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. Feel free to leave your own stick-taps and glove-drops in the comments.
Stick-tap once again to Jacob Markstrom, who was very good in a losing effort. He only faced 27 shots, making 25 saves, but some of those shots were real doozies, including eight shots from Nathan MacKinnon. He probably could have done better on the second Avalanche goal, but it was still a strong performance.
Tap of the stick to Ben Hutton for a nice bounceback effort after a rough return to the lineup last game. Hutton moved the puck well, was physical when needed, got in on some scoring chances by jumping up in the play, and was solid on the penalty kill.
Deputy Hutton getting in on the action now pic.twitter.com/tIoyVH6eae
— Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) February 27, 2018
A stick-tap for Derrick Pouliot, Hutton’s partner, as well. His best moment came when he perfectly played a 3-on-1, staying central to prevent an easy pass, then getting his stick in on the shot attempt to send it out of play.
Sam Gagner deserves a tap of the stick for playing well while being bounced all over the lineup. He skated with Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi, the Sedins, Nikolay Goldobin, Brock Boeser — basically everyone — and saw the Canucks out-shoot the Avalanche 8-4 when he was on the ice at 5-on-5.
I’ll drop the gloves with Nic Dowd and Bo Horvat on the opening goal; they both whiffed on the puck while trying to clear it on the penalty kill and ended up pulled out of position in the attempt, leaving Mikko Rantanen wide open at the right faceoff circle to drill a one-timer past Markstrom.
Stick-tap to Travis Green for the successful challenge for goaltender interference on what looked like Colorado’s second goal. Gabriel Landeskog’s stick was jammed in Markstrom’s pads, preventing him from getting across. It’s worth noting, however, that Markstrom had already slipped on his initial push, missing the post with his skate.
Tap of the stick to Erik Gudbranson for playing a heavy, physical game. He finished his checks with more authority than he has for most of the season. He and Alex Edler lined up against Nathan MacKinnon, who spent most of the game skating circles around the Canucks, but they managed to stymie the Avalanche’s top line for most of the game and were not on the ice for any even-strength goals.
Gloves dropped with Nic Dowd, who struggled in his limited even-strength ice time. He played a ton on the penalty kill, where he wasn’t any great shakes either. His low point: trying a Henrik Sedin-style blind backhand pass off the boards into the middle of the ice while in his own zone and killing a penalty.
Dropping the gloves with Jake Virtanen for taking three minor penalties, all stick infractions, with two of them coming in the offensive zone. That lack of discipline made it tough to establish momentum.
Tap of the stick to Jake Virtanen, however, for finding his way into great shooting positions all game. He missed the net on a couple great chances and just two of his seven shot attempts hit the net, but he was consistently in the right spots on the ice. He hit the post on a breakaway in the third period that unfortunately led to a rush and a goal the other way. Green clearly liked what he saw, apart from the penalties, giving him over 17 minutes in ice time, a season high.
Troy Stecher gets the gloves dropped on the 2-0 goal, as he got beat wide by Nathan MacKinnon. He tried to staple him to the boards, but he slipped through and beat Markstrom from below the left faceoff dot, sneaking the puck short side. MacKinnon’s change of pace destroyed Stecher’s gap control on that rush.
Stick-tap to Daniel Sedin, who continued his hot streak with his sixth goal in his last six games. With the net empty, Alex Edler sent a low shot in from the point, looking for a tip. The puck hit a body in front and came to Daniel at the side of the net, and he quickly fired it in from the tough angle.
Have to drop the gloves with Alex Edler on the final goal against. His pass to Brock Boeser on the near boards was far too casual, particularly with an empty net behind him. Boeser was heading in the opposite direction and tried to dive out to get his stick on the puck, but it instead came to Rantanen, who fed MacKinnon for the stat-padding goal.
UPDATE: My apologies, but there will be no I Watched This Game feature for this game. Between the trade deadline and some family commitments, I simply ran out of time. I'll be back on track for Wednesday's game against the newly-depleted New York Rangers.
