by LAS VEGAS — The final act of the Vancouver Canucks’ previous regime was humiliating visits to Denver and Las Vegas last November, when the failing team was outscored 14-5 by the Avalanche and Golden Knights.
Canuck coach Travis Green and general manager Jim Benning weren’t fired for another three weeks, but, really, those embarrassing losses were the end of the line. There was no coming back from that road trip, which ended in a 5-1 loss at Anaheim.
A year later, with eight new players in their roster, a new coach in Bruce Boudreau, and a completely rebuilt hockey operations department under general manager Patrik Allvin, these same two spots can be seen as this season’s restart in Canuck.
Vancouver defeated the division-leading Golden Knights 5-1 on Saturday, clinching Wednesday’s 4-3 comeback victory against the Stanley Cup champion Avalanche. Combined, that’s a 14-goal change from how the Canucks handled this schedule a year ago.
The problem is that they are only slightly better in the standings, 8-10-3 after losing seven games despite holding a two or three goal advantage. But last year at this time, the team was falling apart. This week has come together.
“We have to finish it tomorrow, so maybe we can look at it like this,” winger JT Miller said of the end of the trip on Sunday in California, this time in San Jose, not Anaheim. “We are doing many good things and the game is coming up. If we go back to three weeks ago, I told you it’s a process, it’s not just going to come so quickly. We are learning as a group and getting better and using our practice time and. . . learning new things, and we’re putting it on the ice pretty well right now.”
“Putting them both together, I think. . . it’s what makes it satisfying,” Boudreau said of the Denver-Vegas sweep. “And if we can do it again (in San Jose), then all of a sudden you have a pattern of how to play to be successful.
“I knew that this team could play better than it was playing. You could see that we were improving in some points, but never completely. And the Colorado game and this game was more complete. You see it, and you just hope you can keep it going and get it up to a point where you automatically do it every night.”
What would have been impossible to predict a year ago is that the goaltender to lead the Canucks would be Spencer Martin, who started last season as the organization’s third extra in the American Hockey League but has been outpacing the Vancouver starter. Thatcher Demko so far. season.
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Martin netted in both away games and made Saturday’s victory possible with point-blank saves in the first two minutes against William Karlsson and Mark Stone. The Canucks didn’t get going until Brock Boeser hit Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s point shot at 9:22 for the first of three straight power play goals.
The Canucks outshot the Knights, who won 5-4 Monday in Vancouver after trailing 4-2 in the third quarter, 25-14 in two quarters and were up 5-0 until Jonathan Marchessault hit a lucky rebound. on the end boards and edged past Martin with 3:17 left.
It deprived Martin of his first shutout in the National Hockey League. He spent the better part of seven years in the minors before the Canucks’ COVID crisis last winter gave him a chance to prove he could play in the NHL.
In 14 starts for Vancouver, this season and last, he has lost just once in regulation.
“From what I’ve seen in my career up to this point, it makes it more fun,” said the 27-year-old Martin. “I think that’s a big part of what drives my motivation every day right now, it’s just that I’m really enjoying it. It’s been a lot of fun.
“I think it’s very important to play consistent, back-to-back games for sure. But in terms of our confidence here, even through the toughest start, we don’t feel like we have to prove anything to ourselves. We know how good we are. It’s just going to take time to string together wins, string together good wins, and build from there.”
Demko is expected to start Sunday against the Sharks, but Martin has earned most of the crease.
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“He’s been a rock back there, honestly, since last year,” defenseman Luke Schenn said. “I hung out with him a little bit in Tampa when he was on the cab crew (during the 2021 pandemic season). And if you asked me if a year and a half later he would be having the streak that he has in the NHL, winning games and competing every night and holding us back, I don’t know if he would. have believed it Shake your hat at him; he’s obviously been working a lot with Clarkie (goalkeeping coach Ian Clark) and he’s doing a great job for us.”
The Canucks have won four of their last five games, and obviously should have closed out the game against Las Vegas on Monday, and their sizzling power play is now accompanied by a competent penalty kick, which blanked the Golden Knights in three. advantages on Saturday. .
Miller finished with a goal and two assists, Bo Horvat scored his 17the of the season 2/10 second before the end of the second half, and Andrei Kuzmenko and Elias Pettersson also scored. Pettersson had nine shots on goal, and Quinn Hughes added two assists to a season total of 20, tied for fifth in the league and best among defensemen.
But, of course, the team has been scoring since the season began. What has improved is his defense.
In the midst of his offensive success, Canucks’ Kuzmenko learns to adjust defensive play
While Canucks remain unpredictable, Pettersson’s reliability persists
