Canucks Notebook: New Penalty Killer Get Creative Message From Next Man Up

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Brock Boeser received the Next Man Bank Alert Monday.

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It was not for a uniform force change or a change in power play. It was a death penalty notice that didn’t work. But he sent a message.

“I told Brock you’re next and he said, ‘Shit, I’m going to kill a penalty,'” said new Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau. “It’s fun. When guys say they want to try it and they give me a chance, you put the responsibility on them and they go out and do what we wanted them to do.

“They are going to have more opportunities. It’s not always going to work that way, but I think we caught them (the opposition) by surprise. “

Welcome to the world of Boudreau, where everything and everyone is subject to review. After all, when you inherit the worst ever penalty in the National Hockey League with a paltry 65.5 percent efficiency, something has to change.

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And he did so in a satisfying 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings, in which the penalty was 2 for 2 and allowed only two shots.

New assistant coach Scott Walker deployed pairs of Tyler Motte with JT Miller, Tanner Pearson with Bo Horvat, Jason Dickinson with Juho Lammikko, and even gave Elias Pettersson and Vasily Podkolzin a brief look that resulted in Pettersson drawing a penalty for a penalty. race to the fold.

“Obviously, sitting was not working, so we changed it and gave him other opportunities to do it,” said Boudreau, adding Tuesday that Quinn Hughes will also see penalty time on Wednesday. “I think they accepted it.”

Part of the logic of the death penalty is to involve fast, skilled and attractive players. Other clubs do that, so why not the Canucks? New looks and incentive to contribute to a total victory of the team works on the ice, the bench and in the hall.

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“Offensive guys put pressure on (power plays) and with a lot of good teams, their best offensive players are also their best killers, and they get more time on the ice and feel more involved,” Boudreau said. “It’s a good thing, as long as they are committed to doing the right thing defensively.

“If they are going to look for goals and cheat, they are not going to do it. For Petey to take the penalty, he was in a perfect position and forcing. He didn’t score, but it was a great job defensively. “

Loss of the bank manager’s name

Boudreau is learning names and nicknames, and Monday was an adventure.

“I told them, ‘Who’s there? I have no idea, who is out there? Boudreau said laughing. “It was not easy. I’ll get to know them more, but they are four new lines for you. It’s a bit of a whirlwind, but there were a lot of people at the bank helping me.

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“Especially when you’re executing four series of forward death penalties and we’re trying to change every 25 or 30 seconds. (New assistant Scott) Walker kept on track and when you have good help, it’s easier. “

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