Canucks: 3 takeaways from 3-2 OT win over the Toronto Maple Leafs
In their return from a team-wide COVID-19 outbreak, the Vancouver Canucks did what many thought they could not — defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime by a score of 3-2.
Off a pass from defender Tyler Myers, captain Bo Horvat wristed one past netminder Jack Campbell just 1:19 into the extra period to suddenly end the game. He also netted the Canucks’ first goal and added an assist for a three-point night.
Rookie Nils Hoglander scored the game-tying goal for Vancouver and also had an assist, helping the Canucks improve to a record of 17-18-3, 24 days after their last hockey game.
It was an entertaining game, to say the least. The Canucks gave it their all, and in the end, despite being heavily outplayed, they came out the victors over the division-leading Leafs. Let’s dive into three takeaways from the hard-fought win.
Captain Bo leads the way
Do you remember when Horvat took his game to the next level inside the bubble against the St. Louis Blues? You know, when he completely took over the game and found a way to deliver a big-time Canucks victory? Well, last night’s contest was a lot like that — Horvat stole the show. The Canucks’ captain knew his team needed a spark, and as a good captain does, he generated it himself.
Horvat opened the scoring for Vancouver, rushing down the wing and popping one past the Maple Leafs with a quick shot that fooled Campbell. It put the Canucks within a goal of tying the game and gave a little bit of hope in a possible comeback.
https://twitter.com/Canucks/status/1383942965236690949
On his way to making another leap in the Canucks’ history books, Horvat potted the game-winner to score his 136th goal. With that, not only did he give the Canucks two much-needed points, but he tied fan-favourite Brendan Morrison for sixth all-time in goals by a Canucks centreman. He now trials Ryan Kesler (182), Don Lever (186), Thomas Gradin (197), Henrik Sedin (240) and Trevor Linden (318).
The @Canucks OT hero in their triumph vs the Maple Leafs earlier tonight, captain Bo Horvat also factored in on all 3 of his team's goals (2G-1A) in the win. Thanks to those pair of tallies, he has tied for 6th on this list of strong scoring primary centremen in franchise history pic.twitter.com/Fdxf88Dh8x
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) April 19, 2021
Horvat was right in his comments about the possibility of Vancouver being “steamrolled”. It certainly added more fuel to the fire — especially for him — and the Canucks were able to use it as a tool in their fight for two points.
“This [win] gives our group a lot of confidence. We needed something like this to drive us through the schedule coming up. Having confidence right away is important.” said Horvat in a post-game press conference.