The Vancouver Canucks playoff hopes live another day.
Yes, the hole the Canucks are in terms of making it to the postseason is as deep as the Grand Canyon and the Arizona Coyotes are the worst team in the NHL but it was good to see another win. After an impressive performance against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, the Canucks had an equally good performance in Glendale
It was the first trip of the season for Vancouver to Gila River Arena and as usual, the arena looked as empty as a screening of Morbius. There were some Canucks fans in attendance however and you could even hear some “Bruce, there it is,” chants.
It was also a big night for Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland as they both made their return to Glendale after being traded to Vancouver in the offseason. Ekman-Larsson got a video tribute and standing ovation from the sparse crowd. He spent 11 years with the Coyotes organization and spent the last three as their captain. OEL was all smiles when receiving the pomp and circumstance.
For everything you did on and off the ice.
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) April 8, 2022
For being an incredible person, teammate and captain.
Welcome back to the desert, OEL. 🌵 pic.twitter.com/uu6Kt3j4M0
Of course, he had an even bigger reason to smile as his current team beat his former team by a score of 5-1.
It was a performance led by two players who have been on a roll lately and one that usually gets a lot of criticism from the fans on social media.