Canucks can’t keep rolling, fall 5-1 to Boston

On Saturday night, the Vancouver Canucks welcomed back former players Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov in their 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. Brad Marchand, Morgan Geekie, Pavel Zacha, Marc McLaughlin and David Pastrnak scored for the Bruins, while Max Sasson scored the lone goal for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko made 24 saves on 29 shots, while his opponent for the night, Jeremy Swayman, stopped 19 of 20.

This morning was peppered with calls from Abbotsford – some expected, and some unexpected. Goalkeeper Artūrs Šilovs was urgently recalled to Vancouver to fill in for the ill Kevin Lankinen. Derek Forbort also dropped out of the game due to illness, while Erik Brännström came into the lineup. On the other side of the ice, Lindholm skated for the Bruins after speculation that he would miss the game due to injury.

The match got off to a bad start for Vancouver, as the team failed to generate many high-quality chances. As in every game against the Bruins, Canucks fans booed Marchand whenever the puck was on his stick, a move that ultimately came back to haunt them. A cross-check penalty on Tyler Myers resulted in a power-play goal scored by Marchand, who put a hand to his ear as fans continued to boo him. Before the game, Boston’s power play ranked 32nd in the NHL at 12.6%.

Boston managed to keep the puck for most of the period, taking advantage of both their power play and even their power opportunities. They led 9-1 in shots just under 10 minutes into the game. The score quickly shifted to 2-0 after Pastrnak found Geekie across Demko’s crease. By the time the first 20 minutes of the game were over, Boston led 16-4 in shots.

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It was Brännström’s first game back after sitting out the past two games. He started the game pairing with Mark Friedman, but the two seemed somewhat disjointed when playing together. Brännström was later moved to pair with Myers.

The scoring didn’t stop in the first. After an early spark of possession in the offensive zone by Vancouver, a breakdown in coverage allowed Pastrnak to slide the puck to Pavel Zacha, who buried the puck to make Boston’s lead 3–0. On the first power play of the game for the Canucks, the shots were 2-0 for the Bruins. By the end of the second period, the shots were 24-16 for Boston.

Although this was only Demko’s second game since April 21, he was arguably the Canucks’ best player tonight, even with the score in mind. As usual, he made save after save to keep his team as close to a win as possible. It was as if Vancouver were settling back into the comfortable position they occasionally adopt with Demko in net.

The third period started with both teams trailing by a man due to an altercation between Marchand and JT Miller at the end of the second period. Within seconds, Pastrnak scored his first goal of the game and his fourth point of the night, making the score 5-0 in Boston. As much as Demko tried to keep his team in it, especially making a save on Cole Koepke’s breakaway, there was only so much he could do.

The outcome of the match was nothing to celebrate, but the evening was not completely devoid of cheers. Just over ten minutes into the third, Sasson scored his first NHL goal, and the only one for the Canucks tonight. Sasson’s play has been respectable since he was called up from Abbotsford (the first time). He currently has one goal and four assists in 10 games played. In a match full of criticism, Sasson’s first goal was a bright spot.

Facts and statistics

– JT Miller passes Bo Horvat in points as a Canuck with 421 and takes the sole position of 11th in franchise history

– Elias Pettersson passes Gerry O’Flaherty in games played in franchise history with 436

-Tyler Myers passes Donald Brashear in games played with 388, tying Dan Hamhuis for 42nd in franchise history

Score overview:

1st Period

5:11 – BOS: Brad Marchand (13) by Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak (PPG)

8:08 – BOS: Morgan Geekie (5) by David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha

2nd Period

1:12 – FOREST: Pavel Zacha (8) by David Pastrnak and Jordan Oesterle

11:48 – FOREST: Marc McLaughlin (1) from Andrew Peeke

3rd Period

0:26 – BOS: David Pastrnak (11) by Charlie McAvoy and Pavel Zacha

10:13 – FROM: Max Sasson (1) by JT Miller

Next:

The Canucks wrap up their six-game homestand with a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, December 16. Fans will see two defensemen competing against Norris, Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar, battle it out on the ice. The Puck Drop is scheduled for 7:30 PM