Up against the San Jose Sharks for the third time in less than a week, the Canucks finally figured it out. After blowing third-period leads and losing both of the first two contests, Vancouver clearly realized the key to victory lay in not doing that this time. And so, instead of offering the lead to the Sharks and hoping their opponents quietly refuse, Vancouver changed it up, protecting their advantage. And whaddya know, when the final horn sounded, they still had it.
They didn't have Henrik Sedin anymore, unfortunately. Ditto for Chris Tanev, as the Canucks' two most important players left this game partway through and did not return due to injury. In a competitive season, that's a nightmare. Fortunately, the Canucks' playoff dream died some time ago. I was relieved to see a win, as well as to have given up hope ages ago, when I watched this game.
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Henrik Sedin's injury came in the first period, when he was on the receiving end of a hit from actual werewolf Brent Burns. Here's footage of the incident. Henrik stayed down for some time, then returned to the bench and played the rest of the frame, but when the second period began, he was no longer with the team. Good. Henrik's been playing through a great deal of pain this season, and while his leadership in a losing season is to be commended, it's time the Canucks stopped asking it of him. If they want to be competitive in the future, they'll need Henrik at his best in the future. He doesn't need lingering back pain from carrying the hapless 2015-16 Canucks.
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Plus the Canucks didn't need him in this game: not when Sven Baertschi was beasting at a Burnsian level. The winger had an incredibly high-impact evening, drawing three minor penalties, and helping the Canucks to cash in on two of them. The first was scored by Linden Vey, who collected a rebound on a Baertschi shot in the slot, walked it to his backhand, and went top shelf like Kevin McAllister.
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The goal was nearly called back, as the Sharks challenged the Canucks' onsidedness, hoping to catch Baertschi in a step too soon. The broadcast booth seemed weirdly convinced he was, even after the footage proved nothing beyond the NHL's inability to station cameras where they count. Fortunately, in the end, Baertschi turned out to only be a step ahead of the Sharks, but not the puck.
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In the second period, the Canucks PP struck again -- well, Daniel Sedin's PP at least, since that's what Sven Baertschi hit with a wrister that beat James Reimer on the short side. At first, the shot looked like it went straight in, but after a very close look at Daniel Sedin's groin, somebody in the video room determined that the puck grazed his junk. Baertschi was awarded an apple, and Daniel's apples were awarded the goal.
- It's a good thing Baertschi and company were so potent on the powerplay, because the winger and his line really struggled at even-strength. Baertschi finished a game-worst minus-10 in even-strength corsi, and linemates Jake Virtanen and Markus Granlund were minus-7 apiece. One of the issues, to my eyes, is that the line didn't work very well together tonight. All three were skating excellently, and the wingers, in particular, had some strong individual moments. But they never really clicked as a trio, and I'm blaming Granlund. As the centre, the onus is on him to give his line an identity, I think, and he didn't do that. He was invisible enough to steal food and box the pope's ears. But if he's gonna do Faustian things, he may as well let the devil make him a more impactful player for awhile first. It worked for Baertschi.
- Speaking of impact players, Ben Hutton was once again busy on Saturday, especially after his partner Chris Tanev left the game. But Hutton continues to thrive as his role increases. He was a strong powerplay quarterback in San Jose, moving the puck cleanly, settling his unit down, and getting his teammates looks. Hutton picked up two assists in this game, giving him sole possession of the team lead for scoring by a defenceman with 21 points. How good is that? Nevermind that the defensive scoring leader on most teams has twice as many points, or that only the New Jersey Devils have a defensive scoring leader with fewer points. Those facts ruin the stat.
- To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Sharks tied the game up early in the third period. And they might have been able to forge on ahead, but they couldn't stay out of penalty trouble. When Alex Burrows managed to take both Joe Thornton and Brent Burns to the penalty box (which suddenly looked like the crowd at a Father John Misty concert, what with all that hipster beard), the Canucks' PP struck for the third time. The goal came on a nice passing play, with the puck going from Jared McCann to Bo Horvat down-low, to Dan Hamhuis, who slipped into the slot unnoticed like a quarter on a string, and finished off the Sharks like Batman on a rope ladder.
- Alex Burrows added the empty-net insurance goal, and it warmed my heart a little, especially after Iain MacIntyre's pregame column, which confronted the possibility that Burrows' days with the Canucks are numbered (although I guess they've all been numbered, as this was Burrows' 751st game). I'm not ready for a Canuck team without Alex Burrows, so it was very comforting to see him there to seal the win. There's no joke here. I just really like Alex Burrows.
- Finally, Jacob Markstrom had a great game, making 32 saves in the win -- several of them highlight-reel. (Is highlight-reel still a thing? Considering the highlight show is dying a slow death, I almost feel like it might be time to replace the adjective with "gif- or vine-worthy". Anyway.) Plus Markstrom had some run support for once. The backup is a shruggable 10-8-4 this season, but he's lost just twice when the Canucks give him three or more goals to work with. He got four tonight, and he only needed three, so he'll be carrying the fourth goal over to his next start. Pretty sure that's how that works.
