Vancouver Canucks: 3 takeaways from comeback win over the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Vancouver Canucks took on the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, in an extremely passionate and entertaining tilt, that saw the Canucks complete the comeback and win it in overtime by a score of 3-2.
Personally, anytime Jim Hughson calls a Vancouver Canucks game, it brings me back to my childhood, watching Canucks games with my grandfather in my youth. Last night’s game really brought me back to those days of when Hughson was the Canucks’ play-by-play announcer because I was able to watch the game with my grandfather last night. Here are my three takeaways from an exciting
The team needed to step up big
The team’s loss in Vegas against the Golden Knights was simply unacceptable. The players were not okay with getting beat that badly and were not okay with putting up a goose egg for their goaltender who likely had one of his best performances of the season, Jacob Markstrom.
Head coach Travis Green was very vocal and honest about his disappointment in his team’s performance on Sunday afternoon. The players themselves were upset with the performance they turned in against Vegas, too.
The team needed to come out of the gate firing right from puck drop last night if they wanted to hang with one of the league’s best teams. Yesterday evening’s game was not the night for one of the team’s trademark slow starts.
They answered the call last night. The team was forechecking hard and played what was likely the most complete first period the Canucks have put together in recent memory. After the first 20 minutes of the game, the Canucks lead the Leafs in shots 16-8.
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It almost seemed as though the Leafs were surprised to see the Canucks playing so hard in the first period. The second period, however, was another story.
The Canucks managed just four shots in the second frame, while the Leafs managed to get off 13 on Markstrom. The Leafs scored a shorthanded goal and then quickly followed it up 34 seconds after on a shot Markstrom would probably like to have back that squeaked under his right arm.
The team came out flying in the first, had a quiet second period, but boy, did they answer the bell in the third period. The Canucks scored three unanswered goals to complete the comeback and became the only team this season to beat the Maple Leafs when trailing them heading into the third period.
The team was down in the dumps after Vegas and had something to prove last night. They had to prove to themselves that they can not only hang with the best teams in the league, but beat them, too.
New look power play ties it up
Prior to Sunday’s game in Vegas, the Canucks talked about how they had made changes to the power play but did not get to debut their new power play lines or systems that they had talked about.
During yesterday’s game, we got to see what the power play had changed and who the new personnel would be. The first unit consisted of Nikolay Goldobin and Alex Edler on the point, Elias Pettersson, Josh Leivo, and Tanner Pearson.
Pearson’s duties on the power play were to park himself at the front of the net and try to make life difficult for the goaltender. The power play, whose struggles as of late have been very, very well documented and talked about among Canuck nation, converted last night. The power play goal came at the right time.
After a tough second period, the Canucks had to battle hard if they wanted to try to come back from the two-goal deficit. Keep in mind, the Leafs had not lost a game this season when they have the lead going into the third period of play.
Let that sink in for a second. No other team in the NHL has been able to come back when trailing the Leafs heading into the third period. It was going to be a grind for the Canucks to be the first team to pull off the feat this season.
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Shortly after Loui Eriksson scored a backhander to bring the Canucks within a goal, a too many men on the ice call saw the Canucks go on the power play for the third time of the night. The new look first unit hopped over the boards and the former Maple Leaf Leivo tied the game for his squad.
As I said before, I was watching the game at home with my grandfather, but you could hear how electric Rogers Arena was after Leivo scored that goal — if I cracked open a window, I’m almost certain I would have been able to hear the fans at Rogers Arena cheering.
The new look to the power play was a difference maker and was the reason the game even went to overtime. I wonder if these lines will remain the same and how they’ll look once Quinn Hughes arrives in the coming weeks.
Man, I love 3-on-3 OT
Okay don’t get me wrong, I understand points made by both sides of this argument. I understand the fact that the playoffs have a totally different format than the regular season, and I understand why some people don’t like the regular season 3-on-3 overtime format.
However, watching the best of the best from two teams like we saw last night, running and gunning back and forth, trading shots with one another and huge saves from both goaltenders, has me on the edge of my seat for almost the entirety of the five minutes.
Since the 3-on-3 format was implemented, we have seen some very exciting Canucks goals over the years. Take Daniel Sedin‘s overtime winner in his final game at Rogers Arena against the Arizona Coyotes last year for example. The fact that the Coyotes had three players killing the penalty meant more ice for Daniel and brother Henrik Sedin to work their signature cycle with the Canucks on the man advantage.
There was lots of open ice for them to pass the puck around, and for the new age Canucks, that amount of ice leads to high-flying, exciting hockey. I don’t know about you all, but whenever a game goes to overtime, I pay very close attention. If you blink, you might just miss a goal, that’s how fast 3-on-3 OT feels.
Last night’s overtime was a wonderful treat. We got to see Pettersson break out of the Canucks end and enter the offensive zone near top speed. He had a quality shot on Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen, and the play went quickly the other way after Andersen kicked out the left pad to send the play the other way.
With just three men on the ice, we also see a fair amount of long stretch passes. It was one of these stretch passes that lead to the overtime winner from Edler. The game-winner last night brought the roof off of Rogers Arena as Edler was mobbed by his teammates.
I know I mentioned it earlier in the article, but let me just repeat, the Leafs were 32-0 when leading going into the third period this season. I know the point is probably moot because the Canucks playoff chances are extremely slim, but the entertaining win last night gives fans a glimpse into the future that we already know is extremely bright.
As for the young Canucks this season, they are not giving up on the playoffs. Post-game, coach Green said “Our guys, they’re not giving up yet, I can tell you that. They’re not looking to just play out the last 15. They know the odds are against them [to make the playoffs] but they’re not done yet.”
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Whether you’re on team tank or still on team playoffs, or somewhere in between, that win last night was entertaining for every type of Canucks fan — even the casual ones. The Canucks will get right back at it tonight when they take on the Edmonton Oilers from Rogers Place in Alberta. Puck drop is at 6 PM.