Canucks 5, Sharks 2 – Vancouver Wins 6th in a Row

Final Score: Vancouver Canucks 5, San Jose Sharks 2

Pregame: According to Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, the Covid test result that Vancouver Canucks defenceman Tucker Poolman received during Tuesday’s home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets was likely a “false-positive”, so there’s a possibility he could be back in the line-up Saturday at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Two subsequent tests have come back negative and apparently with one more the player should be eligible to actively rejoin the club.

For now however, with Poolman still in Vancouver, it’s up to young Guillaume Brisebois, an emergency call-up from the Abbotsford Canucks, to help fill the void in San Jose Thursday night.

5 Defencemen Again

Brisebois left the game in the first period and didn’t return. It was up to Quinn Hughes, Tyler Myers, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Kyle Burroughs and Noah Juulsen to battle it out. Juulsen, in just his second NHL game this season, struggled as the game wore on.

1st-Period, Brock Boeser scored at 12:41 at even strength and Bo Horvat scored at 16:23 on the power play to take a 2-0 lead. Timo Meier, who was all over the Canucks in the first period, finally clicked on one of his opportunities at 17:22 to cut the Vancouver lead to one.

Shark Attack

The San Jose Sharks definitely had the edge in the first two periods of this hockey game but for the most part they couldn’t solve Thatcher Demko. No Finish. They held the Canucks to just five shots in the second period but Boeser was still able to extend Vancouver’s lead to 3-1 with his second goal of the night.

Rebuilding is the perfect term for San jose. Their forward depth is extremely limited. Very much a top-heavy offense.

Confidence

Confident hockey teams win road games by being opportunistic. The Canucks made the most of the few opportunities they earned and took a lead early. Collective confidence means believing you will win regardless of the situation.

The Canucks will likely not survive a slow start, like they’ve had in first periods the last two games, against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Toronto boys have 42 points and are tied with Tampa Bay with the most points in the NHL and for first place in the Atlantic Division.

He said it:

“I’ve spoken about my confidence through this last little bit here and I feel really confident. I feel like I’m getting a lot of shots and I feel like, not just me, but our whole line is playing really good hockey and playing smart hockey and I think that’s the key to our success right now.” — Brock Boeser postgame.

Simmer’s Vancouver Canucks 3 Stars:

3) Thatcher Demko – Big saves throughout the first period and a huge one late in the third when it was still a one-goal hockey game. The Sharks outshot the Canucks on the evening 36-30.

2) JT Miller – A goal and two assists. Solid work and passing to find Boeser twice and a nice snipe of his own late in the third period to stick a fork in this hockey game. Made it 4-2.

1) Brock Boeser  – Ready, aim fire! That was Boeser Thursday night. Two goals, up to nine on the season. Led the team with five shots, had two takeaways and played 19:50.