Quadrelli Report: Vancouver Canucks split wins with Flames in preseason action
Last night the Vancouver Canucks were in split-squad action. They won their game in Calgary by a score of 3-2, and lost the game in Victoria by a score of 4-3.
Last season, I had the three takeaways articles after almost every Vancouver Canucks game after I began writing at The Canuck Way. This will be similar, just with a more personal touch to it. Let’s get into the first post-game report of the preseason.
Brogan Rafferty, PP1 Specialist?
When the Canucks signed right-handed defenceman Brogan Rafferty at the end of last season out of Quinnipiac University of the NCAA, they wanted to get some good looks at him. Unfortunately, since he came so late in the season, the Canucks were only able to suit him up for two games.
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In those two games, however, Rafferty showed great poise, and seemed to be doing everything right. There was a memorable shift with Quinn Hughes, where the two worked the puck nicely in the offensive zone.
The Canucks got an early power play and Rafferty got an opportunity to further show off his skills. He began the man advantage off well, registering a shot that tested the Calgary goaltender early on. He turned the puck over later on that shift trying to pull of an infamous Canucks power play drop pass.
Later, Rafferty made a nice defensive play when the Flames found themselves on a shorthanded two on one. Rafferty waited the perfect amount of time before dropping to the ice to block the pass. Rafferty was one of the few noticeably solid Canuck defencemen last night, and I’m sure the team would like to get a further look at one of their young defencemen.
Although he will likely start the year in Utica with the Comets, it’s good to see Rafferty have a solid game like he did last night.
Not the win you would expect
The Canucks, in short, iced a less than ideal lineup for their other game in Calgary, while the Flames put the majority of their main roster players on the ice in front of their home fans.
The Flames sent a few of their regular players to Victoria, and that included Austin Czarnik, who, for some reason, has given the Canucks loads of trouble in past preseasons. Last year, Czarnik scored a hat trick in a preseason game against the Canucks, and last night, he came within just one goal of doing just that once again.
Not to take anything away from the Flames players who were in Victoria or the Canucks players who were in Calgary last night, but that result was not one that you would have expected if you looked at the pregame lineups. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan taking shots at Richard Bachman just didn’t sound like it would end well for the Canucks.
Luckily for the Canucks who were in Calgary, it would seem that Jake Virtanen is playing with a chip on his shoulder after his conditioning was a hot topic of discussion after the first day of training camp. Virtanen scored two goals in Calgary, including the overtime winner, which was a thing of beauty.
In the game in Calgary, the Canucks were outshot 38-13. If it weren’t for Bachman’s performance in goal, Virtanen would have never gotten the opportunity to be the overtime hero and complete the comeback for his team.
A tough start for Gaudette
Everyone was keeping a close eye on Adam Gaudette tonight, and unfortunately for the 2018 Hobey Baker Award winner, he didn’t have the start he had hoped for. Many have wondered if Gaudette is ready for the role of third-line center for the Canucks, and if you watched the first period of that game alone, then your answer would almost certainly be no.
He did some things well, won some draws, pushed opponents off the puck, but there were numerous times where Gaudette turned over the puck at an inopportune time. Gaudette’s performance last night is one that he will look to improve on the next chance he gets to slot into the lineup.
A late push at a comeback and Miller and Horvat find chemistry
Imagine for a second that Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Brock Boeser were on the ice with Bo Horvat and JT Miller late in the game with the goalie pulled, as opposed to the likes of Josh Teves, Brogan Rafferty, Nikolay Goldobin, and Josh Leivo.
Nothing against any of those players, but seeing Horvat and Miller will their way into what was almost a valiant comeback made me imagine how a slight change in personnel could have been the difference in a successful comeback.
Calgary entered panic mode when the Canucks began what seemed to be an insurmountable comeback after being down by three goals late in the third period. Teves scored to bring the Canucks within two, then, with the goalie pulled, Miller threaded the needle perfectly to find Horvat in the slot, and Bo made no mistake, finding the top shelf with a wicked wrister.
HORVAT! #CANUCKS ARE WITHIN ONE... pic.twitter.com/rvBJDqK7qK
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 17, 2019
It’s an early sign of chemistry that Canucks management and fans alike are hoping that the newly acquired Miller and Horvat can create with one another. Watch for these two to build off of what they seemed to have started last night.
Who will play in tonight’s game?
Having back-to-back games, coach Green understands that as tempting as it may be to ice more of the team’s star players, he’s got to keep his players’ health as his main priority, especially this early on. Among the Canucks who were scratched last night were Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers. This almost guarantees that these three will be in the lineup tonight at Rogers Arena.
Fans in Victoria may have been disappointed to not see the same lineup that they will when they tune into opening night on October 2nd, but it is still a preseason game, after all. When the roster is as big as it is for the first few games of the preseason, it’s guaranteed that there will be a long list of healthy scratches, that will surely include some main roster players.
Two players I’m personally hoping to get a look at tonight are Olli Juolevi and Miceal Ferland. Juolevi is coming off an injury-riddled season last year and is out to prove something. Ferland, on the other hand, will likely be put on Pettersson’s line if the two are indeed in the lineup tonight.
Last night’s tilts were fun to watch, and most of all, it’s a great feeling to be watching Canucks hockey once again. The Canucks will take on the Edmonton Oilers tonight at home from Rogers Arena.