The Canucks have been gracious hosts this season, allowing their guests the privilege of scoring first in four of the last five home games at Rogers Arena. They were feeling particularly chivalrous Tuesday evening against Ottawa, selflessly abstaining from scoring any goals at all, ensuring their eastern visitors left happy along with two valuable points to take home as a souvenir.
I didn’t watch Troy Stecher or Jayson Megna score their first goals as a Canuck. I didn’t watch a Canuck player score anything at all. I watched this game.
- To be fair to the Canucks, Craig Anderson stood on his head this game, stopping all 22 shots he faced. Well, he sort of stood on his head. It was more of a handstand. Up against a wall. And he bailed on it partway through when he realized no one was watching. But it was still pretty cool-looking.
- Stecher looked sharp in his debut, pairing well with Alex Edler and racking up an ice time of 22:29. The two players showed some early chemistry, looking particularly good setting up plays from the blueline. The duo looked impressive enough that I’m taking a page from Johnny Gaudreau’s book and trademarking “Stedchler.”
- Individually, Stecher showcased his strengths, leading a rush with speed early in the first period, and racing back to break up a dangerous third period breakaway by Mike Hoffman with a deft check. Meanwhile, Nikita Tryamkin angrily ate 11 hamburgers in the press box.
- Chris Tanev did not play, nursing a minor injury sustained in Anaheim. His absence was felt. While Edler and Stecher looked competent, there were some noticeable slips by other members of the defence. Particularly glaring was a confused-looking Luca Sbisa on Ryan Dzingel’s third period goal. Perhaps he was distracted thinking about whose hair was more luxurious, Loui Eriksson or Philip Larsen.
- Jayson Megna’s debut in Canucks blue was relatively uneventful. He played well on the fourth line, finishing his checks and getting the puck deep. Late in the third he was rewarded with some minutes alongside Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi, and he had a decent scoring opportunity in front of the net. But honestly, do we have room on this team for a superfluous Y?
- There were noticeably few penalties in this game, despite it being a chippy one. Jack Skille introduced his stick to Dion Phaneuf’s teeth in the second period, and Horvat was punched in the face by Mark Borowiecki in the third, but neither play was penalized. Two overlapping minor calls meant fans were treated to an electrifying six seconds of power play time each.
- That’s not to say this was a disciplined game. There were more icings than a Cake Boss viewing party. The puck was iced at least 15 times during play. Fortunately, Ben Hutton came up with a solution to this problem: he (accidentally-on-purpose) pegged the referee with the puck at the blue line, avoiding an icing call. It’s almost as sneaky as Kevin Bieksa’s stanchion magic. Aim for the stripes!
- Ryan Dzingel is looking like a late-round steal for the Senators. Selected 204th overall in 2011, he looked right at home with Derick Brassard and Bobby Ryan on Ottawa’s first line, scoring two pretty goals. He really “Dzingel-buried” those pucks.
- Speaking of Bobby Ryan, he continued to perfect his craft of making the Canucks look bad. He set up Dzingel’s second goal with a beautiful back pass. To date, Ryan has scored 29 points in 26 games against Vancouver, and he is officially no longer welcome in these here parts.
- Vancouver’s chemistry was on display tonight: specifically, its glaring lack of chemistry. There were many broken plays, and in a tight-checking game those mistakes cost the team. The worst offense was the moment preceding Dzingel’s first goal, when a lethargic line change gave Ottawa a lot of open ice. The only real chemistry on display tonight (aside from the typical Sedin mindlink) was courtesy of Stedchler™.
- There were a few exciting moments for Vancouver fans. Horvat showed why his London Knights coach Dale Hunter called him “Ox”, going outside-inside on the Ottawa defence while driving to the net. It didn’t result in a goal, but he did come away with a manly-looking cut on his chin. And Baertschi had a breakaway in the third after Dennis Wideman’s pass hit a teammate, but was unable to put it past Anderson. More like a heart-breakaway.
- The game was sealed after Canucks coach Willie Desjardins pulled Ryan Miller. Jean-Gabriel Pageau promptly scored into the empty net, and Rogers Arena promptly became a sea of burgundy bleachers. Let’s hope the Canucks put down their copy of The Giving Tree and start getting a bit more selfish with their guests.
