Despite one of their most impressive efforts on the season, the Vancouver Canucks left the City of Brotherly Love empty-handed. Here’s what we learned from their 2-1 loss.
The Vancouver Canucks had more shots, faceoff wins, hits and more quality scoring chances than the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, but the visitors fell 2-1 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Brock Boeser scored Vancouver’s lone goal, as Flyers rookie netminder Carter Hart stood on his head with 41 saves. He made a handful of brilliant stops to help Philly escape with an eighth consecutive win.
With the loss, the Canucks fall to 24-23-6 on the season, and there won’t be much time to rest. They visit the defending Stanley Cup champion and slumping Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Two key points are up for grabs there.
Now, let’s examine three takeaways from the 2-1 loss in Philadelphia
3. Alexander Edler hurt, blue liners must step up
Top blueliner Alexander Edler had to leave the game on a stretcher in the third period after falling face first into the ice. Edler was down for a few minutes but managed to slowly get up before being taken off the ice.
After the game, head coach Travis Green said that Edler had x-rays on his face, per the team’s official Twitter account. Green wasn’t able to provide any further updates, but it’s safe to believe the Canucks will be without their top blueliner for at least a few games.
Edler is undoubtedly Vancouver’s top defenceman, and nobody needs a reminder about how much the rest of the blue line has struggled this year. During his absence, the Canucks can only hope that the other defencemen can step up and fill the void he’s leaving behind.
This better mean more playing time for Ben Hutton, who’s enjoying an excellent bounce-back year. He’s not going to replace Edler’s leadership, offensive skills or strong defensive play. But Hutton has displayed the ability to play the heavy minutes when asked upon. It’d be a good time for Erik Gudbranson to earn his money, too.
2. No secondary scoring hurts again
Once again, the Canucks relied on Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat to carry the offence. The trio of young stars had their chances in this one, but Boeser was the only one who could find the back of the net.
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Meanwhile, the other forwards weren’t able to step up and provide the much-needed secondary scoring. Jake Virtanen had a breakaway and just missed out on scoring his second goal in as many games. Nikolay Goldobin was robbed on a phenomenal save by Hart in the final minutes, but at least he came close.
But at the end of the day, the rest of the Canucks just weren’t able to step up on a night where Pettersson and Horvat didn’t score a goal. It’s been a common problem all season long, and it’s been this way with the Canucks for a while.
It’s been years since they had quality secondary scoring. Think about all those years where the Sedins and (insert linemate here), had to carry the workload.
There’s not a whole lot general manager Jim Benning can do but simply wait it out and see if the likes of Virtanen, Goldobin and Sven Baertschi will find some consistency over the final two months.
1. Canucks look like playoff-caliber
Don’t let this loss fool you. The Canucks have been playing like a playoff-caliber team over the past month, and despite losing to Philadelphia, this team continues to show they have what it takes to sneak into the postseason.
There is no shame in losing on the road to the hottest team in the league, and the Canucks easily deserved to win this one more. They rant into a red hot team, led by a rookie goalie who’s playing out of his mind. There is not much to be disappointed about here.
Since the calendar turned to 2019, the Canucks have been playing arguably their best hockey since Benning became general manager in 2014. Despite injuries and a bunch of flaws on the roster, they’re finding ways to stay in games.
The Canucks are holding onto the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 54 points. They trail the seventh-seeded Minnesota Wild by just two points, as well. At the end of the day, this race is likely between the Canucks, Wild, Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. Hard to see the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes or Edmonton Oilers squeaking in at this point.
With the way the Canucks are playing, why should we doubt their ability to get in? They may be lacking in secondary scoring and reliable defencemen, but they’re finding ways to get it done. Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, fans have to be pleased with how far they’ve come along in what was supposed to be another year of rebuilding.