April 25th, 2024
Alex Rickman
Following an impressive performance in game one, the second contest of the Canucks first-round series against the Predators was a far less successful performance, as the Canucks fell 4-1 in a game where they clearly looked like the stronger team. Following this, as well as the news that Thatcher Demko may not be able to play for the rest of this series, how should Canucks fans be feeling? Let’s take a look at what went into the Canucks game two loss and see what we can take away from their performance.
Some were quick to blame Casey DeSmith for the team's loss in game two, which is not a take that I believe in. While DeSmith could potentially have handled the first Nashville goal better, it’s hard not to blame teammates for their next pair. Ultimately, while Demko may have handled things better than DeSmith, as he is undoubtedly the better goalie, you can’t really say in a concrete manner that Thatcher Demko would’ve changed the result of the game for the better. A few factors not named Casey DeSmith are ultimately responsible for the unfortunate result, so the situation in goal should not be the number one concern of Canucks fans.
What killed the Canucks in game two was an inability to finish their chances, due to a combination of strong play from Preds backstop Juuse Saros, missed nets, and an unfathomable 32 blocked shots from Nashville. This impressive shot-blocking performance will be hard for the Preds to replicate, and there are ways for the Canucks to prevent the same thing from happening on Friday night. Calmer play in the offensive zone will be important for the Canucks, as at many moments they looked frantic, or like they were trying to set up the most picture-perfect shot possible. A calmer offensive presence on Friday should do wonders for a Canucks team that looked like they were trying to do too much on Tuesday.
Holding the puck for too long also killed the Canucks offensive chances in game two. By taking that extra second to shoot the puck rather than letting it fly quickly after gaining possession, Nashville was afforded far too many chances to clog up shooting lanes, which ultimately led to their sky-high blocked shot total. If the Canucks are quicker off the draw and can really test Juuse Saros as they did during game one, the Canucks should be favoured to once again get the best of Nashville.
Defensively, Tuesday night was far from the Canucks best performance too. As previously stated, the first goal Nashville scored is hard to blame on anyone, as it took a bounce that would require a highlight reel save from any goaltender, although one could argue that DeSmith played too aggressively to his glove side. However, Nashville’s second and third goals have to mostly be pinned on Noah Juulsen and Elias Pettersson making irresponsible plays. Clean up the play in front of their own net and the Canucks likely win this game, whether it’s Demko or DeSmith manning the goal.
Ultimately, Tuesday night’s contest was a frustrating loss for the Canucks to take, especially coming off the shock of losing Demko to injury, but the team showed encouraging signs that they can win despite the loss of their franchise goalie. Did the Canucks have major problems in game two? Of course, but it’s hard to deny that any of what went wrong won’t be correctable with some practice. Playing a postseason game in Nashville is no easy task, as Bridgestone Arena is one of the loudest venues in the NHL come playoff time, but with how this series has gone so far, the Canucks should still be considered the favourites to move on to the second round.