Not since Mark Henry walked to the ring in a salmon suit and announced to the world he was headed home to spend time with his kids have we been so sure a career was over in this city.
Jaroslav Halak seemed like the odd man out here, with the Spencer Martin era waiting in the wings, and Halak’s inability to give Thatcher Demko a full night off.
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In fact, many viewed Wednesday’s game as almost a ritual sacrifice to the hockey gods. So you like doughnuts, eh? Well, then have all the doughnuts in the world, kind of scenario for Halak.
But much like Homer Simpson, Jaro ate shot after shot, politely asking “more” after each one, until a frustrated Colorado Avalanche team could only stare in disbelief at each other, wondering how this was happening.
Shot after shot from one of the most lethal offenses in the National Hockey League. Five power plays for the Avalanche compared to Vancouver’s lone shot with the extra man.
Yet there stood Halak, ripping off that salmon blazer, entering the Avalanche into the Hall of Pain and declaring he had plenty of gas left in the tank.
The Canucks didn’t just pull out a lucky win against the Avalanche, they went toe-to-toe with them, and they won, 3-1.
Clearly you can’t use this win to erase the miserable homestand the Canucks just went through. But for people who value glimmers of hope, this game gave a glimpse of a team that can put together the kind of defensive effort we haven’t seen around here too often.
The playoff push was supposed to be over, and it most likely is, but that’s kind of the Vancouver thing, isn’t it?
Just when you think you’ve got all the answers, they change the questions.
Best it started out with a kiss
Halak starting against Colorado is like if your little brother was whining about getting a turn playing video games, so you cranked the level to expert and gave him the controller for a boss battle
— Gregory Balloch (@GregBalloch) March 24, 2022
How did it end up like this??
Now we have to fix Greg’s movie metaphor and say this is like when you take your younger brother Halak to the arcade and he drops 50,000 points on Double Dragon and before you know it you’re headed to the Video Armageddon to compete for the video game championship and then, BAM, there’s Jaro holding down on the white square in Super Mario Bros. 3 and he’s finding a magic teleporting whistle despite that gaming mechanic making no sense and there being no reasonable way to explain how someone would figure that out, gifted or not.
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Best it’s already been broughten
Pretty good pace early, with the #Canucks having the better chances.
Most of the game is occurring in the neutral zone though. Neither team has really been able to get set up for a heavy shift.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) March 24, 2022
The big news out of Vancouver was that Bruce Boudreau finally allowed best friends forever in Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser to play hockey together again.
And early on, they showed signs of that chemistry that made up 2/3 of the lethal Lotto Line:
Something about Pettersson doing his dekes and finding the flow of Boeser in flight just feels like home.
Best Twitter name
#Canucks find the hardest way to take high sticking calls
— JohnnyTightlips (@gioviniche) March 24, 2022
The Canucks ability to take high-sticking penalties in every conceivable (and unconceivable) manner is bordering on some lesser-known Harry Potter class-level stuff.
Sure, the gang took potions class, but Neville Longbottom and the Canucks were taking an elective in how to levitate your stick into people’s faces.
And in a game like this, where the Avalanche are the Avalanche, and the Canucks penalty kill is, well, the Canucks penalty kill, it felt like the plot line for “Premium Rush”: a non-linear disaster waiting to happen.
Yet, on the first power play, the Avalanche failed to score. Their best chance was Nate MacKinnon drawing two Canucks in and finding Nazem Kadri open in the slot, in what I assume was a tribute to Bumpin’ Bo:
My favorite part of the penalty kill, however, was when J.T. Miller realized who was coming at him.
You have to understand, Rip Wheeler and backchecking have an uneasy alliance. Sure, they might agree on a few things, but backchecking has some views on taxes that J.T. quite simply doesn’t agree with.
So when J.T. looked to forecheck hard on the penalty kill, then realized it was MacKinnon flying at him and promptly decided to turn around and skate back into his own zone, it was quite amusing:
Don’t get me wrong, that is the absolute correct play by Miller. If I saw Nate skating at me I would probably just glide to the bench and promptly retire.
Best alien sighting
Petterrson with a couple of great backchecking plays this period. Kid hustles back, yet people question his defense at times…not sure why? #canucks
— Kenuck (@ArmchairGM1) March 24, 2022
To be fair to those who criticized Pettersson earlier this season, and last, this sort of thing was noticeably missing from his game.
Whether it was his injuries holding him back, or mentally he just wasn’t feeling it, we weren’t seeing the proactive, elite-hockey-IQ Pettersson.
But when EP40 is on his game? He is ON his game, at all facets of hockey.
A good example of this is this backcheck from EP40:
EP40 is at the faceoff circle when this puck gets turned over, yet he never stops skating and eventually makes the huge play in the slot to take the puck away from Logan O’Connor.
