Anthony Beauvillier made his much anticipated Vancouver Canucks debut in a 5-4 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. The former New York Islander was one of three assets the Canucks got back as part of the Bo Horvat trade and, based on line combinations, looks to be a player Rick Tocchet wants to play in the team’s top-six. Here is what went right and what areas need improvement from his first game in a Canucks jersey.
Positives From Beauvillier’s Game
The biggest positive to come from the game is that it is clear Beauvillier has some chemistry with Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko. The trio played over 13 minutes together at even strength and ended the game with a 60.71% Corsi and out-chanced the Devils 9-3. There are little things that need to be worked on like communication and knowing where the other is going to be, but that should come with time as the Canucks’ new top-line gets a few more practices and games under their belts.
On offence, Beauvillier made a point to get to the front of the net and try to screen Devils goaltender Vitek Vanecek. He also played strong along the boards and was credited with two hits, both coming in the offensive zone. While he did not end up on the scoresheet, he did record two shots on goal and was noticeable whenever his line had possession of the puck in the offensive zone.
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Lastly, Beauvillier was able to show off his speed throughout the game. His speed allowed him to get in on the forecheck and while he wasn’t credited with a turnover, forced the Devils’ defenders into uncomfortable positions that a few times prohibited New Jersey from exiting the zone. He also had a chance in overtime where he transitioned the puck from his own zone down the wing, which ended in a shot that unfortunately missed the net. The Canucks are not a fast team on the wings, so his speed on the forecheck should be a big help as it will hopefully lead to more zone possession time for Vancouver and less chasing the opposition, who have had an easy time transitioning the puck out of their zone against the Canucks all season.
Areas of Improvement
It has only been one game, but Beauvillier has to be better defensively. His line was outscored 3-1, and he had a defensive zone giveaway that led to a Devils shot on goal two seconds later. The key takeaways are that he needs to be stronger along the boards when battling to get the puck out of his own zone, has to do a better job of blocking passes, and also must get in the shooting lanes to at least attempt to block shots from getting through to the net.
The other problematic issue that came up was during his shift in overtime. As mentioned, he did a good job showing off his speed to create a two-on-one but chose to keep the puck and fire a shot that went well wide. The puck then rang around the boards and led to a chance the other way. If Beauvillier is going to get more shifts in overtime, he has to at least hit the net in that situation. It is great that he has the confidence to attempt the shot but needs to make better shot selections especially considering he was near the faceoff dot with plenty of room to drive the net and create a better scoring chance.
Beauvillier’s Special Team Usage
Vancouver was only given one power play, but Beauvillier was used on the first unit in the bumper spot Horvat made famous during his time with the Canucks. It is very hard to evaluate his performance on the power play, but the good news is he didn’t look lost on the ice. This is another area that will need to be worked on and will get better with time, but based on his time with the Islanders should be able to put up some points with the man advantage.
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The penalty kill was a different story, as he didn’t get an opportunity during his Canucks debut. This was not surprising as he barely played while shorthanded as a member of the Islanders, and his game isn’t suited for the penalty kill. He may get a shot in the future once he has a little more time to learn the system, but for at least the next few games, expect him not to be used on the penalty kill.
Overall Grade: B-
While Beauvillier didn’t blow anyone away with his play, he played a solid game, especially in the offensive zone. It is clear he needs to work on his defensive game, but this part of his game should improve as he continues to learn Tocchet’s system and gets more minutes alongside Pettersson and Kuzmenko. After one game, fans should be cautiously optimistic by what they saw from him in just under 18 minutes of ice time against the Devils.
All statistics provided by Natural Stat Trick
