VANCOUVER – It was like an upside-down playoff sport, two groups battling desperately to win close to the mistaken finish of the Nationwide Hockey League standings.
The Vancouver Canucks, a minimum of as a company, have the benefit of readability. They’re final within the league, traded away the perfect participant in franchise historical past six weeks in the past, and have pivoted irrevocably in the direction of a rebuild.
Effectively beneath the playoff bar themselves, the Toronto Maple Leafs nonetheless must resolve what they’re and the place precisely they’re making an attempt to go. White-knuckling their technique to a 3-2 shootout win right here Saturday towards the Canucks was hardly reassuring about their course.
Have a look at the matchup this manner: the Leafs’ second-line centre was John Tavares, and the Canucks’ second-line centre was David Kampf, the castoff who Toronto administration determined wasn’t ok for his or her fourth line.
It took shootout objectives by William Nylander and Auston Matthews to grind out a victory towards this Vancouver workforce that has misplaced 15 of its final 17 video games to buttress its prime seeding for the draft lottery.
“It was hockey sport, effort,” Canucks coach Adam Foote summarized. “We performed towards a determined workforce. It was sport.”
Within the context of the darkest January in franchise historical past, the Canucks’ sport on Saturday was truly fairly nice.
They performed with construction and led after 40 minutes, didn’t look too uncomfortable absorbing the Leafs’ perimeter strain within the third interval, had probabilities to win within the wildy back-and-forth additional time, and misplaced as a result of Matthews and Nylander beat Canuck goalie Nikita Tolopilo within the shootout whereas Elias Pettersson was stopped by Joseph Woll after Jake DeBrusk hit each Toronto posts along with his one shot.
And provided that this was one other in a protracted string of rebuild video games for the Canucks, essentially the most spectacular half for Vancouver was the contribution from prospects who will probably be key to no matter comes subsequent for the franchise.
Rookie defenceman Tom Willander scored from Evander Kane’s good cross-ice move on a rush, and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, the highest ahead prospect within the group, sniped a world-class purpose from buddy and countryman Liam Ohgren’s move after a terrific keep-in by Canuck defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
Ohgren was acquired Dec. 12 from the Minnesota Wild within the Quinn Hughes commerce, however he and Lekkerimaki have been ready three years to play collectively once more – since they have been teammates for Djurgardens in Stockholm.
Ohgren, who turned 22 on Wednesday, and Lekkerimaki, 21, have been so good as junior teammates in Sweden that the Canucks drafted Lekkerimaki 15th general in 2022 whereas the Wild selected Ohgren 19th. Their centre at Djurgardens, Noah Ostlund, went 16th to the Buffalo Sabres.
“To begin with, we’re good mates outdoors (hockey),” Ohgren mentioned after the sport. “That helps so much. We have identified one another for a very long time, performed with one another so much. And I believe my playstyle and his playstyle match fairly good collectively. I’m a tough employee and he performs with a whole lot of velocity. I attempt to win puck battles for him to make performs and, like as we speak, he makes use of his shot.”
Enjoying simply the third sport of his third NHL stint this season, Lekkerimaki shortly loaded and launched a snap shot from the excessive slot that beat Woll stick-side to open scoring at 1:55 of the second interval. It was the primary sport Foote reunited Ohgren and Lekkerimaki, enjoying them beside veteran centre Teddy Blueger.
“Yeah, that has occurred earlier than, I can let you know that,” Ohgren mentioned of his scoring play with Lekkerimaki. “We had a whole lot of these combos again within the day, so now it is enjoyable getting one right here within the NHL as nicely.
“It’s good to get that going once more. I believe we had some good shifts, and we bought that purpose, which was vital. Clearly, it was tremendous enjoyable to play with him.”
Principally as linemates, Ohgren had 33 objectives and 58 factors in 30 video games for Djurgardens’ junior workforce in his draft 12 months, whereas Lekkerimaki had 20 objectives and 35 factors in 26 video games.
Earlier than his recall this week, Lekkerimaki had 10 objectives in 16 video games within the American Hockey League, twice lacking time with accidents. He’s nonetheless in simply his second season of North American Hockey, and Lekkerimaki’s sport on Saturday was solely his 93rd on the NHL or AHL stage. Ohgren has performed 70 NHL video games for Minnesota and Vancouver, and 53 within the AHL.
“I performed so much within the Abby,” Lekkerimaki mentioned of the Abbotsford Canucks farm workforce, “so I’m simply making an attempt to maintain my confidence once I come up right here and attempt to preserve going. Clearly, (scoring) is nice for my confidence. I believed we performed strong, our line.”
Lekkerimaki didn’t play within the closing 9 minutes of the third interval or in additional time. He made a protection mistake on Nicolas Roy’s purpose for Toronto within the second interval. Ohgren, nonetheless, had one shift late within the third interval and two quick twirls in additional time whereas ending with 15:03 of ice time, his third-most as a Canuck. Lekkerimaki logged 12:06.
“It’s extra of the defensive facet of it,” Foote defined of his late deployments. “(Lekkerimaki’s) getting there, for positive. The extra time he’s with us, the extra he’ll know sure issues and the belief will probably be there. It’s simply being younger; it’s not even a mistake. He’s a wise man, he’ll get that fairly fast.”
Each Lekkerimaki and Ohgren suppose the talents and chemistry they developed in junior can translate to the NHL.
“Yeah, I believe so,” Lekkerimaki mentioned. “I imply, our passing sport is de facto good. We all know the place you might be. So, yeah, I believe we are able to construct from this sport and attempt to carry the identical subsequent sport.”
Ohgren mentioned: “I believe we’ll solely get higher and higher, each sport and yearly that we spend collectively. I imply, now we have already spent a whole lot of time collectively enjoying, so if we simply preserve going I believe it may be even higher.”
ICE CHIPS – Tolopilo was down at his publish too early on Max Domi’s tying purpose from the faceoff dot at 2:32 of the third interval, however the Canuck callup made a whole lot of good saves and completed with 39 stops after getting a second straight begin from Foote. . . Kampf had a strong sport towards his former workforce, ending 15-6 on faceoffs. . . Earlier than scoring within the shootout, Matthews and Nylander mixed for 12 pictures for Toronto. Pettersson, who had the second help on Willander’s purpose, had no pictures for Vancouver, and was destroyed 11-1 within the faceoff circle. . . The Canucks’ closing pre-Olympic video games are Monday in Salt Lake Metropolis and Wednesday in Las Vegas.
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