Canucks: 3 takeaways from 4-3 win vs. Minnesota Wild
The Vancouver Canucks were looking to even the series with the Minnesota Wild and avoid going into a 2-0 hole. Here’s what happened in game 2.
After an abysmal performance in Game 1, the Vancouver Canucks looked to bounce back in Game two.
Head coach Travis Green made a few tweaks to the lineup prior to the game which included slotting Jake Virtanen and Loui Eriksson into the lineup. Being replaced was Adam Gaudette (which was a questionable decision even though he had a poor game 1. There is still the possibility of injury, however.) and Tyler Toffoli who is dealing with a foot injury according to TSN 1040’s Rick Dhaliwal.
According to Thomas Drance of The Athletic and Matt Sekeres of TSN 1040, Toffoli was seen wearing a walking boot and is unlikely to play on Thursday.
Overall, the Canucks played much better than they had in Game 1. The team looked more dialed in especially the top six and they played with lots of passion and energy.
Here are three takeaways from the victory.
1. Power play finds groove after a very slow start
The Canucks power play looked sluggish in the first two periods. They had trouble entering the offensive zone, turned the puck over, and couldn’t find the net. It looked like they couldn’t get passed the Wild penalty killers. Vancouver even gave up a shorthanded after a costly turnover to the Wild’s Luke Kunin.
However, the Canucks got better with each man-advantage. The puck movement slowly got better, they were throwing the puck through traffic more, the zone entries improved and the turnovers stopped. The power play was starting to look like the one that ranked fourth in the league during the regular season.
All it needed was a goal. It finally happened at 6:22 of the third period when Bo Horvat tipped in a Quinn Hughes shot from the point. It was better late than never for the Canucks power play, and hopefully, it creates a positive momentum shift moving forward.
2. The offence comes back to lfie
The Canucks couldn’t solve Alex Stalock in Game 1 and it had many fans wondering if the Canucks offence would get back on track. The wait wasn’t long. Just 24 seconds into the first period, Tanner Pearson went top shelf on Stalock ending his shutout streak with an absolute rocket.
Vancouver got a couple in the second period to cushion the lead. JT Miller went bar down after Elias Pettersson forced a Wild turnover. Just take a look at this magical shot!
Minnesota native Brock Boeser also got on the board later in the period (a huge weight off his shoulders). Alex Edler threw the puck on net, which was tipped by Pettersson and Boeser was right on the doorstep for the goal. And of course, there was the Horvat power play goal in the third mentioned above.
It wasn’t just the goal scoring, the Canucks offence felt alive. In Game 1, it was dead. They were firing on all cylinders tonight and looked poised to score more goals. They looked great off the rush and in the offensive zone for pretty much the entire game. Hopefully, the offensive energy remains consistent for the remainder of the series.
3. Jake Virtanen looked good in return to the lineup
Virtanen not being in the lineup was a big story in the Canucks world. Many were wondering if he was going to get back in the lineup for the rest of the series while some even went as far as saying that he was done as a Canuck (Canucks Twitter, I tell you).
Fortunately, Green decided to put Virtanen back in the lineup. Was it because of a banged-up Toffoli? Maybe. Maybe not.
It was fair to say he didn’t disappoint. The kid from Abbotsford, BC showcased his speed and his shot. He was creating plenty of chances and breaking into the Wild’s zone with ease. One highlight was his incredibly speedy backcheck that stopped a breakaway after a Tyler Myers turnover. The play sent Canucks Twitter into a frenzy!
Virtanen also had the highest Corsi For percentage at five-on-five on the team according to Natural Stat Trick. He had a 60% CF. Not bad for someone who has been on the outside looking in.
The Canucks play the Wild in Game Three of the qualifying round on Thursday. Set your alarms early for this one folks because it starts at 11:30 A.M. Pacific Time.