Canucks: 3 takeaways from 4-3 shootout loss vs Wild

The Vancouver Canucks welcomed the Minnesota Wild to Rogers Arena on Wednesday night and newcomer Tyler Toffoli made his blue and green debut.

Tyler Toffoli was set to make his big debut for the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night. With a win over the Wild, the Canucks would be at a deadlock with the Edmonton Oilers for first place in the tightly contested Pacific Division — A loss and Vancouver falls even closer to the wild card. Playoff positioning still nowhere near set in stone.

Coming into the Western Conference bout, the wounds of a 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks still sting, and the eight-week loss of star sniper, Brock Boeser doesn’t feel any better for Vancouver. Nonetheless, the show must go on, and the Canucks must find a way to get back to their winning ways. Insert Toffoli, the Boeser replacement, literally. He looks just like him.

All jokes aside, the fans of BC’s big hockey club were anxious to see the newest addition to the top-six. Surprisingly, coach Green ignored the 70s chemistry of Tanner Pearson and Toffoli and decided to slot the newcomer in beside Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. With another Stanley Cup champion added to the fold, a healthy Canucks roster would mean a vicious top-nine that can play both sides of the puck. Let’s be real, that’s something that could very well push this team from playoff hopefuls to playoff contenders. Here are three takeaways from the Canucks’ 4-3 shootout loss.