At this point last season, the Vancouver Canucks were an abysmal 0-4-2, blowing multi-goal leads left and right and losing games either in the third period or overtime. This season, they are a respectable 4-2 and look more structured and controlled in their systems. Apart from the rather confusing outlier against the Philadelphia Flyers where the entire team (except for their starting goaltender Thatcher Demko) looked slow and out of sorts, they have turned in fantastic efforts in every one of their games so far.
It only seems to be getting better too, as the Canucks’ latest win against the Nashville Predators was a tidy defensive game highlighted by only 17 shots against and a rare easy night for Demko. Consistency will be key though as they go up against the St. Louis Blues tonight in what could be a goaltender’s dual between two of the hotter netminders this season in Demko and Jordan Binnington. All in all, there were a lot of pluses this past week, so let’s dive into the latest 3 Up, 3 Down.
Plus One: Power Pairing of Quinn Hughes & Filip Hronek
Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek have by far been the Canucks’ best defence pairing this season. Head coach Rick Tocchet leans on the duo very heavily as both of them average over 25 minutes a night (Hughes: 25:02; Hronek: 25:27) and they still haven’t been scored on at 5-on-5. In fact, the Canucks have outscored the opposition 6-0. Their Corsi For percentage (CF%) is also off the charts at a gaudy 57.89, which means most of the time they have the puck.
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Now, if only the rest of the pairings could emulate Hughes and Hronek’s success. No other regular pairing has a CF% above 50 and several of them are below 40. Basically, the rest of the defence chases the puck around while the top pairing controls play every time they are on the ice. This will have to change in the future, but right now Hughes and Hronek are leading the way by a wide margin. They are truly a power pairing in every sense of the word and could be the best the Canucks have had in a long, long time.
Minus One: Vasily Podkolzin’s Scary Injury in the AHL
Vasily Podkolzin has been a dominant player in the American Hockey League so far this season with five goals in six games but unfortunately was injured against the Colorado Eagles when Keaton Middleton body-slammed him to the ice in the third period. It was a horrific scene as he lay on the ice convulsing before being stretchered off.
Thankfully, a story on Podkolzin’s Instagram later in the evening showed him in the hospital appearing to be okay with the caption “all good, no worries!!” written along the top. The next day, updates from both Abbotsford Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson and head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed the status with Johnson saying, “Obviously we’re still in a 24-hour period…But he was alert, and I was having regular conversations with him even 90 minutes post-injury last night.” Tocchet meanwhile said what many fans were probably thinking, “Thank god it’s not serious.”
Podkolzin is now recovering at home after being released from the hospital. Hopefully, he doesn’t have any lingering effects and he can continue his hot start to the season very soon. More importantly, he can have a normal lifestyle with his new wife and baby without any post-concussion symptoms or chronic headaches later on in his life.
Plus Two: Thatcher Demko & Casey DeSmith
The Canucks have not had to worry about goaltending this season so far as both Demko and his new backup Casey DeSmith have had solid performances when they’ve taken the crease. Demko is sporting a 2-2 record with a 2.42 goals-against average (GAA) and a .923 save percentage (SV%) while his counterpart DeSmith is a perfect 2-0 with a 2.73 GAA and .926 SV%.
Demko and DeSmith have put on goaltending clinics in at least one of their starts and kept their team in the game on multiple occasions. DeSmith’s tour-de-force came against the Edmonton Oilers in his debut on Oct. 14 in a 4-3 win and Demko’s in an unfortunate 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers where he probably deserved a better fate. Regardless he held down the fort, and it was his teammates that let him down in that one.
Like the top defence pairing of Hughes and Hronek, this tandem might turn out to be the best the Canucks’ have seen in a long time. It likely won’t be as good as Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider in 2010-11, but it could be close if both of them continue to play at the level we’ve seen so far.
Minus Two: Pius Suter & the Bottom-Six’s Lack of Offence
When Pius Suter was signed in free agency, I was excited to see what he could bring offensively to the bottom-six. Well, that excitement has dulled dramatically as he has yet to record a point in six games and has rarely looked dangerous in the offensive zone. I know it’s way too early to be hitting the panic button, but considering he only has five shots on goal in six games, I am not really hopeful he’s going to turn it around any time soon.
I know I am highlighting Suter in this minus, but the rest of the bottom-six haven’t helped matters either. While Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, JT Miller, and more recently Andrei Kuzmenko have contributed to the offence, the bottom-six has only seen Nils Hoglander score more than one goal. The last member to hit twine not named Hoglander was Sam Lafferty on Oct. 14. If the Canucks want to consistently win games, they need to get more offence from the bottom of their lineup. And it needs to start with Suter, Anthony Beauvillier and Conor Garland, who all have a history of scoring more than 10 goals in a season.
Plus Three: Ilya Mikheyev Returns & Ignites Kuzmenko
It took four games, but Ilya Mikheyev is back in the Canucks lineup. “Soup” was reunited with Kuzmenko and Pettersson on the top line against the Florida Panthers and his presence seemed to awaken Kuzmenko as he finished with the game-winning goal along with a no-look beauty to Pettersson.
Mikheyev then scored his first goal on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators off a quick wrist shot and now has two points and eight shots in his first two games back. Not bad for a guy that missed nine months of game time.
Minus Three: Nils Hoglander Getting Scratched Against the Panthers
One thing that should be clear to the Canucks’ coaching staff after six games is that Hoglander should never be scratched again. Of all the bottom-six players, he has been the most dangerous offensively and he is the only one that has more than one goal. In fact, he has four points in five games and a game-winner. Now, does that sound like a guy who should be scratched in favour of Jack Studnicka, who only has one goal in garbage time in an 8-2 game?
Hoglander has been his usual hard-working self in every game this season and should be rewarded for his production, not dispatched to the press box. He also should be getting more ice time than the 10:02 he’s received so far. I might be biased since I love Hoglander’s game, but I think he’s getting the short end of the stick right now.
What’s Next For the Canucks?
The Canucks will face the Blues later tonight at Rogers Arena where they will go up against a hot goaltender in Binnington. He has been lights out this season with a 1.69 GAA and .945 SV%. It doesn’t get any easier the next night as Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin rolls into town with the New York Rangers before the short three-game homestand comes to an end with the Predators on Halloween where the Canucks will wear their iconic Black Skate jerseys. Finally, they will head on the road for a one-gamer against the San Jose Sharks before returning home for a two-game homestand starting on Nov. 4.
The Canucks likely won’t replicate the 8-2 craziness of their home opener, but it should be an exciting homestand nonetheless. Until the next 3 Up, 3 Down, enjoy the games Canucks Nation!