Canucks can play with best of the West
Twenty games in, and no one can be sure what to make of the Vancouver Canucks.
But the team is set to embark on a six-game road trip that should tell us a lot about where they’re at.
They looked awful against the expansion Vegas Knights on Thursday. But they looked so much better in an exciting 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Here’s 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. Players were told to stay home Saturday morning, skipping the usual morning skate and meetings.
It seemed to pay off. The St. Louis Blues have been among the best teams in hockey, and for most of Saturday, the Canucks played them to a draw.
Special teams came up big, as Markus Granlund scored a shorthanded goal and Sven Baertschi got one on the power play.
Getting a point from the best team in the West isn’t insignificant.
BOESER’S STILL HOT
Brock Boeser leads the Canucks in points. He’s a rookie. That hasn’t happened often in Vancouver.
But he’s doing so much more than score.
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.
VIRTANEN’S CARE METRE
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?
“I do see it (the public debates about his game), ” Virtanen said. “I don’t really care. Like Kevin Bieksa would say ... ‘It’s really low on my care metre.’ ”
THEY’LL BE BACK
The Canucks’ defence is about to get a massive makeover. Both Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher, two right-side defencemen, will travel with the Canucks for the upcoming road trip, and are expected back in the lineup soon.