Vancouver Canucks Wreck Grade Curve, Beat Lightning by Lots

The Vancouver Canucks scored on their first shots in the first and second periods en route to an improbable 5-1 rout of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Someone forgot to tell the Vancouver Canucks they were supposed to lose this game.

Even without the injured Steven Stamkos, the Tampa Bay Lightning still have a potent offense. Despite their best efforts, that offense could not solve goaltender Ryan Miller.

Meanwhile, a rag-tag trio of Canucks players put five goals on the board for Vancouver. Neither Jack Skille, nor Jayson Megna, nor Erik Gudbranson were with this team last season. Yet they carried the torch for their new team in Tampa.

Final Score:

Recap:

Tampa Bay pounced on the Canucks from the opening faceoff, quickly putting six shots on Miller. Number 30 turned them all aside.

Finally, Gudbranson chipped the puck up to Skille, who did his best impression of Bo Horvat:

That is Skille’s first as a Canuck!

Gudbranson quickly found the scoresheet again, scoring a goal thanks to a misplay by goalie Ben Bishop:

More from The Canuck Way

• Which team won the Bo Horvat trade?
• What to expect from newcomers Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty
• Back to the future: How the skate uniforms became a regular Canucks’ feature night
• Canucks kick off 2023 with disappointing 6-2 loss to Islanders
• 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg

Not pretty, but it counts just the same. That is Guddy’s first as a Canuck.

The Lightning outshot the Canucks 12-9 in the first period, but finished with 2-0 deficit.

Deja vu all over again in the second. The Lightning applied pressure early, but Miller stonewalled them yet again.

Then the Canucks escaped their zone and got their first shot of the period — another goal. Alex Biega fired a shot and Jayson Megna tipped the puck off the ice, through Bishop and into the goal:

Biega earned an assist in just his second game of the year (the first as a defenseman). The goal was Megna’s second as a Canucks.

After pressing the attack for so long, the Lightning finally were rewarded for their efforts. Tyler Johnson grabbed a rebound and snuck it through Miller’s half-butterfly:

Still, Miller made 17 saves in the second period, including this one on a Valtteri Filppula breakaway:

And this around-the-world blocker stop:

Megna gave the Canucks the three-goal lead to start the second. He made sure to restore that lead before time wound down in the frame:

Daniel Sedin dished off on a two-on-one, and Megna roofed it with one second left.

His second goal spelt the end for Bishop, who allowed four goals on 20 shots. Andrei Vasilevskiy came into the game to start the third period.

In the third, it was Miller time once again. Brian Boyle thought he had a backdoor tap-in — not so fast!

The only goal of the period came from Skille, who turned a Brendan Gaunce pass into a wicked snipe:

Miller Can’t Finish

After staring down 39 Tampa Bay shots, Miller left the game with five minutes left. Jacob Markstrom mopped up, stopping the only two shots he faced.

Some speculated that Miller was removed by the concussion spotters after he took two pucks off the mask. But Willie Desjardins confirmed that Miller himself made the call:

Despite not finishing, this was easily Miller’s finest performance of the season.

There has been speculation that the Canucks would actually try to re-sign the veteran goalie after this season. With Miller playing this well, that hardly seems like a bad idea.

The Sedins and Bo Horvat have carried the Canucks for most of this season. Tonight, though, was all about the supporting case. Megna and Skille scored two apiece, and Gudbranson’s lucky tally stood up as the game winner.

Next: Demko Starting to Impress

The Vancouver Canucks got a lucky win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, their good luck continues: they get a one-day vacation in Florida before facing the Panthers on Saturday.