Canucks: 3 takeaways from the 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs

Braden Holtby continues to shine between the pipes

After his best performance in a Canuck uniform on Sunday night, Braden Holtby once again showed up to win.

He entered Tuesday’s contest with an all-time record of 11-7-1 against the Maple Leafs, as well as a .918 SV% and 2.57 GAA, and he backed those numbers up big time. Holtby stopped 37 of 40 shots faced, including two or three big saves in the final few minutes of the third period when the Leafs were desperately pressing.

Despite similar shot totals to his previous contest, Holtby wasn’t as busy in the crease compared to Sunday night, but that didn’t stop him from being completely dialled in.

He was able to shut down Toronto’s dynamic duo of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner for much of the game, limiting them to only one point apiece. The team, overall, had more trouble containing the second line of Alex Kerfoot, John Tavares and William Nylander, but you can’t blame Holtby for those goals against.

Holtby appeared much more comfortable with his overall rebound control and puck management, rarely giving up secondary scoring chances in his own end. Much like Thatcher Demko’s play prior to the three-week layoff, Holtby was able to provide the team with a boost of confidence and energy for the full 60 minutes, and he was the main reason that the Canucks were able to come away with an important two points.

Has Holtby’s two-game performance propelled him into the 1A goalie position? Unlikely.

Demko served as the backup on Tuesday night, indicating that he’s healthy enough to return to play whenever the coach calls upon him. It also wouldn’t be surprising if rookie Michael Dipietro sees some action between the pipes, especially towards the tail end of the season if the team falls out of the playoff conversation.

But, no matter what happens in the coming weeks, you can’t deny that Holtby was lights out over the past two games against the Maple Leafs. Once again, he came up with timely saves when the team needed him most, and his strong play should be whole-heartedly applauded.

Quinn Hughes is back (hopefully)

Don’t look now, but Quinn Hughes is starting to regain his form.

Prior to Tuesday night’s contest, Hughes had gone pointless in his past three games, only registering three shots to go along with a combined minus-three rating. Fortunately, the 21-year-old blueliner was able to bounce back in a big way in the second half of their two-game series against the Maple Leafs, logging just over 22 minutes of ice time, and finishing the contest with one goal, two assists, three shots on goal and a plus-two rating.

He seemed to have regained chemistry with partner Travis Hamonic, and many are hoping that this duo can continue their strong performance together for the remainder of the year.

This was just his second three-point performance of the season for Hughes, dating back to the February 2nd match-up against the Canadiens, but it appears that the former Calder Trophy runner-up is starting to show signs of his blueline-walking, quick-footed and explosive old self.

Of course, we all know that Hughes doesn’t need too much help offensively.

He continues to be amongst the team leaders in point totals this campaign, and, quite frankly, could probably light up the scoresheet in his sleep on most nights. But Hughes has also had his defensive struggles this year, with some of them being on full display at critical moments of a game (cue the poorly-timed powerplay pinch that led to the tie-breaking shorthanded goal).

He still has a long way to go to erase his current -17 rating, but many fans are hoping that he can continue to take encouraging steps towards rounding out his defensive skills, much like he did on Tuesday night.

The Canucks are playing smart, simple hockey

This statement might seem obvious, especially if you’re a fan of a team that is currently flirting with the top spot in their division and/or the entire league and has gotten to that position because of the aforementioned heading above. But, for the majority of Canuck supporters, this notion is a lot easier said than done, especially with how the club performed during the first three-quarters of the season.

There are, of course, a few obvious factors that led to the team’s system change.

First and foremost, the coaching staff had to consider their players’ health. No one is at 100% capacity right now, and the last thing they need is an up-tempo, high-danger style of play on a nightly basis. Throw in their extremely compressed schedule, as well as multiple rookie players on the roster, and it makes complete sense for the Canucks to slow things down as much as they can, whenever they can.

Regardless of how they got to their current situation, the Canucks have ran with their new game plan, executing it to near perfection on Tuesday night.

They clogged up the neutral zone quite nicely, forcing the Leafs to make difficult passes that led to multiple turnovers before they could even enter the offensive zone.

The Canucks only surrendered two powerplay opportunities and were able to keep the Leafs to the outside for much of their time on the man advantage. Had it not been for a perfectly-timed screen in front of Holtby, the Canucks might have actually been able to keep the Leafs and their offensive juggernauts at bay for the entire man advantage time (even though the Leafs have been able to do that on their own for the past 40+ powerplay attempts).

They were able to utilize risk-free and fundamentally sound plays on both ends of the ice, which led to very few high-danger chances for their opponents, and they didn’t panic or crumple up their game plan when they went down a goal early in the third period, much like we’re used to seeing this team do.

The Canucks dictated the tempo and style of play from the opening whistle, and it was a breath of fresh air to witness, especially when every fan is just hoping that the team can stay healthy and injury-free for as long as they possibly can.

Will they be able to keep this up for the rest of the season? Only time will tell, but we’re all keeping our fingers and toes crossed.

Other newsworthy notes:

• Jake Virtanen and Nate Schmidt slotted back into the line-up after being removed from the NHL COVID-protocol list; Virtanen logged 12:44 of ice time, posting one shot on goal and four hits, while Schmidt registered one assist and two shots on goal in just under 19 minutes of ice time.
• Newcomer Matthew Highmore made his Canucks debut after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks via trade on April 12th. He played alongside Virtanen and Travis Boyd on the fourth line, going pointless with a plus-two rating.
• Antoine Roussel suffered a lower-body injury in the first period, after accidentally colliding with Marner near the blueline. He remained on the bench for the rest of the period but did not return for the second frame.
• Jayce Hawryluk also appeared to be shaken up in the first period, but he was able to complete the game, logging 12:19 of ice time.
• Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller were able to find their way onto the scoresheet, registering two assists each. Hamonic also posted one assist and four shots on goal, while leading the team in TOI with 23:06.

The Canucks will be able to enjoy a much-needed rest day before facing off against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at 7:00 pm PST.

What were your thoughts on the Canucks’ 6-3 win against the Maple Leafs? Make sure to drop a comment below!