3 takeaways from the Canucks 4-1 victory against the Winnipeg Jets
After a three-game sweep of the Ottawa Senators at home, the Vancouver Canucks are back on the road. They hoped to ground the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
The Canucks did get the job done with a 4-1 win and it was their best performance of the season as they didn’t let their foot off the gas pedal, managing a full 60-minute effort. The Canucks outplayed the Jets and for once didn’t look too bad defensively. Brock Boeser scored twice including the empty netter, Nils Hoglander got one and so did Zack MacEwen.
Mason Appleton scored the only Jets goal and this game would have been a blowout if it weren’t for superb goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck.
The Jets were a team the Canucks struggled against. They lost their last ten against Winnipeg and their last win against them was on December 21, 2016, in a 4-1 win at Rogers Arena. Bell MTS Place has also been a house of horrors for them as their last win there was March 12, 2014. That was a 3-2 shootout win and Chris Higgins scored the overtime winner.
Pharrell Williams’ Happy was on top of the Billboard Charts and 300: Rise of an Empire (It wasn’t really good.) was the biggest box office hit in theatres that day. Yes, it has been that long.
The Canucks got lots of time in the offensive zone and were in control particularly in the second and third periods. Here are three takeaways from Saturday night’s big win.
Nils Hoglander continues to impress
Hoglander has been having an exceptional rookie season so far. He has been one of the most consistent players on the Canucks roster. He has battled hard, played with lots of energy and provided some offence. Hoglander looks like a man on a mission every shift.
He didn’t take an off night in Winnipeg. The rookie battled well along the boards, played with great acceleration and showed a lot of compete and tenacity. His battle for the puck is like a dog on a bone. He just wants it, and he wants it badly.
The 20-year-old got the Canucks second goal of the night after a very hardworking shift. He brought speed into the zone, showed some excellent stickhandling and was just determined to find the finish. His nose for the net positioned him in front where he was able to bat the puck into the goal with some great hand-eye coordination as the puck trickled over the back of the net before falling in front of the goaltender who didn’t have enough time to know where it was.
The full Nils Hoglander shift. The goal was opportunistic, but the shift in it's entirety is a Hogl-AND1 mixtape. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/9zdzXYyX7B
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) January 31, 2021
Hoglander has settled in nicely on a line with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson. That line had a Corsi For percentage of 76.47%. Canucks fans are raving about him on social media and for good reason too. I wonder what his nickname should be?
Boeser gets two, leads the league in goals
Boeser got his seventh and eighth goals on Saturday and that put him in sole possession for the NHL lead. He surpasses Connor McDavid and Mikko Rantanen who are currently tied for second with seven.
What is also interesting is that Boeser joins Tony Tanti as one of two Canucks with four multi-goal games within the first eleven games of the season per Sportsnet Stats. Tanti did that in the 1983-84 season.
Boeser has looked confident not just in Saturday’s game but throughout the season so far. His shot looks great and it looks like the Boeser from 2017-18 might be back. On the first goal, he has the opportunity to use his signature wrist shot but instead decides to make a move on Hellebuyck instead. It’s not often Boeser is seen trying to do something fancy but that shows his confidence must be high right now.
Only 29 seconds was needed for Brock Boeser (@BBoeser16) to get in the mix. pic.twitter.com/2afZQyMk2L
— NHL (@NHL) January 31, 2021
He looked poised to score more as he had seven shots on Hellebuyck. Boeser also made some good passes, especially on the power play. Boeser is dangerous when he’s playing with confidence and it is a great sight to see for Canucks fans.
Demko and defence shut down Jets
Thatcher Demko didn’t have the busiest night but he looked dialled in, especially in the first period. He was stopping some grade a Jets chances and was there to shut the door when needed. It’s early, but it looks like the number one spot is becoming his to lose.
The Canucks defence has been a sore spot all season, giving up 30 and sometimes at least 40 shots per night. On Saturday, they managed to give up only 24 shots on goal which is the lowest this season so far. It was like watching pigs fly for Canucks fans seeing the defence play not too badly.
The defence managed to block six of the Canucks total blocked shots with Nate Schmidt getting three. There were some giveaways here and there but they looked more settled in in the second and third periods. There some good defensive battles, takeaways and the transitions up the ice weren’t so bad.
The Jets had a 67.65% Corsi For Percentage in the first, 50% in the second and 42.86% in the third. They had a High Danger Corsi For Percentage of zero in the third. Yes, zero.
Jalen Chatfield looked solid in game action so far, pretty good in his NHL career. He was creating turnovers, helping on the rush and even trying to create some offence.
This was the smartest offensive play I think I've ever seen from Jalen Chatfield...
— Cody Severtson (@CodySevertson) January 31, 2021
NHL Chatfield is blowing my brain right now
Also lots to love from Boeser/Pettersson/Miller/Hughes on this shift... so many little motions to soak in #Canucks #Chatfield #Petterzone
21/ pic.twitter.com/ufOTSVvlQM
Jordie Benn also looked good against the Jets. He got an assist on the MacEwen goal and didn’t look too bad with Hughes. His passes were good and so was his play in his own end.
“He’s a smart guy,” said Head Coach Travis Green on Benn per Sportsnet 650’s Brendan Batchelor. “He’s been calm with the puck. He’s bought himself some time with the puck. He’s been a good fit with Quinn.”
Next. Canucks: Why the Hockey Talks initiative is so important. dark
The Canucks had their best performance of the season and were able to finally take down the Jets. However, Vancouver’s hockey club is off to Montreal where they will play a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday against the Canadiens. Puck drop is at 4:00 PM Pacific on both days.
*Stats Courtesy of NaturalStatTrick and the official NHL website