LOS ANGELES — The Vancouver Canucks lastly met stress with stress, as their coach had been pleading. They only didn’t generate sufficient scoring probabilities from it.
In a basic Los Angeles Kings‘ recreation, the house workforce floor out a 3-0 victory Monday, scoring a greasy first objective, an opportunistic second, and an empty-netter third whereas holding the Canucks to simply 20 pictures on goalie Joonas Korpisalo.
However the Kings have been taking part in for Nationwide Hockey League playoff positioning, transferring again forward of the Seattle Kraken for third place within the Pacific Division, whereas the Canucks are taking part in for subsequent season. So the combativeness Vancouver displayed was heartening for head coach Rick Tocchet, who felt his workforce had yielded too simply in some current video games when pushed by hungrier opponents.
“You prefer to see that battle, particularly for our workforce not making the playoffs,” Tocchet advised reporters post-game. “So it’s good to see some people actually not giving up.”
Earlier, Tocchet mentioned: “I believed, you already know, onerous fought for many of the recreation. Millsy and Driesy dragging guys in (to the battle). I don’t suppose we gave (the Kings) so much until the tip. That is what L.A.’s good at: they’re snug taking part in 0-0 or 1-0. That’s one among their fortes. We now have to get to that degree. We are able to’t get antsy. I didn’t just like the second objective. A foul change and we bought a little bit bit flustered. That objective killed us. We have been okay till that objective.”
After Canucks Sheldon Dries and J.T. Miller engaged the Kings in second-period fights, Vancouver trailed solely 1-0 early within the third interval when a line change and turnover by Tyler Myers on a bouncing puck gave Los Angeles an outnumbered rush that ended with Vladislav Gavrikov scoring because the trailer to the double the lead at 4:03.
The tight-checking recreation was scoreless till 15:13 of the second interval when a damaged play left the puck in entrance of the Canucks internet. Arthur Kaliyev had his first shot hit defenceman Cole McWard, however the puck bounced straight again to the King who whacked it unseen by the pads of Vancouver goalie Collin Delia.
The Canucks, who slipped one place to twenty fifth within the total standings after the Washington Capitals beat the New York Islanders 5-2, go to the Anaheim Geese on Tuesday earlier than ending their season Thursday in Arizona.
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NOT SO YOUNG SHELDON
Sheldon Dries is sneaky robust. The five-foot-nine ahead lastly grew to become an NHL common for the Canucks this season at age 28. His capability to supply velocity and vitality as a depth centre –— and the early arrival within the league of Swedish rookie Nils Aman –—made free-agent acquisition Curtis Lazar expendable on the commerce deadline.
However a decade in the past, Dries had 20 fights in two seasons in the USA Hockey League, then went 4 years with out combating at Western Michigan College. On Monday, he had an old-school scrap with Sean Durzi after the Kings defenceman challenged him for pancaking Blake Lizotte with an open-ice hit within the second interval.
Dries bought his helmet knocked off, however got here again at Durzi as every landed a few punches in entrance of an enthusiastic Canucks bench.
“Anytime you’ll be able to arise and battle on your workforce, I believe you are taking that likelihood, proper?” Dries mentioned. “It didn’t work out, but it surely gave the boys some vitality and that’s what I wished.
“I don’t know what it was again in junior (within the USHL). We had a troublesome workforce and perhaps I used to be a little bit extra dumb, too, and didn’t care as a lot about my face and head. However it’s nonetheless a part of the sport. You continue to wish to stick up for your self and your teammates.”
When Tocchet talks about taking part in for jobs down the stretch, Dries is among the Canucks who completely should compete. He hasn’t performed as effectively below Tocchet as he did below Bruce Boudreau, and Dries’ play-driving statistics have largely cratered for the reason that teaching change in January.
“I don’t suppose that teaching change has something to do with it,” Dries mentioned. “It’s me, it’s between my ears. I’ve bought to be mentally stronger and do my job higher. There are guys combating for jobs and these final two video games listed here are large.”
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CALIFORNIA KEEPER
When the Canucks beat the Geese 2-1 in Anaheim on March 19, Delia got here inside seven minutes of turning into the primary goalie from California to register an NHL shutout in his residence state. On Monday, the 28-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga didn’t permit a objective for 35 minutes and was overwhelmed simply twice on 27 pictures.
Solely three Californians have performed objective within the NHL, and two of them are on the Canucks. San Diegan Thatcher Demko performs Tuesday in Anaheim.
“Yeah, they’re enjoyable to play,” Delia mentioned Monday. “I imply, anytime you get to go residence — I went again to my pop’s home yesterday simply to hang around — it was nice to see some relations and whatnot.
“I wish to play as a lot as doable. I wish to be the man that helps decide up these wins, convert these video games into wins. I used to be trying on the standings and it actually looks as if the distinction between (us) being within the playoffs or not is perhaps 5 or 6 wins. So, these are essential video games for backups to win, as effectively.”
PRESSURE TO PERFORM
Whereas the Canucks’ focus regarded inconsistent over a number of video games earlier than Monday, the teaching continues to be intense day by day.
Firstly of the Canucks’ morning skate, Tocchet spent 4 or 5 minutes in a one-on-one dialog with Anthony Beauvillier, whose impression has ebbed the final month after the winger had a terrific begin in Vancouver following his Jan. 31 commerce from the New York Islanders.
“We have been simply touching base,” Beauvillier mentioned. “A bit of little bit of (speak about) taking part in extra with instincts and being a little bit bit extra assured with the puck.
“I take loads of pleasure in my recreation and the best way I wish to play. I do know I could be a huge piece of this workforce, so I do must be higher. We each agree on that.”
Beauvillier had six targets and 11 factors in his first 11 video games when he performed principally with Elias Pettersson on the highest line and changed former captain Bo Horvat because the bumper on the first-unit energy play. However taking part in largely down the lineup since his sizzling begin, Beauvillier has three targets within the final 20 video games, and his five-on-five shot share of 42.7 per cent is among the many lowest on the Canucks.
“The fundamentals of the sport is similar,” Beavillier mentioned, dismissing deployment as a difficulty. “It’s simply the easy issues like profitable the battles, managing the puck and being good with the puck. I believe it’s simply actually easy however on the similar time it might probably get in your head.”
MORE POISE
One other day, one other voluntary praise from Tocchet about defenceman Akito Hirose, the 24-year-old who performed his fifth NHL recreation after signing with the Canucks as a free agent out of Minnesota State College. In telling reporters in regards to the workforce’s current troubles coping with opposition stress, Tocchet lauded Hirose for his capability to alleviate it.
“I simply reside my life,” Hirose mentioned when requested in regards to the sudden give attention to him. “I can’t actually do the rest however be myself.”
The defenceman appears as calm and chill off the ice as he’s when he’s taking part in. His heartbeat could by no means get above 60.
“That’s simply how it’s,” Hirose mentioned of his lifeless calm. “I don’t actually know clarify it. It looks as if each degree I’m going to, it looks as if it’s a reasonably widespread theme.”
It’s a pleasant theme to have.
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