Vancouver Canucks gameday: Boeser vs. Barzal for Calder

The Vancouver Canucks faithful at Rogers Arena will be in for quite a treat on Monday, as Brock Boeser and Mathew Barzal go toe-to-toe in an epic matchup featuring the two rookie stars.

Though the 2017-18 season has been another frustrating campaign for the Vancouver Canucks, rookie sensation Brock Boeser has been quite the treat. The 21-year-old has 29 goals and 55 points on the season, and is a favourite to take home the Calder Trophy.

His main competition? New York Islanders star Mathew Barzal, who has 18 goals and 67 points — though he has played five more games. But given his superior point totals, one has to think Barzal would win the Calder if the season ended today.

But Boeser still has time to catch up, and he can get started tonight when the Canucks try to play spoiler against the playoff-hopeful Islanders. Entering play, Barzal and co. are five poins behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

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

The pressure is really on New York to squeak in, as captain John Tavares is a free agent on July 1st. If the Isles miss the playoffs, it certainly won’t help them convince ‘Johnny T’ that they’re the place for him to chase a championship.

The Islanders have won the last four meetings, the last one being a 5-2 victory on Nov. 28. Vancouver simply had no answer for New York’s balanced attack, in five different players scored.

Vancouver has one of the league’s worst defensive units, and it’ll be fun to see how head coach Travis Green prepares them against this dangerous Islanders offence.

Anders Lee (31 goals, 50 points), Barzal, Tavares (30 goals, 65 points), and Jordan Eberle (22 goals, 46 points), round out one of the league’s deepest forward groups. There’s a great mix of speed, skill and toughness up front. But the good news for the Canucks is the Islanders aren’t so good at keeping pucks out of their net.

No team gives up more goals than the Isles. According to NHL.com, they allow 3.56 goals and 35.9 shots against per game. Both those totals place the Islanders last in the NHL. So really, this could turn into a 6-5 game. Maybe even higher scoring?

3 keys to a Canuck victory

• Put the pucks on net. That’s all Vancouver has to do. The Islanders are so sloppy in their own end, and Jaroslav Halak (3.22 goals against average), and Thomas Greiss (3.84 goals against average), simply haven’t performed like NHL goalies should. New York gives up the most shots and the most goals. Need I say more? Shoot the puck as much as you can!
• Implement the neutral zone trap: This is probably the best way for the Canucks to defend against the Islanders. They are built around speed and quick puck-movement. Their blueliners are incredible mobile. The Canucks don’t want to be chasing after the opposition. Instead, they should play the neutral zone trap and force the Isles to dump and chase.
• Give the puck to Daniel: Daniel Sedin has eight goals in his last eight games. Any time the puck touches his stick, it seemingly turns into a goal. May as well go with what works: Put the puck and the game on his stick.

Prediction

This should be a great contest, as both teams feature a star rookie. Though Barzal vs. Boeser will dominate headlines, this truly should be one of the best games of Vancouver’s season. So much speed and young talent.

Next: Canucks shouldn't chase Evander Kane this summer

Both teams also play sloppy in their own end, and the goalies have been incredibly inconsistent. This will be a fun game. Boeser ties it up late in the third period, but Barzal wins it in overtime. Islanders take it 4-3, but the Canucks at least stay in the bottom-five. Team Tank lives on.