Canucks On Edge
Desperate for a win, the Vancouver Canucks finally picked up their third of the season, doing it in intense fashion as they defeated the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena 8-5 on Thursday night.
Speaking of intensity, Canucks forward Elias Pettersson personified it, racking up five points on the night. Captain Bo Horvat scored two goals and is now tied for second in the NHL with ten.
The win came on “Kevin Bieksa night”, as the former decade-long Canucks defenceman delivered a morning speech to the team and celebrated his career with Vancouver’s fans. He signed a one-day contract to officially retire with the Canucks. His last NHL game came with the Ducks in 2018.
The Canucks record now stands at 3-6-and-2 for eight points, which actually puts them ahead of two teams in the Pacific Division. The San Jose Sharks also have just eight points, with two extra losses, while the Ducks are 3-7-and-1 for seven points.
One of the Canucks wins came back on October 27th against the team we’ll hear about next, the Seattle Kraken.
Let’s Skate …
The Kraken will look for a perfect three-for-three road trip when they hit Pittsburgh on Saturday night to take on the revenge-seeking Penguins. Not only will the Pen’s be looking to avenge the 3-1 loss last Saturday at the Climate Pledge Arena, they’ll also be looking to snap a six-game losing streak that continued in Buffalo on Wednesday night.
The Kraken already have a comeback 5-4 win against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday and a runaway 4-0 win against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday to show for their efforts on this roadie. Combined with the victory over PIttsburgh, Seattle’s overall winning streak is at three.
Oh My Ovie!
Alexander Ovechkin reached rarefied air on Thursday night when he magically managed to tie Gordie Howe’s long-held NHL record for most goals by a player with one team with his 786th goal as a Capital. It happened in the same city where Howe set the record and became “Mr. Hockey”. Ovie tied Howe’s mark in Detroit by scoring Washington’s lone goal in a 3-1 loss to the Red Wings.
Howe also scored 15 NHL goals with the Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes) when that franchise joined the league in 1979. If he remains healthy, Ovechkin should easily pass the 800 goal mark and then Howe’s NHL career total of 801 this season. It would put him second on the all-time list behind Wayne Gretzky’s 894.
Ouch Again
NHL injuries aren’t the happiest subject matter, but unfortunately one update needs to be provided since it’s significant.
Ondrej Palat, two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning, had groin surgery on Tuesday and is out indefinitely for his new club, the New Jersey Devils. The forward from the Czech Republic had three goals in six games with his new team before suffering the injury and missing the next five games.
Palat signed a five-year contract with New Jersey in July.
His absence happens to coincide with the Devils’ five-game win streak that they’ll try to continue on Saturday night in Calgary. The team shocked the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night by scoring three unanswered goals in the third period of a 4-3 victory, including a couple of them just seven seconds apart.
Enjoy the Hockey Action !!
