If you take a good team and remove their top two centres and top two defencemen, they’ll seriously struggle. You do the same thing to the Canucks and, well, you have Linden Vey centring the first line and Yannick Weber playing 20+ minutes.
The Canucks added Henrik Sedin and Chris Tanev to the injured list after last game, joining Brandon Sutter and Alex Edler, not to mention Jannik Hansen. So yes, the Canucks were left with one-third of a first line and no top pairing. And they were facing one of the best teams in the NHL. Splendid.
Really, the Canucks managed to do better than I expected, holding their own for about the same amount of time they’ve held their own all season long: 40 minutes. Regrettably, as per usual, they were required to play a full 60 minutes. And regrettably, as per usual, I watched this game.
- After a 5-1 loss, you’re usually in desperately-search-for-positives mode, but the positives really aren’t that hard to find. Even though things fell apart in the third period, they came out flying in the final frame, firing from everywhere, but like a guy with no wifi for his tablet, they couldn’t get it on the net. They took 21 shots in the third period; just 6 were on goal.
- Some might have questioned putting Linden Vey on the first line, but Willie Desjardins was clear: “My Vey or no Vey at all.” So he turned him loose and got a fantastic performance out of the former Medicine Hat Tiger, as he was arguably the best Canuck on the ice.
- Vey played just one second short of 20 minutes, assisted on the Canucks’ only goal, and had a team-high 3 shots on goal. He was also the only Canuck to actually have the team out-shoot the Kings with him on the ice at even-strength. It was a great reminder how much these final games mean for someone like Vey, who needs to convince the Canucks he’s worth re-signing after losing his spot on the roster earlier this season. He needs to make the Canucks question that decision: where were they going without ever knowing the Vey?
- Vey seemed to particularly come alive at 4-on-4, where he took advantage of the extra space, creating a scoring chance for Ben Hutton before setting up Dan Hamhuis for the opening goal. Like Rod Kimble, Quick tried to make a desperation save at the backdoor, but failed miserably.
- That’s goals in back-to-back games for Hamhuis and 4 points in his last 3 games and he led the Canucks in ice time with over 24 minutes. It’s almost like he’s made it his mission to make Jim Nill look like an idiot.
- Other positives: the line of Bo Horvat, Brendan Gaunce, and Derek Dorsett had a strong game together and it was nice to see Alex Burrows back in the lineup after what I assume was an extended absence due to injury. What’s that? He’s only missed two games all season? That can’t be right.
- Drew Doughty always looks completely baffled any time he gets a penalty. He could have literally just murdered a man and he’d look at the ref, with another man’s blood dripping down his face, and say, “What? Are you f***ing kidding me? I didn’t touch him!”
- The Canucks power play entered this game on a tear, with nine goals in their last nine games, but it let them down in this game, as they could not convert on five opportunities. I mean, it’s hard to say it was the difference in this game, as they lost by four goals, but I’m not afraid to say hard things: it totally was the difference, because if they had scored on all five power plays, they would have won by one goal. Q.E.D.
- The Canucks were also let down by their goaltending, which has been a relative rarity this season. Miller had two shots trickle through him and got beat on the shortside on a 2-on-1, all goals he’d probably like to have back. And he was caught completely out of position on the Kings’ fifth goal. He was 60 feet outside his crease, not to mention being on the wrong side of the boards, sitting on the bench.
- Seriously, though, I know it was only a meaningless empty net goal, but I can’t fathom what Matt Bartkowski was doing. With the net empty and safer options available, he tried to pass the puck into the middle of the ice between two Kings, which isn’t anywhere near as funny as “Between Two Ferns,” even if it must be just as awkward for all of Bartkowski’s teammates to pretend he’s a real NHL player.
