Canucks Recap: March 20th – 26th, and team expectations moving forward

Don’t look now, but the Vancouver Canucks are playing meaningful games in March are throwing away meaningful games in March.

And yes, you read that correctly.

The Canucks were on quite the roll the past three weeks, sporting an 8-2-0 record that slightly nudged them back into the playoff picture, and that made for a more-positive article hook last week. But, as every Vancouverite knows, all good things must come to an end for this team, and they delivered that message in a painful, heartbreaking fashion recently.

The Canucks were fortunately able to capture a point from the Canadiens in the second half of their back-to-back, putting four goals past Carey Price before ultimately falling to him in the shootout. Most of the sequences were chaotic and unpredictable, and it felt that the Canucks were destined to lose this game from the opening puck drop, but, lo and behold, the team was able to defy all odds.

Not only did they claw their way back into the game in the third period (thanks for ruining that, Brendan Gallagher), but they were able to wrap up their Eastern road trip with seven out of eight possible points while managing to hold down the highly-coveted fifth divisional spot in the process. Success!

The Canucks returned home the next day, hoping that their winning ways and good fortune from the month of March would continue against the visiting Winnipeg Jets, and, believe or not, fans were actually starting to believe in this team once again.

*Cue the aforementioned good things coming to an end*

The Canucks lost both contests to the Jets by an aggregate score of 9-1, dropping their March record to 8-4-1, and, even though they played decently well over 120 minutes, their lackluster, disappointing and February-esque performances could simply not be overlooked this time around.

Games played:

• Vancouver Canucks (4) @ Montreal Canadiens (5) – SO
• Winnipeg Jets (4) @ Vancouver Canucks (0)
• Winnipeg Jets (5) @ Vancouver Canucks (1)

So now what?

There were some bright spots from these past six days that should be recognized, so let’s start with the positives.

Thatcher Demko continues to pile up saves and wins for the Canucks. He’s the primary reason that the team was able to climb back to .500 for the first time since February 2nd, and he’ll continue to be the deciding factor on their bleak playoff dreams.

His overall save percentage and GAA dipped after the consecutive losses to the Jets, but you can’t blame him for those. Demko was essentially hung out to dry against Winnipeg and, aside from scoring goals himself, there was not much else he could do to secure a win.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Demko continues to be among the top leaders for total saves made, high danger chances against and goals saved above expected, and he has proven, time and time again, that he’s the real deal between the pipes, and will continue to be for years to come.

Brock Boeser has found his scoring touch, and it looks like it’s here to stay. The 24-year-old right-winger potted his team-leading 16th goal of the season on Saturday night, absolutely blasting a rocket past Price while on the man advantage.

He also added a primary assist on Wednesday night, bringing him to 33 points in 37 games. Boeser leads the team in powerplay goals and shot percentage, and he is currently tied for 11th in league scoring. He continues to carry the offensive workload of the Lotto Line and first powerplay unit and he has proven to be the most consistent forward in the line-up this season.

Although he hasn’t been racking up the points like other NHL rookies, Nils Höglander has become a mainstay in the top-six forward group and his first season with the team should not go unnoticed. According to Natural Stat Trick, Höglander currently sits 25th amongst all NHL forwards in takeaways/60 with 2.52, and he plays well beyond his 5’9” stature every night by engaging in gritty 50/50 battles along the boards, and by taking on players basically twice his size.

Not to mention, he broke Connor Hellebuyck’s two-game shutout streak with 1:25 left to go in the third period on Wednesday night. Moral victories, remember?

The Swedish left winger found immediate chemistry with Bo Horvat at the beginning of the season, but he’s also adapted and played well alongside J.T. Miller and Boeser as of late – injuries! His vision, creativity and play-making skills are a breath of fresh air on the second line, and we’re all hoping that his hard work will be rewarded with a few more tallies and helpers. Maybe even a Calder Trophy nomination to boot?