VANCOUVER, B.C. — Let’s be honest: The credibly reported J.T. Miller trade rumours overshadowed the Vancouver Canucks’ 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night.
In some ways, that’s a perfect distillation of what this season has been.
Saturday night should’ve been an impressive Vancouver victory. A heroic win to break a losing streak against the team that eliminated it from the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring and demolished it when the teams met earlier this season.
The win could’ve been viewed as a sign, perhaps, that this season might be about to get on track. That the Canucks might have some juice to work with yet.
Instead, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman fleshed out a report about a now-scuttled Miller trade with the New York Rangers that got close enough that Miller wasn’t necessarily expected to play Saturday until the framework of the deal fell through, Saturday night’s victory felt more like a dead cat bounce.
Given that Friedman added that Miller’s camp has permission to talk to multiple teams about a possible deal involving the veteran pivot who has a full no-movement clause, Saturday’s impressive Canucks victory felt more like a fun last ride for a once-promising core that seems bound for detonation, as opposed to a momentum-building pivot point during an inconsistent season.
It was, nonetheless, a fun game in a vacuum. Vancouver, maddeningly inconsistent as always, put together one of its most impressive 20-minute stretches of the campaign to build a 3-0 lead over the red-hot Oilers in the first period.
Edmonton battled back impressively in the second, with Leon Draisaitl scoring a couple of gorgeous, impossible goals.
Then the Canucks sat on their lead and outplayed Edmonton to put it away, with Conor Garland aggravating Connor McDavid in the dying seconds to the point of cross-checking Garland in the head — a sequence that caused McDavid to be assessed a match penalty and will likely result in supplementary discipline for the Oilers’ superstar.
Here are three takeaways from a bittersweet Vancouver victory.
The dominant opening 20
The Canucks were amid their worst run of form this season — losers of five of their past six games, including two blowout losses back-to-back against the Winnipeg Jets and Los Angeles Kings — and the Oilers, on form, had performed like the best team in hockey since about mid-November.
The rumours around the Oilers involve adding players, like defender John Klingberg, before the trade deadline. The rumours around the Canucks involve selling core pieces, mostly to shake up the dynamics in the dressing room.
These are two teams that, going into Saturday night’s contest, appeared to be heading in wildly different directions. The script seemed set for an Oilers pummelling of the moribund Canucks.
That’s just never how hockey works, however. Typically, the higher your degree of certainty about how a game will and should go, the more likely you are to be wildly incorrect.
So it was Saturday night that the embattled Canucks put together their best and most dynamic 20 minutes of hockey against this imposing Oilers side.
Of course it was Miller — who else? — who led the charge, dominating in the faceoff circle and racking up points as Vancouver built a 3-0 first-period lead while controlling play ably at five-on-five. Its power play cashed in twice — both goals were credited to Quinn Hughes — and what a difference that makes, but the Canucks also secured a five-on-five goal from Danton Heinen and generated meaningful five-on-five chances throughout the first frame.
It was as if the script flipped on so much of what’s become typical for this team across the past month. The club’s work rate was there, but it also looked connected. The Canucks were able to generate off the rush, actual scoring chances too. Their five-on-four play looked dangerous, in contrast with the dreck Canucks fans have been served for so much of this season.
There aren’t necessarily any bigger-picture takeaways from the club’s first-period performance. We’ve seen previously that the Canucks can manufacture stretches of impressive play, even full games’ worth. If anything, it just further underlined the frustrating inconsistency that has come to define this team.
Where was a period like that, which might have warded off the oft-rumoured detonation of this core group, back when it could’ve mattered?
There’s no such thing as a bad angle when you’re Draisaitl
When the Oilers battled back to make it an interesting game, a pair of incredible, geometrically improbable shots from Draisaitl altered the contest in the second period.
On both shots, the majority of Draisaitl’s body was below the goal line when he released the puck. His ability to make this shot automatically, though, with force and accuracy, is nothing short of incredible. And an absolute nightmare for NHL goaltenders.
There’s a lesson in Draisaitl’s unique, consistent dominance that’s worth bearing in mind given the conversation around the Canucks. Draisaitl wasn’t even drafted as a goal scorer primarily — he was widely viewed as a big, pass-first playmaker. That he’s become a consistent 50-goal scorer with a mastery of bad-angle shots, of a sort we rarely see from anybody else, is a testament to his skill level and talent, for sure, but also to his work rate.
Over time, Draisaitl and Conner McDavid have done more than just fashion a productive offensive partnership. They’ve also pushed each other to higher levels, and the Oilers as a team, too.
That’s what it takes to be an elite team in the NHL, which seems instructive.
Even as Hughes has ascended to an otherworldly plane for Vancouver over the past 18 months, it feels more like he has left the rest of Vancouver’s core behind, as opposed to being pushed by a teammate (or two) matching his level of performance and output.
Edmonton ran out of gas
Credit the Canucks: Though the Oilers made it interesting in the second period — and on a first-period shift in which they generated two of their best opportunities of the game — Vancouver made the third period an uneventful one.
In truth, the Oilers ran out of gas. Playing their third game in four nights across two time zones, they looked like a shell of themselves at full sprint. They were sloppy early and lacking in their usual spark as they chased the game in the final frame.
This is clearly an Oilers side with its eyes on the bigger prize. It showed. McDavid and Draisaitl were loaded up together in the second period, but the Oilers didn’t ride them the way they have on occasion over the past several seasons. Heck, they didn’t even log the full two minutes on Edmonton’s power-play opportunities.
On certain third-period shifts, the fatigue was abundantly clear. Not unlike how Vancouver looked late against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, Edmonton ran out of gas as Vancouver salted this one away.
(Photo of the Oilers’ Adam Henrique and Stuart Skinner defending against J.T. Miller: Derek Cain / Getty Images)
1. J.T. Miller’s uncertain future: The trade rumors surrounding J.T. Miller have been swirling for weeks, with multiple teams reportedly interested in acquiring the talented forward. While Miller has been a key player for the Canucks, his potential departure has cast a shadow over the team’s recent success.
2. Canucks’ resilience: Despite the distractions off the ice, the Canucks showed resilience and pulled off a solid win against their opponents. The team’s ability to stay focused and perform well under pressure speaks to their determination and skill.
3. Depth stepping up: With the trade deadline looming, the Canucks’ depth players have been stepping up and making significant contributions to the team. Players who may have been overshadowed by Miller’s presence are now getting a chance to shine and prove their worth.
Overall, while the ongoing J.T. Miller trade saga may be dominating headlines, the Canucks’ solid win and the performances of their depth players should not be overlooked. The team’s ability to stay focused and perform well in the midst of uncertainty bodes well for their future success.
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