The Province

BLUES CLUES

BLUES 4, CANUCKS 3 (OT): Vancouver shows signs of its potential by taking the West’s top team to the brink

- Jason Botchford jbotchford@postmedia.com Twitter.com/ botchford thewhiteto­wel.ca

Twenty games in, and no one can be sure what to make of the Vancouver Canucks.

The team is now going on a sixgame road trip that should show a lot about where they are at this season.

They looked awful against an expansion team Thursday.

But they looked so much better in an exciting 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues.

Here is what we learned ...

THE CANUCKS CAN PLAY WITH THE BIG BOYS

The Canucks bounced back nicely from the egg they laid against Vegas.

It was after Thursday’s game when their coach suggested the Canucks were running on fumes. Seemingly in response, players were told to stay home Saturday morning, skipping the usual morning skate and meetings.

It seemed to pay off. The Blues have been among the best teams in hockey, and for most of Saturday, the Canucks played them to a draw.

Special teams were big too, as Markus Granlund scored a short-handed goal and Sven Baertschi got one on the power play.

Getting a point here from the best team in the west is not insignific­ant.

TWO CONTROVERS­IAL CALLS GO AGAINST THE CANUCKS

The Canucks didn’t get robbed twice. It just looked that way.

The first, was obvious. The St. Louis Blues managed to score a goal with nine skaters and one goalie on the ice. Somehow, every official missed it. Two Blues got a full zone jump, leaping onto the ice from the bench long before they should have.

The Canucks were incensed it counted. It wasn’t the only time they were arguing with officials. A key third-period goal was disallowed when one of the Blues closed his glove around the puck and dropped it on the ice.

Moments later, Thomas Vanek scored, but the goal was waived off by the linesman. There was a delayed penalty assessed to St. Louis, which would explain why the play was whistled dead before the goal.

But the officials were calling the play off because of a hand pass. It was a bizarre sequence which left Vancouver head coach screaming for the bench.

Whatever he said got several people laughing, including an on-ice official so the material must have been pretty good.

BOESER’S HOT STREAK CONTINUES

Brock Boeser leads the Canucks in points. He’s a rookie. That has not happened often in Vancouver.

But he’s doing so much more than score. He did get the first goal of the game, but it wasn’t the shot that should stick with you.

Leading up to that play, Boeser won consecutiv­e board battles, each time against two opponents. A few months-ago, the Canucks weren’t planning on Boeser being in the lineup. They didn’t think he could consistent­ly win board battles and they assumed his lack of explosive skating would be an issue. It hasn’t been a problem yet. And when he made an ill-advised pass on a power play, he chased down Kyle Brodziak to break up the ensuing breakaway attempt.

Sure, Brodziak is one of the few games in the game Boeser can beat in a foot race. Still, it was a great defensive play.

VIRTANEN IS AWARE HE’S KIND OF A BIG DEAL

The coach thinks all of the Jake Virtanen talk has been overkill. To be honest, he’s got a point.

Is he hitting enough? Is he scoring enough? Is he physical enough?

There is something that gets lost. Virtanen has been just fine when he plays.

Before his return to the lineup Saturday, when playing five-on-five situations, he was fifth in individual scoring chances with 24, seventh in shots, fourth in penalties drawn and fourth in his points-per-60 rate.

Of course, we haven’t heard much of that lately.

“I do see it (the public debates about his game), ” Virtanen said.

“I don’t really care. Like Kevin Bieksa would say. ... What would he say?

“It’s really low on my care metre. Something like that. I remember he said it a couple of years ago.”

Virtanen got off to a great start. He got two hits on his first shift. He nearly scored on a wraparound. He was fast, he was physical. And then he didn’t play.

He had one shift in the final nine minutes of the first. He had one shift in the first 12 minutes of the second. On his second shift in the second period, he chased a hit, lost coverage and the Blues scored.

Ouch.

STECHER AND TANEV WILL BE BACK SOON(ISH)

The Canucks’ defence is about to get a massive makeover. Both Tanev and Stecher, two right-side defencemen, will be going on the Canucks’ road trip this week, and are expected to be back in the lineup soon.

Tanev seems to be the one who is closer, having skated with the Canucks for the past few days. Stecher has missed four weeks. He still isn’t sure when his knee is going to be ready.

The good news is when his knee buckled on Oct. 22 in Detroit, he immediatel­y thought he’d be out four-to-six months.

Instead, he should be playing at around the five-week mark.

How this impacts the defence is unclear.

The easy move would be to take out Alex Biega and Derrick Pouliot.

But Pouliot has outplayed Erik Gudbranson, and not just by a little.

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 ?? — THE CANADIAN PRESS ?? Vancouver blue-liner Erik Gudbranson goes stick to stick with the Blues’ Alexander Steen in the third period of Saturday’s game at Rogers Arena. The Blues have been among the best teams in the NHL, and for most of Saturday’s game, the Canucks played...
— THE CANADIAN PRESS Vancouver blue-liner Erik Gudbranson goes stick to stick with the Blues’ Alexander Steen in the third period of Saturday’s game at Rogers Arena. The Blues have been among the best teams in the NHL, and for most of Saturday’s game, the Canucks played...
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