Playing against Toronto is always entertaining, but this game was off the charts! I mean yes, Vancouver lost, their defence looked shaky, they gave the Leafs way too much time and space to work, and they got outscored in a major way. But things happened Bulies, things!
So many things happened that to try to sum up the events in this introduction would be pretty much impossible. But I laugh in the face of impossibility, so I’ll try anyway. It was like roller derby meets mixed martial arts, with a ferocious badger mauling tossed in the mixture. This game may not have had the desired outcome and Willie Desjardins' team may not have broken their losing streak, but at least it was eventful.
The Canucks finally shrugged off a long goal scoring drought, the second such drought of the season. In fact, I watched not one but several Canucks goals, which this season counts as a blowout. I watched this game.
- Vancouver scored three times in this game. That doesn’t seem like much by NHL standards, but given the recent context many Lower Mainland babies will probably be made tonight. I mean, those recent lengthy scoring droughts were the worst. There are only a handful things you can watch that leave you feeling emptier than back-to-back shutouts: a Gilmore Girls marathon, the MTV Teen Choice Awards, and the infuriating Unsatisfying, by Parallel Studio.
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Despite their high-flying goal totals, Vancouver lost badly, looking significantly outplayed by a speedy and dynamic Leafs team. With their eighth loss in a row, circumstance begs the question: should the Canucks hold onto their Willie?
Fans have tolerated management holding onto their Willie for a long time, even though it’s clearly a questionable choice, perhaps even inappropriate, and everyone is making fun of us for it. But indications are that they’re quite attached to their Willie, so don’t expect them to let go anytime soon. -
Canucks were missing both Chris Tanev and Alex Edler. Tanev flew back to Vancouver with what’s believed to be an aggravated bone bruise. That left the remainder of the defence pairings significantly overmatched. Ben Hutton paired with Erik Gudbranson, Nikita Tryamkin joined Troy Stecher in a sly nod to the classic comedy Twins, and and Luca Sbisa and Philip Larson filled out the bottom pairing, one I affectionately nicknamed “Shudder.”
Toronto was fast and dangerous for most of the game, firing 42 shots at Ryan Miller and Jacob Markstrom. They rolled over Vancouver like a baseball tarp. (Man, I could watch that all day long.) - Nazem Kadri opened the scoring seven minutes into the first period on a feed from Nikita Zaitsev. His one timer was laser accurate. Four minutes later Tyler Bozak made Vancouver look silly, popping a puck over a sprawling Ryan Miller. With those two goals Jim Benning identified his two primary trade targets. Pray for us.
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After these two deflating tallies, the heavens parted and the Canucks somehow potted their first goal in over 159 minutes of play. Derek Dorsett ended the scoreless streak in a makeshift line alongside Jannik Hansen and Brandon Sutter. It’s impossible to properly express how good it felt to see that egg finally cracked, so I’ll let intergalactic Nicholas Cage do the talking for me.
- The cosmic hockey fates continue to mock my commentary. In my last post, I trashed Willie Desjardins for sending Dorsett out in the final minutes against Ottawa. He’s not going to break this scoreless streak, right? Shows what you know, Will Graham. Well played, mustache man.
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The impressive rookie award for this game goes to Nikita Tryamkin. Displaying distinctly non-Ent-like mobility, Tryamkin showed that he’s got some pretty decent wheels for a guy who’s been travelling all day looking for rocks.
He was tasked with clearing the front of the net on a critical 5-on-3 penalty, implying that Desjardins is willing to give him increased responsibility during these key injuries to Vancouver’s D. In fact, he logged just over 20 minutes in total.
It makes sense. Tryamkin is in decent shape now. He’s a big physical presence. He defends well and has an underrated stick, especially considering he can cover 82% of the defensive zone while standing in one spot. - The line of James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Mitch Marner were unstoppable. Bozak had two goals on the night and nearly bagged a hat trick. Marner had a goal and an assist and generally looked like a water bug who’d gone to a killer water bug party right before the game and snorted a hefty quantity of illicit water bug chemical enhancements.
- Loui Eriksson was set up at the side of the net by Markus Granlund after a pitched battle behind the net, but he was denied for the dillionth time this year (yep, that’s a real number.) When will this poor guy catch a break?
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Shortly after Bozak’s second goal, Philip Larsen found Henrik Sedin with acres of space and heaps of time at the side of the net. Hank made no mistake, potting Vancouver’s second goal of the game.
When I saw them score not one but two goals in this game, my neurons released an endogenous chemical, likely dopamine, which transmitted signals across neuromuscular junctions to the appropriate receptors. It was the best you guys. -
How about that Jannik Hansen? He’s been Vancouver’s sole offensive catalyst for at least the last three games, and he deserves full credit for the two assists he received tonight. He should have a third for his breakaway scoring chance which led to Henrik’s goal.
He’s also exactly the kind of player that the Sedins need to succeed. In particular, his thick hide, powerful jaws and natural camouflage helped throw off the Leafs and create the space the Sedins needed in order to make things happen. - At around the four minute mark of the third period, Bozak landed a perfect pass onto Marner’s stick as he potted his fourth goal of the season. Any scoring chance is too many for this deadly looking line. In response, the collective Canucks fanbase shrugged, still riding that dopamine rush from actually seeing some Vancouver goals.
- The Leafs didn’t rest there, striking again two minutes later. After a waived icing after a race for the puck, Zack Smith stole the puck from Ben Hutton and fed Nikita Soshnikov for his first goal of the season.
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This is where the game got really interesting. Nazem Kadri made a high, dangerous hit on Daniel Sedin. You could see by the look on Kadri’s face that he knew he was going to get a suspension. Immediately, a furious Hansen pounced on Kadri like a raging honey badger is wont to do.
Lost in all the carnage of fur, blood and Hansen’s signature "khrya-ya-ya-ya" call was the fact that Daniel Sedin actually scored Vancouver’s third goal right before getting beaned. Daniel left the ice due to concussion protocol but returned late in the game.
It’s worth mentioning that Hansen was also levelled by a questionable hit from Morgan Rielly just seconds before Kadri headhunted Daniel. These two hits changed the tone of what had until now been a relatively clean game. And of course Hansen was given an instigator penalty despite responding in a totally reasonable manner. Frankly I’m not sure why Rielly and Kadri were throwing big, reckless hits when the Leafs were leading 5-2. - Just before Vancouver began an extended power play on the heels of Kadri’s five-minute major penalty, Jake Gardiner scored to make it 6-3 for the Leafs. At this point Vancouver decided to go all Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots on their opponents. Derek Dorsett did what he does best, pummeling Leo Komarov right at the drop of the puck as the game got progressively nastier. Moments later Alex Burrows speared and then dropped the gloves with Rielly, though it was more of a hugging match.
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I know what you’re thinking: what more could have happened at this point? In the late moments, an incensed Matt Martin (who was earlier unwilling to drop the gloves with Dorsett) jumped hulking defenseman Troy Stecher, because, among other reasons, he’s a garbage person.
Ryan Miller immediately jumped in to tackle Martin. Can we take a moment to appreciate how epic that move was? Miller is clearly one bad mother shut your mouth! Anyway, a line brawl erupted, Miller and Martin were ejected, and Ben Hutton stopped smiling, briefly.
The Canucks will look to shrug off this ugly loss and break a long losing streak on Monday against the Islanders.