Those are the big plays to me, the plays where 95 percent of the time your backcheck will most likely amount to nothing. But what about the 5 percent of the time the puck ends up on the stick of a guy you could have caught up to? That’s the hallmark of a great defensive effort for me.
Another thing from EP40 that is so good when he’s playing well is his ability at making diving plays with his stick. It never feels like he is panicking, it just feels like he goes full Sherlock Holmes and comes up with the optimal solution:
Defensively this might have been one of the team’s tightest games of the year, but Pettersson felt like he was a step above everyone on the night.
Best feeling the flow
Nothing to show for it yet, but Boeser and Pettersson are cooking up a lil somethin' tonight. #Canucks
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) March 24, 2022
It’s circular. It’s a carousel. You pay the quarter, you get on the horse, it goes up and down and AROUND.
Yes much like the first period Pettersson and Boeser continued to rack up the shots, and once again it was the puck pursuit of EP40 (and a timely pinch from the chaotic giraffe) that led to the Boeser chance.
As for Halak, he was making sure anytime the Avs did break through that he was stopping pucks and not giving up any rebounds:
Not since Curtis Sanford patrolled the crease has a goalie looked so comfortable wearing No. 41 in Vancouver.
Best are we having fun yet?
This is an entertaining game.
— MegaNuck (@MegaNuck) March 24, 2022
Turns out when the Canucks are going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NHL and holding their own, it’s downright delightful. It’s like finding out they have cucumber sandwiches at the market for ready money.
I also enjoyed the beer-league level of officiating wherein the goalie can cover the puck but who has time for a faceoff? Not this guy, who has to drive all the way back to UBC from 8 Rinks:
Best heating up
Halak has played well, but man, the #Canucks defense – which felt like it was surrendering a five-alarm scoring chance every :45 seconds at home – has been *tight*.
(Image via @NatStatTrick) pic.twitter.com/4JEcFogjX9
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) March 24, 2022
Worst system
The only thing worse than giving two extra minutes because a dude bleeds after a high stick is when a stick breaks from a “slash” and they call it a penalty:
Sure, maybe in the old days when they used an actual log for a hockey stick you could use evidence of a stick breaking from a slash that a crime was committed. But these new sticks that can break when you lean on them in warmup?
Ugh.
But much like earlier, the Canucks also killed off this penalty, even though Kadri came close when he hit the post:
Please note Tyler Myers giving new/old Canuck Brad Richardson a welcome-back moment when CG57 drove behind the net and, for chaotic reasons we cannot understand, handed off the puck to Brad, who was standing still beside his own goalie.
Best rack them up
Bruh that’s stick on stick #canucks
— Brando_Mhm (@MhmBrando) March 24, 2022
In a league where head shots maybe, kind of, should be stopped, but any stick infractions must be eliminated from the game, they’ll be pleased to know the officials stayed on brand by handing out a slashing call to Quinn Hughes for looking like he might have grazed a thumb:
Ron MacLean says it was a fine penalty to call, and since he can read the mind of Alex Burrows, who are we to argue?
Once Bo Horvat was done yelling about his love of fudge trucks, the Canucks once again killed off the penalty. The Avs’ best chance? Once again turned easily aside by Halak:
Best turning the screws
All the teams that passed over Halak and Boeser at the trade deadline are rethinking things now. #canucks
— Landon Carriere (@agentfortyfour) March 24, 2022
Remember that EP40 and Boeser chemistry we talked about earlier?
Once again Pettersson’s puck pursuit and retrieval set up this entire play. He sees the puck going to the boards and slips in to steal it, then finds his BFF because they have best-friend radar.
Best pushing the picante pace
The #Canucks are winning the Cup.
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) March 24, 2022
Halak then gets in on the fun by funneling the puck along the boards, which leads to Tanner Pearson having no idea how to react to a situation where a goalie is in the net, so he does what comes naturally to him: He creates an empty-net situation.
They don’t call him Special Ops Tanner Pearson for nothing. Nobody understands empty nets better than this guy.
How easy was the tap-in? So easy we didn’t even mention Jimothy Timothy Miller scored it.
Best dance with the devil
So the team with Kadri, MacKinnon and Makar scored on their fourth power play you say
— Anna Forsyth (@aforsyth03) March 24, 2022
The fact the Canucks held the Avalanche to one power-play goal on five chances is a victory in and of itself, so I don’t even have any breakdown about the goal:
Avalanche shoot puck, get rebound, score — how droll.
