The Canuck Way
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Canucks: 3 positives and 3 negatives from Game 1

By Jasmine Yen

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 02: Alex Stalock #32 of the Minnesota Wild stops a shot from Brandon Sutter #20 of the Vancouver Canucks in Game One of the Western Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 02, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 02: Alex Stalock #32 of the Minnesota Wild stops a shot from Brandon Sutter #20 of the Vancouver Canucks in Game One of the Western Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 02, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /
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Eric Staal takes a shot on Jacob Markstrom of the Vancouver Canucks. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Eric Staal takes a shot on Jacob Markstrom of the Vancouver Canucks. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Positives

1. Quinn Hughes looked great

For his first-ever playoff game, Calder-nominee Quinn Hughes looked very comfortable and confident. Hughes led all skaters with 23:47 minutes of ice time which is way more than the 21:53 he averaged in the regular season. He had arguably the best chance that was turned away by Stalock and his pairing with Alex Edler was a bright spot for the Canucks.

2. Micheal Ferland is fearless

Very early into the game, Micheal Ferland dropped the gloves with Marcus Foligno and that fight not only brought energy to the Canucks, but Ferland looked rejuvenated as well. Throughout the entire game, he was an energizer bunny, getting under the skin of the Wild and laying some heavy hits. Against a sandpaper team like Minnesota, players like Ferland will be important to respond physically.

3. Markstrom will get better

Despite letting in two rusty goals, Jacob Markstrom looked pretty good in his first game since February with a .933 save percentage. He made some huge saves against Eric Staal and Zach Parise to keep his team in the game but just didn’t get any offensive support from his team. The Canucks will live and die by their goaltender and considering how he played in Game 1, they should have a good chance in this series.

Next. Ferland proved why he's in the lineup. dark

Game 1 was not a good performance by the Canucks but they shouldn’t be counted out yet. This team is better than what they showed yesterday and now that they know what to expect, they should have a very strong bounceback for Game 2.

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