Blues coach calls out Canucks players for "falling pretty easily"
Wednesday night’s game between the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues was filled with dramatics. The visiting Blues managed to escape with an overtime win, but not without controversy.
Blues captain Brayden Schenn managed to score the overtime winner shortly after knocking Elias Pettersson to the ice. The play had many fans calling for a penalty.
Brayden Schenn called game and ended the Canucks rally đľ pic.twitter.com/NpDvJunY3r
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 25, 2024
However, Blues head coach Drew Bannister clearly saw things differently, calling out the Canucks for not staying on their feet.
“No,” the visiting coach responded when asked if he was expecting a cross-checking penalty on the play. “I saw a lot of guys going down pretty easy tonight. That’s what I saw.”
The overtime hero was also asked about his game-winning play and gave a more neutral answer than his coach.
“It is what it is,” said Schenn after the game. “I feel like I didn’t push him that hard. Maybe it could’ve been a penalty, could’ve went either way, and [referee] François St-Laurent gave me the benefit of the doubt on that.”
While the overtime winner wasn’t called back, there was a Blues goal earlier in the game that was negated due to a cross-checking penalty.
Schenn scored in the second period to give his team a three-goal lead. However, the goal was instantly waved off due to a cross-check by forward Jake Neighbours on Ian Cole in front of the net.
The lead stayed at two and the Canucks eventually came back to force the game into an extra frame.
Canucks broadcast calls Jake Neighbours's goal-disqualifying cross-check
đď¸ John Shorthouse
đ¨ Ray Ferraro#stlblues pic.twitter.com/vIkftEHS67— vhs (@VanHicklestein) January 25, 2024
When asked about the play, Bannister was quick to point out the size difference between players.
“I mean that’s a 6’3″, 220-pound defenceman pushed in the back, I don’t know. That’s the way I saw it. Saw some guys falling pretty easy out there,” said the coach, evidently not in full agreement with the decision made on the play.
The Canucks and Blues have now played all of their scheduled games against each other, so any potential revenge would have to come in the playoffs. As of right now, the Canucks are first in the NHL, while the Blues are sitting just outside a wild-card spot.
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