The Week in Blue and Green

The Vancouver Canucks are a group that believes in the process, and it’s moving in the right direction after a win and two subsequent close games this past week. 

The First Shift 

The Vancouver Canucks started last week with an important win, and they continued to build on it. This week proved their trust in the process is working, even when the results aren’t always following. 

On Tuesday in Anaheim, the Canucks snapped their 10-game skid in dramatic fashion, erasing a 5-2 deficit in the final eight minutes before Filip Hronek scored the winning goal in overtime.  

They had an energetic start against the San Jose Sharks, but San Jose crept back in the last few minutes of the third period to take the game 3-2. The Canucks had a hard-fought game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and were within one goal until a Toronto empty-netter in the final two minutes sealed the 4-2 loss. 

Stick Taps and Takeaways 

Stick taps to Liam Öhgren. The 22-year-old had two goals through his last three games. Against the Anaheim Ducks, Öhgren scored off the rush, Linus Karlsson found his fellow Swede blazing down the left side of the ice, and Öhgren’s shot got a friendly bounce for the goal. 

In San Jose against the Sharks, Öhgren came down the right side, coming across the middle and unleashing a laser past Yaroslav Askarov.

The takeaway: The Canucks are building consistency in their game and connectivity on the ice which has led to more sustained offensive zone time. The Canucks outshot the Ducks 33-23, and the Sharks 25-24, and posted the same shots on goal against the Leafs (28). 

In the Spotlight 

Jonathan Lekkerimäki had two goals in 49 seconds against the Anaheim Ducks to send the game into overtime. He also had a career-high 19:55 of ice time against the Ducks. 

Lekkerimäki’s six goals on the season lead the team, and he’s tied for second (with Brock Boeser) with 13 points (6-7-13). 

From the Room 

Brock Boeser said the team is building more chemistry, and it’s something they’ve been able to capitalize on over the last week.  

“Honestly, I think our team’s playing a lot better hockey as of late. That’s something we can build on,” Boeser said.  

“We’re generating more shots, and our defensive game is coming along and getting better. You’ve got to look at the little things, and as long as those are improving, then we’ve got to build off of those, so, we’ve got to stick with the process here.” 

Behind the Bench 

Manny Malhotra’s messaging to the group is to continue to play to their strengths and work towards doing it consistently. 

“We know what makes us a good team. We know what makes us a competitive team, it’s just a matter of consistently doing that,” Malhotra said after their loss to the Maple Leafs. 

“It’s not close to where we need to be or where we need to get to, but there is progress there. It’s frustrating as we talk about these games loss after loss, but we do see improvement in different areas of our game, and it’s tough to see those when there’s no correlation to wins.” 

The Work Continues 

The group is getting closer to where they want to be. They’re turning good stretches into full games, with their win against the Ducks. 

Malhotra has liked the way his group has been able to get out of the defensive zone quickly and have sustained offensive zone time over the last week, but they need to continue to work on the details of their game. 

The Next Wave 

Many Canucks prospects have shown impressive play over the last week, including multiple game-winning performances and clutch play. 

Adam Novotný posted two goals and one assist in three games, including the game-winning goal to give the Peterborough Petes a 4-3 victory over the Niagara IceDogs.

Caleb Malhotra scored the game-winner to lift the Boston University Terriers 3-2 over the University of Maine on Saturday.

Oshawa Generals forward Brooks Rogowski tallied three assists in a 5-3 win over the Brampton Steelheads. Against the Ottawa 67’s, Rogowski scored the first goal of the game for the Generals on the power play, and chipped in an assist in Sunday’s 7-6 overtime loss.

Michigan State forward Anthony Romani had two goals on Saturday in the Spartans’ 5-3 win over the University of North Dakota.

Kalamazoo Wings goaltender Aku Koskenvuo has posted a .935 save percentage through his last three games. 

Abby Canucks forward Riley Patterson scored in both Abbotsford games last week and leads the league in points for U21 players. Patterson had a goal and an assist against the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday and a goal against the Bakersfield Condors on Friday.

The Abbotsford Canucks are on a seven-game win streak and are looking to keep that going this weekend as they take on the Ontario Reign at Rogers Forum. You can get your tickets here.