The Vancouver Canucks picked up a pair of wins on the road to give them a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven, first-round series.
Now, the Canucks return to home ice to battle the Nashville Predators in game five on Tuesday and we have you covered with another playoff notebook to bring you the quotes, stats, and tidbits that you need to know.
We close out this notebook with a sit-down alongside Chris Higgins to discuss some notables from his view as a former player.
Let’s get it going!
From the Coach
Head Coach Rick Tocchet likes the resilience of his group and has used that word to be something to describe his team through the playoffs. He also wants his group to realize that they have more to give.
“You’ve got to give the guys a lot of credit, [they were] very resilient,” said Tocchet. “I don't have to tell them, obviously our game has got to get better. I mean, the players have already said it, so, that's great. But the resilience of the group all year. That’s a tough game to come back from and obviously, the last three minutes and overtime went our way, so, can we build off it?”
Tocchet is looking for his group to keep an active mind and active feet so that they can get back to their structure and system.
“You have to think quicker. You've got to move your feet quicker. And you got to be more decisive with the puck if we do that, you're going to get your chances but and I'll be honest, I'm not picking on players but only takes three or four players playing a little bit slow mentally or with their feet to make the five-man unit do the same. So, I think we’ve got to get some guys to think a little quicker and move their feet.”
Game four’s performance gives Tocchet confidence in his group due to them being able to adjust and give more in game five.
“I feel more comfortable going into tomorrow's game because we had an average game. Let's face it. And if we played a great game, I'd probably be a little bit more nervous tomorrow, but I don't feel nervous. I think we're going to be ready tomorrow to play a lot better than we did last game and I think that's a good thing.”
In the Room
Conor Garland spoke to the media on Monday. He talked about the team’s ability to create offence and how it is a four-line job.
“Nobody's chasing offence at this time of year,” said Garland. “You're just playing, and a perfect instance last night, we just stuck with it, we defended pretty well as a line and then you wait until extra time. Millsy [and his line] are playing so well, and they are playing with pace and they're defending well as well. I think all our lines have been going pretty good. It's just [that] there's four other lines over there trying to do the same thing.”
Garland is glad that the team has put themselves in their situation to clinch the series on home ice in game five but knows that the Preds are going to be hungry.
“We understand our task at hand tomorrow. I think we're happy we gave ourselves an opportunity to win the series, but we just know we’ve got to have our best game of the series so far.”
The home crowd will surely help support the group as the past two home games have been electric at Rogers Arena and Garland spoke about coming back home for game five.
“Well, obviously it's exciting when you come home playing for your fans and you know the environment game one or two is awesome. So, we're excited to get back in front of them. See what we can do.”
Myers talked about the success of the penalty kill and how the team is getting a boost from their solid play while down a man.
“We’re making good reads of when to pressure [and] when not to pressure. Guys are going out with the mindset of creating momentum with the penalty kill, which I think you can do. And, you know, we just have to continue that mindset.”
The 6’8” defenceman has over 50 games of playoff experience under his belt and knows that this series is far from over and there is a lot of work to do.
“It will be the hardest one,” said Myers. “Every playoff series that I've played, it gets harder and harder as it goes. We’re really excited to be coming back home to have an opportunity to do it. We just have to make sure we're ready. We know they're going to play their most desperate game and we have to get in our minds that we have to play ours too.”
By the Numbers
- Brock Boeser’s four goals tie him for fourth place in the 2024 playoffs.
- J.T. Miller has won 47 faceoffs through four games and 61% of his draws. Miller only trails Vincent Trocheck (52) and Leon Draisaitl (50) for wins in the dot.
- Tyler Myers and Ian Cole are tied for the team lead in blocked shots with eight blocks apiece.
- After Artūrs Šilovs picked up the win on Sunday, it made the Canucks the second team in NHL history to have three different goalies pick up wins in a playoff series. The only other team to achieve the feat was the 2003-04 Canucks with Dan Cloutier, Johan Hedberg and Alex Auld notching wins.
- The Canucks’ penalty kill is clicking at 93.3% through four games. They have killed off 14 straight penalties after allowing a power play goal in the second period of game one. Their 93.3% success rate on the penalty kill is second in the league.
- At five-on-five, the Canucks have the second-lowest scoring chances against per 60 minutes. They are allowing 19.67 per 60 minutes and they only trail the Dallas Stars, who are at 19.44/60 minutes.
- The Miller, Boeser and Pius Suter line has been on the ice for 20 scoring chances for and just eight against.
Insider Extra
Chris Higgins joined the notebook to give his thoughts on various topics.
We started by asking what a comeback win like Sunday’s can do for a group, especially one that has not been able to experience the playoffs as a group.
“A win like that makes you start believing a little bit more,” said Higgins. “This group found a little bit more belief in Nashville and they won those games in all different types of ways. There was a special teams battle in game three and then the comeback late-game to force overtime and find the winner. It just brings confidence in the group that you can win several diverse ways and start believing in yourselves a little bit more.”
Higgins spoke about what he liked in games three and four for the Canucks.
“I like their consistent physicality throughout the series. I think that's the big thing for me. They started early in game one and their commitment to playing physically was one of the things that you may or may not get results off early on in a series. But, towards games five, six, and seven, that physicality adds up and gives you a little bit more space as the series moves along.”
As for continuing in the series now with the clinch on the mind, Higgins believes the Canucks need to keep the same mindset of focusing on being in the moment and worrying about the next shift instead of the next game.
“It’s about worrying about what’s in front of you, and what’s in front of you is the next shift and being there for your teammates. All the little plays add up and it’s good to let your teammates know that they are doing a good job. Every little board battle and every shot block help bring the group together.”
Tuesday’s game is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to the radio broadcast with Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
