Canucks: 3 takeaways from disappointing 3-2 loss to Philadelphia

Schenn, Burroughs come up big on the blueline

In a game where it was near impossible to come up with positives for the away team, there were fortunately two glimpses of hope that managed to save this writer from beating his head against the wall.

In other words, thank God for Luke Schenn and Kyle Burroughs.

Let’s start with Burroughs.

The 27-year-old didn’t waste any time making an impact on Saturday, notching the opening goal for the Canucks in the first two minutes.

Burroughs continued his impressive play afterwards, making the most of his third-pairing position with his physicality and strong hockey IQ every time he stepped onto the ice. The Vancouver native finished the contest with one goal, four shots on goal, one hit and one fight in just under 20 minutes of ice time.

Like Burroughs, Schenn also had himself quite the afternoon.

Paired alongside Quinn Hughes on the top defensive unit, Schenn picked up right where he left off on Wednesday night with continuous shifts of smart, solid hockey.

The former Tampa Bay Lightning blueliner logged one second more of ice time than Burroughs, including 1:30 on the powerplay and 3:59 shorthanded. Schenn also managed to hit the scoresheet, providing the secondary assist on Garland’s goal in the first period.

The best part? That play wouldn’t have happened had it not been for Schenn’s hit and takeaway at the beginning of the sequence.

Given the gaping holes on Vancouver’s blueline, both fans and media are desperately hoping that Burroughs and Schenn can keep this up for the foreseeable future.

Other notes:

• Tucker Poolman left the game in the first period and did not return. The former Winnipeg Jet was riddled with injuries last season, only suiting up for 40 contests, so fans are hoping history won’t repeat itself, especially given the current lack of depth on the right side of the blueline.

The Canucks will look to salvage the back-half of this road trip starting on Monday when they face off against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Puck drop is set for 4:00pm PST.

What are your thoughts from Saturday’s 3-2 loss against the Flyers? Drop a comment below!