Vancouver Canucks: 3 takeaways from overtime loss to Predators

They nearly pulled off a big upset, but the Vancouver Canucks blew a pair of leads and fell 4-3 to the Nashville Predators in overtime. Here are three takeaways from another frustrating loss.

The Vancouver Canucks may be near the bottom of the standings, but they deserve credit for consistently playing the NHL’s elite squads very tough. Yes, they should have probably not blown a 2-0 lead and let the Nashville Predators tie it up with with 2:15 to go.

But head coach Travis Green has found creative ways to help his limited-in-talent team find ways to hang in there. They got very close to beating the Predators and securing the season series, but it wasn’t meant to be.

It’s going to be hard for some fans to be positive, considering the Canucks found yet another way to blow a coulda shoulda woulda game. But the Predators have been dominating almost all of their opponents in 2017-18, so let’s try to be positive on this one.

Here are three takeaways from their overtime loss to the Predators.

Alexander Edler makes history

Over the past two weeks, Alexander Edler has looked like his pre-2014 self, and he had another vintage performance on Friday. Edler picked up a pair of assists in this contest, and made history at Rogers Arena:

It’s a great accomplishment for Edler, who surpasses fellow Swede Mattias Ohlund for the franchise record. Edler has been with the Canucks for over a decade, and has easily been their best blueliner at that.

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He has slowed down over the last few seasons, in large part to due injuries and age (he’s 32 in April). But it’s great to see Edler turning back the clock, as he tries to finish a disappointing 2017-18 campaign on a high note.

Edler only has one year left on his contract, and things will be interesting this offseason. Do the Canucks extend Edler? Trade him? Wait to see how 2018-19 unfolds? With his strong play over the past couple of weeks, he’s only enhancing his value to both the team and in the trade market.

Canucks play elite against the elite

The Canucks look destined to finish in the bottom-five for a third consecutive year, but many seem to be overlooking just how well they’ve played against the NHL’s best. Let’s not forget that they swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the season series (thanks, Brock Boeser).

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Vancouver finishes a respectable 1-1-1 vs. the defending Western Conference champion Predators. They’re 2-1-1 against the Los Angeles Kings, 1-1-0 against the Dallas Stars, and they split the two-game series with the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins.

Vancouver is 2-0 against the Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks (who usually have their number). Going 1-1-1 against the Colorado Avalanche isn’t so bad, either.

Unfortunately, the Canucks haven’t been great against most of the mediocre or bottom teams. But there’s more pride to take when you hang tough with the league’s best teams, and the Canucks are doing just that.

Give yourself a pat on the back, coach Green. That’s truly something to be happy about.

Bo Horvat and Daniel Sedin keep on going

So far, Boeser and Daniel Sedin are Vancouver’s only 20-goal scorers. But Bo Horvat picked up his 18th on the year, and it’d be a shock if he didn’t hit 20 at this point. Back to my point: These two continue to pile up the points.

As mentioned by John Shorthouse on the Sportsnet broadcast, Daniel now has eight goals in his last eight games. He also has points in nine of his last 10 games. And over that stretch, No. 22 has 14 points. That’s pretty good for a 37-year-old, for those who don’t know already. He’s already surpassed last season’s point total (44).

Meanwhile, Horvat now has four points in his last two contests. Had he not missed over a month of action, Horvat would have likely been in the 45-55 point range by now. Again, be positive. He keeps on getting better.

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The Canucks have had a bad year, but the future (Horvat) and the present (Daniel), keep on hitting the scoresheet. These two men have already made 2017-18 seem a lot better than the last two seasons.