Canucks Recap: 3 stars of the past week (from Jan 22nd – 28th)

The Vancouver Canucks can finally breathe a little easier.

After yet another lacklustre performance against the Montreal Canadiens the previous weekend, which saw the team fall to a 2-5 record on the season, fans were ready to storm Rogers Arena with pitchforks in their hands and the collective cry of #FireBenning in their hearts. The team looked out of sorts, both offensively and defensively, and desperately needed something positive to happen before the darkness crept in.

Enter the Ottawa Senators.

The Canucks were able to knock off three consecutive victories for the first time this season, outscoring the Senators by an aggregate of 16-3. The powerplay was firing on all cylinders, the Lotto Line had finally rediscovered its confidence and offensive prowess from last season, and both the blueliners and goaltenders looked as sharp as Erik Gudbranson’s Topman photoshoot.

Games played this past week:

Saturday, January 23rd – Montreal Canadiens (5) @ Vancouver Canucks (2)

Monday, January 25th – Ottawa Senators (1) @ Vancouver Canucks (7)

Wednesday, January 27th – Ottawa Senators (1) @ Vancouver Canucks (5)

Thursday, January 28th – Ottawa Senators (1) @ Vancouver Canucks (4)

Of course, the team is still a far cry from perfection, and most realists will point out that they achieved their greatness against a team destined for the murky, lottery-destined depths of the Scotia North Division.

As the Canucks prepare to embark on a six-game road trip, there will still be question marks about whether or not the team can maintain their winning ways against more formidable, well-rounded Canadian opponents.

Fans will have to patiently wait for those answers, but in the meantime, there’s still lots to be happy with when it comes to our lads in blue and green.

Let’s take a look at The Canuck Way’s three stars of the week:

1. Tyler Motte

Tyler Motte is on a roll.

After his coming out party in the bubble this past offseason, where fans and management alike fell in love with his suffocating, hard-working and gritty style of play, many were hopeful that Motte would be able to carry this momentum over into the shortened, pandemic-driven season.

And although it took him a few games to rediscover his legs (and to stay out of the penalty box), Motte has once again established himself as one of the most effective players on the roster, night in and night out.

During the three-game series against the Senators, Motte averaged just over 16 minutes of ice time and registered seven shots on goal. He was instrumental on the penalty kill once again, helping to limit the Senators to only one powerplay goal on 14 chances.

He has found undeniable chemistry with linemates Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel. The trio continues to effectively shut down their opponents, and their hard-work against the boards and determination in winning the 50/50 battles has not gone unnoticed with fans.

Motte also showed that bottom-six forwards can find their way onto the scoresheet, too.

The “fourth” line combined for seven points in three games against the Senators. Motte, in particular, notched three goals during that span, including a two-goal performance on Wednesday night. He is currently tied with Bo Horvat for the second-most goals on the team with five, and has shown no signs of slowing down offensively.

This past week, however, Motte’s biggest contribution came off the ice.

On Wednesday, the Canucks hosted their 9th annual Hockey Talks game, in support of positive change towards mental health initiatives.

Motte, who recently shared his own story about battling depression and anxiety, has held the role of Hockey Talks ambassador since arriving in Vancouver. His vulnerability and honesty have inspired many others to seek treatment and to speak up about their struggles, and he continues to make strides towards ending the negative stigma, once and for all.

Motte continues to be the heartbeat that drives this team, and he delivered a huge win this week.

2. Thatcher Demko

It’s Thatcher Demko time.

For the first seven games of the season, head coach Travis Green was going back and forth between his two netminders. This was expected during a shortened season, and after being hung out to dry by your teammates on essentially every shift, we’d imagine that the goaltenders didn’t mind alternating between the pipes, either.

Of course, goaltending was the least of the Canucks’ concerns at the time.

Both netminders were playing well amongst numerous defensive breakdowns, and each showed that they were able to hold their ground while under constant siege from their opponents.

Alas, fans and management can only be so patient for so long, even if things are looking good in the crease.

This city lives for goalie arguments, and Canucks Twitter has been salivating and chomping at the bit to rightfully crown a starting goaltender that would convincingly lead them to the promised land (and help them forget about Jacob Markstrom). Sooner or later, someone would have to stake their claim as 1A.

And it looks like Demko has come out on top.

Demko found himself in net for the first game against the Senators, stopping 35 of 36 shots faced en route to the team’s third victory of the season. He appeared much more focused and dialled in throughout the night, and it seemed that he had put his previous subpar performance against the Canadiens behind him.

Although the Canucks controlled most of the play on Monday night, their overall game was still littered with defensive breakdowns, putting the netminder in a tough spot to keep the score close.

Fortunately, Demko was up for the task.

He made key saves when the team needed him most, including this breakaway save on Connor Brown late in the first period:

More importantly, Demko’s Monday night performance pushed Green to make a decision that he hadn’t done all season: start the same goalie two games in a row.

And Demko stole the show once again.

Even though the Canucks came away with a victory on Wednesday night, they almost threw the game away in the first period. They were outshot 24-7, and would’ve had to overcome an insurmountable deficit had it not been for Demko’s stellar play between the pipes.

He finished the contest with 42 saves and was the key factor in the team’s first set of back-to-back wins this season.

It was a fantastic week for Demko, who showed flashes of his previous bubble self. And with all due respect to Braden Holtby, who ended the team’s six-game homestand with an impressive victory of his own (and with his first point as a Canuck!), we can all confidently agree that it’s now Demko’s net to lose.