Each NHL season is partially soundtracked by a shocking quantity of static and bellowing from British Columbia. Maybe no workforce within the 4 main sports activities has extra outsized and disproportionate noise surrounding it from its media and followers than the Vancouver Canucks. Leafs Nations might make extra noise total, however being the most important captive market within the league explains that. Detroit might make extra noise, however their historical past (principally) justifies that.
And but the time from October till April, when the Canucks season virtually at all times ends, is accompanied by a boring roar from a workforce that doesn’t have something of the historical past or something of the significance to be such an irritant. Which is why most Canucks-based noise is whining. Whining concerning the consideration they don’t get. Whining concerning the consideration they do get. They’ve a goddamn statue outdoors their area that may be a testomony to their bed-wetting, for god’s sake. The refs are out for them, the league is out to get them or they don’t assist them sufficient or some such rubbish, which they then throw on the ice. And each different hockey fan has to take heed to this though the Canucks, the workforce, are related about as soon as a decade.
Nonetheless, to this point this 12 months, the Canucks are making the correct of noise. After Wednesday’s comeback victory over the Islanders in OT (and the Islanders are an entire different rigamarole unto themselves) adopted by a loss in Calgary on Thursday, the Nucks are 12-4-1 for 25 factors, good for tied for the third-best report within the league behind the Knights and Bruins (who apparently simply received’t go away the highest spot within the NHL. How Bostonian). Vancouver is scoring probably the most targets per sport at 4.38, and the gap between them and second place in targets per sport is identical because the hole between second place and ninth. The Canucks are making pinball noises and lights each sport, which is an entire lot higher than the fanbase getting in a bunch about the place Quinn Hughes completed within the Calder race a number of years again (and, boy did they).
It’s at all times a good suggestion to start out in internet, the place Thatcher Demko is the clubhouse chief for the Vezina to this point this season. Demko has a .932 save proportion total and has saved 12 targets over anticipated, one of the best mark within the league (in accordance with MoneyPuck.com). That’s three higher than the subsequent on the listing, Jordan Binnington (hockey is bizarre). When Demko has wanted an evening off, backup and charm-school graduate Casey DeSmith has been practically nearly as good, with a .922.
Demko had been projected for this type of excellence for some time now, particularly after his final 12 months at Boston School the place he put up a .935 for one of many main hockey packages within the land. Demko spent two seasons within the AHL after that, and has yo-yo-ed out of the starter’s crease and out of it for 5 seasons in Vancouver. He’d flashed, he’d flattened, however he appears to have put all of it collectively to this point this season. Which is proof that both it takes goalies some time to grow to be NHL stars or nobody has any thought easy methods to develop a goalie or each.
However the Canucks, to this point, are way more than a goalie and a badge. Their energy play is a doomsday machine for the time being. JT Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes are the NHL’s three main scorers for the time being, and have all mixed for 40 factors with the man-advantage. The Vancouver energy play is clicking a 3rd of the time, good for second within the league behind the Devils, and so they’ve scored probably the most targets whereas up a person within the league. Hughes specifically has been a dervish quarterbacking the factor and doing silliness like this:
One other shock sprung this season is that Brock Boeser appears to have rediscovered his top-tier scoring contact. Boeser broke onto the scene as a rookie with 29 targets in 62 video games six years in the past and regarded like he would turn into one of many defining energy forwards round. And it by no means actually received higher than that. This was the season that they had been ready for. Sure, he’s driving the shooting-percentage wave, at 28 p.c to this point and that received’t proceed. However he’s getting higher possibilities than he has in a number of seasons, so he shouldn’t utterly deflate both from the 13 targets in 17 video games he’s received to this point.
Miller is one other one who’s taking pictures the lights out at 27 p.c and his two-way sport appears to have sunk, as all of his metrics are underwater. Total, the Canucks are a middling workforce at even-strength, not likely good and not likely unhealthy, however adequate to let their energy play get them this report.
How lengthy can it final? Not for 82, that a lot we are able to say. The Canucks have the league’s highest PDO, the mixture of their even-strength save proportion and taking pictures proportion. Demko might be this good, however they’re not going to shoot practically 12 p.c for an entire season. They’re not going to shoot over 20 p.c on the ability play all season both.
And no, Rick Tocchet shouldn’t be some hockey svengali. You’ve heard him on TNT, and you realize this man has damaged a laptop computer or distant or two when he couldn’t determine the way it labored. And no workforce with Tyler Myers on it will probably ever be that good.
Nonetheless, the Pacific Division is just about rubbish, particularly if the Oilers proceed to maintain falling into open sewer holes all season. The Knights are a Cup favourite, the Kings are in all probability fairly good and the remainder of the division to this point is full cheeks. There’s a playoff spot for anybody who desires it and may preserve a very good proportion of their oxygen consumption. Could possibly be the Canucks, if solely be default.
Comply with Sam on Twitter @Felsgate and on Bluesky @felsgate.bsky.social
