After six straight disheartening losses, the Vancouver Canucks finally pulled out a victory, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 in Edmonton on Thursday night.
Vancouver erupted in the first period, scoring on their first four shots and chasing Mikko Koskinen from the game in the early going. Nils Höglander buried a beautiful top-shelf snipe, Jack Rathbone notched his first career NHL tally, and Travis Hamonic and Jayce Hawryluk each found the back of the net.
Connor McDavid did Connor McDavid things and kept the Oilers in the game, but a sharp-angled goal from another unlikely source, Tyler Graovac, as well as a third period tally from Brock Boeser, stymied any Oilers comeback attempt.
While the win doesn’t do much for the Canucks non-existent playoff hopes, it was good to see the team get a victory and raise their spirits after what has been a trying and taxing season. Montreal did lose, so technically the Canucks are still alive, but the next Canadiens’ win or Canucks’ loss will officially put things away.
Vancouver did show some life on Thursday night, though, something that hasn’t always been the case lately with the team’s gruelling schedule and ongoing COVID recovery.
Here are three takeaways from the 6-3 win:
Jack Rathbone can hang
On top of scoring his first career goal, Rathbone once again held his own on both ends of the ice. According to Natural Stat Trick, he didn’t have a positive Corsi as he did in his first game, but that was partly because the Oilers were playing more desperate while trailing, and the Canucks were playing a more cautious style. And when McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are on the ice, they’re likely going to out-chance their opponent.
Brock Boeser is feeling it again
The Canucks star winger didn’t exactly come back from the COVID pause on fire, scoring just once in the first eight games back, but he’s once again found that lethal shot, scoring for the third straight game tonight. What may have been most impressive about his goal, though, was how he started the play.
Boeser kept the puck in the offensive zone, chipping it in deep and allowing Tanner Pearson to win a battle below the net and set up Boeser for the snipe. He also added an assist on Höglander’s early goal and nearly had a second tally, had it not been for a great save from Mike Smith.
Travis Hamonic deserves another contract in Vancouver
After struggling mightily early into his Canuck tenure, Hamonic has settled in nicely and has fit in well on the Canucks’ blue line. His Gordie Howe hat trick on Thursday night was further proof of that, as Hamonic finally netted his first as a Canuck, recorded an assist, and dropped the gloves with Alex Chiasson after hammering him in the neutral zone.
Hamonic isn’t flashy, and he’s not going to provide much offence, but he’s shown that he can be a reliable bottom-four defenceman, and could ultimately fill the void left by Chris Tanev.
The Canucks are back at it on Saturday night, wrapping up their four-game series against the Oilers. The puck drops at 7:00 pm PST.
What were your thoughts on the team’s 6-3 victory over Edmonton? Make sure to drop a comment below!