Markstrom looks solid again
A major storyline coming into this season was whether or not goaltender Jacob Markstrom would be capable of maintaining his improved level of play that emerged last December and remained for the remainder of the season.
Thus far, Markstrom has played well for the Canucks in each of his four starts. He’s held them in games, and come up with some rather timely saves in the process. When asked about his number one goaltender’s performance last night, head coach Travis Green responded, “very strong, very strong, Marky was, boy, he was good tonight.”
Having a goaltender who is coming up with timely saves (although a few shots were denied by the post and crossbar behind Markstrom), does a lot for the guys in front of that goaltender.
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The Canucks need Markstrom to find and maintain continued excellence all season long if they hope to be successful. Goaltending hasn’t been great in Vancouver for quite some time now, but it appears that the man in the pads for the Canucks is no longer a cause for concern.
The overtime weapon
The Canucks are a team that is well equipped for 3-on-3 overtime. Between Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes, and Elias Pettersson, the Canucks are a team that tends to control the play when it goes beyond 60 minutes.
Last night, the Canucks looked dangerous in overtime, and again, their best opportunities came when the “big three” were out on the ice.
The Canucks were unable to seal the deal in overtime, but again, they’re just as dangerous in shootouts as they are in OT. How could you not be when you’ve got a guy on your team nicknamed “Dekey Pete”?
As he’s made a habit of doing, Pettersson pulled off another slick move to give the Canucks the lead in the shootout, and Tanner Pearson, along with a spectacular desperation pad-stack save from Markstrom, were able to seal the deal for the Canucks last night.