Vancouver Canucks: 3 keys to victory over the Golden Knights
By Chris Rhodes
The Canucks are looking for a rebound game against the Golden Knights after a very disappointing overtime loss which saw them drop a three goal lead against the Avalanche. Here are three things the Canucks will need to do in order the defeat the Conference leading Golden Knights.
Everything was looking great for the Canucks as Bo Horvat put them up 4-1 against the Avalanche with less than 5 minutes left in the second period. Then the Avalanche powerplay struck with four straight goals including the overtime winner by Nathan MacKinnon.
With the Canucks flying into Vegas for tonight’s matchup, Travis Green will be needing his team to play a full 60 minutes against the league’s first year expansion team.
Horvat on the penalty kill
The penalty kill was horrendous on Tuesday allowing 5 powerplay goals on 6 attempts.
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Moving the Canucks best two-way centre to the penalty kill says a lot about the value and impact that Bo Horvat makes to this team.
Bo Horvat is quietly establishing himself as this era’s Moose.
He’s strong on the puck, tenacious against the boards, not afraid to take a hit to make a play and he’s responsible defensively. Horvat has the ability to make the team better every time he steps on the ice.
To beat a team that has been playing as well as Vegas has, the Canucks are going to need to focus on their defense, which starts with the penalty kill. Vancouver needs their penalty killers to be their best players when it matters tonight.
Holm on the powerplay
Operating at 21.1% (according to NHL.com) the Canucks powerplay has been one of the bright spots this season. Bringing up Philip Holm to cover for the oft-injured Chris Tanev could be a boost to the powerplay if he’s given the time.
With 11 goals and 29 points for the Utica Comets (eliteprospects.com), Holm has shown that he has the ability to quarterback the play from the blueline. Can this transfer to the NHL level? that remains to be seen. Holm will need to fight the nerves of his first NHL game and trust in the abilities that got him to the show if we are to see what he can really do.
Focus on defence, let the offence take care of itself
The Canucks will need to take a serious defense first approach to this game. Vegas doesn’t have any real big stars, just a solid lineup that has shown virtually no weaknesses. Vegas plays a smart defensive game, but will burn you with their steady assault from all four lines.
The Canucks are going to need a big game from everyone in the lineup tonight from Jacob Markstrom to Troy Stecher to Jake Virtanen.
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This means the can’t afford any weak goals, soft backchecking, or odd man rushes. Expect a low scoring affair for the Canucks to go into Vegas and pull off a win; something only 7 other teams have managed to do all year.