Canucks’ Edler, Tanev face formidable Flames scorers
It’s difficult to say which would have been the more fantastic claim a year ago: that Alex Edler would rebound from his minus-39 season and help form one of the National Hockey League’s best shutdown defence pairings, or that the hottest line in hockey — Edler’s first-round playoff assignment — would be Jiri Hudler, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.
In a season when neither the Canucks nor Flames were expected by most to make the Stanley Cup playoffs it seems appropriate that the key tactical matchup in their Pacific Division series would have until recently also been unimaginable.
Monahan, Gaudreau and Hudler are the NHL’s highest-scoring line since February, amassing 31 goals and 68 points in 19 games while driving the plucky Flames to their first playoff appearance since 2009.
After finishing 886th and last in the NHL in plus/minus a year ago, Edler led the Canucks this season at plus-13 despite facing with partner Chris Tanev the best forward lines opponents could throw at them.
“We had a tough year as a team and I’m sure out of that minus-39, there were quite a few empty-net goals he was on the ice for against because we were behind a lot,” Tanev said, defending Edler like he defends the Canucks’ zone. “But it was surprising because he’s such a good player. Obviously, he’s showing how good he is this year.”
Classic defence partnerships typically feature a stayat-home defenceman and a partner more offensively inclined who joins the rush and take chances with the puck. Tanev, 25, and Edler, who turns 29 next week, roughly fit that template. But Tanev has more offensive ability that people give him credit for, while Edler’s competitiveness and tenacity exceed his reputation for these traits.
“He’s more physical than I thought,” Canucks coach Willie Desjardins conceded recently. “(Edler) has a real streak in him when it comes time to battle, he has a little bit of the Viking in him and he just battles.”
“He’s very easy to play with,” Tanev said. “He’s so big and he’s a smart guy. I think we both read off each other fairly well, and we move the puck well together.”