Stories have a way of hooking into your brain and not letting go. Human beings love stories. It could be because of natural selection — people who could come to know the dangers of saber-toothed tigers from a story rather than direct experience are more likely to survive to pass on their genetics — or it could be because a narrative-loving deity designed people to get as much of a kick out of stories as he or she does. Either way, stories are contagious.
Early in the Canucks season, there are several stories taking hold that will define the rest of the season in some way, simply because those stories won't leave our brains. One particular story is the “Jacob Markstrom alway allows one bad goal” story. It took root in his first few starts, was reinforced by objective evidence — did you know Markstrom has never posted a shutout in his NHL career? — and has now become a subject of confirmation bias. Now every somewhat questionable goal on Markstrom will be deemed a “soft goal.”
I’m telling on myself here. When Anthony Mantha beat Markstrom late in the first period, I called it soft.
Markstrom allows a soft goal, which is great news: he'll be a brick wall for the rest of the game. #canucks
— Pass it to BOO-lis (@passittobulis) October 22, 2017
On further review, it wasn’t all that soft. It was a wickedly hard snapshot from the top of the faceoff circle that may have deflected off Troy Stecher’s stick and went by his left shoulder, a difficult spot to make a stop. Maybe Markstrom could have had better positioning to make the save, but sometimes a guy just beats you.
But I latched on to the narrative when I watched this game.
- Sven Baertschi has been a target for disdain among some Canucks fans this season for not doing enough offensively, but the Swiss winger, whose name sounds like pasta when said with an Italian accent, has quietly been quite good. His two goals in this game move him into second on the team in points-per-hour behind Brock Boeser.
- Baertschi opened the scoring by sneaking in behind the defence in the Red Wing’s zone, then swooping in front of the net at just the right time to pick up Horvat’s deflected shot and tuck it around Jimmy Howard like a swaddling blanket. On the plus side for Howard, he’ll be less likely to scratch his face and won’t wake up from the startle reflex.
- It was slightly odd, but neither of the assists on Baertschi’s opener were intentional. Boeser’s stick got checked as he attempted to stickhandle, causing him to accidentally leave the puck for the onrushing Horvat. He attempted to shoot, but the shot hit Dylan Larkin’s stick and turned into a tape-to-tape pass to Baertschi. It was just a couple of happy accidents, like when the cars crashed in the Demolition Derby in Cars 3.
- Seriously, you guys: Derek Dorsett is the Canucks’ leading scorer. He followed up his two-goal effort against the Sabres with his fifth goal in the last five games. Bo Horvat found him going to the net with a slick pass, then Dorsett’s shot hit Howard’s glove, then mask, then went over his back and into the net. It was the biggest fluke since Monica Oswald caught a 24.3 pound flounder.
- Apart from the inherent luck involved with his goal, however, Dorsett had a great game. He fired four shots on goal, threw three hits, and helped hold Henrik Zetterberg off the scoreboard. Which is good, because it looks like it would be really dangerous to climb up onto the scoreboard in the new Little Caesar's Arena. Dorsett was just trying to keep Zetterberg safe.
- I’m not sure how Alex Burmistrov was actually awarded an assist on Baertschi’s second goal, but he deserved one for forcing a rushed clearance attempt by Xavier Oullet. Baertschi knocked the puck down with his glove, then ripped a wrist shot that went over the blocker like Jordan Jenkins.
- Jake Virtanen had probably the best game of his career. He fired a game-high 8 shots on goal, several of them creating dangerous rebounds. He threw a solid reverse hit on Niklas Kronwall, who is clearly used to delivering those hits rather than receiving them. And the Canucks out-shot the Red Wings 10-2 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5. He was so good that Travis Green even played him in the third period. And on the power play! It’s almost like he was rewarded for playing well, but I thought NHL coaches weren’t allowed to do that.
- It was incredible that despite such a dominant performance, Virtanen didn’t score until his eighth shot on goal. Mike Green committed a brutal giveaway when Michael Del Zotto hit his stick, springing Daniel Sedin and Virtanen on a 2-on-1. Daniel gave the puck to Virtanen early as Ouellet came across hard to defend the rush, giving Virtanen plenty of time to pick his spot, but Howard made the initial save. Finally, however, someone capitalized on a rebound Virtanen created: Virtanen.
- One caveat to Virtanen’s excellent night: he was the only Canuck who didn’t start a single shift with a defensive zone faceoff. Green still doesn’t seem to have much faith in Virtanen’s defensive abilities, so is using primarily offensive zone starts to push him up, just like a bra...I meant like a brassiere, which is totally different!
- It wasn’t all good news for the Canucks, as they lost Troy Stecher to an apparent knee injury in the second period. He limped to the bench, then barely got down the hallway to the locker room, and did not return.
