VANCOUVER B.C. — The opening of the Vancouver Canucks season was outlined by chaos.
There was pace. There was mystifying disappointment. There was elation and aid. And in the end there was Calgary Flames ahead Connor Zary weaving at will via Canucks defenders and previous Artūrs Šilovs to win the sport in additional time.
It was a memorable if disappointing evening to kick off a yr that the membership enters with elevated expectations and a stage of ambition unseen in these elements in over a decade. So fittingly, it was a totally bizarre contest.
Flames star Jonathan Huberdeau stole Conor Garland’s stick on a line change, its return facilitated by Sportsnet color broadcaster Ray Ferraro. Tyler Myers misplaced the metal from his skate, and struggled slowly up ice out of his personal zone. An on-ice official stepped in and tried to assist Myers, pushing him towards the Canucks bench, however fell comically within the effort.
That was, in each respect, one of many weirdest NHL video games I’ve ever witnessed.
Credit score to the Flames, they settled down after trying utterly overmatched and coming unglued within the first. Impressively executed their gameplan. #Canucks appeared good for 20, woeful for 40.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) October 10, 2024
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J.T. Miller collided with Kevin Rooney close to the tip boards, touchdown a clear hit with a vicious consequence that left Rooney susceptible on the ice for a number of minutes. A stretcher was wheeled onto the ice through the stoppage, however was in the end waved off by the Flames ahead and membership medical personnel.
And all of that occurred within the opening 10 minutes of the primary interval.
By the tip of that preposterous first body, with the Canucks main 4-1, a beneficial outcome for the house facet seemingly secured, the Canucks seemed to be on cruise management. It was a efficiency that ought to’ve left little question about the truth that these two groups exist in utterly completely different weight courses.
After which in chaotic style, nearly all the things flipped.
The Canucks have been caught sleeping. The Flames settled down. Calgary stormed again, took the lead earlier than the tip of regulation and in the end spoiled what ought to’ve been a wildly spectacular begin to the Canucks’ season, successful 6-5.
Listed here are three takeaways from Vancouver’s memorable, disappointing opening evening collapse.
Jake DeBrusk and the Canucks’ new rush hour attacking type
We’re shopping for excessive on Vancouver’s capacity to assault off the frenzy with extra intent and efficacy this season, and we noticed proof that the entire membership’s work at coaching camp has paid off on Wednesday.
Vancouver appeared quick and sharp via the impartial zone within the first interval on Wednesday night, gashing the Flames repeatedly and producing a big handful of scoring possibilities with vertical stress. There have been aerial passes, considered one of which arrange a Teddy Blueger breakaway. There have been aggressive defensive performs on the blue line, considered one of which sprung a partial Conor Garland break. The membership skated exhausting, led by prime skaters like Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller, who generated numerous possibilities off of the frenzy and a handful of different possibilities at possibilities, which have been solely an inch or two from going off.
As usually as Vancouver scored final season, their precedence in assault was usually to handle the puck conservatively and manufacture second stick scoring alternatives off of level photographs. When it labored, because it did early final season, the outcomes have been wonderful. When it didn’t, as occurred within the Stanley Cup playoffs, Vancouver’s assault seemed to be fully caught within the mud.
What we noticed early on Wednesday evening appeared very completely different. Earlier than their late-game collapse, this was a staff that appeared quicker and much more deadly in opposition to the grain than they did at any level final season.
It’s only one recreation and endurance can be required. In the end the Canucks didn’t generate the frenzy five-on-five possibilities they required when the stakes have been highest late in a 3rd interval they have been trailing, even when J.T. Miller’s game-tying aim got here when he was streaking with intent down the wing on a sharply executed entry.
On steadiness, for all that Wednesday’s outcome will rightly be seen as disappointing for Canucks followers, the early returns on a side of the sport that the staff recognized as an space for enchancment have been promising.
J.T. Miller goes beast mode early in 800th profession recreation
It was a milestone evening for Vancouver’s top-line energy ahead, and this primary half of this recreation was rapidly a showcase for his distinctive talent set.
His line dominated from a two-way perspective, and was particularly overwhelming within the first interval. The hit he delivered to Rooney had an unlucky and wholly unintended consequence, however served to antagonize the Flames, who briefly got here unglued, taking six minor penalties within the first interval, a number of of them the results of their response to Miller personally. Miller topped off an eventful first interval by successful a spirited struggle in opposition to 6-foot-5 Flames veteran Anthony Mantha, and naturally, Miller arrange a number of power-play objectives.
That mixture of snarl, talent and now — if he can construct off of his defensive enchancment final season — two-way worth is exceedingly uncommon on this league. When Miller goes the way in which he was early on Wednesday, this Canucks staff is an terrible lot for his or her opponents to deal with.
The membership, nevertheless, didn’t generate a single five-on-five shot with Miller on the ice after the primary interval, till after they pulled their goaltender. Now, granted, his ice-time was restricted as a result of he served a significant penalty for a lot of the second body, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a helpful rule of thumb to be aware of: As Miller goes, so go the Canucks.
It’s some extent that earned one thing of an exclamation mark when Miller capped off his Gordie Howe hat trick with an absolute rip on a rush slap shot that beat Dan Vladar and a minimum of quickly warded off an epic Canucks collapse with 1:37 to play within the third interval.
Artūrs Šilovs and the e-book Vancouver’s opponents are writing on the membership’s younger starter
Earlier than the sport bought away from him, Wednesday represented an unimaginable accomplishment for Vancouver’s 23-year-old beginning goaltender.
Even when Šilovs initiatives to function in a tandem with Kevin Lankinen via the primary few weeks of this season, and can absolutely give solution to Thatcher Demko each time Vancouver’s Vezina nominee is ready to return to motion, to start out the primary recreation of the season for an NHL staff at his age is outstanding.
NHL groups, like Vancouver’s opponent on Wednesday, usually defer to the extra skilled possibility for the season opener. Šilovs, nevertheless, has earned a prolonged have a look at the NHL stage, one thing that was punctuated through the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs when he helped the membership safe a collection victory over the Nashville Predators and push the Edmonton Oilers to seven video games within the second spherical.
That it was Å ilovs who bought the beginning on Wednesday speaks volumes about how he’s regarded by the Canucks internally.
It was fascinating, nevertheless, to look at the Flames assault Šilovs as Wednesday’s recreation unfolded. It was proof, actually, of exactly how Vancouver’s opponents are prone to assault the younger Canucks netminder within the early going this season.
As soon as the Flames gathered themselves after the primary interval and settled down and mounted their inconceivable comeback, Calgary started to filter their offence via shot makes an attempt from the purpose, via screens and layered site visitors. It was just like the adjustment we noticed from the Oilers within the playoffs final Might.
That is the following stage for younger goaltenders. Early success is commonly adopted by the league gathering tape in your tendencies and figuring out weaknesses. As soon as these areas for enchancment are recognized by NHL shooters, they’re prone to spam them till they cease working.
So it was that the Flames strategy labored. Calgary was in a position to stage the rating within the third interval on Wednesday evening, the important thing game-tying aim coming from a MacKenzie Weegar shot via layered site visitors. On the Huberdeau aim that noticed Calgary the third interval lead, Canucks defenders have been caught dishonest up excessive to try to lower off the highest.
The league has adjusted thoughtfully to Šilovs’ athleticism down low and has discovered a partial reply to problem him. The following transfer now could be Šilovs’.
(Photograph: Jeff Vinnick / NHLI through Getty Photographs)
