Elias Pettersson came into the third period without a shot attempt but in a period that his team needed to seize the day
The Canucks obviously needed to win this game. But you also wanted to see the best players be their best players and, while it took Pettersson a moment or two to truly warm up, with the chips down and the game needing to be iced away he did so.
Pettersson came into the third period without a shot attempt but in a period that his team needed to seize the day, he led the way. Before his shot darted in and out of the net for the Canucks’ fourth shot of the game, he got off a shot that was blocked by Chicago.
But that moment was a clear statement of intent.
The Blackhawks aren’t good. But this was a game where they needed a knife dug into it and Pettersson’s goal was just that.
Emphatic
The Canucks hadn’t scored more than three goals since a 5-2 win over St. Louis Jan. 27.
Again, Chicago stinks.
But a team with playoff ambitions, who has been playing better, must avoid the banana peel that was this game.
Pick your spots?
For all the possession the Canucks had in the first — and a lot of it was good, and off controlled zone entries and attacks to the slot — the home team was definitely guilty of holding on to the puck too much, of falling back into a problem that’s plagued them this season: not shooting.
And then they scored again, the fourth goal of the game.
Majesty
Take his second period goal, which happened simply because he has quick and deft hands.
There wasn’t much Soderblom could do in the face of Garland’s lightning-quick moves.
More of that please
Garland’s goal came mid line change, so it was Nils Höglander who helped in the build up.
A line of Höglander-Suter-Garland sounds very, very fun.
Someone help the kid
We’ve seen Connor Bedard in this building twice this season and he seems so lost.
His game was awful. And then with 2:39 left in the game he decided to try to start a fight.
The kid needs some help. The Blackhawks have now wasted two seasons of him. He’s going to get better. But what is he learning here?
There’s a note of caution out of this: rebuilds are hard. Strip-it-down rebuilds come with great risk. They can cause brutal damage in habit-building.
You worry for the kid.
NEXT GAME
Sunday