The win or lose part doesn’t mean so much for the Canucks anymore, unless of course losing a whole lot means a better crack at 1st-0verall 2023 Draft pick Connor Bedard.
Otherwise, it’s all about whether or not Saturday night is the final game with the Canucks for head coach Bruce Boudreau. ‘Gabby’ has been criticized by his boss early in the season, put on notice by his boss via the media more recently, and now awaits what appears to be his inevitable dismissal.
It’s been a treatment somewhere between ridiculous and disgusting for Boudreau, a hockey lifer and one of the great personalities in the game. Not to mention a hockey coach who’s found a great deal of success at the NHL level, short of a Stanley Cup.
1st Period
In what’s become standard operating procedure, the Canucks fell behind early to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. Connor McDavid picked up his 40th goal of the season at the 1:26 mark. He’d add an assist seven minutes later on Zach Hyman’s 24th.
2nd Period
Leon Draisaitl scored his 28th goal of the season at 9:26 to put the Oilers up 3-0.
Canucks Goal Scorer:
3-1 Oilers – Even Strength – Andrei Kuzmenko (19) from Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, 16:46
‘Koozy’ zipped in alone off a nice feed from ‘Petey’ along the boards off a long stretch pass from ‘Huggy’.
3rd Period
3-2 Oilers – Even Strength – J.T. Miller (18) from Quinn Hughes and Conor Garland, 3:26
Off a offensive zone faceoff win, Miller ripped one home with the slapper from the mid-point through traffic.
— Hyman thought he put the game away with his second of the night and 25th of the season at 14:33, but the goal was waved off on a goaltender interference review.
— Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would wrap it up with an empty-netter in the final minute.
— Both teams had 29 shots on goal. The Edmonton power play went 1-for-1, Vancouver’s 0-for-2.
Now we wait.
