Rathbone leaves the Canucks with a goal in a 3-1 victory over the Stars

The Dallas Stars are supposed to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference, by five goals in the NHL. But Saturday night in Dallas, the starlight looked pretty dim as they struggled to put anything together against a team far below them in the standings: the Vancouver Canucks.

To be fair, this isn’t the same Canucks team whose dreadful start landed them in the basement of the Western Conference. These Canucks are revitalized under a new coach, who has them defend and attack as a unit. These Canucks have teamed up with elite goaltenders. These Canucks don’t have their boat anchor for an overpaid defenseman in the lineup.

The Stars didn’t get along well with these Canucks. The teams that have given the Canucks the most trouble are attacking quickly and checking, giving them no time to break through. Not the stars, they are a little more methodical in their approach.

Methodically matching up the Stars at every turn, the Canucks marched steadily and steadily to their third consecutive win over the Stars this season.

Buoyed by a quiet schedule, the improving Canucks are 8-2-0 in their last ten games, with ten games remaining on the schedule. If they tied the same record in their last five games, they would finish the season with a 41-36-5 record, good for 87 points.

Before anyone asks, no, that wouldn’t be enough to make the playoffs. The Winnipeg Jets, who are currently in second place, have 85 points. But it could put them in the top 20 in the NHL.

This is important as it would give them the 13th best prospect in the draw.

The team with the 13th-best odds has already won – or at least it was one of the teams that did. In 2017, the Philadelphia Flyers broke their record, dropping from 13th to 2nd overall.

Under new preliminary lottery rules introduced in 2022, teams can advance up to a maximum of ten points just by winning the preliminary lottery. This means that if the Canucks continue to strive to finish the season and finish 20th in the NHL, they will not be able to earn the first overall pick or even the second overall pick, even if they unexpectedly win the spell.

Given the Canucks’ history of bad luck, it would be appropriate if the only time they won the lottery was the only time they were unable to secure a first overall pick.

These are important games in the latter part of the season, the Canucks said. They’re trying to create a culture where Rick Tucci seeks to instill his values ​​in players and get them ready for the off-season. They fight with their feet to win every game, and their best players take big minutes in pursuit of moral victories.

It better be worth it. I watched this game.

• With multiple injuries on the blue line, Jack Rathbone was called up from the Abbotsford Canucks. His ice time was very limited—only 9:14 played—and he was protected by the two best All-Stars, but even with those warnings he had a solid game. Not just because he scored a goal, even though he had an assist, but because he was quick in the digs and efficient with the puck. I hope this gives him more chances to prove himself to finish the season.
  
• Vasily Podkolzin had the chance to play with Elias Peterson and Andrey Kuzmenko and it didn’t go well. Podkolzin has played well with Pettersson in the past with Nils Höglander being the third player in line, but Podkolzin seemed completely out of sync with his teammates this game. His passes were not connected and they struggled to create anything offensively. Like a computer mouse covered in honey, it didn’t click.
  
• The stars ranked first on the board. Vitaly Kravtsov was caught watching the puck in the points, leaving him in no-man’s-land as Wonder Woman when Tyler Seguin made a perfectly weighted bank pass off the boards to Ryan Suter at the time. Sutter set a stopwatch and Kravtsov was not close enough to enter the firing lane. All Kravtsov could do was reach out, which only resulted in the puck deflecting off Demko’s glove.
  
• While Kravtsov was partially responsible for the game, it was still not very lucky. The real problem is that Kravtsov hasn’t made much of an impression as a Canuck, showing flashes of potential here and there, but little else. He had an ice-low time of 6:48, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him scratch for Aidan McDonough on Sunday.
  
• Since returning from injury, Thatcher Demko has been playing like a starter – and he is. It’s totally debatable with a bit of riding in these games, especially when there’s always a risk of another injury, like when Luke Glendening collided with Demko in the first half. It was nerve-wracking to see Demko shake his leg afterward, but he was fine. But maybe let’s give Delia some extra starts over the next 10 games. just an idea.
  
