The Canucks’ second game of the tournament was far better than their first, as they largely outplayed the Jets, particularly in the second period. Their forecheck was relentless on the Jets’ defence, forcing turnovers and leading to long stretches of play in the offensive zone.
There were several Canucks who earned some attention in this game, including a couple invitees looking for contracts.
Three Stars
3rd Star: Danny Moynihan
Marco Roy was the best invitee in game one, but Moynihan matched him in game two with a goal of his own, scoring on a Troy Stecher rebound and pursuing the puck effectively at both ends of the ice. He forechecked well on the penalty kill, tracked back well defensively in odd-man rushes, and showed a tendency to go hard to the net. He finished with a game-high four shots on goal.
2nd Star: Michael Carcone
Carcone continues to impress and has made it perfectly clear in this tournament why he deserved a contract this summer. His best moment may have been on the penalty kill in the second period, when he pursued the puck-carrier on the forecheck, picked his pocket, then evaded a check and passed off the puck, killing valuable time on the clock.
He also played a key role offensively, matching Moynihan’s game-high four shots and making a lovely cross-ice pass to set up Tyler Coulter, leading to Cole Cassels’ goal with less than a second remaining in the second period.
1st Star: Alexis D’Aoust
D’Aoust was significantly better in this game, though that may just be because he spent less time in the defensive zone where his flaws were so apparent in his first game. This time around, he was an offensive catalyst and should have been credited with two assists. Instead, he was credited with none.
On the Canucks’ first goal, he gained the zone off a pass from Stecher, then found him again at the point. Stecher then stepped down the boards and created a rebound for Danny Moynihan to finish. Then on the gamewinner, it was D’Aoust who hit Tyler Coulter with a breakaway pass. The assist instead got credited to Evan McEneny.
Honourable Mentions
- Tyler Coulter was quiet for most of the game, neither standing out for good or bad reasons, but he had two big moments that led to goals and it’s hard not to credit the only guy with a two-point game. He picked up an assist on Cole Cassels’ second period goal with a hard shot that created a rebound, then scored the gamewinning goal in the third period, wiring a wristshot past Jamie Phillips.
- Michael Garteig’s absence from the three stars is not really an indictment on his play. He came up big in the first period, making 13 saves to keep the Jets off the board. He had a quiet second period, but then gave up two goals after bad turnovers. After that, he shut the door, making some key stops late in the game to ensure the victory.
- Cole Cassels had a strong game, including the buzzer-beater goal to end the second period. He had some good moments on the power play as well and finished with three shots on goal.
- Marco Roy and Yan-Pavel Laplante were both effective on a line with D’Aoust, combining for long stretches of play in the offensive zone. They were the Canucks’ best line, winning puck battles all game long.
- Troy Stecher had another strong game, picking up one assist. His ability to break the puck up ice with his skating is impressive, as is his ability to walk the line in the offensive zone. He looks like a power play quarterback, combining excellent vision, passing, skating, and an ability to get the puck through traffic.
- For the most part, Olli Juolevi was just as good in his second game as he was in his first, though he attempted to do more offensively this time around. He made some key defensive plays, including picking off a breakaway pass in the defensive zone, and made the long stretch pass to Carcone that led to Cassels’ goal. Those two plays alone could have gotten him into the three stars...
Dishonourable Mentions
- ...but Juolevi was also at fault on Winnipeg’s first goal, as he mishandled a puck at the blue line, giving up a breakaway to Michael Spacek. Juolevi just couldn’t catch up to Spacek, who made a nifty move to beat Garteig.
- Rodrigo Abols was mostly decent, using his size in front of the net and forechecking well on the penalty kill. But he also had a brutal turnover that led to the Jets’ second goal, dropping a puck back to Curtis Valk instead of simply getting the puck out of the Canucks’ zone. The pass missed the mark and Jimmy Lodge picked it up and beat Garteig short-side with a quick release.
