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

VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 27: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates with teammates Quinn Hughes #43, JT Miller #9, Brock Boeser #6 and Bo Horvat #53 after scoring a goal during NHL hockey action against the Ottawa Senators at Rogers Arena on January 27, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 27: Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates with teammates Quinn Hughes #43, JT Miller #9, Brock Boeser #6 and Bo Horvat #53 after scoring a goal during NHL hockey action against the Ottawa Senators at Rogers Arena on January 27, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
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Vancouver Canucks defenceman, Quinn Hughes, battles for the puck. (Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports)
Vancouver Canucks defenceman, Quinn Hughes, battles for the puck. (Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports) /

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:

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?

Vancouver Canucks defender, Nate Schmidt. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
Vancouver Canucks defender, Nate Schmidt. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

Part 2

The Canucks have also recently had solid outings from players like Nate Schmidt, Jayce Hawyrluk and Tyler Motte. Plus, it was great to see the captain continue his ironman streak on Wednesday night after what appeared to be a long-term ankle injury the previous game, so not all is bad on the ice.

Off the ice, the team added yet another Maple Leaf to their roster, this time claiming Travis Boyd off of waivers on Monday morning. Not exactly a point-producing stud down the middle, but don’t be surprised if Boyd plays an impactful role in the bottom six at some point this year – injuries!

Boyd is only on the books for $700,000 this year, and he gives Jim Benning and co. more NHL-ready options to slot into the line-up if they (fingers crossed) end up becoming sellers at the deadline. We don’t know when he’ll make his Canucks debut, but if it’ll be even half as good as waiver buddy Jimmy Vesey’s, the Canucks should be able to confidently chalk up this acquisition as a win.

As mentioned earlier, the team also still sit two points out of the fourth and final playoff spot, a statistic that the glass-half-full crowd will place in the spotlight for as long as they can, in large part due to a few more external factors going in their favour.

The Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers were forced to postpone their three-game series at the beginning of the week due to COVID-19 complications, and it appears that the league is still trying to finalize how those games will be made up. That’s number one.

The Calgary Flames continue to plummet deeper and deeper into a dark pit of despair with their consistently poor outings, and they’re dangerously close to swapping places with the Ottawa Senators in the standings. We’ll call this number two.

And finally, the Maple Leafs, after sitting atop the entire league standings at one point in the year, boast a mediocre 4-6-0 record over their last ten contests. Number three.

So yes, the Canucks technically have a chance to sneak into the postseason if luck stays on their side, and if the top half of the division suddenly explodes into pure pandemonium for the remaining five weeks, but that’s a stretch. A big, big streeeeeeeetch.

Let’s face the negatives.

Currently, the team has played the most games out of all of the Canadian teams with 37, and they’re also in the middle of their seven-day break that doesn’t have them playing until the last day of March, giving the other Canadian teams more time to catch up.

Upon return, the Canucks will face off against the Flames at Rogers Arena.

Normally, this would be considered an easy win when you compare each team’s point totals and overall trajectory, but let’s be real. One team is bound to be the bigger disappointment after 60 minutes, and the Canucks have a 50/50 chance of wearing that dunce hat after the game.

After that, seven of their nine contests will be against the Jets, Oilers or Maple Leafs, all of which are must-win-in-regulation situations, and it appears that these games might be played without the services of Elias Pettersson. Injuries!

In other words, after weighing the pros and cons, it’s hard to say that the Canucks are built to be a playoff team right now.

Realistically speaking, they are at least a few years from actually contending for the Cup, despite their success from last year. Their bubble is about to burst any moment now, and we’re all just waiting for one more needle to do the honours.

So let’s pose the question again – now what?

If you’re management, it’s time to start listening more intently to phone calls from other teams in the league.

Quite frankly, only four to five players should be marked untouchable for this franchise. The others? Fair game.

  • Could they move someone like Tanner Pearson, who continues to sit fairly high on every tradeboard?
  • What could they get in return from players like Brandon Sutter and Adam Gaudette, both of whom are possible depth pieces for contenders?
  • Should they consider flipping a heart-and-soul grinder like Motte before he reaches UFA status at the end of next season?

The April 12th trade deadline is fast approaching, so they need to come up with answers ASAP.

If you’re the coaching staff, it’s time to give the younger players a chance.

Easier said than done, of course, especially when you’re not mathematically out of contention yet, and when you directly report to management, the entity that ultimately controls your paycheque next year. But if the bigger picture goal is to be competitive in two years, head coach Travis Green and co. should be pushing to inject more youth into their line-up for development and experience.

  • How many more games will Olli Juolevi and Jalen Chatfield suit up for on the blueline?
  • Will Zack MacEwen continue to move in and out of the line-up?
  • Should Michael DiPietro be promoted from the taxi squad at some point this season?

The Canucks have one of the most promising young cores in the league, but it’s time to see if these prospects have what it takes to fill in as the supporting cast. And if all else fails, at least harp on the importance of moving your feet and moving the puck.

And if you’re the fanbase? Who knows. At this point, we’ve heard it all.

We’ve been teased, toyed with and transcended into euphoria, all in the same season, and our patience is undoubtedly running thin. This team has given us hope, albeit sparingly, during this shortened season, but most of us have accepted the reality.

You can’t build a championship team overnight, especially with the moves that have already been made up to this point. Right now, all we can do is hope that the Canucks put together an up-tempo and competitive style of hockey for the next five weeks, and, more importantly, that this organization plays the right cards in the coming months.

Upcoming games:

  • Wednesday, March 31st – Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks (7:30 pm PST)
  • Saturday, April 3rd – Vancouver Canucks @ Edmonton Oilers (7:00 pm PST)
  • Sunday, April 4th – Vancouver Canucks @ Winnipeg Jets (6:00 pm PST)
  • Tuesday, April 6th – Vancouver Canucks @ Winnipeg Jets (5:00 pm PST)
  • Thursday, April 8th – Vancouver Canucks @ Calgary Flames (6:00 pm PST)

Next. How a week off will help the Canucks prepare for difficult playoff push. dark

What are your thoughts on the Canucks as they wrap up the month of March? Make sure to drop a comment below! And don’t worry — we’ll be back with our weekly three stars selection in April!

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