• Late in the first half, Nils Ohmann and Dakota Joshua proved that JT Miller and Elias Peterson aren’t the only ones who can make short runs. Auman pressed hard on Jimmy Bean and caught a pass, making it 2-for-1 as Joshua jumped into his path. Uman crossed Joshua early and broke the barrier as Jimmy Collins.
  
• There was a strange delay early in the second period as the star-shaped floodlights were obscured, literally giving the feeling of center ice stars on the ice, but with less triple salts. Unable to put them out, they decide to play with the extra lights that light up the neutral zone. Unfortunately, neither player stood above a star facing the opener to create an NHL94 moment.
  
• Brock Boozer gave the Canucks the lead early in the second half. In a hurry, he fed GT Miller on the outside, then cleverly slammed on the brakes like Lorraine Laveaux to drive a huge wedge between himself and Miro Heiskanen. Miller flipped the puck and Bowser had plenty of room for a quick catch that knocked everything off Heiskanen’s stick to beat Matt Murray.
  
• Filip Hronek picked up his first point as a Canuck on a Boeser goal because the NHL is so generous with second assists. Don’t get me wrong, Hronek made a great play to break up the Stars rush and start Boeser another way – something we seem to see regularly from Hronek – but it was funny to me when players get a second pass when there are multiple passes after that between players who get The goal and the basic pass. If it’s the KHL, for example, Hronek won’t get any help for this game.
  
• Rathbone extended the lead with the second goal of his NHL career. It was a nice passing game, as Kuzmenko started things off with a plate pass to Peterson in the no-man’s land, then Peterson returned the favor with a cross to Kuzmenko in the attacking zone. With too much body between him and the net, Kuzmenko decided not to shoot—he couldn’t risk hitting the best shooting percentage in the league—and instead heard Rathbone hit the ice hard asking for the pass. Rathbun crushed the only clock in front of Murray to make it 3-1.
  
• With the second pass, Peterson extended his score streak to 11 games. The love stories told by athlete John Boapeterson are very good.
  
• The Canucks put Filip Hronek and Quinn Hughes on the first powered unit and flew against it all as four forwards and one defenseman. By far the most effective method for man in the power game. With Hronek shooting and Hughes playing, there is some logic to try, but holding onto two defenders when the Canucks got a 5-on-3 was frustrating, especially since the Canucks didn’t use the game’s leading scorer, Andriy Kuzmenko, in this situation. Like a retail teller after Canada scrapped currency, it didn’t make much sense.
  
• Unsurprisingly, the Canucks didn’t go 5-on-3. In fact, they have yet to score in a single 5-on-3 game all season, one of only four teams not to score with a two-man advantage. The Canucks lead the league with 14 shorthanded goals, but they can’t score at 5-3.
• Not much happened in the third period, which is to the credit of the Canucks, who completely silenced the stars. It’s been a dull time in hockey compared to the excitement of a Canucks continually giving up a multi-goal lead earlier in the season, but it may have been a boon for the players and coaching staff.
  
• There was one notable moment: Brock Bowser hit the ice late in the third. Of course, the officials disagreed on the ice, calling it ice anyway, but Boozer definitely won the push and had the body position. It didn’t matter, since the Stars couldn’t take advantage of the offensive zone tackle, but for a guy who was criticized by Canucks fans for his skate, it’s a pity he wasn’t rewarded for his hustle this game.
  
• A big thumbs up from Brian Burke for much of the break on Hockey Night in Canada to discuss the issue of Pride Nights and the players and teams who have chosen not to wear Pride jerseys. Burke was blunt and direct in his comments, explaining the purpose of the shirts.

• Ron McClain, on the other hand, doesn’t get flicks for the bizarre way the waters reversed during the clip, even bringing up the massive rot and nonsense of substitution theory – a white supremacist conspiracy theory – and suggesting there must be a “middle ground” or “middle ground” with These ideologies.It was really amazing to hear that from MacLean and kudos to Burke to immediately bring things back on topic.