The Canuck Way
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Are the Canucks Built for the Playoffs?

By Brogan Houston

Jan 1, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Vancouver Canucks left wing Tanner Pearson (70) and Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy (28) fight during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Vancouver Canucks left wing Tanner Pearson (70) and Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy (28) fight during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports /
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Credit: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Toughness

The playoffs are a different beast when compared to the regular season. You only have to win 16 games, but those are 16 of the hardest wins a team will have all season. It’s exhausting, it’s emotional, and it’s demanding in every way. Stanley Cup-winning teams are tough— both mentally and physically.

A major critique of the 2020-21 Canucks was that they got pushed around too easily. They weren’t hard to play against. That’s not the case this year.

By watching Sunday’s game against the Lightning without any context, you could have convinced me that Vancouver-Tampa is the biggest rivalry in the NHL. Both teams threw plenty of big hits, every whistle resulted in a shoving match, and there were many anger-driven penalties. That’s playoff hockey.

The off-season additions of Garland, Luke Schenn and Kyle Burroughs (although the latter is currently injured) instantly made the Canucks harder to play against. Should they make the playoffs, players like these will be the difference makers.

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