The Vancouver Canucks season is on the line as they embark on a six-game road trip beginning Thursday (March 20) in St. Louis but they depart feeling good about themselves after a resounding 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday night at Rogers Arena.
鈥淚t was a huge game for us. It was one of our better games in a long time. They鈥檙e probably the top team in the league right now and we outplayed them tonight,鈥� said Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen, who made 19 saves during the game with several of those being highlight material.
Now comes the tough part.
A six-game junket that will have a huge impact on the Canucks playoff chances. It starts Thursday against the Blues 鈥� the team that is tied with the Canucks for the final wildcard spot with 75 points in the Western Conference standings although the Canucks do have a game in hand.
They鈥檒l be facing a Blues team that is on a heater right now having gone 7-2-1 in their last ten games and is riding a three-game winning streak. It鈥檚 also a Blues team that has the second-weakest remaining schedule (.529) in the league.
Then it鈥檚 off to New York for games against the Rangers on Saturday, the Devils on Monday and the Islanders on Wednesday. Yes, it鈥檚 three games in five nights but at least the Canucks won鈥檛 have to travel during that time. The road trip concludes with a game in Columbus on Friday the 28th and a return match against the Jets on Sunday the 30th.
鈥淲e are going to be going into some desperate buildings. St. Louis is desperate. The Rangers are desperate鈥ersey...Columbus鈥hese are desperate teams. The buildings are going to be loud and there is going to be a lot of heat on you when you have the puck or you need to make a play,鈥� said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet.
Tocchet preaches staying in the moment and maintaining an even-keel approach but even he admits the game against the Jets should give his club some confidence going into the 12-day trip.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a huge point. We were disappointed after the Utah game but they took the information (we gave them) and applied it against Winnipeg. That鈥檚 the key 鈥� knowing how we want to play and how we want to expose the other team. We just have to keep hammering that. This is good for us. If we do the right things, we鈥檒l be okay. They鈥檒l put pressure on us but if we all stick together, we can get through that pressure. It鈥檚 going to be a good test for us,鈥� replied Tocchet when the subject was broached.
Brock Boeser also believes that keeping their composure as a group will be a big key for the Canucks on this road trip.
鈥淲e are going into tough buildings and teams are going to get momentum and come at us. We can鈥檛 panic. Winnipeg had a little spurt in the second where they kept coming at us but we calmed down and we got two big goals after that. That鈥檚 something that we have to make sure we do on the road,鈥� said Boeser, who snapped a 12-game drought with a pair of goals against the Jets.
OVERTIME:
*Lankinen has now played in 44 games 鈥� which is the most he has ever played in a single season in his pro career but says the regular workload allows him to get into a groove, which is difficult when being a back-up. 鈥�100%. It becomes your routine. You come in, you do the same thing and you鈥檙e ready to go when the puck drops. The mental and physical preparation is a lot easier when you are in a rhythm,鈥� said Lankinen, whose previous high in terms of games played was 42 for HIFK Helsinki during the 2016-17 season. One thing that being a back-up has taught him is preparation and that鈥檚 now paying dividends as a starter. 鈥淚n my career being in different situations, I learned to prepare. Confidence comes from preparation. Whatever is going to happen 鈥� you鈥檙e going to start, you鈥檙e not starting, you get tossed in - you鈥檝e done the right thing. It鈥檚 easier to just go play the game when you have the foundation there,鈥� he said.
*Elias Pettersson 鈥� the forward not the defenceman 鈥� continued his strong play with an assist against the Jets to extend his scoring streak to season-high six games. Pettersson has recorded three goals and four assists in that span. Ironically, he鈥檚 playing with more confidence and edge ever since he pled his mea culpa with the media on March 4th.
*The team held their 35th annual Canucks For Kids Fund Telethon during the Jets game with over $600,000 being raised for the team鈥檚 charity affiliates. Those organizations include Canuck Place Children鈥檚 Hospice, the Canucks Autism Network, Canucks Family Education Center and the BC Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation.
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