February 28th, 2024
Alex Rickman
Tuesday night the Canucks welcomed Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins to town, and I was lucky enough to have the privilege of attending the game accompanied by Ian Clark (Not that one). Following Saturday’s comeback win against the Bruins and sitting atop the league standings at puck drop, the Canucks were coming into the game with some momentum behind them, and while it would not be enough to secure the victory, last night's game was a strong step in the right direction following their recent 4 game losing streak.
The energy inside Rogers Arena was palpable from the beginning last night, as was to be expected with a player like Crosby in town. The Canucks turned this energy into a strong start to the contest, controlling the majority of play early on and striking first after Nils Höglander scored halfway through the first after some sustained pressure in front of the Penguins goal. The Canucks strong period continued with several looks for the new-look power play, with Brock Boeser doubling the Canucks lead off of a quick release shot from the slot that took a fortunate bounce off of a Penguins defender. After choosing to divide the power play personnel into 2 relatively even units rather than stacking the top unit, the Canucks power play looked far improved. Even with only a single goal scored on the man advantage, Vancouver seemed far more in control of things than they have on power plays in recent weeks.
As the horn sounded for the end of the first 20 minutes, the Canucks looked to have things well in control. However, Pittsburgh responded fast as the second frame began, with Rickard Rakell putting a Sidney Crosby pass home just past the 2-minute mark to halve the Canucks lead. This period would continue to be an incredibly evenly matched one, with both teams getting chances of their own held out by the goaltenders. However, the Penguins would get a chance on a 5-on-3, with Rakell once again scoring from a Crosby pass to tie the game. The Canucks, however, responded fast, with JT Miller scoring an incredible short-handed goal to restore the Vancouver lead and bring some energy into the building. As the dust settled on this period, and into the third, something became abundantly clear to all onlookers. Canucks fans know that Miller has been one of the team's best players in recent years, and has been having an incredible 2023-24 campaign, but nobody could’ve predicted just how important Miller, a man many Canucks fans wanted to be traded last season, has become to the Canucks success this year. Miller’s work ethic and leadership are essential to this team's successes, and the fans are well aware, chanting his name as loud as I have ever heard a chant at Rogers Arena after a strong penalty-killing shift in the third period.
Speaking of the third period, this is where the Penguins truly announced their arrival and came out to play. Pittsburgh brought heavy pressure in the Vancouver zone, causing a struggle on the Canucks part to clear the puck and keep pressure off of Thatcher Demko. Eventually, the pressure proved to be too much, as Lars Eller tied the game at 3 with 10:15 to go in the final frame. With a hooking call against Brock Boeser coming not long after this goal, it appeared that the Penguins may be able to complete the comeback in regulation, but the Canucks penalty killers stood tall, thwarting any Penguins' effort to get set up and prompting the crowd to serenade JT Miller, as was mentioned earlier. As the clock wound down and regulation ended, the Canucks had secured a point, which would be enough to ensure that they ended the night leading the President’s Trophy race regardless of how overtime went.
Unfortunately, overtime did not go the Canucks way. After several miraculous saves from Demko on good Pens chances, eventually, the magic ran out, with Erik Karlsson putting a rebound away. It was an unfortunate end to what had been a strong game for the Canucks to not walk away with both points, but the Canucks high energy level, Miller’s penalty killing, and overall play should comfort fans who have been worrying about the team's recent cold stretch. The team will look to claim both points in Thursday night's contest against the LA Kings before heading on a 3 game road trip, where they will face the Ducks, the Kings again, and the Golden Knights. March has the potential to be a big month for this team, so hopefully, they can get things off to a good start on this short road trip.