Canucks: 3 takeaways from 4-3 overtime win vs. St. Louis Blues

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 14: Bo Horvat #53 of the Vancouver Canucks scores the game winner at 5:55 of overtime against Jordan Binnington #50 of the St. Louis Blues in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 14, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Canucks defeated the Blues 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 14: Bo Horvat #53 of the Vancouver Canucks scores the game winner at 5:55 of overtime against Jordan Binnington #50 of the St. Louis Blues in Game Two of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 14, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Canucks defeated the Blues 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /
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Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his power-play goal (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his power-play goal (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

The Power Play continues its magic

Ever since Game 2 of the qualifying round with the Minnesota Wild, the power play continues to click. They were moving the puck like clockwork and throwing chances on net. Most importantly, they were capitalizing on those chances. The power play went two for three tonight.

The first power play goal came in the second as Elias Pettersson threw a saucer pass to the slot where Tanner Pearson made no mistake.

The second one came in the third period when Pettersson decided to get on the score sheet as well with slick hand-eye coordination. Maybe the Blue Jays could learn a thing or two.

Let’s hope the power play continues to click throughout the series. The Blues also had six power play opportunities and scored on one of them. It probably should not have happened, however. That leads us to the final takeaway.

The officiating was questionable

I’ve been a Canucks fan for eleven years now and so many times the Canucks played in games where the officiating was questionable. Tonight was no different. The game was full of questionable calls. Tyler Myers left the game with an injury due to Brayden Schenn checking him into the boards. There was a missed high stick on Alex Edler late in the game as well.

However, this one makes you scratch your head. Sammy Blais cross-checks Brandon Sutter into the boards, a scrum follows and the Canucks get the only penalty while the Blues get off scot-free.

Ryan O’Reilly then scored on the ensuing power play. A questionable decision by the referees indeed.

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Conclusion

The Canucks have the opportunity to take a commanding 3-0 series lead on Sunday. Puck drop is at 7:30. Stay safe and celebrate responsibly. Avoid large gatherings and wear a mask.