Canucks: 3 takeaways from their 3-1 win over the Coyotes

The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Arizona Coyotes 3-1 on Thursday night. Here’s what we learned.

Forget everything about that 4-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, because the Vancouver Canucks won perhaps their most important game of the season thus far.

Amidst a snowstorm in town, the Vancouver faithful witnessed an intense and extremely tight game at Rogers Arena. Stripping two points away from the Arizona Coyotes will play a key role in Vancouver’s playoff hunt, as the Pacific Division playoff race continues to get closer and closer as the season progresses.

It was the first meeting between these two teams this season. With this victory, Vancouver has now won seven home games in a row. They still sit third in the Pacific Division with 56 points, although they have one game in hand with the division-leading Calgary Flames.

Now, let’s dive into the takeaways.

1. Hughes continues to display All-Star form

The Canucks were given a power play chance in the opening frame. However, the power play got off to a rough start, as the team struggled to set itself up in the offensive zone with a lot of miscued passes and offensive rushes.

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However, Vancouver’s power play redeemed itself thanks to rookie Quinn Hughes. The 20-year-old kept the puck in the offensive zone a couple of times after a few missed-timed passes, and he was able to cycle the puck to his teammates throughout the opportunities with the man advantage.

Bo Horvat cashed in his 16th goal of the season on a rebound from Hughes to tie the game at 1-1.

Among the most points scored in a single season by Canucks rookie defensemen, Hughes currently sits third on the list. Dale Tallon holds the franchise record for 56 points scored in the 1970-71 season, while Jocelyn Guevremont had 51 points for the 1971-72 campaign.

Now with 33 points in 47 games, Hughes will push hard for 60 points this season this season, which proves his worth for attending the NHL All-Star weekend.

2.Markstrom steals the show

Around four minutes into the second period, the Arizona Coyotes were outshooting Vancouver 18-9. Surprisingly, the game was still tied at one, thanks to Jacob Markstrom’s strong play.

Coming into the game, Markstrom’s season record was 17-13-3 with a 2.77 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. Markstrom also proved himself why his All-Star game attendance is worthy. The Swedish goaltender kept his teammates throughout, thanks to some key saves and a calm performance.

Halfway through the third period, Markstrom robbed Jason Demers to keep the game 2-1 for Vancouver. After the impressive two-on-one save, the crowd chanted “Marky” a couple of times to thank the starting netminder for his clutch performance.

Markstrom finished the game with 34 saves on 35 shots.

3. Jake Virtanen continues to elevate his game

In a fast-paced second period, Jake Virtanen scored his 14th goal of the season off of a nice backhanded wraparound goal that misplaced Coyotes netminder and B.C. native Adin Hill at the 15:49 mark.

Virtanen’s patience and puck handling ability paid off, having cashed in while Hill was out of position. With this goal, Vancouver took a 2-1 lead, and it held up as the game winner. Five of Virtanen’s 14 goals have been game winners. The B.C. kid also reached a career-high in points, with 26 in 48 games.

Final thoughts

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Canucks finished the game with a total Corsi For percentage of 46.32, while their opponents concluded the game with a total Corsi For percentage of 53.68. Vancouver simply defied the odds to grab a much-needed win.

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The Pacific Division has been juggling itself around throughout the season, and taking two points against a divisional foe was crucial as the Canucks look to end their five-year playoff drought.

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