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.