It was a battle for the Canadian name that took place on the west coast between the Vancouver Canucks and the Montreal Canadiens. Here’s what shook down.
The Vancouver Canucks faithful welcomed the Montreal Canadiens into Rogers Arena for a match up to determine the true Canadian team. With Montreal fans having scattered across the nation during their 100+ year history in the NHL, it was highly anticipated that there would be a lot of red jerseys in the building – quite possibly even a 50/50 split.
Antoine Roussel had his reasons to bring the fire to the contest. Not only did he find himself smack dab in the middle of a Travis Green line shake-up that landed him on the second line with Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, but he also had some not so kind words for the amount of support for the Habs in the city of Vancouver. The Score got the scoop reporting that Roussel spoke on the matter saying, “It pisses me off the way they feel like it’s their home. It’s our home. Get the hell out of here.”
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It was bound to be a heated affair right out of the gate. Both Canadian teams fighting to stay alive in the playoff race. Precious points at stake before the league heads into the winter freeze in about a week’s time.
Green puts the roster in a blender
With both the Canucks and the Canadiens sitting in 10th place in their respective conferences, and Vancouver having lost three of their previous four contests, head coach Travis Green changed things in a major way. In an effort to get the team back on track, the lines got put in a blender so to speak and the coach favored the team captain, Horvat by giving him two very capable wingers in Boeser and Roussel. Before Elias Pettersson showed up, Horvat and Boeser formed quite the duo.
The Canucks were hoping to get some answers with a shakeup. Boeser and Pettersson have become quite the inseparable pair over the last season and a half, but Boeser, much like our hearts, was ripped away from Pettersson to favor Horvat – possibly in an attempt to get the captain scoring on home ice. You wouldn’t want to see you newly crowned captain without a goal at home by Christmas break now, would you?
Roussel did a solid job on the left side, but the trio didn’t quite get it done. Maybe it’s a matter of giving these new lines some time to gel. Boeser and Horvat have been a deadly combination in the past. It wasn’t that long ago that the Canucks best offensive line was something known as the B-line. It consisted of Bo, Boeser and Sven Baertschi. So maybe there is something there between Horvat and Boeser that’s worth giving another look.
Gaudette knows how to score
If it wasn’t for a coach’s challenge in the second period, Adam Gaudette would have finished the game with two goals. Nonetheless, he had a very impressive outing on the second power play unit with a tally from the left circle – a spot usually reserved for Boeser. Is Gaudette making a statement?
It’s no secret that Gaudette loves scoring goals. His celebrations are wild and something that is certainly exciting to watch in the NHL. Few players celebrate their goals on the ice like Gaudette does, so here’s to hoping the surprising fifth round selection can keep finding ways to put the puck in the net.
He is set to be a free agent in July, but you can imagine Jim Benning has big plans for the young center. It would be a wise choice to try and get Gaudette on a friendly long term deal as the team needs a third-line center to replace the aging Brandon Sutter. If Gaudette continues at the pace he is currently on, the Canucks are in good shape.
The Price is wrong for Canucks
Without a doubt, Vancouver put in a valiant effort to try and get back in the win column. The fired a ton of shots against Carey Price, but only managed to score once. 39 shots for the home team, yet it was the Montreal Canadiens who had the last laugh. Price seemed to make it look easy and the Canucks will have to wait another day to fight for a win. Price wasn’t going to let them walk away with a victory. 3-1 for the Canadiens was the final score.
You have to give all the credit to Price, he was simply outstanding, but the Canucks didn’t find many answers when it came to changing up the lines. There is a lot of questions for the Canucks in the goal-scoring department as they have only three goals in their last three home games. Something has to change if the Canucks stand a chance of entering the New year with a winning record.