Vancouver Canucks: 3 takeaways from 4-2 win over Blackhawks

For the second consecutive game, the Vancouver Canucks played a complete game and were rewarded with a victory. Here are three takeaways from their 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Vancouver Canucks are far out of the playoff race, but they’ve certainly displayed the pride to play spoiler for postseason hopefuls. 48 hours after defeating the red-hot Colorado Avalanche in overtime, the Canucks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 — handing a giant loss to their old foes.

These are two teams heading into very opposite directions. The Blackhawks are desperately trying to squeeze out everything left in an ageing core that’s seeing its Stanley Cup window close rapidly. The Canucks are trying to be what the Blackhawks have been during the decade, but the rebuild is far from over.

The Canucks swept the two home game series against the Blackhawks, having also defeated them 5-2 on Dec.28. Brendan Gaunce scored the two goals to propel Vancouver to a big win — and putting Chicago in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

Here are three takeaways from the Canucks big win over their old rivals.

Jacob Markstrom’s turning a corner

Though Gaunce will rightfully earn most of the attention from this game, you may not have noticed that Jacob Markstrom has begun elevating his game once again.

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

Markstrom has now won five out of his last seven starts. He’s allowed just 10 goals over his last four games, which is pretty good when you consider the leaky defence in front of him.

Markstrom was sharp once again on Thursday night, stopping 26 of 28 shots faced. He bailed out Vancouver in their Tuesday win over the Avalanche, and he stood tall (pun intended), against the Blackhawks.

It’s obviously helped that Bo Horvat, shutdown centre Brandon Sutter and No. 1 defenceman Chris Tanev have returned to the lineup.

Markstrom has had slightly better defensive play in front of him, and he’s rewarding his players with strong efforts like this. Now, to see if he can continue to play like a legit No. 1 goalie.

Sedins have an easy decision

As you may or may not know, the Sedin twins have yet to tell general manager Jim Benning if they’ll come back next season or not.

But let’s be honest, the twins are coming back next season. Why? Because they still have it. Amazing. After slow starts through November, the Sedins have looked like their old selves in 2018, so far.

Related Story: Canucks need the twins to keep playing

Daniel Sedin scored the game-winner on Thursday, and has now registered a point in seven of his last 10 games. Henrik picked up an assist on Daniel’s goal, and has points in seven of his last 11 outings.

The long and short of it: The twins still have the ability to play top-six roles. The reduced minutes have helped them stay fresh and energized. Both twins should hit 50-plus points once again. Are they sure they haven’t made up their minds yet?

Brendan Gaunce has his moment

Expectations weren’t high for Brendan Gaunce when the Canucks drafted him 26th overall in 2012. It was a weak draft class, and he happened to be one of the final picks of the first round. But the man has an admirable, hard-nosed work ethic.

And he finally got rewarded on Thursday. Gaunce scored the team’s first goal and the eventual game-winner. Play-by-play announcer John Shorthouse noted that Gaunce scored his first goal at Rogers Arena on Thursday night.

Next: Canucks: Latest power rankings heading into February

Gaunce has performed well as a bottom-six forward for head coach Travis Green. He brings nice speed and excellent energy to the Canucks. He’s not going to be a 20-goal man in the NHL, but Gaunce has the heart of a lion. Great to see him finally get those two goals on home ice.