Markstrom helped Canucks turn tide in crucial Game 5
Goaltender kept them in the game, until second-period goals put it away
J.T. Miller was honest after Wednesday’s 4-3 win for the Vancouver Canucks over the St. Louis Blues that put his team into a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven, firstround playoff series.
With the Blues all over the Canucks 3-1 early in the second period, the wheels looked set to fall off of Vancouver’s season. They had dropped two straight games to the Blues, the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Were the Canucks about to crumble mentally and physically in the face of a series of heavy attacks by St. Louis?
“I think it was close to getting out of hand,” Miller admitted. “They were getting some bounces. We were starting to turn pucks over. It felt like they were tilting the ice.”
But he pointed to the performance of their goalie, Jacob Markstrom.
The big Swede, as he’s done all year, made some huge saves in the first half of the second period, keeping it close and setting the table for the Canucks’ comeback.
With the score still just 2-1, he made a save on the Blues’ Jacob de la Rose after the puck had caromed off the linesman on an attempted dump-in; de la Rose, unchecked, pounced on the loose puck at the top of the slot and Markstrom scrambled back to his crease after having initially moved to get ready to play the puck where he thought the dump-in was going: behind the net.
After the Blues had moved to a 3-1 lead off a goal on a power play by Zach Sanford, Markstrom again stood tall, stopping a Robert Thomas chance from almost on top of the crease. A three-way passing play by the Blues had created a gaping hole for the quick Blues forward to shoot from, but again Markstrom showed his agility to move off the left post and cover off what might have been a yawning target for Thomas.
Sanford said things were going so well for his team that they were probably guilty of taking their foot off the gas.
“I don’t know if we got too comfortable. We stopped moving our feet,” he said. “Stopped winning those battles.”
The Blues beat themselves, he felt.
The Canucks found their way in the latter half of the second period, getting a trio of goals from Miller, Jake Virtanen and Tyler Motte, which vaulted them into a 4-3 lead. They kept pressing forward in the third period and, although they didn’t score again, they kept the Blues to just 10 even-strength shot attempts in the final frame.
“In the third, I thought the big difference was us not sitting back,” Miller said.
NEVER A DOUBT FOR COACH
Travis Green insisted after Game 4 that his lineup was fine. His bottom two lines had been dominated in the shot count and most observers pointed out that the Canucks were lucky to have not lost by more.
Asked more about that answer Thursday, after his team’s gutsy win in Game 5, Green suggested he was expressing confidence in his team more than anything.
“I think I’d have been more surprised if we hadn’t come out and played a helluva game. I just feel like our team’s all in it, they’re here to win it. They’re not here for experience. They’ve got a lot of belief in themselves,” he said.
EXPECT EDLER
In an attempt at playoff-injury-news gamesmanship, Green didn’t want to admit Thursday that Alex Edler was ready for Game 6 today, but he didn’t realize that defenceman Jordie Benn had already spilled the beans about the veteran D-man’s status.
Edler was caught in the head by Jordan Kyrou’s skate after the Blues’ winger toppled over just in front of him late in the second period.
Green said after the game Wednesday that they had thought Edler would be able to return during the third period, though he didn’t.
Benn said Thursday that Edler was half-dressed when the team came into the dressing room postgame, having finally had the right side of his head stitched back together.
“So he’s fine and ready to rock,” Benn said.
BODOG ODDS
The Canucks remain long shots to hoist the silver chalice in early October, but their odds have improved some.
According to online betting shop Bodog, the Canucks now have the seventh-best odds of winning the Stanley Cup, at plus 1,400, meaning that if you were to bet $100 and the Canucks won, you would win $1,400.
The Vegas Golden Knights, at plus 350; the Colorado Avalanche, plus 375; the Tampa Bay Lightning, plus 400; and the Boston Bruins, at plus 500, are the favourites.