Virtanen now central figure in Canucks’ offence
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Making something happen instead of making a mistake.
That’s how the performance pendulum has swung in a positive direction for Jake Virtanen.
From measured minutes in a bottom-six role to a first-line presence with the game on the line, the Vancouver Canucks right winger has not only gained the trust of coach Travis Green, there’s reason to believe the best is yet to come from the 22-year-old New Westminster native and Abbotsford hockey product.
It’s not that Virtanen has already matched a career-high 10 goals and is on pace for 24. It’s that he was on the ice Tuesday in the dying minutes of regulation time to help snap a 2-2 deadlock in Columbus. His wild, wide-angle shot somehow squeaked through the short side and it was a just reward for being responsible and not a liability.
“There was no room — it went in the only spot it could have,” Virtanen recalled Wednesday of his game-winner. “It’s nice to have those go in for sure and to get rewarded for little things like that, but I was more happy about the win. We went through a stretch when that was us [one-goal losses].”
Virtanen logged 17:36 against the Blue Jackets and had four shots, five attempts, two hits and a blocked shot. He has been over the 20-minute mark on two occasions this season and it’s a marked improvement from where he was the last time the Canucks visited Music City.
On a memorable and emotional Nov. 30 that saw the injured Derek Dorsett officially retire, Brock Boeser bag his third two-goal game of a six-game road trip and Daniel Sedin reach the 1,000-point plateau in a 5-3 comeback victory, Virtanen played just 9:17, had one shot and was a minus-1.
In the first meeting with the Predators this season — a 5-3 decision at Rogers Arena on Dec. 6 where the Canucks played their best first 40 minutes of the season — Virtanen ripped a cross-ice feed home at speed from Antoine Roussel. And he had plenty of giddy-up on an odd-man rush to put a perfect pass on Bo Horvat’s tape for a bang-bang goal.
This stuff doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of tough love and a willingness to be better.
Green acknowledged as much following the improbable triumph in Columbus by saying Virtanen’s improvement is “nice to see.”
“It’s definitely nice to hear and I’m just kind of going with it,” added Virtanen. “We’ve worked on that trust and he has seen me play enough. He knows how I am in the D-zone and that late in a game I’m going to keep it simple. And with all the stuff Greener and me have been through — being with him in Utica and doing video every day and talking to him every day — and him being hard on me, it has improved my game.”
Virtanen has always been able to skate, hit and shoot, but the process of putting everything together in a meaningful and consistent manner is the ongoing challenge.
“I’ve been a lot better defensively and trying to make the right play and not get too fancy,” he added. “Keeping it simple and getting pucks in behind and trying to be good in gritty areas. I’ve done a lot better job and not just trying to beat the defenceman wide every time, but pull up and try to find a late guy.
“It’s trying to make a play and it’s nice when you can hold on to a puck and not be chasing all the time. It’s a lot more enjoyable to have it, turn up and try to make a play.”
Making the right plays today will be crucial. The Canucks played with speed the last meeting with the Predators and that could be their ticket to a three-game trip sweep and stretching their win streak to a season-high four games.
“They’re a pretty aggressive team and thrive on transition to get pucks up quick — and that’s how we like to play,” said Virtanen. “As long as we play aggressive and have that weakside winger slashing and supporting each other, it’s going to be a key.”