Bruins 3, Canucks 2: For One Night On A Big Stage, It Was About The Game, Not The Noise

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The Vancouver Canucks would like to be operating in a vacuum.

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The struggling National Hockey League club prefers to pronounce that it is unaffected by events or outside influences in an attempt to find traction in a season that has reached the ditch. That is simply not the case because the noise for change is getting louder and harder to ignore, whether you are the coach, the general manager, or the players.

Since the property takes more time to screen prospective hockey operations department candidates for expected change, it doesn’t sit well with those eager for change and singles out the pitiful Montreal Canadiens. They fired general manager Marc Bergevin and assistant general manager Trevor Timmins on Sunday and hired Jeff Gorton as executive vice president of hockey operations to begin the search for a replacement for Bergevin.

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In Vancouver, they are still crickets. But that’s okay.

For a day, it seemed appropriate to move that simmering pot of debate over what the Canucks should do to the back burner and turn the heat down. After all, they were in Boston, where tragedy and triumph unfolded on one of the league’s legendary venues.

The heartache of the 2010 Stanley Cup final setback and the euphoria of a wild 8-5 win three years ago at TD Garden linger on the banks of memory for good reason. Bruins are always a litmus test. They are good. They like scrums. Brad Marchand loves to skate above the line of what is acceptable and is always an expert at stealthy movements.

So a 3-2 comeback from the Bruins was a refreshing reminder that rivalries still exist and that old-school physical hockey still has a place in today’s game.

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When Tyler Motte was frustrated on a low-handed getaway midway through the third period, before Marchand pounced on a loose puck in a mosh pit to make it 2-2, it seemed something appropriate.

The stage was set for a strong corner kick from behind by Oliver Ekman-Larsson over Anton Blidh which led to a boarding call. Then David Pastrnak was left unattended at the far post to accept a feed from Marchand. And with Jaroslav Halak making 39 saves, the Canucks nearly stuck the tie score in the final minute.

Here’s what we learned when the Canucks 6-14-2 got goals from Tanner Pearson and Conor Garland:

GARLAND KEEPS GRINDING

The Canucks played with rhythm. They hit the net. And they had a power play goal from Garland in the first period, in which Pearson set the perfect screen, returned the call in a successful offside challenge with Nils Hoglander who was unable to drag his right skate to stay on the line. blue.

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Pearson opened scoring on the power play as he and Brock Boeesr went hard to the net. When goalie Linus Ullmark juggled a shot, Pearson was there with stick and slide to score just the sixth time the Canucks have scored first this season. It also ended a 0-for-11 power play funk on the road.

Garland was rewarded in the second period when Jason Dickinson created a turnover in the offensive zone and then set up a screen before Garland passed everyone to put the Canucks up 2-1. It would end with five shots and seven attempts. For Dickinson, who was also frustrated on a breakaway in the first period, it was an overall best effort.

“I don’t think we gave up,” Dickinson said. “It is not impossible to change things now, instead of later and at least give ourselves a chance. That is all we can ask for at this time. I don’t think it’s a group that’s ready to give in. “

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Still, the Canucks need more offense from their bigger guns.

Boeser has one goal in his last 11 games and one point in his last nine. Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson have one goal in their last 10 games and Pettersson only one assist in their last nine. He did sound like a power play effort in the first period from the post and had a huge boost in second and third quarter chances.

HALAK IN THE FOLD

With back-to-back games, the little-used Halak had a chance to hit their old club. Unsurprisingly, he looked shaky at first after not playing since Nov. 14 in Anaheim.

He was beaten on the Bruins’ fourth shot when he leaned to the right and Blidh unleashed a shot to the wrist that went under the backrest glove, looking disgusted with his effort to hit the puck.

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However, Halak improved and survived the first-period riots and a Thomas Nosek goal effort in the second period that was disallowed. His rebound control improved.

The Canucks have seven more straight sets and will need Halak to channel last season.

Halak had his moments during the compact season of COVID-19. He started strong as a backup for Bruins starter Tuukka Rask, but couldn’t keep up the momentum.

He was especially smart in his first five starts with a brilliant .938 saving percentage, but consistency in his game then waned. His save percentage started to drop and instead of conceding two goals per start, it became three and then more. Lingering injuries played as big a role as the timing and catch of COVID-19 at the end of the season and the two-week absence.

The virus affected his comeback and he lost the backup spot to rookie Jeremy Swayman for the postseason. Halak would finish with a 9-6-4 record, 2.53 goals against average and .905 save percentage.

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