Canucks: 3 takeaways from 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets
The Vancouver Canucks continued their road trip and gruelling schedule with a stop in Winnipeg for the first of a back-to-back set with the Jets. Having already won two games at Bell MTS Place this season, the Canucks were looking to ground the Jets on their home turf for a third time.
And they did just that.
It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but Vancouver competed with the Jets really well. They battled hard, and were able to get good zone time, particularly in the second period. Sure, there were some poor breakouts and lost puck battles, but the Canucks didn’t break, and it was great to see the team not lay back and actually try to play a full 60-minute game for once.
They started off strong with a 2-0 lead halfway through the first and ended up carrying the momentum until the end of the game, thanks to strong performances from two players in particular.
Here are three takeaways from Monday’s victory over the Jets:
Thatcher Demko was dialed in
Before the Canucks went through their COVID outbreak, Thatcher Demko looked unbeatable and gave the Canucks hope to win. After the outbreak, it was clear he wasn’t 100%. After all, he was one of the many players that caught the virus.
On Monday, however, it looked like he was back to form.
Demko managed to save the Canucks once again when they made defensive mistakes. He made point blank saves and looked confident in goal, stopping 39 out of 40 shots faced. Whether it was with the pads, blocker or glove, Demko was there to shut the door. In fact, Demko is now 3-0 at Bell MTS Place so far in his career. His last game there was his first career regular season shutout in a 4-0 Canucks win on March 1st.
One big save was on Pierre-Luc Dubois while the Jets were on the power play late in the first. While the Canucks were trying to find the puck, it found its way to Dubois but he was denied by Demko’s pad.
Demko only gets a quick look at the in-close shot and still gets his pad in front of it. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/XqkQuwBlFU
— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) May 11, 2021
In the third, Demko looked calm and collected as he stopped Kyle Connor on a breakaway.
Thatcher Demko juuuuuuust holds the puck out on this throwback stop. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/s5m0wJa1SR
— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) May 11, 2021
In what has been a very dismal season for the Canucks, Demko continues to be one of the few bright spots.
Nils Höglander has another solid game and gets two goals
Speaking of bright spots in a dismal season, Nils Höglander also had himself another solid game.
Höglander had his first career two-goal game on Monday, and he has tallied six points in his last five games. He now has 12 goals and 26 points in 50 games this season.
The Athletic’s Harman Dayal had a pretty interesting stat that put Höglander in some good company:
Nils Höglander is now up to 24 5-on-5 points. That ties him for 55th among NHL forwards with the likes of Joe Pavelski, TJ Oshie, Jason Spezza, Alex Ovechkin and Tyler Toffoli
— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) May 11, 2021
The rookie was battling hard for loose pucks and was trying to get plenty of scoring chances for the Canucks. When he was on the ice, it seemed like he was everywhere. When Höglander had the puck, he tried to make something happen and he scored two goals! He was second among Canucks forwards with a 56.67 Corsi For Percentage, according to Natural Stat Trick.
On the first goal, he broke up the pass between two Jets’ players and raced down the ice. His initial shot was stopped by Laurent Brossoit, but he was able to bury his own rebound.
Nils Höglander steals the puck and buries his own rebound on the breakaway to open the scoring! #Canucks pic.twitter.com/iLgNpw7fcm
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) May 11, 2021
On the second goal, he skated down the wing, took a shot that went off the Jets’ defender and somehow managed to beat Brossoit again. At first glance, it looked like it went off Brock Boeser but it ended up being Höglander’s tally.
Höglander gets his 2nd goal of the game on the 2-on-1. Just like they drew it up! 😅 #Canucks pic.twitter.com/bGLr0Tf1X6
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) May 11, 2021
Höglander has been fun to watch all season, and this was no different on Monday night.
Jack Rathbone looked good
Jack Rathbone was playing in only his fourth NHL game, but head coach Travis Green decided to throw him a bone and put him on the first power play unit. He looked like he had been on an NHL power play unit for quite some time, helping move the puck well and even attempting to take a few shots on the team’s opening powerplay.
Defensively, he looked solid as well. As you can see in the clip below, Rathbone took the puck away cleanly from Connor.
This is some excellent neutral zone defending from Rathbone here. Love the aggressive gap to force Kyle Connor into relinquishing puck possession pic.twitter.com/zCo38JTJho
— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) May 11, 2021
He was making these types of plays throughout the game, including forcing turnovers, blocking shots and making nice passes.
Green also had some high praise for the 21-year-old rookie:
“We kind of threw him into the water and let him swim. I thought Jack looked fine tonight,” said Green per Canucks Army’s David Quadrelli.
He also mentioned the power play with Rathbone on.
“That’s probably the best our power play has looked in a while,” said Green.
Rathbone finished the game with an assist on Höglander’s second goal, three shots on goal, three hits, four blocks, one giveaway and one takeaway. He managed 16:20 total ice time and 1:33 power play time.
So far, Rathbone has come as advertised.
Other notes
- Despite winning the game, the Canucks were officially eliminated from playoff contention after the Montreal Canadiens secured a point against the Edmonton Oilers. The Calgary Flames were also eliminated as a result. The Canucks and Flames play against each other four more times this season.
- Kole Lind came out of the line up for Zack MacEwen, who finished serving his one-game suspension for kneeing Oilers’ defencemen Darnell Nurse.
- According to Natural Stat Trick, the Canucks had a 66.67 High Danger Corsi For (HDCF) percentage in the first. They also finished with a total 47.37% HDCF.
The Canucks get right back at it with the Jets on Tuesday. Puck drop is at 5:00pm PST.
dark. Next. Canucks Preview: Final two games against the Winnipeg Jets
What did you think of the Canucks’ 3-1 win over the Jets? Make sure to drop a comment below!