Vancouver Canucks: 3 takeaways from 4-1 win over Ducks

Despite all of the injuries to key players, the Vancouver Canucks completely shut down the Anaheim Ducks and played spoiler, winning 4-1 and putting a dent in their playoff hopes. Here are three things we learned.

The Vancouver Canucks had a chance to fall back to 30th in the NHL standings, but a few amazing things happened and prevented that, with the team now moving up to 28th overall.

Not only did the Canucks pull off a 4-1 win against the desperate and superior Anaheim Ducks, but the Ottawa Senators allowed a late goal and lost 4-3 at home to the New York Islanders. The Detroit Red Wings upset the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2, so the Canucks are just two points out of 26th.

Catching the 25th-placed Montreal Canadiens is also possible. They each have five games left, but the Habs are up three points. A couple more Canuck victories and a five-game losing streak to close out the season for Montreal could bring Vancouver into 25th.

That’s what the main focus was in this one; the Rasmus Dahlin tank watch. Follow Canucks fans and writers during the game, and you could tell not many of them were happy about winning this game.

But hey, it never hurts to play spoiler and put a dent in your rival’s playoff hopes. The Los Angeles Kings even sent a thank you!

Now, let’s take a look at three things we learned from the win.

Playing spoiler isn’t so bad

Let’s be honest, a large portion of Canucks fans can’t help but hold bitter feelings against former star, Ryan Kesler. He requested a trade during the 2013-14 season, and was finally dealt to the Pacific Division rival Ducks that offseason.

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While the Canucks have struggled to win games since the trade, Anaheim has won three Pacific Division championships and they’ve appeared twice in the Western Conference Final. Kesler’s departure has hurt the Canucks, all while strengthening a division rival.

Anaheim has been the big bully of the Pacific Division for so long, and the Canucks haven’t been able to put up much of a fight.

But in this contest, they won 4-1 and may have seriously hurt the Ducks’ chances of making the playoffs.

The Ducks and Kings are tied with 91 points each, and both teams have five games left. Anaheim is also tied in points with the St. Louis Blues, who have a game in hand. The Colorado Avalanche are just one point behind the Ducks, and they have one game in hand.

Vancouver didn’t beat a bottom feeder. They beat a rival hoping to make the playoffs. This could be their most signature moment of the season, believe it or not. There’s something to be excited about in this one.

Brandon Sutter is turning a corner

It’s a shame that Brandon Sutter‘s contract gives him a bad rep, but the 29-year-old is a more serviceable player than many give him credit for. Sutter is a workhorse and a solid shutdown centre, but the $4.375 million cap hit is the only thing some folks want to look at.

Yes, Sutter is quite overpaid for a player who’s only good for about 30-35 points a season and plays third-line minutes. However, Sutter has shown his true value to the team over the past two weeks.

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He scored two goals on Tuesday, and the first was a dandy. He blew by Kesler and went on a breakaway, scoring on his own rebound. Sutter added an empty netter, and now has four goals and one assist over his last five games.

Many criticized general manager Jim Benning for protecting Sutter in the expansion draft, but now you’re seeing why. Sutter can play anywhere up and down the lineup and can bring his A-game when needed. It’s been on display over the past two weeks.

Pride over tanking

Before the Canucks played their 79th game of the 2015-16 season, I was in the media scrum when multiple players were asked about their thoughts on the fans wanting them to lose for better draft lottery odds.

“We want to win games,” was the most frequently response, if my memory serves correctly. Indeed, the Canucks won that nice and pieced together their first three-game win streak of the season.

With a win over the Ducks, Vancouver has now taken three of their last four. Fault them all you want for not tanking, but teams don’t do this. Without Chris Tanev, Brock Boeser, Sven Baertschi and Loui Eriksson, the Canucks have found ways to beat superior teams. Give them credit for that.

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Love it or hate it, the Canucks want to win hockey games. And who knows? Maybe finishing outside the bottom-three could lead them into jumping up in the draft lottery. You never know until the balls are pulled, so don’t get too frustrated with their recent hot streak. Winning games is the priority for this short-handed team.