Friendly rivalry one worth saving
Canucks goalies pulling out all the stops to remain supportive, while competing for ice time
The doubters would like to give it a catchy and critical moniker. Something like goalie-gate or maybe the crease crunch.
Any time two goaltenders are competing for the same net — and neither has established himself as the bona fide No. 1 starter — camaraderie can become an oil-andwater existence. Teammates for sure, but best friends who actually pull for each other? Forget it.
And because Jacob Markstrom has yet to have that indisputable run of career-defining games — or even that no-doubt season to become the no-brainer, go-to guy — it has come to this: He wants the net as much as countryman Anders Nilsson.
But Markstrom is not going to destroy a long-standing relationship that dates back to teaming up for a bronze medal at the 2010 world junior championship and divide the union or the room.
Imagine sitting beside your co-worker for eight months and only exchanging the occasional nod or minimal banter. The walls can close in fast.
Whether it’s Markstrom attending Nilsson’s wedding last summer, the towering 28-year-old Swedes joking in the locker-room, pushing each other in practice, being the first to congratulate the other after a win and being dinner companions on the road, you can’t go through the motions and fake this stuff.
“It’s always good to be comfortable with your goalie partner,” said Markstrom. “You can always bounce ideas off each other and we support each other.
“We both want to be in the net, but it’s a healthy competition and you really need that to take your game to the next level. I know if I don’t perform, he’s going to be there. I really have to step my game upifIwanttoplay.”
Markstrom answered the challenge Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He not only backstopped the injury riddled Canucks to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Golden Knights, he stopped all four attempts by staying upright and not making the first move. He was 0-4 in shootouts last season.
“I thought Marky was great,” Canucks coach Travis Green said of the 33-save performance, knowing he can’t ask for a better scenario than consistent stoppers.
When Nilsson went on his 3-1-0 run on the recent sixgame road trip and posted a 2.26 goals-against average and .925 save percentage, it got Markstrom’s full attention. He went to work with goalie coach Ian Clark, especially on the days he wasn’t starting. One of the strengths of former goalie coach Rollie Melanson was to have his backup dialed in physically and mentally so starts were a seamless transition.
“You have to put in the work every day,” said Markstrom. “It’s been good because I put in 25 minutes with him (Clark) before practice and have a work day. And when it’s game day, you just go out and play and don’t think so much.
“It’s a lot of new things in my movement. It’s arriving in position instead of on the post. If it (the puck) goes low to high, you stand up and move outside instead of just from the post and moving out right away.
“A lot of it is trying to make the game slower so I don’t chase it.”
Nilsson probably felt like he was being chased out of town last season.
Following two shutouts and three wins in four October starts, he lost his way in December. He dropped three starts before the new year and surrendered 16 goals. Nilsson would see the net just 14 more times and finished with a 3.44 GAA and .901 save percentage.
With a year left on his deal and little market value, the Canucks weren’t sure what they had. Nilsson thought he still had game and backstopped Sweden to a world championship in May. He went 6-0 and led all goalies with a .954 save percentage, 1.09 GAA and three shutouts.
You can argue the world stage isn’t a defining measurement of NHL potential, but the manner in which Nilsson answered the bell helped him get in better physical shape and be in a better mental place.
His stance is more upright. He’s not crouching and making himself look smaller to open the five-hole.
“It’s fun to play games consistently and it makes it easier when you feel like you’re in the groove a little bit,” said Nilsson. “You don’t have to think as much or prepare as much for when you see a certain situation.
“And it’s really nice to have the confidence from the coaching staff. You want to show them that you can give something back.”
And be a good team guy even if he doesn’t get the cage.
“First of all, we’re really good friends,” Nilsson said. “We’re happy for each other when we play good and it benefits him and me and the whole team.”
Especially with a glut of injuries and the need for Markstrom or Nilsson to be the difference in close games.