The Vancouver Canucks now exclusively score in the final minute of periods.
That must be the lesson from Wednesday night’s preseason game against the Calgary Flames, where all four of the Canucks’ goals in a 4-3 win came within a minute of intermission.
It started in the first period, when a Max Sasson pass banked in with 23 seconds left to open the scoring. Then a Jake DeBrusk tip went in with 34 seconds left in the second period. In the third, Daniel Sprong went off with the best preseason goal since Pavel Bure to tie the game with 15 seconds left in regulation.
Even DeBrusk’s gamewinner was scored with less than a minute left in overtime, even though he scored it 58 seconds in — his goal ended overtime so it was, by definition, scored with less than a minute remaining.
It was like they were taking inspiration from their playoff run, when last-minute goals became de rigueur for the cardiac Canucks. Hopefully, that doesn’t become a trend this season — I don’t think my heart could take it.
I had to talk to my doctor about my blood pressure after I watched this game.
- Last year, the Canucks’ preseason game in Abbotsford lacked star power but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday night, as Quinn Hughes put on a show. He was dazzling all game, aided by an opposing Flames team that simply couldn’t keep up with his quick changes of direction and elite puck control. If I was a Flames prospect in that game, I would quit hockey immediately. It was simply unfair.
- “You see him walking the blue or spinning away, it’s just…” said Daniel Sprong, stopping and shaking his head. “I was out there a couple times with him and you just kind of watch and stand there. He’s a Norris winner for a reason. It’s only preseason but he looked great out there tonight…It’s going to be exciting to watch him all season.”
- Canucks fans would love to see Lekkerimäki light the lamp in the preseason but it’s his responsible two-way game that has come as the most pleasant surprise, giving him a firm lampstand on which he can light the lamp in the future. I feel like this lamp metaphor got away from me but the puck didn’t get away from Lekkerimäki on this first period backcheck, as he got to the slot and picked off a backdoor pass.
- After a strong Young Stars Classic and training camp, Max Sasson was less visible than Dr. Jack Griffin in the Canucks’ first preseason game, to the point that I had to doublecheck he was actually in the lineup on Tuesday. He was much better Wednesday night, combining with linemates Kiefer Sherwood and Phil Di Giuseppe for some strong shifts in the offensive zone, with the trio credited with 9 of the Canucks’ 32 shots.
- “I thought our line was creating a lot tonight,” said Sasson. “Sherzy said on the bench, if we keep playing like that, we’ll get one or two.”
- Sasson got one. The play started with Noah Juulsen (who was robbed of a secondary assist) moving the puck ahead to Sasson, who played a quick give-and-go with Sherwood at the blueline to gain the zone, then pulled up at the side of the net and sent a centring pass that never reached Jake DeBrusk. Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf tried to swat the puck away with his stick but Wolf whiffed and the puck deflected in off his skate instead.
- The Flames tied things up early in the second period on a bit of a stinker. It wasn’t a very dangerous-looking shot by Jake Bean but with Cole Schwindt cutting across his eyes at just the right moment, Jiri Patera completely missed the puck with his glove. Patera had a weaker glove than Dick Stuart on that goal.
- We saw the first glimmers of chemistry between Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk in this game and one of the things I liked was that they were killing penalties together too. They’re like a newly-married couple, who think they have to hang out together every single moment (because that’s what they thought married people do). If the chemistry comes together, we’ll see some fireworks this season.
- DeBrusk couldn’t get his stick on Sasson’s pass in the first period but managed to do so on Vincent Desharnais’s shot in the second. He was locked in a battle with Jarred Tinordi, with Tinordi tying up everything except DeBrusk’s stick, which doesn’t make a lot of sense because the vast majority of goals are scored with sticks.
- Even before his ludicrous game-tying goal, Daniel Sprong, like a rusty spring poking out of a mattress, looked dangerous. He fired four shots on goal, missed the net on a couple more, and rung the post with a wicked one-timer coming down the right wing.
- My favourite Sprong moment — at least before his goal — came early in the third period. Sprong’s been known to cheat for offence, so it was funny to see him apply the same thought process to playing better defence. He suddenly bolted back defensively as the Flames were breaking the puck out, essentially doing the opposite of cherry-picking — prune-planting, I guess? — which led to four Canucks back to defend against just three Flames. Hey, it worked. The Canucks won the puck from the out-manned Flames and turned it back up ice.
- This was a tough night for Christian Wolanin, who repeatedly let Flames players get in behind him for breakaways and scoring chances and it cost the Canucks the 2-2 goal. In his defence, he was trying to defend a 3-on-2 after a DeBrusk turnvoer but, not in his defence, that’s kind of his job. Samuel Honzek went to the net and Wolanin didn’t take him, leaving him open to tip in Martin Pospisil’s pass.
- Noah Juulsen was to blame on the Flames’ go-ahead goal, as he chased the puck way across the ice in the neutral zone instead of staying in his position at right defence. That left acres of space for Dryden Hunt to take Andrew Basha’s pass in for a breakaway and a nifty five-hole finish. Was Hunt offside? Maaaaaaaybe. Am I glad there was no coach’s challenge available? Definitely.
- It was a truly terrible read by Juulsen but I can’t be too mad about it because it set the stage for an absolutely gorgeous goal by Sprong. The goal was unassisted but we’ll give a narrative assist to Juulsen for his role as the contagonist.
- The Canucks got a late power play and pulled Patera for the extra attacker, giving them a 6-on-4. But Sprong instead decided it was time to go 1-on-4. He built up speed through the neutral zone and attacked the middle of the ice. Sprong’s speed forced Tinordi to turn his skates to the middle of the ice and Sprong cut back, attacking Tinordi’s heels and bursting through a seam. Suddenly in alone, Sprong evaded a pokecheck by the diving Ilya Solovyov, and tucked the puck around goaltender Devin Cooley. It was a special, special goal.
- “That’s a hell of a goal,” said Rick Tocchet.
- “You try to get open and then you realize he’s just doing his thing and you try to stay out of his way,” said Sherwood. “It was a crazy effort and a big-time goal.”
- “Just a great individual effort. He’s got hands, speed, and that lethal shot everyone talks about — there, he kind of uses them all,” said DeBrusk. “It was a cool goal to see. You don’t really see highlight goals sometimes in preseason, so I was happy about that.”
- "That was really cool," said Sasson.
- “I felt like Quinn out there a little bit, dancing,” quipped Sprong. “Time was running down, I had speed, and then made the move. That’s part of my game — really aggressive off the rush — and I got an opportunity to show that at the end.”
- To cap things off, Hughes, Pettersson, and DeBrusk combined in 3-on-3 overtime for the winner. After Hughes kinda sorta maybe tripped Pospisil in the defensive zone, the trio moved in 3-on-2 at the end of a long shift. Pettersson dropped the puck to Hughes and all three Flames converged on the captain at once, where they were met by Hughes probably saying, “But if you’re here, who’s guarding Hades?”
- No one was guarding Pettersson and DeBrusk, so Hughes slipped a neat backhand pass to Pettersson and he neatly poked it to DeBrusk for the wide open net. Yeah, that’s the good stuff.
- “The first one was kind of luck and the second one was all Petey,” said DeBrusk. “It’s nice to see it go in. Obviously, you want to save some of those for the regular season…You always want to get the first one as fast as possible and kind of go on a roll.”
