Canucks 3, Flames 1: Let's get the common season began already

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And like that, the Vancouver Canucks put collectively a second-straight tidy residence recreation to shut the 2023 NHL pre-season.

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Internet hosting the full-strength Calgary Flames Friday evening at Rogers Area, the Canucks had been greater than equal to the duty and skated residence safely with a 3-1 win.

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Pre-season doesn’t imply a complete lot.

In 2021, the Arizona Coyotes received 5 of their six pre-season video games, then simply 25 common season video games.

The one query to be thought of is whether or not there’s progress within the staff’s course of.

And on this recreation, the Canucks, icing their full lineup, confirmed progress.

Their penalty kill was pretty efficient.

Their energy play didn’t rating, nevertheless it moved the puck properly.

They took their possibilities and grabbed a few further objectives.

And their goalie performed properly.

“We’re not ordering our rings or something as a result of we received in pre-season however I’ll say I appreciated our effort,” head coach Rick Tocchet stated post-game.

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Now do it’s time to do it for actual.

An incredible go

Quinn Hughes has been persistently wonderful pre-season and the go he made to spring Teddy Blueger on the Latvian’s breakaway objective was inch-perfect.

Good display

Tyler Myers’ objective was all about Brock Boeser’s display.

The veteran winger took away Jacob Markström’s sight at simply the fitting time and Myers’ effective level shot was completely positioned.

Boeser stated head coach Rick Tocchet pressed residence the purpose after final Saturday’s win that though they scored 5 objectives, there have been just a few alternatives to display Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner that the Canucks’ forwards let go by, as a substitute leaving the opposing netminder to vacuum up the puck.

He wished his forwards to bear down slightly extra in entrance.

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“If it’s there you bought to do your job,” Boeser stated merely.

Screening an enormous goalie like Markström isn’t simple. Boeser grinned slightly when he was requested if there’s a specific trick to screening a goalie as massive as his outdated teammate.

“I’m simply making an attempt to face within the center and hopefully I’m doing an excellent job of screening,” he stated.

Tyler Myers and Ian Cole do the job

It was a pleasant little recreation for the massive defenceman, who was partnered with Ian Cole and managed play properly.

“He’s large,” Cole stated with amusing post-game. “He’s cell. He’s good. He’s performed a very long time. He’s a fantastic companion to play with.”

And he’s sporting a pleasant shiner from final recreation, when he fought Seattle’s John Hayden.

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The Canucks out-shot the Flames by 10 shot makes an attempt when Myers and Cole had been on the ice.

Cole’s recreation is filled with good reads and fast reactions. You possibly can see why he’s had a lot success in his profession and why the Canucks hope he’ll have the ability to make a optimistic impression on the staff’s total play this season.

“We had an excellent recreation. We performed properly and we’re going to take a look at the tape. We’re going to maneuver ahead. We’re going to evaluate what we have to do higher. However we are able to’t get too far forward of ourselves. It’s pre-season, you recognize,” Cole added.

Good kick

Boeser managed to get his toe on the puck earlier than it landed on Phil Di Giuseppe’s stick.

Boeser was aggressive earlier within the shift to place stress on the facet boards, which led to a turnover on the blue line that Elias Pettersson was in a position to corral. The 2 good playce actually made Di Giuseppe’s likelihood occur

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Objective alternatives are at their finest off turnovers and this was a fantastic working example.

Boeser laughed about his foot work post-game.

“It was only a fast flinch and one way or the other the puck hit my skate and went straight to Phil,” he stated.

Robust bounce, powerful interval

Carson Soucy and Noah Juulsen make a rugged pair.

Soucy’s bodily recreation and lengthy attain are the principle the explanation why the Canucks signed him.

Juulsen has discovered a job with Vancouver as a depth man who performs with a bodily edge his teammates lack.

However he’s typically prone to being caught out of place.

Nazem Kadri’s first interval objective got here off a nasty bounce off the tip boards, however Juulsen and Soucy had been each caught twisting within the wind within the sequence earlier than that.

And earlier they acquired caught out in a scramble, which practically resulted in a Calgary objective.

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Tocchet famous that Juulsen had a tricky begin to the sport however felt he improved as the sport went alongside.

“Then he acquired that massive hit and he settled in,” Tocchet stated, referencing an enormous hit Juulsen threw within the second interval on the Flames’ Matt Coronato.

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Sick bay dilemma

Soucy took a knee knock late within the second and didn’t return to the sport.

With the Canucks having to set their roster by Monday morning, consideration now turns to the well being standing of Soucy and Guillaume Brisebois, who was injured in successful on Wednesday by Seattle’s Brandon Tanev.

Brisebois was noticed within the press field Friday evening, transferring gingerly, his precise damage unknown.

Publish-game, Tocchet stated he didn’t have updates on both defenceman.

The Canucks nonetheless have 9 defencemen in camp however to get below the wage cap, they might should ship two gamers down or put both Brisebois or Soucy on long-term injured reserve. However to go on LTIR, that participant has to sit down out 24 days and 10 video games.

Not a simple factor to do.

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In the event that they do ship a gamers down, Cole McWard doesn’t want waivers, so he’s apparent, however they’ll should waive a ahead, too. And though Nils Höglander was a wholesome scratch on Friday evening, it’s troublesome to see him being waived.

Keep in mind how president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford stated every part needed to go proper for Vancouver to make the playoffs? This can be the primary massive check.

NEXT GAME

Wednesday

Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks

7 p.m., Rogers Area, TV: TSN, Radio: AM730

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