9-2-1 Canucks Are Building Confidence But Staying Humble As The Road Ahead Is Long

It is officially the best start through a dozen games in Vancouver Canucks history. 

While some teams might celebrate, the Canucks aren’t satisfied. The road ahead is long – and they’ve got work to do.

That road’s next three stops take us out east as the Canucks will play three games in four nights, beginning with the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, and wrapping up the three-game road trip Sunday in Montreal with a match against the Canadiens.

Currently sitting second in the Pacific Division, with a 9-2-1 record, the Canucks are developing their identity while they build a culture where each and every shift requires a balance of effort and efficiency.

“Everybody is buying into that identity,” said head coach Rick Tocchet in Tuesday’s post-game availability. “Our puck management last year was, I would say average, and I think we’ve really worked on it this year… All the great teams, teams that win consistently, are really good at game management and that’s something we’re always striving for every game.”

The Canucks’ investment in structure and being hard to play against is helping players like Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson thrive both offensively and defensively. 

Hughes was named NHL Player of the Week last week and now has 12 points over his last four games.

Yes, you read that right -- 12 points in his last four games.

Defensively, Hughes has taken another step in his game and it’s showing with control of the goal share at five-on-five. The Canucks’ captain leads the NHL (minimum 150 mins) in control of five-on-five goal share -- being on the ice for 15 goals scored and only three goals against. 

“I think that we’re just, as a whole, getting a bit more mature as a team,” said Hughes about the players who have been around for a few years. “We’re getting older, and we really want to win. Guys are competitive right now and I think it’s more of a maturity thing over the last couple of years.”

Elias Pettersson sits atop the NHL for scoring with six goals and 15 assists for 21 points through 12 games. 

The 24-year-old centre is well- aware that individual goals don’t directly result in wins but when you play the right way, the points will come along with the wins. Pettersson continues to keep a ‘taking care of business’ mentality even with the accolades that he has been collecting this season.

Pettersson has talked about this team not getting loose and how he has been happy with the team’s ability to repeat their good habits over and over. As the structure continues to bleed into the players’ DNA, we are seeing the group gain momentum and be able to snap into that momentum with a strong buy-in to the coaching staff’s teachings. 

The line of Phil Di Giuseppe, J.T. Miller, and Brock Boeser have been tasked with matching up against the opposition’s top lines and the trio is thriving in their new match-up role. As the line, that some fans are calling the PB & J line (Phil, Brock & JT), the trio has been on the ice for seven goals for and only three against in their matchups against the opposing top lines. 

Thatcher Demko is on a roll of late and is giving the rest of the team a chance to hang around in games before their quick-strike offence can find the back of the net. Tocchet called Demko a “smelling salt” as he can make a few big saves and wake the team up. 

On top of his impressive 7-2-0 record, Demko holds a league-leading 11.78 goals saved above average and already has a pair of shutouts on the season after notching a 2-0 victory on Saturday night against a strong Dallas Stars team.

We are seeing the defence begin to gel in their pairings while also being flexible when assistant coach Adam Foote wants to make some in-game changes.

The pairing of Ian Cole and Mark Friedman embodies being hard to play against and is beginning to see their hard work pay off in the goal share as the pairing has been on the ice for only one goal-against in their 85 minutes of ice time. 

Another defenceman who is playing some of his best hockey is Tyler Myers. 

“I think he’s been unreal,” said Tocchet. “The last five games, he’s been one of our best players. He’s dialed in [and] he’s really playing well for us. I’m proud of him.”

With head coach Rick Tocchet and his staff working alongside these players, there’s a level of expectation that the players will need to stay at and build on to achieve their goals of becoming a playoff team.

The focus is keeping a business-like mentality where there are limited ups and downs during the season. Even with Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko having league-leading stats, the group continues to keep a low profile and celebrate wins instead of individual achievements. The work is far from over and this group is buying into this new culture built on standards, habits, consistency, and humility.