‘I have seen almost everything, but I have not been through COVID. You learn to deal with the bumps. And if there’s one team that’s too cautious, it would be the Canucks with what they went through last year (COVID outbreak). ‘ – Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau.
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Test. Practice. Pray. Fly.
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It’s the sequential order of business for the vaccinated Vancouver Canucks amid continued COVID-19 caution and the aggressive, fast-spreading Omicron variant that has contributed to postponing 67 National Hockey League games this season.
In a perfect world, the Canucks will continue their daily testing on Tuesday morning with a practice at Rogers Arena, board their charter flight, sit on the runway awaiting confirmation of non-positive cases, and finally arrive in Anaheim to open a three game road trip on Wednesday. against ducks.
The healthy plan is 15 forwards, seven defenders and two goalkeepers, but waiting is the hardest.
Whether it’s veteran defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson or seasoned head coach Bruce Boudreau, there is no blueprint for beating a virus that continues to confuse, evolve and frustrate.
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It’s one thing to prepare physically and mentally for the Ducks after a 12-day hiatus fueled by a five-game postponement. There’s the obvious anticipation of extending a winning streak to seven games with Boudreau at the helm, but how do you condition your brain for the unknown COVID?
NEXT GAME
Wednesday
Vancouver Canucks vs. Anaheim Ducks
7:30 pm, Honda Center. TV: Sportsnet Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet 650.
Imagine testing positive on your next trip and being shoved into a league-mandated seven-day quarantine in a US hotel?
“Over the last two seasons, you’ve gotten a little used to (COVID), but it’s not really about hockey, it’s about mental health,” Ekman-Larsson said Monday after practice. “It kinda kills you to think about it all the time when you’re supposed to play and be good on the ice.
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“And you have to deal with the things that circulate with COVID and there are many things on your mind. We have to try to learn to live with it.
“I think you are uncomfortable all the time right now. You really don’t know what’s going on and you try not to think too much about it and do what we can to keep the virus away. We focus on what we can do to stay healthy, but (COVID) is terrible for us and for everyone in the world.
“We are fortunate enough to play hockey the right way and we want to keep it that way. It’s good that people don’t get too sick and are vaccinated. “
For Boudreau, his focus is Wednesday because he’s caught up in what if? or what-now? scenarios with an uncertain variant do no one any good. On Sunday, the Ducks placed left winger Max Comtois and a staff member on the league’s COVID protocol list. Center Sam Steel tested positive on December 23.
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“I’ve seen almost everything, but I haven’t been through COVID,” Boudreau said. “You learn to deal with the blows. We anticipate going to Anaheim tomorrow (Tuesday). Hopefully we’ll play in Los Angeles (Thursday) and Seattle (Saturday). And if there’s one team in the NHL that’s too cautious, it would be the Canucks with what they went through last year. “
A 6-0-0 record with Boudreau making the decisions by keeping his club upbeat with his outgoing nature and quick wit is a wave the Canucks want to keep riding. But you need more than a cheerful disposition to outwit the opposition.
After their sixth straight win, the Canucks were scoring 3.17 goals per game (13th), allowing just 1.67 per outing (third), they were operating at a 31.3% efficiency rate in the power play. (seventh) and 83.3% in the death penalty (13th).
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The big shots also responded with JT Miller racking up nine points (2-7) in that stretch, while Brock Boeser had seven points (5-2) and Bo Horvat (3-3) and Quinn Hughes (0-6) had six points. each. . This is no accident. It is by design on a system based on rhythm and drive, an aggressive two-man attack, turnovers and low goals. That is where the game is played today.
“The most important thing for me is that the players are not pleased during this break,” warned Boudreau. “We are still close to the bottom of the league and we are not even close to making the playoffs yet. If we are satisfied with what we have done, we will head for disaster.
“We hope that with the practices we will improve as a team.”
Ekman-Larsson applauded the atmosphere that Boudreau creates on a daily basis.
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“Bruce came in with a new energy and it’s easy to say now that (the coach change) was good because we’re on a streak,” said the defender. “But we played good hockey before the change. We can still play better. When you get a new coach, you look different and some players feed off of that. “
OVERTIME: Boudreau said right winger Alex Chiasson, who had a positive rapid test on Sunday, was not on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list on Monday after his daily PCR test. If you tested negative on Monday, you will be in practice on Tuesday. The Canucks can add two players to the temporary taxi squad (teams are allowed a maximum of six) and must disband after Vancouver’s last game (Feb. 1 in Nashville) before the All-Star Game on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas. Taxi squad assignments are subject to transfer requirements and players cannot spend more than 20 cumulative days in the squad.
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