Vancouver Canucks: 3 Positives About 5-4 Victory vs. Stars
The Vancouver Canucks are a terrible hockey team that never wins. Sorry, what? They won!
Not everything about the Vancouver Canucks is bad. That is a fact that is easy to forget in times like these.
With every loss, we become more and more desperate. All we can think about is the draft lottery and what could have been in 2011. But, every once in a while, we actually get something to celebrate.
The Vancouver Canucks beat the Dallas Stars 5-4 in overtime at Rogers Arena, after falling behind 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3. In other words, they won another game in which they held the lead for zero seconds. Yay!
So, what are the takeaways from this game? What are the positives and what do they tell us about the future?
Let’s take a look.
The Canucks Won!
Let’s start with the obvious. When you are a Vancouver Canucks fan, you have no choice. You need to celebrate every win you can get. After all, there aren’t many.
What makes this one even more exciting is that it came against the Dallas Stars. Now, you may say “what? The Stars are hardly better than Vancouver!” I guess you’re right, but the Stars are still considered a Stanley Cup favourite, and it’s great to see the Canucks weren’t the team that got Dallas back on track.
Another thing that made this win particularly exciting and positive is that it was another comeback.
Sure, one could argue that coming from behind is a really bad and unsustainable strategy, but it generates exciting games. The Canucks are finally able to win one-goal games, whether it is in overtime or regulation. That’s a giant positive.
We can’t be too excited because it would be great to see an easy blowout win for the Canucks sometime. But since that is, objectively, totally unrealistic, we just have to go with this.
A Canucks comeback win!
Stecher’s First
Troy Stecher is already one of the Canucks’ top defensemen, and probably the one that has fans most excited. Like Ben Hutton last season, Stecher has few struggles adjusting to the pro game, and he could well end up in the Calder Trophy conversation.
After going scoreless in four AHL and six NHL contests, Stecher finally tallied his first professional goal — and it was a beauty.
At just 22 years old, Stecher looks like he has been in the league forever. He got the puck at the offensive blue line, deked past Jamie Benn — one of the best forwards in the world — and fired a slap shot at the net.
There are two things that really stand out about Stecher that were bundled in this goal.
While many rookies struggle to adjust and gain confidence at the pro level, Stecher has no doubt about his abilities. “I deked around Jamie who?” Stecher carries the puck with a lot of poise and he has the kind of confidence (and success rate) we wish to see from all Canucks.
Second, Stecher was tied for the team lead in shots on goal (4), and had nine attempts overall. That goes hand-in-hand with his confidence, but it is great to see him succeed in what he does as well.
When you score your first NHL goal but can't celly hard.@botchford @Canucks @troystecher @UticaComets pic.twitter.com/FAyK1D1akp
— CoppeR (@copperleaf22) November 14, 2016
Unexpected Leaders
Who would you say have been the most consistent Canucks over the first 16 games? Who was particularly good in the past three games? Who were players you did not expect to be in the conversation for the previous two questions?
Now, there are two options:
- You answered “Markus Granlund” and “Alex Burrows” to at least two of the questions above.
- You don’t actually watch Canucks games.
Add Granlund's name to the list of players who had a great game today. He's been one of the most consistent regulars so far. #Canucks
— Josh B (@BarkingJosh) November 14, 2016
The line of Granlund, Brandon Sutter and Jannik Hansen was the most consistent and most promising one of the first few weeks. Which is both exciting and alarming.
However, seeing that line succeed for more than just a few weeks is one of very few positives this season. Even with Derek Dorsett instead of the injured Jannik Hansen, the line is doing well. And who would have thought Granlund could look like a strong, consistent two-way player in the NHL this year?
There were talks about Granlund needing time in the AHL, but he emerged as a middle-six winger as soon as Willie Desjardins removed him from the fourth-line center role.
Alex Burrows’ story is similar, yet totally different. At the beginning of the season, there were fans who wanted to see him bought out. An overpaid veteran way past his prime has no business in an NHL lineup anymore, right?
Next: Canucks Should Try Trading Ryan Miller
Well, Burrows started rather slow but we can be glad he’s still around. The 35-year-old suddenly became a quick skater again, and the past few games are the best we’ve seen from him in at least a year. I never could have imagined myself saying this, but: Burrows is the hero the Bo-Baer line deserves.
Plus, that line of Burrows, Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi had 100 percent offensive-zone starts against Dallas, which is probably a huge factor.