NHL Final: Vancouver Canucks 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 2

NHL Final: Vancouver Canucks 3, Toronto Maple  Leafs 2

Goal Scorers

1st Period 1-0 Vancouver – JT Miller (17) – Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser (1:29) Even Strength

1st Period 2-0 Vancouver – Brock Boeser (14) – Oliver Ekman-Larsson, JT Miller (6:00) Power Play

2nd Period 2-1 Toronto – Auston Matthews (32) – John Tavares, William Nylander (12:46) Power Play

2nd Period 2-2 Toronto – Ondre Kase (9) – Jason Spezza, Rasmus Sandin (15:41) Power Play

2nd Period 3-2 Vancouver – Juho Lammikko (4) – Alex Chiasson, Tyler Motte (18:30) Even Strength

Not So Special Teams

Coming in, as we mentioned in our Vancouver Canucks game day, the Toronto Maple Leafs own the best power play in the NHL at 29.6%, while the Canucks feature the worse penalty kill at 71%. “Stay out of the box” seemed to be the strongest option for Vancouver, as in ‘prevention is the best medicine’ by simply not giving up chances.

It didn’t work that way. Vancouver was successful killing off the first Leafs chance in the 1st period but Toronto capitalized on back-to-back chances in the second. Both teams failed in the 3rd period.

Our coverage included a Elias Pettersson shift diary from the game.

Hamonic

An oxygen tank would have been handy. Returning for his first action since December 8th, Travis Hamonic found himself in a fast-paced affair to say the least. He committed three turnovers in the first period, one of them blatant, as he ‘found his legs’. Again, re-baptism by fire. For the Canucks to win the game and Hamonic to survive the re-indoctrination, it would have to be considered a win-win.

Hamonic played 18:11 and had three shots on goal.

The Wall

Boudreau earlier referred to his goalie Thatcher Demko as “a wall back there”. He was in this game for long stretches. For example, in the second period, Toronto out-shot Vancouver 23-7.

In the third period with about 11-minutes remaining, Demko stopped Nylander on a breakaway and moments later stoned Ilya Mikheyev point-blank from the left wing circle. Big ones, but just a small sample from a busy, busy night.

He finished with 51 saves.

Simmer’s Canucks 3 Stars:

3)  – Brock Boeser – Tallied his 14th goal of the season on the power play and was involved at both ends. Played 22:58. 3 shots.

2)  – JT Miller – Goal, assist, and he had an empty-netter called back. Work horse and the poster boy for intensity. 25:59 in ice time to lead forwards by a margin. 3 hits.

1) Thatcher Demko – See all of the above.