Best double standards
that's bullsh*t, hit to the head on highmore now the avs on the powerplay
— Tommy 🇺🇦 (@tommykippes2) March 24, 2022
The most controversial part of the game was when Matty “Two Shoes” Highmore got run over and there was no call on the play:
The Avalanche broadcast showed it best, and it looks like the head was hit first:
But despite Highmore being sent to the quiet room after the head shot, no penalty was called.
The inconsistency of the league really comes out in full force when you remember Kuznetsov got hit by Myers a few games back and drew a penalty for the head shot.
Kuznetsov didn’t go to the quiet room and scored on the ensuing power play.
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Not a whole lot about that makes sense, but here we are.
Regardless, the officials made sure to call the important penalties later in the game:
Best doing your dekes
This might be the best game Elias Pettersson has played away from the puck. He's made big defensive stops and won pucks back all over the ice
— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) March 24, 2022
Even when getting turned around, EP40 stuck with his puck pursuit and got a breakaway out of it:
Just a tremendous game.
Best diving pass
Holy smokes. I feel bad for Garland. He can't buy one! #Canucks
— Trent Leith (@trentl14) March 24, 2022
Look, I feel bad for Conor Garland, and who doesn’t love seeing a Tommy Vanek special, but, man alive, can we talk about this Pearson diving-pass effort:
Dude legit lays out and with one hand swipes the puck forward with the perfect lob pass.
I honestly think some playoff teams will regret not trying to trade for Pearson; he is such a solid player to add to your lineup.
Best power glove
That was the most entertaining empty net I've ever seen #Canucks
— thegreatdandino (@thegreatdandin0) March 24, 2022
In Lucas Barton fashion, Halak made one final glove save that kind of works but not really, before the Canucks put the game away:
Please note Pearson stripping MacKinnon to set this play in motion.
If Halak didn’t have such a monster game, I’d have demanded Tanner get the belt on the night.
Best VIP request
@TheStanchion please tell me you capped the Halak clap after the Bo ENG into a gif!!
— Gabriel ⭐️⭐️ (@_gabrielyuen) March 24, 2022
Halak giving Jason Brough a tribute clap was truly tremendous.
Best stat attack
for a team that has struggled so mightily on the PK all season, you have to give #Canucks full credit for battling here. I know they gave up one, but the PP are 5-1 in Avs favour in a game that certainly hasn't been that one sided
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) March 24, 2022
Colorado was 41-3-4 (.896) in its last 48 home games 👀 #Canucks
— Ashley (@ashleymartin83) March 24, 2022
Best question
I think it’s fair to ask…what major moves should the Avs make after being swept by the Canucks in the 1st rd #Canucks @TheStanchion
— Jwu (@JwuHoneyribss) March 24, 2022
Walking out of Ball Arena and just engaged with some Avalanche fans I overheard talking nervously about the #Canucks sneaking in and being their round one opponent.
Is this real life?
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) March 24, 2022
Best new branding
A Micktory!!!#Canucks #VANvsCOL
— Ken Henderson (@krusty027) March 24, 2022
Best truth
jaro halak in the dressing room pic.twitter.com/HiVvEpy70M
— Vanessa (@bigsportsvan) March 24, 2022
Best promo
AND THE BELT GOES TO… pic.twitter.com/XRIULKU8pv
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) March 24, 2022
This is the energy needed for that title. Brad Hunt gets it.
Best earning it
The lone penalty the Avalanche took was when MacKinnon got tippy taps from Hughes and got no call.
He then proceeded to yell at an official to make sure he got their attention, then cross-checked Hughes away from the puck.
Truly high-level strategies on display here.
Best trophy hunting
Luke Schenn landed his 200th hit of the season on this play and once again led the team in hits with 4.
You don’t trade Luke Schenn.
Best takedown
Sick hip toss from OEL. #Canucks
— Dylan Nicholson (@radiocodex) March 24, 2022
Nicole Matthews called and she wants her finisher back.
Best sticking it to the man
J.T. Miller tried to give Tyler Myers his stick and it really seemed like Myers was just like, "Nah. You keep it. It's more useful to you than it would be to me." #Canucks
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) March 24, 2022
Chaos is a ladder, not a stick.
Best I can dance all day
Best shap
BREAKING: The @NHL has announced penalties to certain NHL teams in relation to the terminated trade of Evgenii Dadonov. pic.twitter.com/QYoUrf8tXt
— Memarzadeh (@ArashMemarzadeh) March 23, 2022
Best art
Finished my coloured pencil drawing of Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks ✏️@_EPettersson @Canucks @NHL #Canucks pic.twitter.com/uXPsLcObDR
— Rebecca Thomson ✏️ (@reebeccathomson) March 23, 2022
(Photo of Brock Boeser of the Canucks shooting and scoring a third-period goal against the Avalanche: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)
