Vancouver Canucks Vasily Podkolzin Shift Diary vs. Vegas

Vasily Podkolzin of the Vancouver Canucks in their 5-4 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

1st Period

:00-:35 Started the game on the wing and had a completely uneventful first shift with JT Miller and Alex Chiasson. Circled and regrouped twice at centre ice on possession changes.

2:50-3:28 – Second power play unit. No grade-A’s. Lost possession. Regroup. Penalty over.

5:05-5:40 Last off the bench to join his mates, while hustling into the neutral zone. Again, not much in terms of possession. Backpedalled into his own zone and waited for a break-out. Moved up ice but the entry was unsuccessful. Brief forecheck and off.

6:58-7:45 Joined the forecheck, line created turnover on regroup. Retrieval successful and he handles puck up ice. Dumps in from right wing boards. Off a Vegas turnover, got a glorious scoring chance. Walked in alone through the right wing circle and never took a shot. Looked to be going to the front of the net for a deke but got tied up.

9:20-9:50 Faint forecheck through neutral zone, then into a defensive posture for the rest of the shift. Two zone entries from Vegas, some pressure, but not scoring chances. Sequence ends with Canucks picking up a two-many-men-on-the-ice penalty at 9:50.

Podkolzin serves the bench minor. Just as he came out of the box the puck was held by Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko for a face-off. TV time-out.

13:15-13:48 On for a D-zone draw. Puck pushed up ice, teams give chase, Vegas collects in their own end and start up ice. Twice they gain the zone and twice they generate great scoring chances. Demko lost his stick on the first good chance and then made a great save without his stick to get a whistle.

15:10-15:31-16:20 Hopped the boards to join Canucks in gaining possession and breaking out. Rushed up ice with Miller who took a shot and Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner held for a face-out at the period’s final TV break.

Stayed on the ice out of break for a face-off win by Miller and a regroup break-out. Nothing came of the zone entry. Lost possession. Back the other way for D-zone break-up. Started up again. Peeled off.

End of 1st – Not a lot of magic for the line in the first period. No sustained pressure. Had the one amazing chance that he failed to convert off a turnover. 5:41 played. One takeaway, no shots.

Vegas Golden Knights 1, Vancouver Canucks 1.

2nd Period

1:08-1:27 Joined the power play on the second unit. Near the net for a great Horvat chance off a Vegas turnover. Then set-up in front for a beautiful slap-pass from Elias Petterssen which ‘Pods’ redirected off the post and then banged home on the rebound. His 11th goal of the season.

4:35-5:10 Started with a D-zone face-off win by Miller, a break-out and great pressure and scoring chances from the line. Pass and a shot down low by Miller narrowly stopped and then ‘Pods’ on a carom rebound on the left wing boards ripped it wide of the net. Pressure ends when Lehner covers up.

7:55-8:46 Possession changes each way with gradual re-groups both ways. Flip aerial clear by Quinn Hughes ends up being picked up by Pods at the end of the shift. Cuts in from the right wing with a power move to the net and almost squirted it in. Lose puck dangerous. To bench.

10:45-11:41 Line now frequently producing chances. All over Lehner. One-time pass from Pods to Miller in slot, fired wide. Big carom, puck to Tyler Myers for a one-timer in the right wing circle and he ripped it off the cross bar. Swarming shift.

13:55-14:50 More pressure. Podkolzin’s forecheck created a turnover just inside the Vegas blueline and a great chance for Miller. Goalie Lehner under seige against this line. Vulcanized rubber flying all over and just missing. Most of the shift spent inside the O-zone. Off a Golden Knights clear, Pods carried puck to Vegas line and dropped to Miller for slap-in and line change.

16:00-17:00 Started slowly, in a neutral zone forecheck, zone situation twice. Made up for it late in the shift as Miller carried the puck in, head-manned to Pods who took it hard to the net. Save made, he gets dumped. Up and at it again to create another chance and get a line change in with pressure continuing. Replaced by Conor Garland on the forecheck.

18:05-18:45 More offensive zone pressure off an entry. Was set up in slot for a Miller one-time pass from LW circle but pass was tipped. Again, strong on puck on the entry and the cycle.

End of 2nd – Dominating period for the line and great creativity and determination in the offensive zone. Goal scored for Pods with other grade-A chances created. Excellent period. Played 5:01, had three shots-on-goal and tallied his 11th of the season.

Vancouver Canucks 4, Vegas Golden Knights 2

3rd Period

00-:35 Two dump ins with pursuit. Vegas clears a second time for some neutral zone congestion. Pods replaced. It appears shot shifts are in order in the 3rd period.

3:44-4:15 Pretty simple. Back-check and then a brief forecheck. Nothing too serious in terms of possession. No chances either way.

4:55-5:22 Another shorty. Lost the D-zone draw and Vegas got a rare scoring chance against this line. Just wide. Canucks clear. Mostly defensive posture for Pods. To bench off a clear.

7:01-7:45 Last to hop on with line. Offensive zone pressure. Miller shot deflected wide. Pods in LW corner battling. Vegas clears. Possession changes. Vancouver dump in. Change.

14:20-14:56 After a long stretch without a shift when the Canucks were shorthanded, Pods finally made it back out for a D-zone start, a break-out, and a decent forecheck. Vegas gained possession and he made it difficult for them through the neutral zone.

End of 3rd – Played 4:46 in the third period. Conservative approach. Didn’t create much. Short shifts. No additional shots.

Vegas Golden Knights 4, Vancouver Canucks 4,

Overtime

Did not play.

Vancouver Canucks 5, Vegas Golden Knights 4 – Overtime