A Canucks crew chock stuffed with gamers combating for roster spots created few high quality scoring alternatives and fell 10-0 to the Flames on Sunday night time in Calgary
Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet wished to see sure issues when icing a younger, inexperienced lineup within the first recreation of the pre-season.
Ideas at work. A transparent understanding of the system. Wall work. Even skating to the bench laborious.
“I wish to see these issues first,” Tocchet advised the media on Saturday, a day earlier than taking a Canucks crew of younger weapons and bubble gamers to Calgary to face a Flames squad beginning their prime goalie, a lot of their prime six and nearly all of their defence corps.
However that’s not all Tocchet wished to see.
“You bought an opportunity, do your factor. Do your magic.”
Factor is, the guests by no means actually had an opportunity.
A Canucks crew chock stuffed with gamers combating for roster spots created few high quality scoring alternatives and fell 10-0 to the Flames on Sunday night time, in a recreation by which the guests have been hammered early and sometimes.
Right here’s what we discovered as Matt Coronato netted a hat trick, Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice and Jordan Oesterle, Nazem Kadri, Noah Hanifin, Connor Zary and Ben Jones had a aim apiece for the Flames:
Taking their possibilities
Take it from ahead Jack Studnicka — it isn’t straightforward for bubble gamers to get seen at coaching camp.
“It’s form of laborious to face out (at camp) as a result of we’re engaged on lots of techniques stuff,” the 24-year-old stated on Saturday.
With 4 of six pre-season video games over the subsequent seven days, now’s their likelihood to make an impression.
Studnicka, who got here into camp in fine condition and turned some heads within the scrimmage, was amongst a handful of forwards on Sunday with a sensible shot at a coveted bottom-six spot.
Nonetheless, it was laborious for any Canuck to face out in opposition to an skilled Calgary aspect with Jacob Markstrom in internet. Markstrom stopped all 20 pictures he confronted.
Studnicka, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-shot ahead, performed on the highest line with Pius Suter at centre and Vasily Podkolzin on the left aspect.
The road had its first shift of sustained stress late in a primary interval dominated by the Flames. Some good work alongside the partitions resulted in a sharp-angle shot by Suter and a penalty drawn in opposition to Calgary. Studnicka almost scored late within the second, forcing Markstrom to make his first high quality save together with his pad.
Studnicka additionally had a steal early within the third interval and had a harmful shot shouldered away by Oscar Dansk, who relieved Markstrom for the third interval.
Podkolzin, who Tocchet desires to turn into a north-south participant who forechecks laborious, gave the impression to be nonetheless determining the system at instances, getting crossed up on defensive assignments, but additionally performed with vigour. Podkolzin, 22, was plowed into the publish by a Calgary defender whereas going laborious for a rebound within the second interval however stayed within the recreation.
The perfect of the bubble bunch was Nils Hoglander, who was assured with the puck, bought in on the forecheck and precipitated the Flames some issues. Late within the second interval, Hoglander got here screaming into the zone and bodied Flames’ defender Dennis Gilbert, who went laborious into the boards and needed to depart the sport.
Hoglander, who spent most of final season in Abbotsford engaged on his 200-foot recreation, is predicted to make the crew however wants to indicate Tocchet that his motor — and his thoughts — are all the time operating.
You possibly can earmark Hoglander with a roster spot if he retains taking part in like this.
The roster within the final two pre-season video games — on Oct. 4 and Oct. 6 — is predicted to be very near what we see when the common season begins on Oct. 11 in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers.
In defence of the defence
In addition to summer time signee Matt Irwin, who has skated in 461 NHL video games, there wasn’t lots of NHL expertise on the Canucks’ blue-line.
That doesn’t imply the remainder of the defencemen will likely be beginning the season in Abbotsford.
With Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, Carson Soucy, Tyler Myers and Ian Cole just about pencilled in to make the crew, there’s nonetheless a spot or two up for grabs this pre-season.
Irwin, who wore an ‘A’ and featured on the penalty kill, put his physique on the road within the first interval blocking an influence play level shot, then confirmed some management, coming to Hoglander’s defence and dropping the gloves after the younger Swede was greatly surprised late within the first.
That’s what you need from the veteran Vancouver Island native.
Irwin earned the ire of the Flames within the second, after protruding his left leg on a success on Huberdeau. The Flames’ star, who’s in search of a bounceback season, went straight to the dressing room and Irwin was challenged to a different battle by robust man Adam Klapka. Huberdeau returned to the Calgary bench minutes later and scored his second aim on his subsequent shift.
Jett Woo, 23, had a tricky recreation, with Calgary’s first aim deflecting into the web off his skate. Woo was then goaded into an interference penalty by Kadri.
The 2018 second-rounder, signed to a one-year, two-way contract in Could, was caught out of place a couple of instances and completed the sport a minus-5.
Maybe the roughest outing was had by Noah Juulsen, who was deked out of his skates on Huberdeau’s first aim, delivered a pizza on Calgary’s sixth aim and lacked mobility total.
Better of the remaining
Of all the children within the lineup, Aatu Raty stood the tallest for the Canucks.
The Finnish ahead was calm and managed with the puck, studying the play nicely and transferring it to create openings for teammates.
Early within the second, the 20-year-old confirmed what a summer time of decrease physique coaching seems to be like, accelerating onto a free puck in his zone and moving into on an odd-man rush. His preliminary shot was blocked by a defenceman however Raty was in a position to retrieve the puck and get a clear look on Markstrom, who made the save in tight.
Raty had three pictures on aim within the recreation.
Silovs beneath hearth
It wasn’t the beginning that Arturs Silovs was in search of.
The Flames scored a fortunate one to open the sport, with the puck deflecting off two gamers earlier than crossing the crimson line.
Silovs, 22, would have favored to manage the rebound on the second aim, then a Calgary shot rang off the crossbar minutes later, almost giving the Flames a 3-0 lead.
Calgary saved urgent, scoring their third on a power-play aim halfway by way of the primary interval on a wonderful toe-drag and shot by Huberdeau.
The Flames led the shot depend 9-2 at that time.
It bought worse for Silovs, who was fooled by Nazem Kadri on the fourth aim with seven minutes left within the first. Kadri, who crashed Silovs’ crease earlier within the interval and earned a penalty, made it seem like he was curling round to the entrance of the web with the puck however slipped it by Silovs’ short-side on the backhand.
The Canucks’ sixth-round choose in 2019 settled down from there, however was crushed by Huberdeau halfway by way of the second on an odd-man rush for his fifth aim in opposition to.
The sixth aim was a results of the brutal Juulsen giveaway, whereas the seventh was a rocket from the purpose by Noah Hanifin.
Night time over for Silovs, with seven objectives in opposition to on 18 pictures.
Silovs made large strides in his improvement as a goaltender during the last 12 months, incomes the excellence because the Abbotsford Canucks’ MVP final season and main an underdog Latvia aspect to a bronze medal on the World Championships. Silovs was additionally named the MVP of the match.
Zach Sawchenko, signed to a one-year, two-way contract this previous summer time, performed the remainder of the way in which.
The sport ended with each groups registering 26 pictures on aim.
