Canucks Recap: 3 stars of the past week (Jan 29th – Feb 4th)

2. Thatcher Demko and Braden Holtby

It has never been easy to be a netminder in Vancouver, and both Thatcher Demko and Braden Holtby can attest to that this year.

The Canucks’ overall defence has been nothing short of atrocious through the first quarter of the season, and both goalies are witnessing this monstrosity firsthand. The team is giving up legitimate scoring chances on almost every shift, and their opponents are feasting on their defensive breakdowns and inconsistencies with smiles on their faces.

So far, the Canucks have surrendered 55 goals on 375 shots allowed, both of which are league-highs. And although both netminders have let in one or two soft goals from those shot attempts, their commitment in the crease should be recognized.

Time and time again, Demko and Holtby have been placed in extremely tough positions, trying their best to maintain composure and fend off relentless offensive pressure from every inch of the ice, all while trying to keep their team from falling off the edge of a cliff during each game. And even though their numbers may not be reflective of a solid, NHL-calibre tandem, they’ve both played extremely well given the current circumstances.

Head coach Travis Green has gone back and forth between his netminders throughout the beginning of the season, and each one has been able to deliver decent outings between the pipes when called upon.

They’ve come up with timely saves to ensure the momentum of the game doesn’t (once again) slip from their team’s fingertips, and have played important roles in establishing a penalty kill that is running at an 83.6% efficacy rate, good for 13th in the league.

Of course, there’s only so much your netminder can do to win games, and the Canucks players are starting to realize that they need to pull more of the weight.

https://twitter.com/ChrisFaber39/status/1357523699969060866?s=20

Demko and Holtby’s performances thus far are still miles away from the nightly, Vezina-worthy outings of Jacob Markstrom, and they’d both be the first to state that their games need to improve.

But, both netminders have looked prepared and dialled in for each game, demonstrating resilience, improvement and determination, all while giving their club a chance to come away with two points each outing, and it would be blasphemous to think that the team’s current dreadful play should land on their shoulders.

And kudos to Demko for filming this heart-warming message to a local healthcare worker:

3. Brock Boeser

From the moment the 2020-21 season was officially announced, Brock Boeser knew that he needed to arrive hungry at training camp, ready to prove that he’s still one of the elite goal scorers in the league.

It hasn’t been the prettiest comeback performance so far, but, for the most part, he hasn’t disappointed.

After registering a goal and two assists in the final outing of their mini three-game series against the Senators last week, Boeser continued displaying his offensive production, netting another two tallies against the Jets to start the club’s six-game road trip.

He currently leads the team in total goals, even-strength goals and shooting percentage, and is tied with defenceman Quinn Hughes for total points with 15.

Of course, it’s not all about statistics, and The Lotto Line would be the first to tell you that.

The Lotto Line, which comprises Boeser, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, has struggled mightily at times throughout the year.

They have not been able to perform nearly as close to what’s expected from them at both even strength or on the powerplay, and have looked flat and stagnant when going up against other team’s top players. They’ve created mistake after mistake in their own zone, with many of those blemishes ending up in the back of the net, and they need to be better.

With that being said, over the first 14 games of the season, Boeser has been the least disastrous piece of that first line.

He continues to improve on his 200-foot game and has shown flashes of defensive intelligence and strength, despite posting a minus-six rating overall. More importantly, it seems that Boeser has fully recovered from any nagging injuries that previously hindered his wicked release.

Following the completion of the Jets game, Boeser’s eight total tallies on the season were good enough for first in goals amongst all players in the NHL, ahead of offensive juggernauts like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews. Although his position was quickly overtaken that same week by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-In-Vancouver, his four multi-goal performances still stands atop the league list.

With 25% of the season already in the books, and with the Canucks slowly sinking into the depths of the all-Canadian division, Boeser and his linemates will need to learn from their mistakes and perform like the perennial all-stars that they are if they want their club to have any chance of succeeding. We need more vintage Lotto Line dominance, breaking ankles while cycling in the offensive zone, and Boeser can be the driving force to make this happen on a regular basis.

Plus, we’d all love to see more goals like this one:

Honourable Mention: Alex Edler

On Tuesday night, Alex Edler played his 885th game as a Canuck, passing Markus Naslund for 5th all-time in franchise history. Edler is currently the longest-serving player on the team and holds the record for most points by a defenceman with 401 (and counting).

The 34-year-old blueliner has one more year left on his current deal, and, barring any injuries, should be poised to pass Canuck-legend Stan Smyl this season to capture 4th all-time for games played.

Congratulations to Eddie the Eagle!

Upcoming games:

• Saturday, February 6th – Vancouver Canucks @ Toronto Maple Leafs (4:00pm PST)
• Monday, February 8th – Vancouver Canucks @ Toronto Maple Leafs (4:00pm PST)
• Thursday, February 11th – Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks (7:00pm PST)
• Saturday, February 13th – Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks (7:00pm PST)

Much like Ron Burgundy of Channel 4 News, Canucks fans have found themselves in a glass case of emotion these past few days.

Some have completely hopped off the bandwagon, stewing angrily in the dark corners of the Twitter world, smoke coming out of their ears, waiting for ownership to drop the hammer on management and/or the coaching staff. Others are taking a more positive approach to these times of turmoil, finding confidence in the smallest of pockets, hoping that their lads will eventually pull it all together to salvage the already partially-submerged season.

No matter what your current state of mind is, there is one thing that we can all agree on from this past week, as summed up beautifully by our very own Joshua Rey:

Who do you think played well during the past four games? Make sure to drop a comment below!