Vancouver’s offence goes bust on Broadway
Hot goalie had to cool down following frustrating finish Saturday in Buffalo
NEW YORK Jacob Markstrom got mad Saturday and had to get even Monday.
The manner in which the Vancouver Canucks’ goaltender handled a shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon can be categorized as either a burning desire to win or lacking some level of composure. Coach Travis Green was convinced it was the former.
Surrendering two goals in a 40-second span with less than three minutes left in regulation to blow a 3-1 lead didn’t sit well with anybody — especially Markstrom. He didn’t face the media. He was hot. He had to cool down. And he had to be the difference Monday against the New York Rangers.
“Part of a guy running hot or being competitive, is he wants to win,” reasoned Green. “A lot of people in our room were a little bit hot after the game — and me being one of them — and that’s all right.”
It’s Markstrom’s net with Anders Nilsson recovering from a fractured finger and the recalled Richard Bachman yet to get the call, unless Green wants to give Markstrom a break on Tuesday in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders.
Here’s what we learned as the Canucks had a power play with 1:15 remaining in regulation, but couldn’t convert with Markstrom pulled to fall 2-1 in the third stop of a six-game road trip:
TRACKING NOT ENOUGH
Markstrom was tracking pucks better, especially the bouncing variety on the poor Madison Square Garden ice.
There were enough to give any stopper fits, but it was his ability to hold the Canucks in during the third period in a 1-1 struggle that was encouraging.
He kept his composure to thwart Chris Kreider with a left-pad save on a partial breakaway when the winger went to the backhand. He then moved sharply post-to-post to stop Filip Chytil with a chance at the side of the net off a cross-ice feed.
However, the two goals that beat Markstrom were polarizing.
You could take some issue with both.
On a Rangers power play late in the second period, he got a pad on a point shot. But he kicked it right to Chytil in the slot to erase a 1-0 Canucks lead. Then in the third period, he reacted to a shot that didn’t get through, which allowed Brett Howden to go short-side glove with the goalie on his knees.
It overshadowed a good body of work. There was stopping Kevin Shattenkirk when the puck bounced to the defenceman in the high slot.
He then stopped Jesper Fast.
GOLDOBIN FINDS NET
Nikolay Goldobin may have found a new weapon to foster more offensive success.
The Russian winger hadn’t scored since the season-opener and Green’s patience was running thin. After all, how do you not produce more playing with Elias Pettersson? However, Goldobin’s second goal of the season in the second period proved that he’s more aware of buying some space — and even hesitating to find a better shooting angle and freezing the goalie for a split second. When Goldobin sped down the wing and moved in on Neal Pionk, he first drew the puck back, and when the defenceman slid by him, it gave the winger enough time to go far side on Henrik Lundqvist. It was impressive.
It not only made up for an earlier giveaway, Goldobin came back on the power play and tried the same tact.
He hesitated slightly before releasing a wrist shot off the iron.
However, two minor penalties — especially one late in the third period — won’t sit well with Green.
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING
Pettersson’s birthday present was plenty of pre-game plaudits by his peers.
Aware of his precise playmaking and wicked release of a slapper or wrist shot, the Rangers watched plenty of video and used word-of -mouth to keep the 20-year-old from the scoreboard for the second-consecutive game. Not that it was easy.
In the second period, Pettersson hustled back into his own zone on the backcheck and plucked the puck out of mid-air with great eye-hand co-ordination. It started the transition that resulted in a scoring chance for the Swedish rookie. He then unloaded that shot from one knee on the same shift.
Later in the same period, Pettersson drew the puck back on the rush, froze Shattenkirk, and got a hot shot away.
“Kids are buzzing these days — that’s for sure,” said Shattenkirk. “They use their deception well to avoid hits, not fully, but enough to spin out of it to keep their momentum and balance. It’s tough to play against those guys, but you’ve just got to play them honest.”