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I Watched This Game: Goldobin ends goalless streak; losing streak continues

Canucks 3, Sharks 5
I Watched This Game - IWTG Banner

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it, like, three or four times: if you’re going to be bad, at least be fun. In this game, the Canucks were fun.

This game was like a pneumatic drill and ripped-up concrete: you know, entertainment.

It wasn’t just that they scored a few goals, thereby ending their goal drought; there have been plenty of games where the Canucks have scored goals without being entertaining. It’s that they got to the net and created scoring chances using their speed and skill. Sure, it wasn’t enough to win the game, but it was enjoyable to watch.

For some reason, the San Jose Sharks just seem to bring it out of them. The Canucks have had 40+ shots seven times this season; four of those games have been against the Sharks.

In fact, this was the first time this season that they didn’t reach 40 shots against the Sharks. Maybe the Canucks were just as bad and boring, relative to their opponent. Compared to how they’ve played against the Sharks all year, maybe this was a terrible effort and the Canucks should be ashamed of themselves.

Nah.

I watched this game.

  • Evander Kane got roughed up in this game. He got hit four times, twice each by Troy Stecher and Alex Edler. They weren’t just little hits either: Kane got knocked on his keister by both defencemen. Yes, 5’10” Stecher stood up Kane and sat him flat on his tuchus. It was oddly satisfying.
  • Every time I hear the name Aaron Dell, I can’t help but think of Frozen. Elsa is the Queen of Arendelle and I have to wonder: is she also the Queen of Aaron Dell? Is the Sharks goaltender a Frozen fan? Is “Let it Go” his theme song after a bad game? Does he ask Brent Burns if he wants to build a snowman? Does he do whatever hockey players do in summer?
  • Was this Nikolay Goldobin’s official Breakout Game™? We had one earlier for Jake Virtanen, so it’s only fair that Goldobin get a wealth of articles detailing how he’s “turned a corner” and is “making strides” and is “on the rise.” He was fantastic in this game, looking like a constant threat to score. He even actually scored, which helps.
  • One breakout performer helped another, as it was Jake Virtanen’s speedy skating on a power play zone entry and power forward-esque screen in front that enabled Goldobin to open the scoring. The power play zipped the puck around — Reid Boucher to Derrick Pouliot to Goldobin — and Goldobin’s shot bulged the mesh like a guy who just realized he’s at a nude beach.
  • The goal came on the Canucks’ 118th shot since they last scored, ending the goal drought at 222:57, which is still the second-longest goalless streak in franchise history. Is it super concerning that the Canucks’ two longest streaks without scoring have come in the last three years? Sure is!
  • Someone extremely petty could point out that it’s still been 272:09 since the Canucks scored an even-strength goal. But who could possibly be petty enough for that?
  • Whatever happens to Goldobin, it seems pretty clear that Jim Benning traded Jannik Hansen at the right time. The one-time fan-favourite Canuck has zero goals and just nine assists in 39 games. He’s been a frequent healthy scratch. He’s only 32, which should be a warning that a decline can come a lot more quickly than you might expect after 30.
  • Jacob Markstrom is an enigma. At times in this game he was fantastic and he made some outstanding saves, but the Sharks’ third and fourth goals really seemed stoppable, particularly the fourth, where he seemed to lift his blocker up out of the way of the shot before suddenly trying to squeeze his arm against his body. He still has so much raw talent, which is the issue: he’s 28. That talent shouldn’t be raw anymore. It’s had enough time in the oven. If it’s still raw, the oven isn’t on.
  • I’m not a huge fan of Sam Gagner on the first power play unit, at least not in Brock Boeser’s spot at the left faceoff circle. He just shouldn’t be a primary shooter. He had a lot more success on the power play in Columbus in the high slot, playing give-and-go passes, and providing a secondary shooter or tip-in option. But that spot is usually filled by Daniel Sedin on the first unit, so Gagner hasn't really had a clear role on the power play all season.
  • It worked out on the Canucks’ second goal, however, as Gagner set up Bo Horvat in front after Horvat won the faceoff. The Sharks looked like they were expecting a pass to one of the Sedins for the Canucks to get into formation on the right side, as per usual. Gagner looked towards the Sedins and the Sharks drifted up high, opening up the passing lane to Horvat, who couldn’t get his stick on the puck, but saw it deflect in off his right skate.
  • Virtanen wasn’t the only one to slice through defenders on power play zone entries. Both Goldobin and Edler busted a move through the Sharks’ penalty killers to create scoring chances, splitting the D like Lorena Bobbitt. It really seemed like they had identified a weakness in the Sharks’ penalty kill, which was the league’s best heading into the game.
  • It’s been a while since Alex Edler dug in and blasted a slap shot past a goaltender. It was immensely satisfying to see him step into a one-timer like it was a batter’s box and blast one into the upper deck, the upper deck being the back of the net behind Dell in this particular metaphor.
  • The Canucks had so many chances to tie the game in the third period. Both Horvat and Goldobin hit the post on deflections. Tomas Hertl cleared a puck off the line after Gagner snuck a puck past Dell. Then Hertl made another great defensive play, picking off a pass for Daniel in front, then taking it the length of the ice to score in the empty net. It always feels weirdly insulting when Hertl scores, because it’s like being scored on by a Dr. Seuss character.