Canucks lose to Sharks despite turning in solid effort
The Vancouver Canucks lost to the San Jose Sharks last night in the first leg of their back-to-back against Pacific Division opponents. The final score was 4-2.
Last night’s game was a game in which the Vancouver Canucks played a much better all-around game in front of goaltender Jacob Markstrom than they did on Thursday night in their 1-0 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
It’s another case of the Canucks running into a hot goaltender and losing a game that they probably deserved a better outcome from. But hey, that’s just the way she goes sometimes.
Quinn Hughes: Human highlight reel
Quinn Hughes is a specimen to marvel at. Similar to a painter performing fine, deliberate brush strokes, Hughes looks as though he’s never phased by what’s going on around him — and not in the Erik Gudbranson way.
Hughes is calm, cool, and collected even when three of his opponents’ are hounding him for the puck. Hughes picked up his 23rd assist and 25th point — which means he sits just three points behind Cale Makar and four behind Victor Olofsson in the rookie scoring race.
Hughes’ play last night was so eye-catching that the Canucks put together a short highlight package showcasing some of the plays he pulled off through the first two periods of play:
Hughes highlights as we start the 3rd. ⚡️⚡️ pic.twitter.com/JxHNv6i4DM
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 15, 2019
Hughes has been worth the price of admission so far this season, and last night was no exception. Hughes led all Canucks skaters in ice time with 27 total minutes logged. It will be interesting to see how much Hughes plays tonight in Vegas.
The fear of overplaying Markstrom
When Michael DiPietro got called up after it was revealed that Thatcher Demko was out with a concussion, I speculated on Twitter that it may be in the Canucks’ best interest to give DiPietro a start on one of these back-to-back road trips, in order to keep Markstrom fresh.
After the 43 save shutout he turned in against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night, it was clear that Markstrom was going to get the start last night against the Sharks.
When the Pacific Division is as close as it is right now, (just six points separate the first place Coyotes and the fifth-place Canucks), getting two points are absolutely crucial. It’s no secret Markstrom gives the Canucks a better chance at winning than DiPietro does, but the worst-case scenario would certainly be the Canucks’ being forced to play the 20-year-old goaltender in the event Markstrom goes down with an injury.
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Last night, at the start of the second period, the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast pointed out something that could have easily been missed. After sliding across his crease in an attempt to make a save on Tomas Hertl‘s first period goal, Markstrom appeared to tweak something in his leg.
Markstrom stayed down for about 10 seconds but was able to continue and finish the rest of the game. While that’s all fine and dandy, it’s important to remember that the Canucks are one injury to Markstrom away from being in a very, very bad situation.
43 saves on Thursday night and 23 saves last night can easily take their toll on a goaltender. With a busy week coming up to kick off a five game homestand, the Canucks will want their number one goaltender healthy and ready to lead them to victory.
Markstrom said he’ll be ready to go tonight vs. Vegas if called upon. We’ll have to wait and see what head coach Travis Green and his staff decide on.
Adam Gaudette playing well
Adam Gaudette has been sneaky good as of late. Ever since having Antoine Roussel put on his line, the young center has seemingly learned a thing or two from his Francophone winger.
He’s been hungrier on the puck. He’s been relentless on the forecheck, and he’s been setting up his teammates after stripping the puck from his opponent. These are all evident in Roussel’s game on a nightly basis, but they’ve been extremely noticeable from Gaudette as of late.
Watch how Gaudette creates time and space for himself while entering the offensive zone. Gaudette knows he is alone, so he protects the puck and tries to shake off the defender.
https://twitter.com/Canucks/status/1206081130266423296
There’s obviously an element of luck to this play, but Gaudette’s ability to gain the zone and draw two Sharks’ toward him before getting the puck to the high slot, is the whole reason Jake Virtanen was able to get this scoring chance that led to his eighth goal of the season.
Gaudette’s two-way game has also been noticeable. Gaudette broke up numerous scoring chances in his own end, and that’s something he’ll need to bring on a nightly basis if he wants to remain in the Canucks’ third line center role.
Gaudette and the Canucks will take on the Vegas Golden Knights tonight before heading back to Rogers Arena to do battle with the Montreal Canadiens. Tomorrow’s puck drop is at 7 PM from T-Mobile Arena.