Vancouver Canucks: 3 takeaways from shootout win over Dallas Stars
The Vancouver Canucks opened their two-game road trip with a shootout victory over the Dallas Stars Saturday afternoon. Here are my three takeaways from yesterday’s game.
Coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils Friday night, the Vancouver Canucks were looking to bounce back and get back on the right foot with a win in Dallas. After blowing a two-goal lead, the game would require overtime and then a shootout.
How about that power play?
The power play has had rather well-documented struggles this season. The Canucks are among the league’s worst when it comes to the man-advantage, but going into Sunday’s game the Canucks power play had converted in back-to-back games for the first time since late November.
The power play had a bit of a new look to it for a few games, with Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson being put on separate units as the coaching staff tried desperately to get something going for it. That didn’t work, and the regular power play units we have been used to seeing were reunited for the past couple of games.
The goals scored on the power play have been quality goals, too. The first one came Wednesday night against the New York Rangers after Boeser wired home a one-timer past Henrik Lundqvist after a sweet behind the back no-look pass from Josh Leivo while the Canucks were on a five-minute power play. Then, the following game, Pettersson broke his scoring slump after wiring home a beauty of a wrist shot past Devils goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood.
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The Canucks’ power play coach, Newell Brown, is widely accredited for the drop pass on the power play becoming a strategy many teams around the league use. The problem is, when the defending team is clearly covering the drop pass and anticipating it, the Canucks’ players seem to still be looking to make it happen.
As John Shorthouse and John Garrett have been pointing out on recent broadcasts, if the drop pass isn’t there, the Canucks shouldn’t be trying to force it. There have been multiple instances where teams easily pick it off and in turn, get an opportunity that looks far too dangerous for a team to be giving up when they have the man-advantage. It’s a good play to make when it’s there, but when everyone on the defending team knows it’s coming, it loses its effectiveness.
In the past couple of games, however, the Canucks seem to be looking less for the drop pass, and seem to, for the most part, only be attempting the drop pass if it’s there. Their zone entries on the two goals in the past two games prior to yesterday both came off breaking into the zone without making a drop pass at center ice.
In the first power play of the game yesterday, the Canucks got off four shots but were unable to score. The power play was unable to convert on the two chances they were given last night, but it’s good to see them beginning to generate some more chances than they were before.
The Tim Schaller show
When people who don’t like Canucks’ general manager Jim Benning give their reasons for not liking him, the list often includes the signing of Tim Schaller during last year’s free agency.
Schaller was coming off a season where he played all 82 games for the Boston Bruins. That season was the first time in his career that Schaller had played in all 82 games and was also a season where he set career highs in goals, assists, and penalty minutes.
The Caucks signed him to a two year deal with a cap hit of $1.9 million on July 1st. Schaller hasn’t found much success with the Canucks this season and has served as a healthy scratch for the majority of the season.
Last night, however, Nikolay Goldobin was scratched in favour of Schaller. Schaller was given his chance to play, and he didn’t let it pass him by last night. On a line with Tyler Motte and Jay Beagle, Schaller scored just 52 seconds into the game on his very first shift.
Then, later in the first, Schaller scored off a sweet pass from Pettersson to give the Canucks an early two-goal lead. It was a huge night for Schaller who scored his first career multi-goal game.
Pettersson on the brink of making history
The aforementioned second goal from Schaller that gave the Canucks a two-goal lead also gave Pettersson his 60th point of the season — meaning he tied Pavel Bure and Ivan Hlinka‘s Canucks’ record for most points in a rookie season.
Bure did it in 65 games, while Hlinka did it in 72. That means Pettersson reached the feat the fastest, with last night being just game number 61 of his young career.
Pettersson had a chance to break the record when he was awarded a penalty shot in the second period. Here’s where the controversy comes. Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin appears to throw his stick toward Pettersson as he’s coming in on the penalty shot. Pettersson loses the puck as a result and was unable to even get a shot off. You be the judge, does this look like a throw?
...🤔 pic.twitter.com/a8QfAjHxoh
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 18, 2019
To me, that’s a throw, and according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, it was a throw. Via Twitter, MacIntyre brought up a good point: “Another reason why NHL officiating/reviews still lack credibility. Goalie launches his stick into Pettersson on the penalty shot. Four officials on the ice don’t see it. And no review. That’s embarrassing.”
So if Khudobin did throw his stick, what is the proper call? Section 24.4 of the NHL rule book states that “The goalkeeper may attempt to stop the shot in any manner except by throwing his stick or any object, or by deliberately dislodging the goal, in which case a goal shall be awarded.”
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So because of the missed call, Pettersson will have to wait for at least one more game before his name stands alone in the history books under Canucks’ rookie records. He will get his chance when the Canucks get right back at it tonight when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks from the United Center. Puck drop is at 5:30 PM.