Game 1 of the series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers was arguably the best hockey game of the year. It was a wildly entertaining game that featured fantastic goals, incredible saves, physicality, emotion, four lead changes, and an electric atmosphere in the partially-filled arena in Sunrise, Florida.
Going from that game straight into a largely meaningless regular season game between the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames was some serious tonal whiplash.
The Canucks and Flames played sloppy, mistake-ridden hockey in an empty Rogers Arena, with the Flames largely carrying the play for most of the game. It hammers home just how absurd it is to ask these two teams to wrap up their regular season while the rest of the league launches into playoff hockey.
And yet, something changed in the third period. The Canucks suddenly started playing with passion, drive, and heretofore unseen finesse. Down 5-1 entering the final frame, the Canucks mounted an improbable four-goal comeback to tie the game with two minutes remaining.
It was remarkable and, most of all, entertaining. Somehow, against all odds, this meaningless game was legitimately fun to watch.
It was also devastating to the Canucks’ draft lottery odds.
If the Canucks had lost all three of their remaining games against the Flames this season, they would have finished the season 28th in the NHL. With the expansion Seattle Kraken guaranteed the third-best odds at first overall, that meant the Canucks could have had the fifth-best odds.
If they earned even one point, like taking a game to overtime with a four-goal third period, they would leapfrog over both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings into 26th place and the seventh-best odds in the draft lottery.
The Canucks, like Archibald’s enemies, got the point.
Just one more point will take them to 25th in the NHL and the eighth-best odds. Two points and they’ll be in 24th, with the ninth-best odds in the lottery. Heck, if they win both of their remaining games, they’ll pass the Ottawa Senators and no longer be in last-place in the North Division, and have the tenth-best odds in the lottery.
From fifth-best to tenth-best odds to pick first overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft — that would be quite the comeback. And I watched the Canucks prove they’re capable of exactly that kind of comeback when I watched this game.
- This was Bo Horvat’s 500th career NHL game, which is quite the accomplishment at the age of 26. Of course, that just hammers home that he’s only been to the playoffs twice in his seven years in the NHL. It sure would be nice to surround their captain and his young core with Cup-contending talent.
- Meanwhile, it was Jonah Gadjovich’s first NHL game, though he got off to a rough start. Five feet inside his own blue line, Gadjovich tried to make a one-touch pass to Travis Boyd instead of safely skating the puck out himself. Josh Leivo read the play perfectly, stole the puck, and made a quick move to the backhand to beat Braden Holtby.
- “It's a quick game,” said Gadjovich of the difference between the AHL and the NHL. “Guys execute and if you don't, it ends up in the back of your net and I learned that one the hard way.”
- Gadjovich earned a little more good will from his teammates when he stepped up to Connor Mackey after the Flames’ defenceman hit Matthew Highmore into the boards from behind, though he admitted after the game that he never saw the hit. For some reason, Gadjovich got an instigator penalty even though Mackey was the first to drop the gloves for their fight.
- “It's a tricky rule, I guess,” said Gadjovich diplomatically. “I mean, some refs call it, some don't. I didn't jump him. I thought that it maybe could have just been a five. We agreed to it and then I think his gloves were off first. I mean, that's just what happened, that's the way it is.”
- With the five-minute fighting major, two-minute instigating minor, and ten-minute misconduct, Gadjovich’s first career box score certainly wasn’t empty. By the time his 17 minutes in penalties were over, the Canucks were in the midst of a third-period comeback with lots of special teams play, so Gadjovich didn’t see another shift.
- Folks, I’m concerned about Olli Juolevi. One of the main issues raised regarding his readiness to play in the NHL is his mobility, specifically pivoting from skating backwards to skating forward. The Flames exploited that weakness on the 2-0 goal, as Leivo easily blew past Juolevi on the outside before setting up Milan Lucic in front.
- Someone tried to defend Juolevi to me on Twitter by pointing out that Juolevi is on his off-side on this play. I’m sorry, but I expect an NHL defenceman to be an ambi-turner.
- It was a rough night all-around for Juolevi and his partner, Jalen Chatfield. Juolevi was on the ice for the first three Flames goals, while Chatfield was on the ice for four of them and was directly responsible for the 3-0 goal. He tried to check Matthew Tkachuk as he took a shot, then stood and watched as Tkachuk stepped past him to fire home the rebound off the end boards. Watching this game is my job, Chatfield! Back off!
