The second-round series opener between the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers gave us an instant playoff classic and the Canucks now turn their attention to preparing for game two on Friday.
Down 4-1 with 6:49 to play in the second period, the Canucks scored four straight goals and Artūrs Šilovs shut the door on the Oilers’ late push to secure an early one-game lead in the series.
In today’s Playoff Notebook, we will check out some interesting stats from game one, chat with Chris Higgins in our ‘Insider Extra’ portion of the notebook and hear from Carson Soucy and head coach Rick Tocchet.
From the Coach
Although the emotions hit record highs in Rogers Arena on Wednesday night, the head coach was sure his group had been able to gather themselves ahead of game two.
“It's obviously a good feeling to come back but we're on to work again,” said Tocchet. “For me, in playoffs, you get it back to Earth as soon as possible. You talk about it and obviously last night, you enjoy it for maybe two seconds and you're back because you know what's ahead and what's coming your way and you have got to be ready for it.”
Tocchet discussed what his group is looking to build on from game one.
“Some execution plays, I thought for the most part, the defensive part, I think our breakouts were just okay. I think that's something we got to really talk about for tomorrow,” said Tocchet. “I didn't like our breakouts, I mean, there's always something that you want to correct. You always have to expect that the other team is going to play their best and that means you have to play your best. You always have to think that way.”
The five goals scored in the second series' opening game were more than they scored in any game during the opening round against Nashville.
As much as Tocchet wants to see his team be able to grind out low-scoring games, he thought the offensive outburst could help loosen up some of his players who are struggling to create offence.
“For guys that have struggled scoring, it loosens you up a little – maybe loosens our team up a little bit,” Tocchet said. “But I think that there are things that we can do better. I know that we scored five goals, [but] they scored four [and] they could have had a couple more. So, I think it's a chess match mentally. You’ve got to win in different ways and hopefully, scoring those goals will loosen guys up.”
In the Room
Carson Soucy spoke to the media on Thursday morning.
The big defenceman talked about how his team kept the Oilers away from their net and only allowed eight shots in the final 40 minutes of the game.
“They're trying to hold a lead; they're not forcing it as much. That kind of plays into it a little bit. I think we started to communicate a little more on the breakouts. So, we weren't spending as much time in our D-zone. It's different being on the other side when you have that two-goal lead. They're kind of trying to hold it where we're pressing. So obviously there's just not as many shot attempts.”
Soucy later explained how the team has been able to stay calm in difficult moments such as being down 4-1 with less than half a game to play.
"Just the past experience,” said Soucy when asked how his group remains calm. “We've had these comeback wins in the regular season, and in the playoffs already. We've kind of seen it as before, it's playoffs, anything can happen. There are goals a minute apart [or] 30 seconds apart. So, we've just kind of seen it early on in these playoffs. Not just our team but that no lead is safe, so you just stick with it right to the end.”
Soucy also spoke highly of Nikita Zadorov, who is now up to three goals in seven playoff games.
“He's elevated. Personally, it is probably the best hockey I've seen him play. I think his game suits playoffs really well because he can bring that physical edge. But like you saw last year, he had 16 goals and there is that offensive upside to him and I think he’s found a good mix of being physical [and] jumping into play. I think he's done a really good job.”
By the Numbers
- The Canucks three-goal playoff comeback was the second in franchise history. The last time they had a three-goal comeback in the playoffs was game five against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994.
- Ian Cole quietly had a strong performance on Wednesday when it came to puck possession and control of scoring chances. In 11:31 of five-on-five ice time, he was on the ice for 11 scoring chances for and just one scoring chance against.
- The line of Pius Suter, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser matched up against Connor McDavid for 10:58 and out-chanced McDavid by a 6-4 count. The Tyler Myers and Carson Soucy pairing ate up the challenge of matching up with McDavid and were a big part of giving McDavid his first playoff game without a shot on net.
- The trio of Dakota Joshua, Conor Garland and Elias Lindholm were on the ice for three goals scored and zero against at five-on-five. That line primarily battled with the defence pairing of Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci and won that battle with eight shots on net compared to three against for the Oilers.
- The Oilers had 18 shots on net in game one, which is the second-lowest playoff total in the McDavid era.
Insider Extra
We began our conversation with Chris Higgins asking him what stuck out in game one of the series that the Canucks can build on.
“Over the last two periods, they defended well. They had a non-ideal start and got a little unlucky on a couple of goals as well, but they defended well and that allowed them to come back in the game,” said Higgins. “They didn't spend a lot of time in their end. They got the puck moving out of their zone quickly and played into the transition game and spent more time on the offensive end. Their success over the last two periods with their team defence was notable to me.”
What did you like about the Garland-Lindholm-Joshua line?
“They just play so well together. They support the puck well. Their games complement each other. And you can tell that they like being the reason why the team wins. They've carried this team on several occasions in the regular season and the postseason. That self-confidence is just fueling more and more good play throughout that line.”
Who stuck out as a leader in game one?
"I think the easy answer is J.T. Miller, he just impacts the game in so many different scenarios. He is the emotional leader that the team needs, and he comes up with a big goal where you can see the emotion on his face after he scored. His goal put his team in a one-shot scenario to tie the game after being down by three earlier in the game. He's a guy that plays with a lot of pride and he is leaning into playing against some of the world's best players. He's a competitive guy, and he is going to be tough for the Oilers to handle throughout the series.”
What was it like for you, a former Canuck, to see Rogers Arena like that on Wednesday night?
“Oh man, it kind of brings back that feeling of having a pit in your stomach. It takes you back and makes you remember the time you played here. I don't miss the game a whole lot, but I do miss the playoffs quite a bit. Seeing Rogers Arena get like that last night was a big reason why I still have a feeling of love for the game and these fans in Vancouver.”
Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT and can be viewed on Sportsnet or you can catch the radio broadcast with Brendan ‘best in the biz’ Batchelor on the call with Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
