with an enormous hit. It led to a two-on-one, however play was stopped as a result of everybody coming to Sherwood’s help afterward. If he could be that pest all season lengthy, followers will fall in love with him, similar to they did with Joshua.
- J.T. Miller was undoubtedly rusty on the market as he made a couple of gaffs defensively, resulting in high-danger possibilities that Silovs needed to cease. General, he was on the ice for 5 high-danger possibilities towards and completed with a Corsi For share of 40. Hopefully, he’s gotten it out of his system now, and we see the Miller that was worthy of Selke votes and put up 103 factors final season quite than the pre-Tocchet model that was liable to turnovers and dangerous selections.
It’s Lastly Time For Puck Drop, Up Subsequent: Recreation 1 vs. Flames
The Canucks will battle the Flames on Wednesday in recreation one of many common season. The factors matter now, and judging by the lineup basic supervisor Patrik Allvin has assembled, we needs to be in for one more thrilling few months. Hopefully, it goes additional than Might this time, however that’s a great distance down the street. All I do know is it’s nice to see hockey again on our tv screens once more. Let’s drop the puck already!