- Quinn Hughes was the one caught puck-watching on the 4-0 goal, standing still as Andrew Mangiapane skated right past him to the backdoor. Dillon Dube got the puck to Mangiapane from his backside and Mangiapane chipped the puck over Holtby.
- Travis Hamonic got the Canucks on the board in the second period. He took a pass from Hughes and jumped up in the rush, creating a 3-on-2. With a little bit of room on the right wing, he whipped a shot just over Jacob Markstrom’s right pad and inside the far post. It’s the best shot I’ve seen since I watched a vaccine needle go in my arm last week.
- Less than a minute later, however, the Flames answered back on a set play off the faceoff. Mangiapane sagged back into the high slot and J.T. Miller couldn’t push past Mikael Backlund fast enough to get to him. Mangiapane’s one-timer beat Holtby far more cleanly than it should have.
- The Canucks had more shots on goal in the third period than in the rest of the game combined. Brock Boeser deserves a lot of credit for that — 5 of the Canucks’ 18 shots in the third came off Boeser’s stick, part of a 10-shot game for the Canucks’ leading scorer, and he also hit a post and a crossbar. He was firing more pucks than a very fickle director of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- “I thought about halfway through the game Brock kind of got going,” said head coach Travis Green. “Man, he had a lot of looks tonight. I think he hit the crossbar in overtime too, he could've won it. For me when he's shooting, he's at his best.”
- It wasn’t Boeser that ended the Canucks’ nine-game power play drought, however — it was Tyler Graovac. He continued his strong late-season run by going to the net and finishing off a lovely cross-ice passing play from Hughes and Miller. Graovac was also one of just two Canucks who wasn’t on the ice for a goal against. Get on board the Graovy Train, folks.
- Boeser got a power play goal of his own five minutes later, finishing off a gorgeous cross-seam pass from Hughes — his third assist of the game. Instead of trying to rip the puck top corner, Boeser made like he was going on a Paleo diet and went against the grain under Markstrom’s left pad.
- After two power play goals, how about a shorthanded goal? Jimmy Vesey combined with Miller for a terrible shorthanded 2-on-1 where they passed the puck too many times. It was awful. But then the Flames gave the puck away immediately and Vesey made a fantastic pass to Miller for a tap-in goal. It was a ridiculous goal in so many ways and I’m beginning to understand why the Flames also missed the playoffs.
- “I definitely should have one-timed his pass,” admitted Miller. “The first pass was a great pass — we practice that a lot on two-o-ones, hammering the quick release over, but I tried to make the extra play. I don't even know how I got the puck back, to be honest, I was kind of just — I thought it was a turnover — and then I got it back and just tried to get it out front and he made a heck of a play. He kind of caught me off-guard even, and obviously it was an open net but he made the whole play happen on both sides.”
- The Canucks were clearly trying to get Alex Edler his 100th career goal. He got some prime power play time and his teammates frequently set him up for shots — he had seven shot attempts in total. For a moment, it looked like he had scored to tie the game with a blast from the point, but Boeser had actually tipped it.
- Boeser was fired up after the goal, possibly because it was a late game-tying goal, but also because he took a hard slash in the ankle from Dillon Dube a few minutes earlier and stayed down for a few moments before hobbling to the bench. He was pretty clearly upset and the goal may have felt a little like revenge.
- When I asked Miller about Edler being on 99 goals, his eyes went wide in mock surprise and he said in a deadpan voice, “Is he?” It was priceless and got a laugh out of me and a wide smile out of Hughes next to him.
- “I feel like every time he's out there, it’s very predictable, right?” said Miller about the team setting Edler up for goal 100. “He's got a good one-timer. It's kind of unpredictable sometimes, which works in his favour, so I feel like I'm trying to pass it to him as much as possible. We're just playing the game, if the opportunity presents itself — he had the puck on his stick so much tonight...it’ll come, it’s just a matter of time.”
- If the Canucks hoped that the overtime game-winner would come off Edler’s stick, they got their wish, albeit a twisted version of it. Elias Lindholm tried to centre the puck for Johnny Gaudreau, but Edler got his stick in the way, only to deflect the puck past Holtby. The Canucks never should have bought that monkey’s paw.
