Green’s plea falls on deaf ears in another listless loss
If attempting to corral EDMONTON Connor McDavid and the red-hot Ty Rattie wasn’t enough motivation for the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, they got an extra measure from their coach.
“We’re getting down to the crunch here,” Travis Green said before his club faced the Edmonton Oilers. “If guys want to make the team, they have to grasp it and run with it. We’ve got lots of guys who can play and lots who are trying to win jobs. I want to see guys’ best games. Some have played decent and some haven’t towinajob.”
“Decent” usually translates into inconsistent and isn’t a ringing endorsement for any player. And judging by Green’s daily deliberations on those who have to raise their games a notch, it’s not a stretch to suggest that Nikolay Goldobin falls into the concern category. Trumpeted as a possible first-line fit at left wing, the mercurial Russian was on the third line Tuesday with Markus Granlund and Jake Virtanen and had but one shot.
However, with Bo Horvat between Sven Baertschi and Loui Eriksson, Elias Pettersson flanked by Brendan Leipsic and Brock Boeser and Jay Beagle centring Tim Schaller and Tyler Motte, if that was the openingnight roster it’s going to be an awfully long season.
Here’s what we learned as the Canucks were bombed 6-0 to fall to 1-5 in the pre-season:
TICK, TICK, TICK ON BROCK
“I’m not worried about Brock, he’s the least of my worries.”
That was Green’s response when asked if Brock Boeser is struggling with no goals in his four pre-season tests.
The winger has had ample shot attempts, but whether it’s a slight hesitation, more attention or more weight, he doesn’t look as quick and his shot is more often off the mark than on it.
When Boeser tried a toe drag around Jason Garrison, he couldn’t complete the move and it was another example of the Calder Trophy finalist not being quite right after a March 5 back injury ended his season.
“There are times when I’m forcing it a little bit too much, but I can fix that,” said Boeser.
BEST FIT FOR ERIKSSON?
The thinking is Eriksson has to play in the top six, but coming off a bone bruise on his right knee, he looked slow and tentative Tuesday. Rattie, who had a hat trick and has seven goals in three pre-season games, blew by him on the winger’s first goal and Eriksson laboured on the back check.
He also wasn’t the right netfront presence on the second power-play unit. Today’s downlow guy has to be strong enough to take pucks to the doorstep