Canucks: 3 takeaways from 4-3 overtime win over Canadiens
The Vancouver Canucks began their east coast road trip versus the Montreal Canadiens. Thatcher Demko stood tall and earned two points for the Canucks.
The Vancouver Canucks landed in Montreal to battle the Habs, but Jacob Markstrom took an early flight home to be re-evaluated by his doctors. The rumours swirling around indicate he will miss three possibly four weeks with a bad knee. Unlike the Brock Boeser injury, you hope the Canucks management group is being completely honest with the media this time around.
No Markstrom, no Boeser, no Micheal Ferland or Josh Leivo. This is the Canucks’ roster down the stretch, and it’s going to be a tight fight to the finish. The team veterans would need to lead the way, most importantly the Vancouver captain. Coach, Travis Green would also lean heavily on his star players to step up and make magic happen. Like it or not, this is how it is for the time being, and the Canucks need to make it work.
It might be a stretch of games before Green gives his newest back up a look. After all, as bad as it may seem to be without the team MVP in goal for the foreseeable future, this is a prime chance for not only management to get a good long look at Thatcher Demko under pressure, but it also gives the American goaltender a golden opportunity to show why he is the future of this team.
Thatcher Demko shines with 37 saves
There was a point in the first period where Demko found himself down two goals to none. The hole left in Markstrom’s absence felt to grow, but Demko stayed calm and cool, fighting an uphill battle with a strong work ethic to bounce back and keep his team in the game. And what a brilliant performance it was!
The rookie goaltender stopped everything he faced until his team found a way to knot it at two. An unlucky give away in the defensive zone, followed by bad puck luck where the frozen biscuit bounced off the skate of a Canuck right onto the tape of Jordan Weal. He picked the top corner, Demko really had no chance. A good effort, not a goal you can blame him for.
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Nonetheless, Demko stayed focused and managed to stop every puck fired his way after that. Stop after stop the saves total kept climbing, the goals against, however, did not. Demko stood tall, shining as the team’s third star, skating off with 37 big ones, and a save percentage reading 0.925%.
Not too shabby for a rookie. Now it’s his time to carry the torch. We all remember the rise of a Stanley Cup-winning rookie goaltender last season, it’s wild, but maybe Demko has what it takes to accomplish similar feats. He proved he can handle a flurry of pucks thrown his way. But, can he continue to play on that high-performance level for 10 or more games? We’ll find out shortly.
Toffoli and Horvat show chemistry in overtime
Everyone and their dog had Tyler Toffoli pencilled in on the right side of Vancouver’s captain. His surefire chemistry with former teammate, Tanner Pearson in LA was bound to be the go-to move for Green, but surprising absolutely everyone, Toffoli started his Canucks career riding on the top line with the team’s two leading scorers.
Toffoli has found instant success with the team’s elite. After his beautiful give-and-go goal in overtime, the newest Vancouver forward already has put up five points (3 goals and two assists) in three games. It was a heck of a goal, assisted by Bo Horvat himself, and it makes you wonder how they would perform together at five-on-five.
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Without a doubt, he’s bound to get a look on the insurance line at one point or another. If that’s before or after Boeser’s return remains to be seen. But at the end of it all, it’s excellent to see that Toffoli can play up and down the line-up. Hands down, he’s more than proven to be a great trade. A trade that’s looking more and more comparable to acquiring J.T. Miller.
Hopefully, it ages like a fine wine and Toffoli exceeds all expectations, just like Miller has done all season long. The simple fact that he’s gelling so well with whoever he plays with shows how valuable a player like that really is. Great pick up by Benning, great chemistry with Bo.
Quinn Hughes reaches 50 points
Do all Canucks fans feel like their floating on a cloud every time Quinn Hughes touches the puck? Or is it just Hughes? The kid can skate with the best of them, appearing to hover around the ice effortlessly. He works the puck, shifts easily around his opponents, tires the opposition and either fires a shot on net or feeds an open teammate.
He was extra special on Tuesday in Montreal. He added his 42nd assist of the game, (tying the team lead for most assists by a rookie) and his 50th point on the season. Crazy accomplishment for the 20-year-old who now has his sights on the Canucks all-time rookie scoring record, set just one year ago, by Elias Pettersson himself. It might be a reach, but as he said, his game is only improving as the season goes on.
With Markstrom out, in my opinion, Hughes becomes the most important player for Vancouver in their hopes for playoff hockey. 20 games remain, a rookie scoring title might be up for grabs in the final games of the regular season, but it’s really looking like Pettersson and Hughes will be number one and two in rookie scoring for Canucks. Let that sink in for a minute.
dark. Next. The time is now for Thatcher Demko
Final thoughts…
The Vancouver Canucks found a way to win without Markstrom. Green should look to Demko again against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. Puck drops at 4 PM pacific time.