The big question heading into today’s matinée affair with the Kraken was undoubtedly how the Canucks would fair without Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson.
This game was tight-checking to start. In other words, it was boring. Neither side could generate much, plays died in the neutral zone, and it took five minutes for there to even be a shot on goal.
Vincent Desharnais brought some action to the game when he got caught flat-footed in the neutral zone and nearly gave up a breakaway chance early on. Thankfully, Erik Brännström was quick to react and come over to bail Desharnais out.
Kiefer Sherwood was throwing the body early (because of course he was), but aside from the gaffe and the Sherwood hits, the first ten minutes of this game didn’t have very much to it.
Through 12 minutes of play, there were just four shots on goal, and Thatcher Demko had to be sharp after a couple defensive breakdowns in front of him.
The biggest breakdown came from a Noah Juulsen miscue that led to a 3-on-1 with JT Miller as the only Canuck back. Demko was brilliant on the play, and this was hands down the only noteworthy highlight of the first period to that point.
Max Sasson drew a penalty with four minutes to go in the first when Shane Wright got his stick into Sasson’s midsection as Sasson tried to drive to the middle of the ice.
This was our first chance to see Erik Brännström at the point on the Canucks’ power play, and although he didn’t get a point on the goal, Brännström slid the puck to Miller, who rifled a pass to Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk then let go of a shot that Philip Grubauer got a big chunk of the puck, which fluttered up into the air. Brock Boeser battled for body position in front, and was ready to bury the loose puck to make it 1-0 Canucks.
Carson Soucy took an interference penalty late in the period, but the dreadful Seattle power play struggled to even get set up. The Canucks entered the second period up by a goal.
Matty Beniers got Seattle on the board when he ripped a shot from the point that somehow ate up the typically surehanded Thatcher Demko.
That’s just one Demko wants back. 1-1.
Erik Brännström was called for hooking when he was caught out of position after trying to make something happen at the offensive end of the ice. The Canucks killed off that penalty, but were back on the kill after Conor Garland accidentally on purpose powerbombed Daniel Sprong to the ice.
Demko had to be sharp again, as on the ensuing power play, Tyler Myers let go of a slapper while shorthanded and as the last man back, left Demko in a bad spot. The Canucks’ goaltender did well to keep this game tied at one apiece.
Garland stepped out of the box and received a breakaway pass from Teddy Blueger that he proceeded to rip home five hole on Grubauer to make it 2-1 Canucks.
The power plays continued, as Jamie Oleksiak was called for hooking Kiefer Sherwood to give the Canucks their second power play of the game. This one didn’t go quite as well as the first one.
Thankfully, Carson Hughecy did his best impression of the Canucks’ captain back at 5v5, snapping a pass to Brock Boeser, who deposited his second goal of the game.
3-1 Canucks heading into the final 20 minutes of play.
JT Miller set up Jake DeBrusk for a chance to move on Grubauer, which DeBrusk made no mistake on to make it 4-1 Canucks early in the third.
Just seconds later, Dakota Joshua appeared to make it 5-1 Canucks when he banged home a rebound chance in the blue paint, but the goal was called off as it was determined Joshua directed the puck in with his hand. 4-1 it is.
The Canucks completely suffocated the Kraken’s attack for the majority of the third, and did well to protect their lead and make the final 20 minutes not very interesting… until they didn’t.
First, Jaden Schwartz banked a puck in off of Noah Juulsen to make it 4-2.
Then, with the net empty and just over a minute left to play, the Kraken tied it up after Juulsen threw a grenade to the middle of the ice that Vince Dunn quickly deposited into the back of the net to make it 4-3.
Then Seattle did what felt pretty inevitable at that point, tying up the game at four after Jaden Schwartz potted his second goal of the game to make it 4-4.
This one needed overtime.
Tyler Myers sent Seattle in on a 2-on-0 just over three minutes overtime, and the Kraken walk away with the victory.
5-4 final.
Some other takeaways from today’s game:
-Carson Hughecy jokes aside, the Canucks are going to need to see more plays like that from their defencemen while Hughes remains out with his injury. Hopefully that won’t be for too much longer, but Soucy was strong tonight.
-Brock Boeser wasn’t chosen to wear an A for this game, but he certainly stepped up and helped lead the Canucks in this game. Boeser’s struggled to score since returning from the concussion he suffered in mid-November, but that’s now five goals in his last three games, as Boeser had three in his final two games before the holiday break.
-Kiefer Sherwood is such an important player to this team. He set the tone with his forechecking and bodychecking early on in this one.
-Seattle is even worse than I thought they were. Scary that the Canucks let this team back into the game the way they did.
-Slowly but surely, Dakota Joshua is starting to look like the player we’ve seen him be in the past.
-Jake DeBrusk with his team-leading 16th goal of the year.
-The team was going to need that top line to step up in the absence of Pettersson and Hughes, and step up they did.
-Overtime is hard without Quinn Hughes.
-I don’t believe what I just saw.
What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game?
