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SixPack: Who are these guys? Canucks blow out the Capitals

Nick Bondi
Nick Bondi
|
Oct 27 2017, 10:51 am
SixPack: Who are these guys? Canucks blow out the Capitals

Rebuild’s over folks.

Well maybe that’s not true, but it’s been a long time since the Canucks had such a big margin of victory — a legit blowout.

The Canucks power play found its groove with three goals, Brock Boeser had three assists, and Derek Dorsett scored his sixth goal of the season. The Canucks beat the Capitals 6-2, and Vancouver has now won four in a row.

1. Canucks power play powerless no more

What’s the saying again? When it rains, it pours?

Very appropriate for a city like Vancouver, and on Thursday the power play goals came down like a torrential downpour. There was a beautiful between the legs pass from Sven Baertschi to Bo Horvat to make it 2-0.

With Baertschi screening in front, the Canucks got a lucky bounce to make the score 4-0.

Then it was Baertschi again, after some good work by Boeser and Horvat.

Coming into this game, the Canucks power play was clicking at 10%. It’s jumped all the way to 15.9%. Maybe, just maybe, it’s finally turned the corner.

2. Derek is Vancouver’s Ovi

Back in the SixPack from October 22nd against the Detroit Red Wings, Omar ran a section called Dorsett is Vancouver’s Ovi.

Very prophetic if you ask me.

Playing against Washington’s Ovi, Dorsett scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season.

Ovechkin? He didn’t score at all. Dorsett > Ovi, confirmed.

Look, in all seriousness, we all know this goal scoring streak won’t last forever. Dorsett currently has a 14.29 shooting percentage and is on pace for over 50 goals if he somehow manages to keep this up. Whatever your thoughts about him are, this is a legitimately good story on a team that hasn’t had too many over the past couple of years.

3. No doubt who should be the top line

Canucks Twitter account is still calling the Sedins the top line, I see…

The line of Daniel-Henrik-Virtanen played 9:24, 9:22, and 9:34 respectively at even strength. Only Vanek played less.

No, the top line — at least at even strength — was Granlund-Sutter-Dorsett at 16:42, 16:31, and 14:49.

As much as I love seeing Dorsett find his scoring touch after 500 NHL games, you have to play the combo of Baertschi, Horvat, and Boeser more at even strength.

They lit it up on the power play tonight, and if you’re Travis Green, shouldn’t you give them more of a chance to see what they can do at 5-on-5? Boeser is having a Calder Trophy-worthy season (which we’ll get to later) and in the grand scheme of things, this season is about building towards the future.

Play the kids.

4. Ben Hutton, top four defenceman?

The latest back and forth debate surrounding the Canucks concerns Ben Hutton. Is he a legit top-four defenceman or not?

Perhaps Ben searches his name on Twitter because he had a solid game tonight.

He posted a 57.58 Corsi For% at even strength tonight while playing the second most at even strength at 18:15. He managed to get his shot through on Baertschi’s first goal of the game too.

He and Tanev looked to have formed a solid pairing. While it’s still early, I’m buying Hutton as a top-four d-man.

5. Calder Trophy watch

Don’t look now but Brock Boeser is now in the top five of NHL rookie scoring.

His three assists tonight put him just two behind Clayton Keller for the rookie scoring lead. But what the points don’t tell you is that Boeser has not had as much ice time compared to many of his peers — a product of sitting the first two games that looks absolutely foolish now.

Boeser has had 122.8 minutes of ice time in all situations so far. Only Adrian Kempe has less. In contrast, Clayton Keller has 197.65. He’s averaging over 19 minutes a night, far more than what Boeser is getting.

At the beginning of the month, I wrote about how all the things that had to go right for Boeser to win the Calder. He’s easily capable of getting 20-25 goals — he just needs some help from the coaching staff to get the necessary ice time to do so.

6. SixPack Superstar

When you make a no-look, backwards skate save to prevent a goal, you’ve earned SixPack Superstar status.

Beautiful stuff from Chris Tanev.

See also
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