Utah is in a tie with the Flames and Blues at 71 points, two back of the Canucks who hold down the final wild-card spot
There are certain truths in the NHL.
Speed kills and youth shall be served. You can add: skill will beat will, if you’re not up for the fight.
The Canucks then had a four-minute power play to draw even but couldn’t convert on four shots. Clayton Keller then scored an empty-netter to seal the deal.
Those kids are really alight
Utah has four first-round draft picks on its current roster. There’s leading club scorer Keller, 26, top sniper Dylan Guenther, 21, along with Cooley, 20, and Barrett Hayton, 24. They have combined for 83 goals.
“They’ve had a lot of draft picks over the years and hit on a couple,” said Tocchet. “And young guys are going to start to play well and that’s what they’re getting right now.”
They finally shoot, Hughes scores
The Canucks had but three shots through 22 minutes before they got it together to open scoring in the second period.
The sequence started with a Guenther rebound tap-in waved off because Michael Carcone drove the net with puck possession and interfered with Lankinen. The Canucks then went on the power play and struck quickly with their fourth shot.
Chytil hope, concussion reality
The big centre has had several concussions in his career, including one that limited him to 10 games in 2023-24 with the New York Rangers. He will have to be symptom free for five consecutive days before returning to the ice.
“I talked to him today a little bit,” Tocchet said Sunday. “He felt OK, nothing great. He’ll go through the every day to see how he feels type of thing. He has had a few (concussions) in the past and we’ll see how this thing turns out.
“Sometimes, they can rapidly turn, so you’ve got to stay positive.”
Let’s play the pain game
“We can’t have nice things in Vancouver.”
It’s a long-lasting slogan and lament of a faithful and frustrated fan base. Whether it’s missing on a draft pick or making the wrong free-agency call, there’s enough pain to go around. Want some more?
“He falls into the mode of a (Quinn) Hughes or (Auston) Matthews as hockey nerds,” said Tocchet. “Clayton spends a lot of time on the ice an rarely takes time off in the summer. Always working on his shot and has a shooting gallery art his house.
He’s a top 10 scorer in the league and there’s a reason why. He puts a lot of work in that kid.”