Canucks: 3 takeaways from 2-1 win over Rangers
All-Star performance from Markstrom
With the Canucks bac up goaltender, Thatcher Demko claiming the first two skate jersey nights, the team’s elite starter, Jacob Markstrom finally got his opportunity to rep the fan favourite spaghetti sweater.
Fresh off a very well-earned first All-Star Game selection, one of the league’s hottest puck stoppers showed why he was selected to replace the five-time Stanley Cup finalist and three-time winner, Marc-Andre Fleury.
One important key component to the win streak has been the incredible play of Markstrom. Some goalies claim they play better when they face a heavy workload, definitely the case for the Swede who bagged another win and was the first star of the night.
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Marky faced nine more shots than his opposing goaltender and turned away 36 of 3 shots. The contest was complete and Markstrom skated off the ice with a big smile and a .972 save percentage — a very impressive statistic considering how much he keeps bailing the team out of games.
In case you missed it, Markstrom attempted McLean’s’ famous two-pad stack late in the third when he scrambled over to protect a yawning cage. It wasn’t nearly as flashy, and he actually stopped the puck with his glove, but it was the effort that counted. Great performance by the Canucks’ soon-to-be UFA. They better lock him up real quick, the guy is an All-Star. Markstrom for the Vezina, perhaps?