2 weeks Ago By Dave Pottinger
The Vancouver Canucks have eight points in six games and have only lost one game in regulation but they’re being treated like the Rodney Dangerfield of the NHL. The national media isn’t talking about them and they’re getting no respect for their wins. It’s interesting that ESPN had the Canucks at ninth in goalie tandems based on Thatcher Demko , Kevin Lankinen and Arturs Silovs .
And according to ESPN “one ex-NHL goaltender we surveyed had the Canucks ranked 17th overall as a tandem.” With Lankinen’s play this week we’re getting the first laugh — hopefully at the end of the season the last laugh, too. Here’s what’s been said (or not said) about the Canucks this week: From the TSN power rankings, where they have the Canucks in 20th spot: “Thanks in part to the stellar play of Kevin Lankinen.
The 29-year-old, who signed with the Canucks in training camp, has a ...
.953 save percentage.” The Canucks will presumably move up in next week’s rankings as TSN came out with the list before the Chicago game.
ESPN’s Power Rankings have the Canucks at 16th, up from 19th the week before. Biggest surprise: Elias Pettersson ’s slow start. Pettersson has exceeded 30 goals in the past three seasons, tallying 102 points two seasons ago.
So having just three assists through six games doesn’t look very good, especially when he signed a massive deal just months ago. Is he ready to turn the corner? The Hockey News seems to have the most faith in our local heroes, ranking them 13th overall: Yes, it was a bit of a cream-puff schedule with Philly playing its home-opener following a gruelling road trip and then Chicago, which looks like it’s headed to the lottery again. But at least it looks like the Canucks have got their goaltending sorted out with Lankinen, who’s never looked better with three straight wins.
From Greg Wyshynski : “Let’s talk about Elias Pettersson .” “What’s the deal with Canucks’ Elias Pettersson?” “How concerned should the Canucks be about Elias Pettersson?” That’s just a sampling of the headlines in the past week regarding Vancouver’s star centre. From Ken Campbell : “I didn’t hear Elias Pettersson’s name.
I didn’t hear it once in the second period ...
I went to the game summary to see if he was even playing ...
You notice Nils Aman more than you did Elias Pettersson.” From Ben Pope : “The ‘Hawks were irate about one referee decision and perplexed about another in the first period Tuesday, but they had only themselves to blame for their poor defensive-zone coverage in a 6-3 defeat.” From Elliotte Friedman : “So, I have a theory on (Elias) Pettersson.
I think, No. 1, he’s wired a little differently than guys like (J.T.
) Miller and (Quinn) Hughes, which is OK. Not everybody can be the same. So, I think that sometimes the way he reacts to tough moments or challenging moments or when things aren’t going that well, he’s not as emotional as them.
” From Thomas Drance : “Vancouver probably did lean too heavily on new first-choice starter Kevin Lankinen — Lankinen was sensational, a fact that shouldn’t be obscured by the abundance of run support — but on the other hand, the Canucks looked incredibly dynamic offensively throughout the game.” From Matt Csakai : “The Blackhawks played, to this point, their worst game of the season on Tuesday night. Defence was horrid, special teams may as well have not shown up and (Petr) Mrazek was hung out to dry several times throughout this very one-sided contest.
” From Vinnie Parise : “There were plenty of frustrations for Connor Bedard, who went scoreless, and others on the team due to some missed opportunities and questionable officiating. It was obvious that the team as a whole was mad after the game.” From Frank Seravalli : Takeaways from the game: “One, Kevin Lankinen is absolutely the story of the Canucks’ season.
Two, J.T. Miller continues to grind.
He’s like one of the NHL’s ultimate grinders ...
He is someone that just is a warrior that wants to play. And to me, he’s the engine and heartbeat of that team. Still some question marks in my view about the Canucks.
” Former Canucks front office staffer Rachel Doerrie has done a prospect ranking for ESPN of the top 50 players outside the NHL . The Canucks’ Jonathan Lekkerimaki takes the 30th spot: “One of the best shooters in his draft class, Lekkerimaki had suffered from sickness and an injury bug, hampering his development. Back on track now, Lekkerimaki has real potential to become a top-six scorer, something the Canucks need, as they’ve lacked winger depth for quite a few years outside of Brock Boeser .
“His knack finding open space coupled with a heavy (shot) release could see him become a 30-plus goal-scorer in the NHL.”.
