Canucks discovered their groove within the second interval.
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Three video games into pre-season, the Vancouver Canucks have been caught in impartial.
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Seems what they actually need was their full lineup and a house sport.
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The Canucks beat the visiting Edmonton Oilers, who have been down their superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, 5-2 on Saturday night at Rogers Area.
After a sluggish begin to the sport — a worrying look coming off three video games the place the Canucks had been mediocre at finest — the Canucks discovered their groove within the second interval.
Largely as a result of their captain cranked up his effort degree and scored twice within the center body.
Right here’s what we realized…
The captain
Hughes goes to play quite a bit this season.
And it’s due to his means to take shifts over, like he did on each his targets.
The primary aim was him leaping up on a two on one and swatting the puck out of the air off a flipped go by Phil DiGiuseppe.
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The second aim was him racing round, forcing everybody to maintain up, then firing a backhand by way of Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner.
“He simply wanted to develop into captain to begin scoring,” Elias Pettersson quipped, with an enormous grin, about Hughes’s efficiency.
The time is now, vowed Hughes.
““I’m going to be 24 in October… Petey’s gonna be 25, Millsy’s 30, Demmer’s 27, (we’re) getting up there,” Hughes famous. “We’re not little children anymore. It’s time, they drafted us to do issues and (now) received to do these issues.”
The facility play
The Canucks clearly have the expertise to have a high notch energy play.
They’ve been engaged on rotating across the offensive zone and each their targets got here from forwards taking pictures from spots they’ve not usually been seen on the person benefit.
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Andrei Kuzmenko scored his aim from lifeless within the slot, when normally he’s been a net-front presence.
Elias Pettersson’s aim got here from out by the blue line, firing by way of a display.
(Di Giuseppe additionally had an influence play aim, tipping in a Ian Cole level shot on the tail finish of an influence play.)
The penalty kill
The Canucks held the Oilers’ energy play scoreless on Saturday.
It was dicey at occasions, however Thatcher Demko by no means appeared in hassle.
An fascinating wrinkle is the Canucks are utilizing a diamond formation to defend the facility play, going away from the “wedge plus one” formation they’ve used in recent times.
The diamond is a bit old-school, however typically throwing concepts like this at fashionable offences will shock you.
The scoreboard
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It’s big.
It’s a piece in progress. Twice within the first interval the clock failed. And the stats bundle clearly wants some tweaking.
However as soon as it’s firing on all cylinders, it’ll be one thing.
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