The Canucks hit the road for a five-game road trip that starts with a quick flight to Edmonton before an East Coast tour.
Head Coach Rick Tocchet and his team are ready to put their play to the test against tough competition.
“We’re prepared for this road trip; we know it’s one game at a time,” Tocchet said.
The Canucks made the most of home-ice advantage for their home opener, and Tocchet says winning on the road has its own unique challenges but he’s looking for consistency every game.
“I have to make sure we have to be comfortable, but uncomfortable...we’ve got 10 points available on this road trip and we’ve got to show we’re a team that can play on the road and play under stress and pressure situations whether we’re up or down,” he said.
There are no back-to-back games on this trip, but he shared they’re implementing different recovery protocols for travel that they’re hoping will be beneficial with shorter turnarounds.
With an 8-1 win behind them, Tocchet reckoned back to his playing days, “I used to laugh [thinking] ‘Oh my god, the other team’s going to come out flying’...of course they’re going to come out flying, so what does that mean, do we back up? No. We’ve got to come flying out too.”
Quinn Hughes says the win Wednesday was validation of the work they’ve put in and they were successful because they're all confident of where they need to be on the ice. They’re hoping to continue to build on the foundation they’ve created on the road.
“We’ve obviously had a decent start to the season, but you’ve got to keep going. Whether we win the next two or lose the next two it’s all the same - it's about the process. We’re hoping to be a really really good team by games 20, 30, and 40 and we just have to keep striving to that,” Hughes said.
400 Games Strong
Brock Boeser will play in his 400th NHL game on Saturday in Edmonton.
In his eighth season in Vancouver, Boeser has tallied 315 points (143-172-315).
After a summer of hard work and a four-goal home opener game, the Canucks forward is feeling confident.
“I think I got to that mindset again in the summer that I’ve got to be a better hockey player and really work hard,” Boeser said after Wednesday’s game. “I came back, and it continues each and every day. I have to have that same mindset tomorrow and the next practice, morning skate and I just have to keep it going.”
Tocchet pushes the whole team to be better and Boeser is grateful for it and motivated to take every opportunity to improve.
“He’s a guy that focuses on the little details of the game. If you don’t make a good play or you’re in the wrong position, you’re sitting there and thinking ‘oh, I should have had better body positioning there’, I think that’s a good thing to be in the back of your mind,” he said, adding “we’ve got to continue to push and be better and get some big wins on this road trip.”
