The Canuck Way
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Three takeaways from Canucks enjoyable 5-2 win over San Jose Sharks

By Joshua Rey

Dec 16, 2021; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) and Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser (6) battle for the puck behind the net during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2021; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) and Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser (6) battle for the puck behind the net during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /
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As Liverpool manager said after the club won their sixth Champions League title in 2019, “Let’s talk about six baby!” The Vancouver Canucks are still undefeated under Bruce Boudreau as they won their sixth game in a row with a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

They are just cruising under Boudreau like Eazy-E in his six-four.

The Canucks came into the game without Tucker Poolman, Luke Schenn, Juho Lammikko, and Brad Hunt as they all are on the NHL’s COVID-19 list.

It was also confirmed on Wednesday evening that assistant coach Jason King also tested positive for COVID and did not make the trip to San Jose. No other players tested positive.

As a result, Noah Juulsen suited up for a second straight game and the team called up Guillaume Brisebois from Abbotsford on Thursday morning.

Unfortunately, Breisbois left in the second period and did not return. It is not COVID related according to Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650.

It was also announced on Thursday afternoon. that Stan Smyl was promoted to Vice-President of Hockey Operations.

Smyl played for the Canucks from 1978-1991 and was the captain of the 1982 team that went to the Stanley Cup Final. His number 12 was the first to be retired by the club. Smyl became an assistant coach for the Canucks after retiring and even was the head coach of their AHL team. (The Syracuse Crunch, later Kansas City Blades and Manitoba Moose.) Since 2005, he was a Senior Advisor and Director of Player Development for the Canucks.

Henrik and Daniel Sedin will remain as special advisors and Ryan Johnson will continue to be Senior Director of Player Development and General Manager for the Abbotsford Canucks.

“Stan has been a foundational piece of this team for decades, and we are pleased that he will be taking on this role,” said President of Hockey Operations and Interim GM Jim Rutherford in the announcement .“In addition, Henrik, Daniel, and Ryan are key parts of our leadership team. We still have some additional roles to fill, but confirming these positions today is a big step for us.”

Anyway, on to the game.

The Canucks got plenty of chances on Adin Hill and looked good transitioning from the defensive zone to the offensive zone. As pointed out by Mike Kelly of NHL Network, Vancouver has improved drastically with their transitions and offensive zone time under Boudreau.

It wasn’t a perfect game by any means especially in the second period with the Sharks getting more shots on goal and the Canucks going 14 minutes without a shot themselves. In the third, however, they continued to be strong on the forecheck, get offensive zone time, and get scoring chances on Hill.

Boudreau is the sixth coach in NHL history to win six straight with a new team and the Canucks are one game below .500.

The numbers are going up like the box office numbers for Spider-Man: Far From Home this weekend. (I’m seeing it on Sunday, no spoilers in the comments. Please.)

https://twitter.com/BoestMode/status/1471728762135846914

Here are three takeaways from the Canucks win in San Jose.

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