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IWTG: The Canucks' best players strike back against the Wild in Game 2

After a dreadful showing in Game 1, the Canucks looked like a completely different team in Game 2 against the Minnesota Wild. 
Daniel Wagner
Daniel Wagner
newiwtg-via
graphic: Dan Toulgoet and Freepik

After a dreadful showing in Game 1, the Canucks looked like a completely different team in Game 2 against the Minnesota Wild. 

Where the Canucks struggled to string together passes on Sunday, they were whipping the puck around the ice on Tuesday. They poured on the pressure in the offensive zone, drawing seven power play opportunities. Their top-six forwards, who couldn’t create scoring chances in Game 1, erupted to score all four Canucks goals in Game 2.

What was the difference?

Maybe it was Loui Eriksson.

The much-maligned six million dollar man was a healthy scratch on Sunday, but was thrust into action on Tuesday, going from zero minutes to over 20 minutes. He jumped directly into the top-six, playing on the second line with Tanner Pearson and Bo Horvat, and actually led the Canucks in ice time at 5-on-5.

That’s not just the forwards: Eriksson led the entire team in 5-on-5 ice time. 

On top of that, Eriksson played a key role on the penalty kill and even got some time on the second power play unit. The Canucks’ highest paid player was all over the ice in every situation, which is generally what you want from a team’s highest paid player.

What’s remarkable, is that in over 20 minutes of ice time, not only did Eriksson not register a shot on goal, he didn’t even have a single shot attempt. It was a remarkably quiet 20 minutes, from an individual perspective, but he still helped his linemates with his steady play.

Was he the reason the Canucks won this game? Of course not. But it’s still remarkable to see a player like Eriksson go from being a healthy scratch to being one of the team’s leaders in ice time. It’s a sign of just how much Travis Green still trusts Eriksson.

That was one of the many things I observed when I watched this game.

  • Tanner Pearson had a lot to atone for after taking two bad penalties in Game 1, and, like a Catholic with a busy schedule after confession, he got his atoning done early. Just 24 seconds into the game, Pearson picked up a loose puck after a ricochet off the glass, and ripped it just under the bar to open the scoring.
     
  • Both Adam Gaudette and Tyler Toffoli were out of the lineup. According to head coach Travis Green, both were “unfit to play,” which is the NHL’s new code phrase to avoid disclosing if someone has contracted COVID-19 or just has a normal injury. Toffoli, at least, is known to be injured, as he was seen in a walking boot, but Gaudette’s status is unknown. After a tough performance in Game 1, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if he was a healthy scratch, but being “unfit to play” suggests otherwise.
     
  • Like Eriksson, Jake Virtanen got back on the ice after a healthy scratch, skating on the fourth line in place of Brandon Sutter, who stepped into Gaudette’s vacated spot on the third line. Unlike Eriksson, Virtanen played just over 8 minutes, but it was a much louder 8 minutes than Eriksson’s 20 minutes. Virtanen blasted a slap shot off goaltender Alex Stalock’s shoulder on an early shift, had a very visible back check to prevent a shorthanded scoring chance, and drew a slashing penalty.
     
  • The back check earned Virtanen some praise from Canucks fans on social media, but it was also a microcosm of why Green has trouble trusting the young winger. He used his speed to catch up to Joel Eriksson Ek and disrupt his scoring chance, but then Virtanen immediately was careless with the puck and nearly gave it right back to Eriksson Ek with a too-casual pass. It didn’t prove costly, but that’s the kind of thing that gets a coach’s attention for all the wrong reasons.
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  • Because Pettersson is the quarterback at your school that is also the valedictorian and the star of the school play, because he’s better than you at every single thing, he of course had a back check in this game that was better than Virtanen’s.
     
  • Pettersson’s back check was incredibly impressive, as he started from below the hashmarks in the Wild zone, then burned rubber to pick off a pass to Kevin Fiala that, judging by Fiala’s two goals later in the game, was a sure goal. To top it off, he didn’t just intercept the pass like a normal hockey player, he tipped perfectly onto the stick of J.T. Miller, starting a quick breakout that led to a breakaway chance for Brock Boeser. He’s unfairly good.
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  • The Wild tied up the game before the end of the first period with a shorthanded goal. Brandon Sutter lost the puck at the blue line, then gave the puck away. On the ensuing counterattack, Tyler Myers got caught puck-watching, drifting into the middle of the ice, which is bad, because that’s not where Luke Kunin was. Kunin took the pass and all the space Myers gave him and snapped the rolling puck over Jacob Markstrom’s right pad.
     
