Biega, Sutter give mallards the mallet
Anaheim needed a win badly but the Canucks weren’t about to hand this one over
It says something that there was more morning hype about Thursday than Tuesday. This is what happens in a hockey-mad market starving for any signs of hope. And when engaging college hotshot Adam Gaudette signs, shows up, entertains in his first big scrum and promises to throw his weight around and show no fear in his National Hockey League debut Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers, it makes any other conversation seem moot.
That’s not fair to the Vancouver Canucks or Gaudette, who probably projects as a third-line centre and not a saviour, but a Tuesday tussle with the Anaheim Duck sand a chance to play playoff spoiler wasn’t supposed to move the emotional fan meter as much as Thursday.
Wrong. There was something to be said for the Canucks dissing the draftists yet again with a spirited showing — including 15 first-period shots — and putting more stock in some late-season success than improving their draft-lottery odds.
Here’s what we learned as a deflected Alex Biega point shot — his first goal in 132 games — snapped a 1-1 draw before Brandon Sutter got the clincher to allow the Canucks to claim a 4-1 decision at Rogers Arena for their third win in the last four outings:
Sutter shows offensive side
Sutter is pretty good in the faceoff circle and even better on the penalty kill.
On Tuesday, he was good at everything. He went backhand-to-forehand on one kill before shooting the puck over the net. On a third-period rush with the Canucks nursing a 2-1 lead, he outlegged Ryan Kesler to put a backhander off the post, then deposited his own rebound on a delayed penalty call.
It was his ninth goal of the season but he wasn’t happy with a lategame penalty before bagging the empty-netter.
Are the Sedins in or out?
Not a day goes by when the populace doesn’t wonder aloud whether Henrik and Daniel Sedin will play another season or call it quits. Their performance pendulum has swung from complementary to concerning and their lips have remained zipped about their playing future.
Tuesday was another win for the they’re-coming-back crowd. They combined on the opening goal by Sam Gagner, they didn’t take a penalty and Daniel was foiled on a sweet cross-ice feed from Henrik after the captain made a strong move off the wall. Daniel has 21 goals. Henrik is tied for 33rd in the NHL with 44 assists.
Still, you look for signs that this may or may not be it. Henrik got the bobblehead treatment and Daniel
gets it next Tuesday against Vegas. Daniel also got a brief video tribute to salute his 1,300th career game. And there was an feature on the Sedins on the big screen in the second intermission.
What does that all mean? Maybe something, maybe nothing.
Boucher starts fast, fades fast
Reid Boucher has 25 AHL goals but one in 10 NHL games during his latest recall from the Utica Comets.
During this audition, the winger has shown a better compete level and has been stronger on pucks. In the first period Tuesday, he had two shots go just wide and then fired a hot shot off the mask of goalie John Gibson and then pounced on his own rebound. But he didn’t have another shot the rest of the way.
Boucher had three good scoring looks in Anaheim on March 14 in a 3-0 loss. What are we to make of this? Not sure. Travis Green probably feels the same way.
The stanchion makes return
Kevin Bieksa had hand surgery early this month, but had a hand in the scoring Tuesday.
Bieksa’s infamous double-overtime stanchion goal that propelled the Canucks into the 2011 Stanley Cup final was sort of replicated Tuesday. A Francois Beauchemin long shot deflected off the endglass stanchion and Jacob Markstrom, who left his crease to corral the puck, left Andrew Cogliano with nothing but net to easily make it 1-1.
Overtime: Chris Tanev has been shut down for the season with a knee sprain. The defenceman was last seen in the locker-room in St. Louis on Friday with a limp and ice bags strapped to his legs. He played hurt. He logged 20:23. He was done. It’s his fifth injury of the season — knee, leg, teeth, groin, thumb — and he was limited to 42 games. It’s a sign that all those years of being labelled Gumby for his ability to escape injury may have caught up to him.