Canucks 4, Canadiens 1: Defence wins championships

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Alright, let’s be clear off the top: the Montreal Canadiens are not playing for this season.

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They’re the second-youngest squad in the NHL.

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Their goals for this season are very different from the Vancouver Canucks’. They’re trying to win the cup. The Canadiens are just trying to get better.

So against this opponent, you wanted the Canucks to be exactly what they were: sound and tight defensively, ready to strike on offence when the moments presented themselves.

And that’s exactly what happened in a 4-1 win Thursday at Rogers Arena.

The Canucks gave little away and were clinical with the chances they created.

DeSmith save after PP failure

The Canucks had a five on three in the first period. It could have set momentum off in a big direction.

But they didn’t score and then they didn’t score in the remaining 5 on 4 either.

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And right at the end, the Habs got a two-on-one.

Casey DeSmith bailed his team out though.

Montreal would have seized a whole lot of momentum there had they scored.

Did that save the game for Vancouver?

Lotto?

The game started with some new looks up front: Elias Lindholm between Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty and Teddy Blueger centring Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Åman.

But midway through the second, Rick Tocchet threw a true wrinkle into the mix: he reunited the Lotto Line.

Was it to turn the knife?

They had some impressive shifts, but they were also on the ice for Juraj Slafkovský’s goal late in the second. (Quinn Hughes didn’t cover his stick at all there.)

That was why Blueger was on the ice with Conor Garland and Vasily Podkolzin for Garland’s marvellous goal, shortly before the Slafkovský tally.

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Things were back to normal in the third period.

Podz and the boys

The Canucks’ third line, the one centred by Lindholm really was solid.

They controlled play well. They didn’t give anything away defensively.

And Podkolzin was a wrecking ball.

This was probably the most physical game he’s ever played in the NHL.

He also finally picked up his first point of the season, a second assist on Teddy Blueger’s third period goal, a tip of a Tyler Myers point shot.

The last hat trick

Nikita Zadorov scoring twice in the first meant we were back on hat trick alert, an extra-special one since he’s a defenceman.

He never really looked like scoring again though.

The Canucks haven’t had a hat trick by a blueliner in nearly 33 years: Dave Babych was the last, Nov. 22, 1991 versus Calgary.

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Zadorov recorded a hat trick for Calgary near the end of last season.

The playoff bar

This win gave the Canucks 96 points.

They still haven’t officially clinched a playoff spot, but the playoff qualification bar is generally seen to be around 94 or 95 points and so by that measure they’re well and truly in.

Calgary still has 14 games to play, so they could still get to 99 points. If they lose two more games or the Canucks win two more, that will seal it.

Cole scratched

Ian Cole is OK, Rick Tocchet insisted pre-game.

He just needs a break, the coach went on.

He’s dealing with something minor. If it were the playoffs, obviously he’d have played.

“It’s a good time to maybe get him some (rest),” Tocchet said. “At this point, I want to get Ian Cole healthy.”

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NEXT GAME

Saturday

Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks

7 p.m., Rogers Arena, TV: SN Pacific, Radio: Sportsnet 650

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