Auston Matthews pays Canucks unexpected compliment
It’s been quite the wild 12 months for the Vancouver Canucks. The team has impressed in almost every facet, and areas that were once their most pressing weaknesses are now their strengths.
Case in point: not many fans would have predicted a year ago that the Canucks would become the type of team that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews would shout out, but that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday night.
The Maple Leafs had just beaten the Winnipeg Jets 1-0 in a hard-fought overtime win. When asked if they’ve faced a team as tight-checking as the Jets this season, the NHL’s leading goal scorer immediately had two other options come to mind, including the Canucks.
“I thought Vancouver played really tight, there’s been a few teams, LA,” said Matthews during postgame media.
The Jets are coming off a streak of 35 straight games with three or fewer goals allowed. For the Canucks to be mentioned in the same breath shows that they’re being recognized as an elite defensive team.
The Canucks and Maple Leafs battled last week at Rogers Arena. The home team managed to come out victorious, holding Matthews to zero goals in a 6-4 win.
The fact that the Canucks were the first team mentioned by the superstar shows the effect that Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has had since arriving in town.
When Bruce Boudreau was fired last season, the Canucks ranked 31st in goals against across the entire NHL. Their defensive structure could have been described as anything from “loose” to “nonexistent.”
Fast forward almost exactly 12 months, and the Canucks have completely flipped the script.
The team is now second in goals-against per game, ranking only behind the Jets. They’re also tied for the league lead with six shutouts and are now getting shoutouts from one of the league’s most gifted scorers.
Tocchet is deservedly getting lots of the credit for this defensive turnaround. It’s a large reason he’s now the betting favourite at many sportsbooks to win the Jack Adams Award.