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. That’s right: two post-game articles for the price of one! That price is still zero dollars.
A tap of the stick to Ben Hutton and Jake Virtanen, who were caught by the Canucks’ cameras making a young fan’s night on the bench during the warm-up.
Stick-tap as well to Travis Green for finally getting Brock Boeser in the lineup and for immediately putting him on the top power play unit with the Sedins. Though I still feel Boeser should have been in the lineup right from game one, at least he didn’t have to start on the fourth line and “earn his ice-time.” Instead, Green put him in a position to succeed and even had him on the ice in the final minute with the extra attacker.
Brock Boeser gets a stick-tap for making the most of his opportunity. He assisted on the Canucks’ first goal, also their only power play goal, by forcing a tough save and a rebound that Daniel Sedin shoveled in.
It was mostly bad luck, so Michael Del Zotto gets a single glove-drop and some pushing and shoving after the whistle for the Jets’ first goal, a centring pass that went in off his skate. Poor guy.
I’m dropping the gloves with Alex Edler’s body, which has betrayed him once again. It, along with, I assume, Edler’s mind and soul, left the game midway through the first period, leading to massive minutes for Michael Del Zotto and, to a lesser extent, Ben Hutton.
Everyone on the ice for the Jets’ second goal gets dropped gloves for leaving Patrik Laine all alone in the slot. That’s Michael Del Zotto, Erik Gudbranson, Derek Dorsett, Brandon Sutter, and Sam Gagner. Laine scored 36 goals last season, you guys. He has a ridiculous shot. Don’t let him use it 20 feet from the net.
Let’s drop the gloves with the Canucks’ bench, which got really short in the third period. Jake Virtanen, Loui Eriksson, and Derek Dorsett barely played in the third period as the Canucks tried to come back from a two-goal deficit: Virtanen played just 7 seconds. I get benching Dorsett — he’s not a threat to score — but Virtanen has been dangerous for the Canucks off the rush and you don’t like to see Eriksson and his $6 million contract on the bench in a crucial situation.
Stick-tap to Chris Tanev for scoring in back-to-back games and to Russ Tyler for inventing the knucklepuck. Tanev teed off on a rolling puck and his shot seemed to swerve in mid-air, eluding Connor Hellebuyck’s glove. The goal made it 3-2 and gave a partly empty Rogers Arena some life.
A perhaps controversial stick-tap for Ben Hutton. He had some shaky moments defensively and couldn’t keep the puck in the offensive zone in the final minute to give up an empty net goal, but he made an impact offensively. He had a game-high 10 shot attempts, 5 of them on net, and the Canucks out-shot the Jets 10-6 with Hutton on the ice at 5-on-5.
Thomas Vanek gets a stick-tap as well: the Canucks out-shot the Jets 8-0 with Vanek on the ice at 5-on-5. That’s pretty impressive and a sign that maybe Vanek with the Sedins could work out after all.
