Canucks: 3 takeaways from 5-2 win over the Senators

The Vancouver Canucks got five goals from five different players in Tuesday’s win over the Ottawa Senators. Here’s what we learned.

It was a special and unforgettable night of hockey at Rogers Arena, as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the visiting Ottawa Senators by a final score 5-2 — after long-time fan favorite Alex Burrows was inducted into the Ring of Honor.

This was the second of a five-game homestand, and with a win, the Canucks moved to 14-11-4. Let’s dive into three takeaways from the victory.

1. Dragon slayer honoured

Alex Burrows might not be up there with names like Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Trevor Linden and and Pavel Bure, but he deserved some this honour nonetheless. His story is the epitome of an underdog. Burrows went undrafted, played in the ECHL and the AHL before finally making the jump to the NHL. Burrows eventually became the best linemate the Sedin twins ever got to play with.

He played hard every night and was determined to make each shift better than the previous one. Burrows played hard and aggressive, often agitating opponents.

Of course, Burrows scored one of the biggest goals in franchise history — Game 7 of overtime in the opening round against the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011. Burrows “slayed the dragon” as dubbed by play-by-play man John Shorthouse.

On Tuesday, he became the seventh member in the Canucks’ Ring of Honour.  The tribute video with the Sedins narrating brought tears to the eyes of many fans, and for good reason.

Burrows’ speech was very touching as he thanked the fans, his family, the Aquilinis while taking Canucks fans on a nostalgia trip by mentioning names such as Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa, Roberto Luongo  the Sedins.

There was no script for Burrows as he spoke from the heart. Now, Rogers Arena has Burrows’ photo, number and name etched on the wall forever. Not bad for a guy who went undrafted and started out in the ECHL.

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2. Goal-scoring all around

The Canucks scored five goals in this contest, with four of them coming in the first period.

Vancouver came flying out of the gate early as the first goal came at the 1:50 mark of the first.  The goal was scored by Antoine Roussel, who was playing his first game of 2019-20, after recovering from a ACL tear he suffered last season.

He is good friends with Burrows and pointed upwards to the suites in celebration. (According to the broadcast, Burrows was still making his way up to his suite when Roussel scored,)

It was good to see Roussel score in his first game after being out long-term, and his impact and versatility was felt throughout the contest.  He said earlier on Tuesday that if he scored tonigh,t he would keep his moustache for the rest of the season. Looks like it will stay.

Tanner Pearson was also on the score sheet, and he has 12 points (six goals and six assists) in his last 12 games. It’s safe to say that Pearson has bounced back after a slow start. Meanwhile, Elias Pettersson scored a goal in his 100th NHL game, and he’s the fourth-fastest player in franchise history to reach 40 career goals through his first 100 career games.

Zack MacEwan scored his first NHL goal as well, as he continues to work hard in joining the lineup full time. Oh, and Oscar Fantenberg does indeed exist. The defenceman got his first goal of the season at the 17:23 mark of the first period.

It was nice to see the Canucks receive plenty of scoring all around, and we can only hope that the offence sustains its success long-term.

3. Demko dialed in

With Jacob Markstrom granted a leave of absence to attend his father’s memorial service, Thatcher Demko was in between the pipes, with Michael Dipietro backing him up.

Demko was solid in the contest, and it certainly looks as though he’s put the shaky performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins behind him.

Throughout the second and the third, the Canucks were giving the Senators too many dangerous chances, but Demko was there to bail them out.

His big saves included stopping Connor Brown on a breakaway, and four on the red-hot Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Demko looked calm in net and looked confident on every Senators shot, turning aside 40 in the victory.

The Canucks continue their home stand against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, with puck drop slated for 1:00 p.m.