The Vancouver Canucks were facing long odds of walking out of New Jersey with a win on Monday night. But they somehow did. It took coming back from two one-goal deficits in the third period, and yet another equalizer in the final minute, but they ultimately got the two points when rookie Jonathan Lekkerimaki used his lethal wrist shot to beat former Canuck Jacob Markstrom in the shootout to come away with a 4-3 victory. They are now back within striking distance of the final wild card spot, three points back of the St. Louis Blues with a game in hand.
With that said, let’s get into the takeaways from a game that might be looked back on as one of the Canucks’ biggest wins of the season, especially considering the adversity they were facing heading in.
Pius Suter Shines as Top-Line Centre
The Canucks’ forward (and more importantly, centre) depth was spread very thin heading into this game. They were already without Filip Chytil and were dealt another blow when head coach Rick Tocchet announced that both Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander had been sent home and would miss the final four games of the road trip. That meant Pius Suter would be bumped up the lineup and crowned as a first-line centre for the first time in a long time, probably since he was between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane in Chicago. And boy did he step up and deliver in that role. In a crucial matchup that was dubbed a “must-have” by Tocchet, he had two points and five shots in a career-high 23:02 of ice time and won 57.1 percent of his faceoffs – well above his season average of 42.9.
Suter wasn’t going up against the usual third/fourth-line centres either, he had to face the likes of Nico Hischier, one of the top faceoff men in the league. Surprisingly, he was 50 percent against him, going 9 for 18, with the other three wins coming in a perfect performance against Cody Glass, ultimately finishing 12 for 21. He took on all the responsibilities of a first-line center, including top power-play minutes, all while leading the first penalty-killing duo with Teddy Blueger. Basically, he was the definition of a Swiss Army knife and had his best game as a Canuck, by far.
After this performance, general manager Patrik Allvin is probably thinking he dodged a bullet by not trading Suter at the deadline, especially if his team makes the playoffs. He now has 21 goals on the season and will be in for a massive pay day when July 1 comes around. Hopefully, that contract will be signed with the Canucks, because he has been a one of their best players in a season that has seen a lot of stars underperform.
Thatcher Demko Impressive in Return to the Crease
Thatcher Demko returned to the crease at the perfect time. With workhorse Kevin Lankinen under the weather, he was thrust into the spotlight in one of, if not the most important, games of the season. And like the All-Star, Vezina Trophy finalist he is, he rose to the occasion and delivered a pretty vintage Demko performance. It didn’t look like he hadn’t played since February, as he was calm and solid in the net, despite giving up three goals, all of which he had zero chance on. He also made a couple acrobatic saves, including the splits in overtime, preventing Paul Cotter from winning the game. Then in the shootout, he only gave up a goal to Jesper Bratt on a deke, making stops on Cotter (again), Timo Meier and Luke Hughes before Lekkerimaki sealed it with his deceptive snipe.
If Demko can replicate this performance (and more importantly, stay healthy) for the remaining 11 games, the Canucks could split the starts down the middle and have a good chance of winning every night. Then, if they somehow make the playoffs, they should have two solid number-one goaltenders rested and ready to take on Vezina Trophy favourite Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets in the first round.
Quinn Hughes Activates Beast Mode for 2nd Game in a Row
For people who were wondering what Quinn Hughes would have for an encore after his sold-out show on Broadway, he delivered another gem last night. In front of his mom and dad in the stands, and brother Luke donning his matching No. 43 on the opposing blue line, he logged a career-high 31:38 of ice time and drove play seemingly every time he was on the ice. He didn’t put up another speed record, or, rather surprisingly, record any points, but he demanded attention. Watching the Prime Monday Night Hockey broadcast, it felt like the commentators couldn’t go one minute without mentioning his name and how he was impacting the game. He still launched six shots at Markstrom and the Canucks generated a game-high 24 scoring chances when he was on the ice, so I guess it’s not surprising why they couldn’t stop talking about him.
Canucks Must Continue to Overcome Adversity in Final 11 Games
This win was a gritty effort that will need to continue down the stretch if the Canucks hope to make the playoffs. They will be up against it for the rest of this road trip as they head to Long Island, Columbus and Winnipeg without their top two centres in Pettersson and Chytil. Suter will have to continue to play above his pay grade as the first-line centre, and they will have to get more clutch offence from guys like Lekkerimaki, Conor Garland, Brock Boeser, and others for them to do the improbable and sneak into the dance. Last night’s game was a massive step in the right direction; now, all fans can hope for is more of the same in the final 11 games – something that has seemingly eluded this team all season.
-1742195333-q80.webp "Steelers to sign veteran DT to a deal")
