The Vancouver Canucks have lost three-straight games for the first time this season. Their third loss came against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 3-1. Surely, it’s time to sound the alarm, right? Of course not. However, the skid shows that the Canucks aren’t invincible and that good teams are capable of beating them. Here are three takeaways from Tuesday night’s contest.
The Canucks Have an Ilya Mikheyev Problem
Twenty-five games. It’s been 25 games since Ilya Mikheyev put the frozen rubber in the back of the net. That’s one heck of a slump for the Russian winger. Mikheyev has seen his role diminish, from playing top-line minutes with Elias Pettersson to now sharing the fourth line with Nils Aman and Sam Lafferty.
Even in Vancouver’s 10-7 (!) loss to the Minnesota Wild the night before, Mikheyev didn’t manage a single point. Head coach Rick Tocchet has to be flustered about what to do with him. But if we’re being frank, it’s up to the player to perform. Despite being a complete non-factor offensively, his defense had been good. But against Colorado, that changed.
Vancouver’s “Five-Tight” defensive coverage scheme has been money all year, trapping the opposition in corners, turning the puck over while a Canucks defenseman finds a winger on the strong-side wall to chip the puck out or play off the rush. Mikheyev’s ability to get the puck out of the defensive zone has been a huge part of why that scheme has worked so well. However, he failed to do that on the Avalanche’s first goal, turning the puck over, which led to the game’s equalizer.
Mikheyev has to be better, plain and simple. He knows it, Tocchet knows it, and the fans do too. However, they can live without him producing offensively if he continues to be the defensive threat he has been his whole career. If both parts of his game vanish, he might have to take a seat in the stands until he figures this out.
Arshdeep Bains Could be a Valuable Addition
Welcome to the show, Arshdeep Bains. Your first opponent? A top-six team. No biggie. Bains didn’t have an out-of-this-world game by any means, but he showed he could hang with the big dogs. The Surrey-born winger managed to make plays in the offensive zone, including this near-goal that he set up for linemate Teddy Blueger.
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He forechecked hard, created some turnovers and played an overall game that Tocchet likes. While Dakota Joshua is out with an injury, Bains has an opportunity to prove he belongs in the Canucks’ bottom-six. He may not be the forward boost the team might need, but anything can happen.
He’s been scoring at an almost point-per-game pace with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate Abbotsford Canucks (39 points in 42 games) and has the makings of a true difference-maker at the next level if he hits his ceiling. His progression will be one to watch for over the next couple of weeks.
Canucks’ Second Line Dominant, First Line Not So Much
The Canucks’ second line was on fire against the Avalanche, with all three players (Pius Suter, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser) ranking in the top three in expected goals-for percentage (xGF%). They were on the ice for Vancouver’s only goal, and it was a pretty one. All season, that trio has been solid.
However, the first line was lacking in this contest, mostly getting hemmed in their zone. The trio of Nils Hoglander, Elias Pettersson and Elias Lindholm finished 9th, 10th, and 15th among Canucks in xG%. They have to be better. It’s important to note that despite Tocchet not being a huge “matchups” coach, the first line was often matched up against Colorado’s first line of Jonathan Drouin, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
First-line matchups are what makes hockey so great. It’s like a heavyweight fight; mano a mano, your best versus our best-type hockey. Unfortunately, the Avalanche’s top line won that fight. Albeit, it may not have been via knockout (Colorado’s first line never scored at 5-on-5), but regardless, Canucks fans should hope for more from that line, all told.
Vancouver has some work to do to get back to their winning ways. They’ll look to snap their skid against their divisional rival Seattle Kraken in Seattle on Thursday, Feb. 22.