Canucks comeback spoiled as they lose 4-3 in overtime to the Capitals

Thoughts on the game

The Capitals were getting lots of scoring chances once the puck dropped. They did open up the scoring from Evgeny Kuznetsov off a weird bounce off the stanchion and then Kuznetsov. Thatcher Demko was moving to his right and it took him a few seconds before he realized the puck was behind him. You were probably saying “what in the world happened?” out loud after seeing that.

Kuznetsov got another not long after on the power play. It looked like it was Ovechkin’s 767th career goal which would have moved him past Jaromir Jagr for third on the all-time list for goals. However, Kuznetsov got a piece of it as Ovechkin’s shot went off the post.

The Canucks looked kind of sluggish in areas in the first period and particularly in the second. The passes weren’t connecting and but there were a few good chances, most notably Juho Lammikko trying the between the legs move but the puck was cleared off the line by Anthony Mantha.

Washington was testing Demko left and right and fortunately, he was up to the task. Vancouver was throwing the puck to the slot but many of the shots ended up being blocked, fanned on or the passes weren’t taken cleanly.

Bruce Boudreau decided to mix the lines a bit in the second period in an attempt to get the Canucks going offensively. That included putting Alex Chiasson on Elias Pettersson’s line.

Luke Schenn was got physical as he always does and he led the team with five hits in the game. His biggest was on Axel Jonsson-Fjallby.

https://twitter.com/Canucks/status/1502498806444658695

It was in the third where the Canucks found their spark.

Quinn Hughes got it started with a shot through a screen.

Shortly after, Bo Horvat scored on the power play from his sweet spot: the bumper. Great patience by J.T. Miller before making the pass.

The captain wasn’t done there. A few minutes later, the Canucks took the lead after Horvat slotted in Travis Hamonic’s rebound.

The Canucks came out flying in the third. They looked engaged and faster than in the first two periods. There was some good zone time and the passes looked cleaner. The Canucks were transitioning up the ice quickly and were winning some of the battles.

Miller’s two assists extended his point streak to 11 games. That is 23 points for Miller in those games. It looks like he isn’t getting traded any time soon.

Unfortunately, Kuznetsov got his hat trick on the power play and the Capitals ended up tying the game.

Now we have to talk about the officiating. Before Kuznetsov’s goal, Tyler Myers got a penalty for an illegal check to the head. Keep in mind, the height difference: Myers is 6’8″ while Kuznetsov is 6’2″. Kuznetsov did look fine scoring his goal though.

There was also this earlier. T.J. Oshie didn’t get penalized for taking down Hughes which was baffling.

There was also an incident in the first period where Oliver Ekman-Larsson got two minutes for hooking TJ Oshie. But Oshie also got his stick high on Brad Hunt who was fortunately OK. Why didn’t Oshie get a penalty? We’ll never know.

There have been poor displays of refereeing in recent NHL games and it isn’t a good look for the league.

The Canucks continued to push for the winner with their energy and speed. They had a late power play but there was too much passing and the game eventually went to overtime.

Miller and Pettersson ended up losing the puck battle and they were slow on the backcheck. Hughes lost track of Lars Eller who beat Demko who got some of it with his stick. He probably should have had that one though.

Vancouver did a good job of coming back in the third period after kind of a slow start. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and the bounces and officiating didn’t help. It is still a big point for the Canucks in the playoff race.

What was said

Boudreau was pleased with the third period comeback.

“In the third period, I thought we came out and played the way we are capable of playing and it starts with the power play,” said Boudreau. “It was a great comeback in the third and great point.”

He also spoke about Myers’ penalty on Kuznetsov.

“He’s just a big guy and I’d have to say if you know Kuznetsov there, there was a bit of embellishment there staying down on the ice and then jumping back out for the power play,” said Boudreau per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

“We’re happy to fight back in the third but ultimately we wanted those two points,” said Horvat. “All the points from here on out are going to be huge for us.”

Boudreau revealed that he did not talk to the team in the locker room after the second and one of the captains did instead. It turns out that was Miller.

Advanced stat of the night

Horvat led all Canucks in Corsi For with 59.26 per NaturalStatTrick.

Tweet of the night

Mike Halford and Jason Brough of Sportsnet 650 were shown by the broadcast shortly before the third. Brough was shown clapping like a super villain and the Canucks came back. Sure they ended up losing the game but was that just a coincidence or a stroke of good fortune?

Wrap up

The Canucks continue their homestand on Sunday when the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions Tampa Bay Lighting come to town. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM.