Young Guns Shine in Preseason! | This Week in CanucksLand
Before we get into this article, I just wanted to say how good it is to have hockey back! So happy to be back covering the Canucks again this season.
Now let’s get into This Week in CanucksLand.
The Canucks started the week in Seattle with a younger roster on paper, and it showed on the ice as the Kraken would strike first with Sale putting it in on a 2 on 1 as he would walk in with no pressure, as Schuldt would play the pass entirely. The Canucks would look a little weak in the first, and that would be a constant in other games, but they would look better in the second half as Cootes and Mancini would combine on the powerplay to tie the game at 1-1 on a goal that showed the offensive upside of those two. Nyman and Schwartz would add 3 more for the Kraken, with Nyman getting two. The Canucks would catch a break with Lebate throwing a big hit that would cause Dunn to get mad and get out of position and give Chase Stillman a breakaway and Dumm to hook him. Chase Stillman would capitalize on the breakaway, putting it five-hole to cut the lead to 4-2. But the Canucks would have a breakdown on a D zone draw, and the Kraken would add one more with Hayden picking it up. The Cnaucks would add a garbage-time goal with Lebate making a great spin pass to Aman, and he would redirect it in to help the Canucks only lose 5-3, but it’s preseason, so wins and losses don’t matter. Overall, there were some good performances from guys like Cootes, Chytil, D Petey, and Mancini, and that gives fans, coaching and management confidence with our depth.
The Canucks returned home (Technically) for their second preseason game against the Flames, icing a Calder Cup-focused lineup that included some key NHL regulars. Calgary pushed early, but Vancouver settled in as Mancini, Willander, and Raty all made strong defensive plays to keep things tight. The breakthrough came on the power play, where Willadner would put one off the post and then Hoglander would clean it up on the rebound to make it 1-0 Canucks. Later, after a board battle win by Bains, Karlsson would find Mancini for the second goal to make it 2-0. Chytil was noticeable throughout, driving play with his line and eventually scoring one himself on the man advantage to extend the lead. The Flames respond quickly on the powerplay, but that would be it for them as the Canucls would take the 3-1 win. Demko looked sharp in his first action, holding Calgary at bay with several strong saves, while later in the game Tolopilo came in and shut the door to protect the lead. Bains and Sasson also chipped in with energetic shifts, while Kravtsov quietly impressed with puck protection and playmaking. In the end, Vancouver earned a solid win (they matter now ;) ), backed by their depth and timely scoring, with Chytil and Mancini standing out as the biggest positives.
In their third game, the Canucks faced the Kraken again, this time with more of their top-end talent in the lineup. The Kraken would strike first, though, with a goal from Nyman as he has our number. The second would start off with a goal for the Kraken as Winterwonm would make a nice play to find Jugnauth for a lead extending 2-0 goal. It would be all Canucks from there as they would be one from Cootes as a Lekkerimaki shot would bounce off him and in to cut the lead to one. Right before the end of the second, I made a note that the Canucks would tie it, and with Pettersson screening Hronek would blast a slapshot in to tie the game. The Canucks would get two more from DeBrusk and Kane, and they would win 4-2. Overall, a good game, and I think that they really showed up when the rust was worked off. Hopefully, that was the case, and they don’t start slow every game, but it was a good win nonetheless
In Canucks news they sent down a lot of players. The list is here: Danila Klimovich, Ty Mueller, Vilmer Alriksson, Chase Stillman, Anri Ravinskis, Chase Wouters, Nikolai Knyzhov, Aku Koskenvuo and Ty Young, Joe Arntsen and Jayden Lee, Parker Alcos, Jiri Patera, Jimmy Schuldt, Joseph Labate and MacKenzie MacEachern. The last four need waivers, but that's it for the news.
Other than that, I’ll see you next week in CanucksLand.