Canucks Takeaways: Delia sharp, Hughes and Petterson keep scorching vs. Geese

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Rancho Cucamonga cowabunga!

It’s possible you’ll not admire that lede until you’re Collin Delia or a Teenage Mutant Turtle. Go forward, Nobel laureates for literature, criticize if you want. 

However bear in mind, Sunday’s 2-1 win over the Anaheim Geese was Recreation 69 for the Vancouver Canucks, who’re two months into rubbish time, and these are our third post-game “Takeaways” in 4 nights. So lower us some slack, and present just a little respect for Delia, the backup goalie who grew up a couple of half-hour northeast of the Pond in Anaheim and on Sunday, in his first begin since Feb. 21, stopped 17 of 18 photographs for his first win since Feb. 9.

Delia got here inside seven minutes of turning into the primary California-born goalie to publish a Nationwide Hockey League shutout in his dwelling state. The Californian who may need finished it by now, Thatcher Demko, watched Delia from the Canucks’ bench after beginning 5 straight video games, together with Saturday’s inconceivable 3-2 shootout win towards the Los Angeles Kings.

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Enjoying for the second time in lower than 24 hours, the Canucks dominated the Geese to increase their successful streak towards California groups to 10 video games.

Anaheim generated solely 11 even-strength photographs and was outshot 21-5 and outscored 2-0 by the Canucks within the first 25 minutes. Vancouver’s defensive gem got here after the Kings peppered Demko with 40 photographs and held the Canucks to simply six photographs on web via 48 minutes.

Pictures on Sunday completed 40-18 for the Canucks. However as a result of Geese goalie John Gibson was so sharp, Delia additionally wanted to be. He obtained throughout his web to cease Trevor Zegras’ baseball line drive within the second interval, when he additionally stuffed Frank Vatrano on a breakaway.

The one puck that beat him was a financial institution shot by Ryan Strome that dribbled via Delia with 6:50 remaining after Canuck J.T. Miller had the puck bounce over his stick when he was going to attempt stickhandling out of hazard close to the Vancouver web.

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However Miller additionally rocketed a missile previous Gibson to open scoring on a delayed penalty at 9:05 of the primary interval, earlier than Elias Pettersson made it 2-0 on an influence play at 1:31 of the second with an unscreened and unstoppable wrist shot over the goalie’s shoulder from the right-wing faceoff dot.

The Canucks have received seven of their final eight video games to inch nearer to .500 (31-33-5) and farther from Connor Bedard (generational draft prospect who would like to play at dwelling in Vancouver).

Vancouver opens a two-game homestand Tuesday towards the Vegas Golden Knights.

GREAT PLAYERS IN GRATING SEASON

Pettersson’s objective and help moved him right into a tie for seventh in NHL scoring with 88 factors in his 67 video games. And his 33^rd objective is a brand new career-high for the 24-year-old centre. With 13 video games remaining, Pettersson ought to change into the primary Canuck to surpass 100 factors since Henrik and Daniel Sedin received their NHL scoring titles in 2010 and 2011. 

When he hits his spot, his shot seems to be unstoppable nowadays – and so does Pettersson. In opposition to the Geese, even-strength photographs have been 11-2 when he was on the ice. On a workforce that has been outscored by 25 objectives this season, Pettersson is plus-14 and has maintained constructive metrics throughout the analytics board. Regardless of the Canucks’ disappointing season, Pettersson deserves to be on some Selke Trophy ballots this spring.

After which there’s Quinn Hughes, whose pair of assists on Sunday made him the primary NHL defenceman to publish consecutive 60-assist seasons since Corridor-of-Famers Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey final did it 29 years in the past. Let that sink in. Bourque and Coffey received eight Norris Trophies between them.

In his profession, Hughes’ 0.76 assists per sport are the third-most in league historical past, behind solely Coffey ( 0.81) and Bobby Orr (0.98). Take into consideration that, too. At age 23, Hughes will not be solely already the very best defenceman the Canucks have ever had, however on tempo to be probably the most elite creators of offence from the blue line in NHL historical past.

Caught on the West Coast, taking part in for what has been a foul workforce, Hughes will get little love outdoors his personal market. There’s a defensive bias towards him. Perhaps a dimension bias, too. However like Pettersson, Hughes additionally drives possession and is a team-leading plus-16. Two years in the past, he was minus-24. The Canucks have outscored opponents 82-63 at five-on-five with Hughes on the ice.

His all-world agility and elusiveness, in addition to his offensive expertise, have been apparent since Hughes was a runner-up to Cale Makar because the 2020 rookie of the yr. To be an elite defenceman, Hughes simply wanted to be just a little higher defensively, and he has been far more than that since Rick Tocchet took over as coach two months in the past.

“I believe he’s simply been a terrific chief,” Tocchet mentioned Sunday. “I haven’t actually seen a foul sport out of him. He’s very constant. Clearly, the assists are nice and his breakouts are unbelievable. The Coffeys or the world, (Scott) Niedermayer and Bourque, they’re nice breakout guys. He’s climbing that ladder. I don’t wish to give it to him but, however he’s climbing that ladder.”

LINE CHANGE

Winger Vitali Kravtsov returned to the Canucks lineup after sitting out Saturday, whereas Jack Studnicka went again to the press field. Tyler Myers, who missed Saturday’s sport as a consequence of sickness, logged 20:26 upon his return Sunday.

Anthony Beauvillier led the Canucks with 5 photographs on the right track, and defenceman Noah Juulsen had a team-high 5 hits. Apart from his objective and help and 4 photographs, Miller went 14-8 within the faceoff circle.

QUOTEBOOK

Tocchet: “Whenever you don’t play nicely, you at all times search for gamers which have responses. And I noticed some good response with some gamers that weren’t engaged final evening. That’s what the sport is all about. . . having the ability to reply if issues don’t go your method.”

Extra from Sportsnet

Canucks Takeaways: ‘Bubble Demko’ type continues as goalie exhibits brilliance vs. Kings

Canucks Takeaways: A deserved however well-timed loss vs. Coyotes

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