Canucks 5 Kings 3: Blasting Boeser pots third career hat trick
Credit to Author: Patrick Johnston| Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2019 06:54:44 +0000
LOS ANGELES — There is no doubt the Vancouver Canucks are having a whole ton of fun playing hockey to open the 2019-20 season.
They’ve been scoring goals in bunches of late and Wednesday night was no exception as the Canucks scored four more in a 5-3 defeat of the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.
The Canucks were led by Brock Boeser, who tallied his third career hat trick on the night.
The hometown Kings didn’t put up much of a fight, either, as the Canucks dominated shots 49-24. It was the first time all season an opponent had outshot the Kings.
It’s also the eighth-straight game the Canucks have outshot the opposition, a remarkable trend given that trailing teams tend to carry the play and get more shots.
The Kings scored the game’s first goal, but had little else after that in face of the Canucks’ onslaught.
“It was one of those games where you felt like we had a lot of zone time. And you look at the scoreboard, it’s still a one goal game. So, we stuck with it, like a good road game and our power play was good,” Canucks coach Travis Green said post-game.
On top of the hat trick from Boeser, the Canucks got one from Bo Horvat and another by Elias Pettersson, while the Kings’ goals were scored by Jeff Carter, who had two, and Anze Kopitar.
Here’s what we learned…
Brock Boeser celebrates his goal with Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller to tie the game 1-1 with the Los Angeles Kings during the first period at Staples Center.
Which was the better goal: Boeser’s snipe from the corner on a first-period power play after a great Pettersson cross-ice pass, or his second-period breakaway deke after a spectacular stretch pass by Pettersson?
Both were cases of a player who is feeling very confident about things to start the season. He did miss the beginning of pre-season, but has been in fine form since almost the first game of the regular season.
Coming into the season, out of the 2015 NHL draft only Connor McDavid had a better goal-scoring rate than Boeser — McDavid at 0.45 goals per game, Boeser at 0.42.
Boeser’s third goal was also on the power play, as he fired a puck on net from the right boards. It rattled off a Kings defender before finding the twine behind goaltender Jonathan Quick.
The winger wasn’t sure if it had also hit J.T. Miller, who was tangled up in front. He asked Miller as the Canucks came together to celebrate. Boeser’s face lit up with delight when he was told it was his goal.
Pettersson nearly set up a fourth for Boeser after he knocked Alec Martinez to the ice with a heavy hit on the side boards to win the puck. He then slid the puck over to Boeser, but Quick turned the shot aside.
He’s now scored seven goals in 12 games this season.
A healthy Boeser is a marvellous thing.
Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings covers up as Bo Horvat comes out from behind the net during the first period
The Canucks’ four power play goals against the Kings gives them eight road power play goals on the season. They have five at home.
Green said he was pleased that the hard work the unit has been putting in in practice and in off-ice meetings is bearing fruit.
“Our power play was as good as we’ve seen it, you know, moving around. And they’re learning, to play different situations on the power play, making subtle changes,” he said.
Boeser’s first was a masterwork by Pettersson. The Swede had a one-timer off the right side blocks — the Canucks had swapped back to the formation with their two shooters on the off-wings — and when the puck came back to him he wound up like he was going to shoot but instead wired it over to Boeser.
The second was a tip in the slot by Horvat off a Hughes point shot.
The Canucks’ power play has now scored in 38 per cent of the power plays they’ve had since Quinn Hughes was moved on to the first unit.
“Obviously he has a big part of it, but I think the other guys are playing well. Just one guy doesn’t just change the whole power play. I think putting them on their strong sides helped us get a lot more movement. Having Quinn there, we get a lot of movement as well,” Green said of Hughes’ influence on the power play.
“The longer you play on the power play and play together in the league, you learn different nuances, even during a power play, what the penalty kill is doing and they’re starting to adjust to that,” he added about how the five members of the first unit are showing confidence in their positional flexibility, especially the option of Boeser and Pettersson switch shooting sides.
#Canucks Bo Horvat’s 5 power-play goals this season are the 5th-most in the NHL
The first period fight that ended Micheal Ferland’s night served no purpose. The feisty Canucks winger faced up with the Kings’ Kyle Clifford off a faceoff, one where they’d been jawing at each other.
It was a staid battle, with nary a combatant landing much of a punch, though each did land glancing blows on the other’s head.
Ferland did not return to the game afterwards, as the Canucks announced he’d suffered an “upper-body” injury. He was spotted in the dressing room post-game, looking healthy, though it did appear his right hand was worse for wear.
“Not much. Upper body injury,” Green said flatly after the game. He said he didn’t know if the injury was related to the fight.
Kyle Clifford fights against Micheal Ferland during the first period at Staples Center.
There’s only one NHL forward with more assists than Pettersson so far this season: McDavid.
He’s also only the second Canuck to ever record 14 assists in October. Henrik Sedin had 15 in 2013.
J.T. Miller takes a shot in front of Alec Martinez of during the first period.
Miller had a shift early in the second period where he found himself on a half-breakaway. He went with the unconventional Thomas Vanek-style slap shot from the top of the faceoff circle. Quick knocked it wide, but was sprawled out in the crease and the puck ricocheted off the end boards back to Miller as he arrived at the goal line. He tried to flip the puck in off the scrambling Quick, but the veteran netminder was ready.
The puck was then cycled out to the point, where Alex Edler fired it on goal. Miller got a nice tip, but again Quick made a tricky stop.
Miller then looked to the rafters with an “are you kidding me” look on his face.
Post-game, he said his slap shot would have beaten Quick five-hole, but the shot deflected off the inside of his leg pad.
The Kings’ captain Kopitar recorded his 900th career point in springing Carter on his breakaway goal.
Carter’s rush was also the first time in the game the Kings had possession of the puck in the Canucks’ end.
Josh Leivo chases Drew Doughty for the puck during the first period
The press box featured an intriguing number of opposing teams’ executives. On top of the Canucks’ executive staff, led by general manager Jim Benning, Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman and assistant coach Marc Crawford were there; Chicago plays against the Kings on Saturday.
The Jets’ GM, Kevin Cheveldayoff was there, the Jets played the Ducks on Tuesday and are in San Jose on Friday.
So were the Canadiens’ Scott Mellanby and Lorne Henning: the Habs are on a road trip and will host the Kings in Montreal on Nov. 9.
And so was Senators GM Pierre Dorion: his team host the Kings two days before the Canadiens do.
Friday
Vancouver Canucks vs. Anaheim Ducks
7 p.m., Honda Center.TV: SNET1; Radio: SNET 650 AM
LISTEN: In this week’s edition of The White Towel podcast columnist Ed Willes joins Paul Chapman to dissect the fast start that the Canucks have got off to. Ed surmises that it’s depth that has brought the Canucks to where they are, the additions of J.T. Miller and Tyler Myers, as well as Jordy Benn, have played as big a role as the growth of talented budding stars Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.
The podcast also covers what the Canucks might need to take the team to the next level, and the state of the West and the surprising teams that the Canucks will have to keep pace with.
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