Dealing with a Golden Knights squad that was drained and hobbled, the Canucks nonetheless discovered themselves outclassed
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Forward of Thursday’s recreation between the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Area, Rick Tocchet spoke about measuring sticks.
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“Consider Vegas and in every single place they go, they hear the identical factor. ‘Hey, we’re the measuring stick. We’re that crew,’” he mentioned.
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That’s who he needs his Canucks to change into. However they’re not there but.
Dealing with a Golden Knights squad that was drained and hobbled — lacking two key defencemen in Shea Theodore and Alec Martinez — the Canucks nonetheless discovered themselves outclassed 4-1 by the defending Stanley Cup champions.
It’s not that the Canucks performed poorly, it’s that Vegas had been extra exact. And their greatest participant proved to be one of the best one on the ice.
Jack Eichel at his greatest is a robust, bodily, dominant drive.
And he was all that within the first interval, as he scored a purpose and helped his crew rating one other.
There’s a purpose why within the 13 video games that Vegas has scored first this season, they’ve gained 10 occasions. And it’s the identical purpose why they’ve gained 5 of the 11 video games the opposition has scored first.
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It’s additionally what makes Eichel nice: ice chilly, methodical and no errors.
Taking part in with pace
Tocchet was clear concerning the lure enjoying in opposition to Vegas: transfer your toes.
“For those who stand round in opposition to Vegas, you’re in bother. You bought to skate. You bought to make them work, like each crew, however particularly this crew. You’ve received to make them work,” he mentioned.
However each targets within the first interval had been what he didn’t need to see.
The primary purpose noticed the Canucks standing nonetheless in entrance of their web, shedding puck battle after puck battle. And it ended up behind the online, Eichel’s laborious working winger Ivan Barbashev lastly burying the puck previous a scrambling Thatcher Demko.
The second purpose got here off a rush that the Golden Knights manipulated fantastically, as they reduce in opposition to the grain and received the Canucks spinning in place. Barbashev darted via the slot and Eichel was standing within the excellent spot along side the Vancouver web to complete the sequence.
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And, primarily, the sport.
A push, however no outcomes
The Canucks had been throughout Vegas within the early phases of the second and it regarded just like the guests had hit the wall. They had been enjoying their fourth recreation in six nights in spite of everything.
Regardless of the stress, the Canucks couldn’t discover high quality probabilities.
After which William Karlsson scored on an influence play half manner via the second, placing the sport on ice.
Sagging defence
With the sport in hand, you’d have thought the sport would meander to a sluggish shut.
However one way or the other Vegas discovered power and fired a pile of pictures over the second half of the sport — they ended up with 44 on the night time, a somewhat embarrassing determine for the house crew.
Not such a fortress on this night time
It was a stunning second for the Canucks’ efforts to hunch: they’d solely misplaced as soon as at dwelling earlier than Thursday.
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They’ve outshot the opposition and the standard of their probabilities have been higher at dwelling too.
This recreation is a little bit of an outlier — and hopefully not an indicator of a hunch to return.
NEXT GAME
Saturday
Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames
7 p.m., Scotiabank Saddledome, TV: TSN, Radio: AM730
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