The Vancouver Canucks snapped a three-game slide with a big win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
The club got a solid performance from its offense, the blue line notwithstanding. But it was an unexpected hero who emerged as the team’s bastion.
The Canucks are currently dealing with one of the worst injury-filled seasons in team history. A plethora of regulars have hit the shelf at various points this season. The MASH unit includes starting netminder Thatcher Demko and, most recently, backup Kevin Lankinen.
Lankinen, who held the fort last season in Demko’s absence, has been away from the team for personal reasons. That situation has forced the Canucks to roll with two inexperienced goalies.
On Wednesday night, the Vancouver turned to Nikita Tolopilo. Yes, the Tolopilo of two NHL starts before Wednesday night’s outing. But it was the 25-year-old who bailed the Canucks out. Tolopilo made 37 saves on 41 shots to backstop Vancouver to the win.
Now, let’s pause for a moment. A team, knowing they have a young, inexperienced goalie behind them, would tighten up the defense and reduce the number of shots on goal. No, the Canucks surrendered 41 shots.
The club tossed Tolopilo to the wolves. The game could have easily been an 8-4 blowout. Instead, Tolopilo buckled down and bailed his team out. In fact, the Canucks were lucky to escape the first 20 minutes as they were outshot 13-5, but hit the dressing room with a 2-0 lead.
Of course, the Canucks blew the lead. The Ducks tied the game at three late in the second period. But Vancouver managed to rally and take a 5-3 lead. That would be enough to end the losing streak.
Canucks Need to Play Better Defense
Honestly, Nikita Tolopilo will not save the Canucks every night while giving up 40 shots. The team must play better defense, period. It doesn’t matter who’s in the crease. Even a Vezina Trophy winner cannot hope to be successful while his team surrenders a ton of shots every night.
That’s why the Canucks must batten down the hatches and play good defense. They can’t afford to let games get away from them. When they gave up 41 shots to a good team like the Florida Panthers, the results were evident in the 8-5 pounding. Unfortunately, even when giving up 21 shots, Vancouver still lost 5-2 against the Calgary Flames.
Vancouver Still Has Reasonable Shot at Postseason
The Canucks are five points out of a playoff spot on US Thanksgiving. They trail the Utah Mammoth with four teams ahead of them. Given how relatively close the playoff race is at the moment, Vancouver still has a reasonable shot at the postseason.
However, plenty of things have to go right. In addition to playing good defense, being consistent offensively is a major task. Getting the big names to step up is huge.
It won’t be easy for the Canucks to turn things around this season. The club’s management has already hinted it’s pretty much ready to punt on the season. But even if they did, there’s still a sliver of hope that a solid winning streak can change fortunes moving forward.
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