TILTED ICE
Flames overwhelm Canucks in second period, home team loses in OT
The weirdness of it all was not lost on Travis Green even before Sunday went sideways.
And maybe an NHL season like no other had a lot to do with the spent Vancouver Canucks unravelling like a ball of string in the second period at Rogers Arena.
The coach had to call a timeout to stop the bleeding after the Calgary Flames exploded for three goals in less than three minutes to turn a yawner into a laugher and then a rally as J.T. Miller scored short-handed in the third period to pull the Canucks to within a goal.
Brock Boeser then tipped in an Alex Edler point shot to tie the game 5-5 late in the third, before Elias Lindholm snuffed out the comeback bid with an overtime winner.
On the same day a couple of terrific playoff openers required overtime — including 8,683 frenzied fans in Las Vegas witnessing the home side fire 42 shots and somehow fall 1-0 to Minnesota — the Canucks had to manufacture something to move the motivational meter.
“It's different,” Green admitted before puck drop. “Not the norm, but a lot of things in today's world aren't the norm and this is just another one.”
In the slow slog to conclude a mind-numbing, physically draining and merciless season with three meaningless meetings with the Flames, it was left to Nate Schmidt to remind us all what Sunday meant to Jonah Gadjovich. His regular-season debut shouldn't have been lost in the shuffle of what a win or loss would mean for draft lottery odds.
His first game should have been celebrated, regardless of the outcome or what he did or didn't accomplish.
“You'll never forget it, no matter the timing or the place,” said Schmidt. "I remember mine. I don't know if I can specifically tell you the date, but it was the second game of the year at home versus Colorado.
“The part that stinks (for Gadjovich) is he can't have his family and friends here to see it and hopefully, they'll watch because it's something special to do in this league and something you don't overlook. It's really cool.”
Here's what we learned as the Flames got two goals from Andrew Mangiapane and others from Josh Leivo, Milan Lucic and Matthew Tkachuk, while Travis Hamonic and Tyler Graovac replied for the Canucks:
GADJOVICH GOOD, BAD
First, the good. Gadjovich responded when Connor Mackey boarded Matthew Highmore in the second period. The Canucks winger won the bout, but also got an extra two minutes for instigating and a 10-minute misconduct.
Green would applaud the moxie.
Then, the bad.
Olli Juolevi and Jalen Chatfield were having a defending adventure and when Gadjovich tried a cross-ice touch pass to exit the zone, it was picked off by Leivo and the untouched former Canucks winger went backhand on Braden Holtby to open scoring midway through the first period.
It was a rough rite of passage for Gadjovich, who found out early that even in a game that meant more for draft lottery seeding than anything else, pucks arrive in a hurry.
Gadjovich, who had 15 goals in his first 19 AHL games with the Utica Comets this season, had an early chance to shoot the puck entering the zone but the winger elected to dump it in. He also couldn't handle a quick Quinn Hughes long laser pass. But none of this should have been surprising, even though foot speed is a continuing challenge.
After being recalled, Gadjovich did his mandatory seven-day quarantine in Winnipeg to join the Canucks on their road-trip stop last week.
“We haven't even seen him in a practice, never mind a game,” Green pointed out before game time. “It's going to take him a little time of feel comfortable and there will obviously be nerves to deal with and that's part of it.”
HARD-LUCK HAWRYLUK
It had the makings of one of those nights.
Two teams with nothing to really play for — outside of personal pride — and there was a cool breeze blowing in the arena because of players passing up on hits. Nobody wants to get injured with the off-season on the horizon. Same story with shot blocking.
Jayce Hawryluk didn't get the memo.
When the Canucks winger went to block a second-period point shot by Juuso Valimaki, the shot stuck him on the inside of the left knee just as he was turning to get into position. He crumpled to the ice, had to be helped to the bench, limped to the room and didn't return. The restricted free agent would log 5:43 and had two hits and two blocked shots.
ADVENTURES ON DEFENCE
School was in session for the pairing of Juolevi and Chatfield.
They struggled with positioning and communication and it was clearly evident on Lucic's goal to make it 2-0 that there's work to do. Juolevi was slow to pivot in retreat and was turnstiled and Chatfield was sprawled on the ice as Lucic easily converted a crossice feed from Leivo.
WHERE HAS TIME GONE?
Bo Horvat logged his 500th career game Sunday and was denied his 19th goal of the season off a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush with Tanner Pearson in the first period.
Alex Edler is still seeking his 100th career goal and the veteran blueliner got a look on the first power play unit to try to make it happen. He has gone 58 games without scoring, dating back to Feb. 25, 2020.