Stick-taps and glove-drops is a recurring feature after every Canucks game giving some quick kudos and criticism before the longer I Watched This Game feature. Feel free to leave your own stick-taps and glove-drops in the comments.
I’m dropping the gloves with the Canucks’ penalty kill, which gave up all five of the Colorado Avalanche’s goals. They killed just one of the Avalanche’s six power plays against the 22nd-ranked power play in the league.
Let’s get specific: dropping the gloves with Brandon Sutter, Darren Archibald, Alex Edler, and Erik Gudbranson, who were the penalty killers for three of the Avalanche goals in regulation, while Sutter, Edler, and Gudbranson were also on the ice for the overtime winner. Going into detail on each goal would lead to a lot of gloves dropped with the same players for relatively minor errors, so I’ll avoid piling on, but those little mistakes added up in a big way.
A tap of the stick to Anders Nilsson, because the poor guy probably needs one. Normally when you stop every shot you face at even-strength, including some grade-A scoring chances, you’re in good shape and likely earning a win. When you’re a goaltender, goals against on the penalty kill often have just as much to do with the skaters in front of you as what you do in the net, so it’s hard for me to fault Nilsson on this one, despite a whopping five goals against.
Darren Archibald gets a stick-tap for opening the scoring with his first goal of the year. When Sutter won the puck behind the net, Archibald went to the front of the net with his stick on the ice and was rewarded. He didn’t just knock the puck on goal, however; he made sure it went in, roofing it just under the bar.
Tap of the stick to Brandon Sutter, who was excellent at even-strength. His one-handed pass from his knees to Archibald for the opening goal was outstanding and he added a goal himself off a neutral zone turnover midway through the second to make it 3-1. He tied Nathan Mackinnon with a game-high six shots on goal and also went 16-for-25 in the faceoff circle.
Stick-tap to Nikolay Goldobin, who had a two-point night and looked dangerous all game. He scored the Canucks’ lone power play goal, stepping in from the boards and whipping the puck on net. It appeared to deflect off Patrik Nemeth’s stick and beat Semyon Varlamov short side. Then he added an assist on Sutter’s goal, creating the turnover with a good stick in the neutral zone.
Derrick Pouliot gets a tap of the stick for his nice work on the second power play unit. He held the line effectively and distributed the puck well, picking up the primary assist on Goldobin’s goal. Pouliot has three assists in the last two games.
Stick-tap to Brock Boeser, who is playing through a wrist injury. He made a great play to intercept a pass behind the Avalanche net and centred for Sven Baertschi, whose stick was lifted. The puck came through to Horvat, who one-timed it into the Avalanche net to make it 4-1. Boeser had nine shot attempts, but just two made it on target.
Gloves dropped with the Canucks for allowing Boeser, arguably the most important player for the Canucks future, to play through a wrist injury.
Worst gif of the season? Worst gif of the season. pic.twitter.com/5z4CCjg2fC
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) February 21, 2018
Tyson Barrie's shot from the point was pretty much perfect, going off the post and in, but I have a glove to drop with Troy Stecher, who cut in front of Anders Nilsson right as the shot was coming in, cutting across Nilsson's view of the puck at exactly the wrong time. Would the puck have gone in anyway? Possibly, but it couldn't have helped Nilsson.
Tap of the stick to Loui Eriksson, who had a strong game on the checking line with Sutter and Archibald and didn’t have five goals against on the penalty kill to drag him down. He nearly scored to end it in overtime when he chipped the puck past a defender and got in alone, but he couldn’t quite tuck in the bouncing puck.
Delayed stick tap to Travis Green for finally getting Jake Virtanen out on the ice for 3-on-3 overtime. The shift lasted just 23 seconds, but Virtanen got a good shot off at the end that Semyon Varlamov had to squeeze tightly to prevent from sneaking through.
Dropping the gloves with the referees for being fooled by Tyson Jost’s dive in overtime. At least, it seemed clear to my eyes that Jost clamped down on Daniel Sedin’s stick and launched himself to the ice, but maybe my eyes can’t be trusted. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, the Avalanche scored their fifth power play goal of the game on a Nathan Mackinnon one-timer, giving every member of the Avalanche’s first power play unit a goal.
