The Canucks fanbase likely doesn’t know what to do with themselves after this game. The Canucks won, which usually makes fans happy. Except this win takes them out of a tie for last place, making them less likely to pick first overall in the 2016 entry draft.
I have no sympathy for Team Tank right now. Sorry, but I enjoy it when the Canucks win. I’m glad they didn’t tie a franchise record for consecutive losses. I’m thrilled that Jannik Hansen hit the 20-goal milestone. With the current draft lottery rules, it’s never made less sense to tank the season.
But most importantly, with this win, the Canucks pass the Crap Mantle on to the San Jose Sharks, which means that no matter what, they won’t end the season with that ignominious title. I watched this game.
- The Canucks halted their losing streak at nine games, leaving the 1997-98 Canucks’ 10-game losing streak as the franchise record. And really, it would have felt wrong to take that away from the Keenan/Messier-era Canucks. This win felt right.
- What also felt right: leaving the San Jose Sharks with the Crap Mantle. It doesn’t matter which team finishes in last: the real worst team is the team that finishes the season with the Crap Mantle. Right now, the Sharks are the worst team in the NHL. Laugh at them. They may be the only team in the league we can laugh at right now, so take advantage of it.
- In a shocking development, the Canucks defence (apart from the Alex Biega/Matt Bartkowski pairing, but we’ll get into that) looked significantly better with Chris Tanev back in the lineup. He led the Canucks in ice time in his return, tied with defence partner Dan Hamhuis, including 3:33 on the penalty kill. Tanev is to the Canucks defence as Martian Manhunter is to the Justice League: completely essential.
- But this game was all about Jannik Hansen. He kickstarted the offence like he was crowdfunding a potato salad, assisting on the opening goal just over a minute into the game. He poked free an errant pass in the neutral zone, then took Henrik Sedin’s backhand feed into the Sharks’ zone and blasted a slap shot off Martin Jones’ far pad, giving him no choice but to kick it straight out to Daniel Sedin, who put it back like Kristaps Porzingis.
- Bo Horvat extended the lead, relieving Joonas “Yes This Is My Real Name” Donskoi of the puck in the neutral zone, then making like Young MC and busting a move, powering to the net, evading Jones’s pokecheck, and tucking the puck 5-hole.
- Sven Baertschi has been a feel-okay story over the back half of the season, because, unlike most of the rest of the team, he hasn’t totally sucked. So when he left this game with a lower body injury it totally sucked. Get healthy, Sven, so you can not totally suck next season when hopefully more of your teammates also don’t totally suck.
- I’ve liked Brendan Gaunce a lot, even during the Canucks’ losing streak. His strength along the boards and in puck battles has been impressive and he’s put up strong possession numbers, comparatively. He had a good game in the faceoff circle too, winning 6-of-7 draws. Actually seeing a Canuck win faceoffs provoked this reaction.
- P.J. Stock thinks that Jake Virtanen’s hit was worse than Duncan Keith intentionally swinging his stick at Charlie Coyle’s face. That’s because P.J. Stock is a buffoon who has bad opinions.
- The Sharks eventually tied the game, because of course they did. And it was because Matt Bartkowski made a bafflingly bad defensive play, because of course it was. Bartkowski followed Logan Couture to the net, but when Couture cut in front of the net and to the other side, Bartkowski just stopped. He just stopped at the side of the net and watched Couture get wide open. It was the worst defensive play I’ve ever seen him make and I’ve seen him play 75 games for the Canucks, most of them terrible. He somehow managed to hit a new low.
- It looked like it was going to be the same old saw: Canucks take a lead into the third period, Canucks give up that lead, Canucks lose. Sound the final horn, conduct the sullen post-game interviews, and get on the plane.
- Jannik Hansen had other ideas. When Joe Thornton missed Brent Burns with a pass, Hansen took off with the puck, moving in with Daniel on a 2-on-1. Looking off Daniel, he once again loaded up a slap shot, but instead of aiming for the far pad for the rebound, he aimed for the far corner for the goal. It was a marvelous goal and anyone who is upset about it moving the Canucks up the standings can go suck an egg. Or, as my grammar-loving father would say, may go suck an egg.
- Markus Granlund finished things off with an empty net goal, which was an effective reminder that he does, in fact, exist and also plays for the Canucks.
