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Controversial high-sticking call the difference in Canucks loss to Stars

Trevor Beggs
Trevor Beggs
|
Mar 29 2024, 4:39 am
Controversial high-sticking call the difference in Canucks loss to Stars
Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

The Vancouver Canucks had a chance to reclaim top spot overall in the Western Conference on Thursday night.

Instead, they ended up losing 3-1 against the Dallas Stars at Rogers Arena.

The loss puts them three points back of Dallas in the Western Conference standings. The Canucks are still six points up on the Edmonton Oilers for tops in the Pacific Division, although the Oilers have two games in hand.

Vancouver will end their season-long nine-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday afternoon at 12:30pm.

Most of the game was tied until the Stars scored a power play goal with less than four minutes to play.

However, it was their first power play goal of the game which will stand out to Canucks fans.

Stars forward Jason Robertson seemed to knock down the puck with a high stick while the Stars were on the power play. Dallas would go onto open the score the game’s opening marker on a goal by Roope Hintz.

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet challenged the play, but he was unsuccessful.

“I didn’t see the replay until after they called it a goal,” DeSmith said postgame. “That call was really close. I thought we probably could have gotten the bounce on that one. I thought we were going to get it.”

J.T. Miller scored the Canucks only goal of the game, and his name was chanted by the crowd once again.

However, the night wouldn’t end in the Canucks favour, as Victoria, B.C. native Jamie Benn scored the winner on the power play with 3:08 to go in the third period.

Jason Robertson sealed the deal with an empty netter.

Canucks’ Joshua impactful in return

The last time Canucks fans saw Dakota Joshua in a hockey game, he was one of the best skaters on the ice during a 4-2 win over the lowly Chicago Blackhawks.

Seven weeks later in his return, Joshua was still one of the best Canucks skaters on the ice.

The 27-year-old had a team-high six hits in the loss. He was also the first Canucks forward over the boards on the penalty kill, often alongside Teddy Blueger, against the Stars and their ninth-best power play in the NHL.

Midway through the third period, Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen rocked Joshua head-first into the boards during a play in which the Michigan native never had control of the puck.

Joshua went after Heiskanen on the play, but no penalties were assessed.

“I lost my footing,” Joshua said. “I’ll have to go back and look at it again. I know it wasn’t intentional but I wasn’t happy about it.”

Between this play and the Robertson high stick, it was yet another game where Canucks fans could have been mad at the refs. At least Joshua finished the rest of the game for Vancouver.

Oettinger gets upper hand on Canucks

Unfortunately, Thatcher Demko was missing in this contest that could have featured two of the best American goalies in the NHL.

And, as good as DeSmith has been, he isn’t on the same level as Demko or Jake Oettinger.

The Stars netminder is now 1-1-0 against the Canucks this season after the victory tonight.

Stars’ backup Scott Wedgewood was in net when his team beat the Canucks 4-3 in overtime back on December 21st. For Oettinger, November 4th, 2023 likely loomed large in the back of his mind.

The Canucks beat the Stars at Rogers Arena during that game. Oettinger was solid in that contest, but it was his American counterpart Demko who made a couple of Grade-A saves for the Canucks in a 2-0 shutout victory.

Although Oettinger was drafted three years after Demko was in 2014, the two American goalies became starters in the same year back in 2020-21. Both goalies are still two of the best in the game today.

The Canucks and Stars don’t play any more games against each other this season. So, the only way the two netminders will face-off against each other this season would be if the two teams met each other in the Western Conference Finals.

Trevor BeggsTrevor Beggs
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