Canucks 6, Senators 4: From lethargy to determination to win

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Kanata Ont — It wasn’t easy to suggest that the Vancouver Canucks had no compromises on Tuesday.

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How is it possible? For events on the ice or in the public eye, it was either all-in or out completely.

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After losing 30-10 at one point, they had a big 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators.

As shots of hockey tactics flew across the bow — President Jim Rutherford publicly questioned the structure, poor camp and poor start again Monday afternoon, while Bruce Boudreau announced his coaching and He replied in defense of his players — it was a strange kind of appointed viewing.At the Canadian Tire Center.

Ultimately, the focus was to begin a pivotal five-game road trip by distributing struggling Senators who lost five games in a row and were ripe for picking.

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However, if your boss questions your commitment to playing a full game, it will have the desired effect to prove the hockey emperor wrong, or the player will know when the next skate drops. It can have the opposite effect of making you wonder. organizational change.

Captain Bo Hobatt scored two goals for a team-high total of 12, saying: “We did a great job of stopping it tonight, maybe fueled up a little bit, a little way to madness. There may have been,” he said.

Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau was fueled by a third-period push that has often been lacking this season, and a collective determination to keep the hockey operator’s story from getting to them.

“They were just determined,” he said of his players. “I know the character of the players, they want to win.

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Finding a way to win wasn’t easy.

“Our plan was to get[the puck]behind their defense and beat them in the third,” added Boudreau. “We weren’t skating at all (first half), but when we got deep, there was only one guy in.

“It was easy for them to break out. In the third, we had two guys come in and take back the puck and get O-zone time, but that made a big difference. Always chasing the game. I’m not playing from behind.”

Here’s what the Canucks learned as they improved to 4-6-3.

good goal, great goal

In it, the Canucks finally managed to find a way to find their game, maxing out Spencer Martin’s 37 saves and other goals by Ilya Mikheev, Brock Vozer, Jack Stadnica and Elias Petterson’s empty nets. We made the most of it and played an unlikely match. win.

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Horvat knew he was going to give life to the Canucks after slamming an Ethan Bear wrist-shot rebound into the net in the final minute of the first period and scoring a goal in the first minute.

And, again against full flow in the second period, Mikheyev took a pass with speed, crossed the crease and went from backhand to forehand to make it 2-2. Hobatt shot again in the third period winner after receiving a pass from Conor his Garland. Conor Garland stripped the puck and fed the captain at the top of the crease for his team-leading 12th goal.

“It wasn’t the start we wanted, it wasn’t the best win, but we’ve played a lot of good games this year and haven’t played a single one.” keep it low.

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“I’m happy to win. Start, I can’t put my finger on it. It’s been a long travel day and a change of hours, but it’s been so much better after I stepped in. We’re mentally tough. It’s been a lot of mental grind this year and we’ve made a lot of mental mistakes.

“We had no doubts that we weren’t going to lose this game and we did a great job in the third period. We didn’t make it easy for Spencer, but he did it for us. He closed the door for me.”

As for his explosive tally of eight goals in his last five games, Horvat finished strong last season before he got injured.

“There were times when I was confident in myself and I was really lucky to start again this year.

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By simply increasing his value in a contract extension stalemate, he gains more clout in all his goals and puts management in a position to respond.

“I want to play hard and prove that I can be a leader, I can score, I can be a 200-footer. It’s all the little things,” he stressed. “I’ve always been told[in the past]that I’m too slow or not a top-six forward. I’m just trying to prove people wrong.”

Boser also hit a point shot at the top of the crease in the first game after recovering from a wrist cut that didn’t heal properly after surgery.

But then Tim Stutzl struck out on a power play, Jacques Stadnica scored, and Claude Giroud scored on a power play before scoring a nail-biting finish. Elias Pettersson then scored an empty net.

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Martin to Emotional Rescue

The rationale to play Martin on Tuesday and save Thatcher Demko in Montreal on Wednesday was a smart choice.

Boudreau went on numbers that showed Demko made 33 saves in a 2–1 win at Bell Center on 29 November 2021. Peterson and Garland scored as the Canucks hit Jake Allen with 42 shots.

It was the Canucks’ first regulation win in 19 games against the Canadiens through October 27, 2015, and also the first regulation win in 16 games in Montreal through January 16, 2007. .

On Tuesday, Martin hit his own stellar numbers and made a string of saves to keep the club in the game. He didn’t have to fight for victory. His first 40 minutes in particular had a series of glorious stops.

“But we make mistakes,” warned Martin. “His second goal for them (long Travis his harmonic his slapper far side) was terrible but they were there when I made a mistake and vice versa .

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“I have been in this situation many times before. , was to not look at the past.

“But I can do a better job. , I found a way to close it out with three periods.”

It started with a late penalty stopping Drake Bazarson from a partial break and holding his position when Bazarson was allowed to complete a give-and-go for a tight chipping chance. Then, he kept the Canucks on a no-stick, expansive Snow Angel sequence, saving Brady Tkachuk twice, one on the blocker’s shortside, and the other by unmasking him.

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Its start is not so smart

It took the Senators 50 seconds to open the scoring.

Much can be said about the period in which the Canucks displayed poor positioning and pack management. On their lone power play, nothing gave up two short-handed chances and enough bad passes to last the entire game.

When Alex Devlincat beat Tyler Myers into the pack in the corner and found an open bazaarson in the slot, his shot beat the broad Martin across the board.

Bear and Jack Rathbone made a coverage adventure to all DeBrincat and got a pristine chance at the top of the slot.

About that power play

It should be a dagger, not an anchor.

If the Canucks were in any favor of the Senators, it was their third ranked power play.

But it didn’t look like one Tuesday. There was a first period opportunity to overpass and try to thread the needle, giving the Senators zero shots and two short-handed chances.

The second period advantage yielded two shots, none of the dangerous kind, but the third period chance ended in Elias Petterson’s fumble.

bkuzma@postmedia.com
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