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.
Holtby played his best game as a Canuck
Braden Holtby took the net in Thatcher Demko‘s absence, and he played arguably his best game in a Vancouver Canucks uniform. The 31-year-old goaltender — who hasn’t chalked up a win in over two months — stood on his head to help the Canucks pull out the win.
Holtby stopped 37 of 39 shots, really finding his game after letting in an early goal from William Nylander. He made timely stops when he needed to, and shut the door in the third period when the Canucks needed it most.
Here he is making what the Canucks consider to be the move of the game:
https://twitter.com/Canucks/status/1383993762481770496
Wayne Simmonds broke into the middle and put one up high on what appeared to be a down and out Holtby. The 2018 Stanley Cup-winner appeared to pull off a windmill-like save that deflected the puck away from the net and kept the Canucks in the game. His best save this season.
“Yeah, it’s just one where you kind of anticipate the pass, where it’s going to go […] it kind of just popped up and luckily I was able to keep my eyes on it and keep it out of the net somehow. I don’t know, those ones are fun to make sometimes.” – Braden Holtby
Tyler Myers played a big game
The big friendly giant played more than thirty minutes (30:07) for the Canucks en route to their 3-2 overtime win against the Maple Leafs. He was the team’s best defenceman in the defensive end, and he notched an assist to get himself on the scoresheet.
After Alex Edler received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for his knee-on-knee hit against Zach Hyman, Myers was forced by head coach Travis Green to up the ante. Already playing heavy minutes without other key blueliners in the lineup, Myers did an exceptional job.
Its an awful play, but it’s 100% a situation that is a result of fatigue. Edler is not a dirty player. Hope Hyman is alright. pic.twitter.com/AHKV0coixT
— Dan Riccio (@danriccio_) April 19, 2021
The 6-foot-8 Myers finished the game with an assist, three hits and five blocked shots. It was a kind of game that fans like to see from their $6 million defenceman, a little bit of this and a little bit of that — enough to hold on and get the win.
Other newsworthy notes
- Rookie blueliner, Jalen Chatfield notched his first official NHL point, getting the primary assist on the game-tying goal from Hoglander.
- Edler received 17 penalty minutes and will have a hearing with the NHL about his illegal hit.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs outshot the Canucks 39-24
- Jimmy Vesey (21:50) and Travis Boyd (8:37) were held pointless against their former team.
- Star forwards for the Canucks, Brock Boeser and J.T. were held off the scoresheet despite having a combined 40+ minutes of ice time.
The Canucks will enjoy a much-needed day off under their new schedule before returning to game action against the Maple Leafs once more before welcoming the nation’s capital Ottawa Senators for four straight games.
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Get your popcorn ready, Canucks Nation. Vancouver won’t go down without a fight. The puck drops again at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. Let us know your thoughts and feelings about the game in the comment section below!