  • Micheal Ferland left the game after the first period after playing just two-and-a-half minutes. In his four shifts, there didn't appear to be any contact that might have caused an injury, which is actually more concerning given his concussion history and fight in Game 1. As of yet, there’s no update from the Canucks on his condition and any update would likely just be that he’s “unfit to play.”
     
  • J.T. Miller gave the Canucks the 2-1 lead three minutes into the second period with an unassisted goal, in that no Canuck passed him the puck. But Pettersson provided a touchless assist by pressuring Alex Galchenyuk, forcing him to give away the puck to Miller, then driving towards the net as Miller toe-dragged around a sliding Matt Dumba and ripped the puck over Stalock’s glove. 
     
  • Of course, the real assist came from Miller's adorable daughter, Scottie, whose catchy chant — "GO GO DADA!" — was played on the broadcast just before he scored. Just call him J.T. "Dada" Miller.
  • Pettersson had a more direct assist on the 3-1 goal. He and Boeser did some good work down low to control the puck, then Pettersson relayed it to Alex Edler at the point. Edler’s point shot hit a stick and wobbled towards the net, where Pettersson darted in front and tipped the puck to Boeser at the back door for the tap-in goal. It was a piece of playmaking brilliance.
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  • That’s Boeser’s first ever postseason goal, and it’s significant that it came against the Wild. Boeser is from Minnesota and scored his first ever NHL goal against the Wild in his first career NHL game. It has to feel extra-special for Boeser to achieve those milestones against the Wild, particularly after they passed over him in the 2015 draft, picking Joel Eriksson Ek three picks ahead of him.
     
  • Edler had a big game, logging over 24 minutes for the Canucks, including 7:22 just on the penalty kill. His two assists mean he’s reeling in Jyrki Lumme for the most playoff points by a Canucks defenceman. Edler has 33; Lumme has 40. 
     
  • The Canucks’ power play looked a little rusty early in the game, but fortunately the Wild gave them plenty of opportunities to practice. After Pettersson drew a slashing penalty while already on the power play, the Canucks finally cashed in. J.T. Miller drew in a penalty killer to create room at the point, then sent a lovely blind backhand pass to Quinn Hughes for the one-timer. Hughes drilled it hard and low to the ice, perfectly placed for Bo Horvat to Bubba Bo-Tip it past Stalock.
     
  • It was a big comeback game for the Canucks captain, as Horvat had a game-high ten shot attempts, five of them on goal. After his line struggled in Game 1, they thrived with the addition of Eriksson on the wing, and Horvat was able to do what the Canucks couldn’t on Sunday: get to the front of the net. 
     
  • Eriksson couldn’t go through a full game without some sort of comical mishap, however, and his came with the Canucks already up 4-1. On a clearcut 2-on-1, Miller set up Eriksson for a wide open chance. Eriksson bore down on the puck and attempted the hardest shot of his career, only to see his stick splinter into two pieces, the blade of his stick skittering into the end boards as Eriksson went crashing to the ice. The poor guy can’t catch a break.
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  • With a solid lead, the Canucks turned to their veteran bottom-six forwards to finish off the game, and that’s when they got into trouble. The Canucks were out-shot 14-2 after Horvat’s goal, completely hemmed into the defensive zone. That led to some nervous moments in the final minutes as Fiala sniped two goals past Markstrom at 6-on-5 with Stalock pulled for the extra attacker. Fortunately, Fiala’s second goal came with just 9 seconds remaining in the game, giving the Wild no chance to tie up the game. It was a clear sign, however, that the Canucks can’t rest on their laurels heading into Game 3.
     
  • The Canucks are now down four forwards: Toffoli and Gaudette were scratched for this game, Ferland left in the first period, and Antoine Roussel took a puck to the face in the third period and left as well. Depending on who gets back up to full health for Thursday’s Game 3, that could mean the playoff debut of Zack MacEwen.