Three Takeaways from Ottawa Senators-Vancouver Canucks as Sutter makes history
It was a good night for the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, but not so much for the Ottawa Senators.
In what was the one and only game in the NHL last night, the Vancouver Canucks took out their frustrations of a sluggish start to the 2020-21 season on the Ottawa Senators, dismantling their opponents in a dominant and ruthless 7-1 win.
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It was just what the doctor ordered for the Canucks who went into the contest 2-5-0, sitting in the wrong half of a very competitive and very entertaining North Division. Yes, it is still early days but, in a 56-game shortened season, every single game is crucial and Vancouver can’t afford to lose too much ground.
They certainly showed exactly what they are capable of with a scintillating performance on Monday, a dominant win headlined by Brandon Sutter‘s first career NHL hat trick, an achievement we looked at here. It was a game where the Canucks’ depth really came through with Tyler Motte, Tanner Pearson and rookie defenseman Olli Juolevi also lighting the lamp, while stud defenseman Quinn Hughes recorded his first goal of the year.
Austin Wilson scored the only goal of the game for Ottawa on what was a tough night for the Senators, and the rebuilding franchise currently prop up the North Division with a 1-4-1 record after last night’s crushing loss. Of course, the Sens were expected to be bad this year as they continue to rebuild, but they won’t want too many results like this one. So, now we’ve given you a recap of the game, let’s dive into the three main takeaways from a huge win for the Vancouver Canucks…
Three Main Takeaways as the Vancouver Canucks crush the Ottawa Senators
3. Thatcher Demko delivers a huge positive
As we mentioned up top, it has been a rough start to the year for the Vancouver Canucks and that extends to their goaltenders, Thatcher Demko and Braden Holtby with the Canucks ranked 30th in the NHL in Goals Against Per Game (4.25).
Holtby currently has a 3.70 Goals Against Average and a .888 Save Percentage, while Demko has a 4.33 GAA and a .890 SV% even after last night’s game, so that paints a rather ugly picture of just how bad the Canucks have been in their own zone so far this season and how what was perceived to be a strong goalie tandem has struggled so far.
However, Demko was outstanding on Monday with 34 saves to pick up his first win of the year, and he made some timely saves including stopping Connor Brown on a breakaway when it was a 2-0 game, and he also pulled off a stunning stop to deny Artem Anisimov point-blank which was then immediately followed by Brandon Sutter’s snipe to make it a 4-1 game. Yes, this performance came against the Ottawa Senators but it was still a huge night for Thatcher Demko, who needed this to boost his confidence after what was a tough start to the year for the young goalie.
2. Ottawa Senators Need More
This was not a good night for the Ottawa Senators. Not only were they absolutely crushed and dominated, but they have now dropped five straight and they just looked lifeless against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, which was the most troubling aspect of this crushing loss.
And there is no doubt that the Senators will need more from certain players going forward if they are to put up a fight at all in 2020-21. That starts with Matt Murray, who was acquired in a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins during the offseason, with the goalie holding a .862 Save Percentage in five games while he also has a 4.47 Goals Against Average.
However, as much as Murray needs to be better, he has also been left to hang out to dry by his defense with the likes of Thomas Chabot making some big mistakes against the Canucks, and the Senators rank 31st in the entire NHL in Goals Against Per Game (4.50) for a reason.
They also rank 25th in Goals For Per Game (2.50) and they need more from their forward unit, including Brady Tkachuk who has four points (2 G, 2 A) in six games while rookie forward Tim Stützle, playing in his first game back since recovering from an undisclosed injury, struggled and was a -4 in 12:37 of ice time.
Overall, while they were not expected to be a Playoff team this year, the Ottawa Senators aren’t even looking competitive right now and they will need a lot more from Matt Murray between the pipes and some of their other established players if they are to avoid a completely humiliating season and being the punching bag for every other team in the North Division.
1. Brandon Sutter makes history
What a night for Brandon Sutter. The 31-year-old veteran isn’t a headline act on this Vancouver Canucks team, but he proved on Monday night why he is a key cog in that locker room both on and off the ice. The gritty forward recorded his first career NHL hat trick in his 735th game to help power the Canucks to a big, big win.
With so many of Vancouver’s big stars failing to deliver in the opening couple of weeks of the 2020-21 NHL season, including stud center Elias Pettersson who has just two points (1 G, 1 A) in eight games, the Canucks needed someone to step up and take charge and Sutter was that man.
Loved in the locker room by his teammates, Sutter is a pro’s pro and is a grizzled NHL veteran, but he showed a different side to his game last night with a clinical display in the offensive zone. He scored a goal in each period, including the first goal of the game, backhanding the puck past Matt Murray while falling down to the ice in front of the net.
Make that six members of the Sutter family with an NHL hat trick, as Brandon Sutter joined the list Monday in a 7-1 victory for the @Canucks.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 26, 2021
It was the first NHL hat trick by a Sutter in nearly 31 years: https://t.co/75lPmyXR99 #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/hSItLtXskP
Sutter’s second goal came shorthanded and his hat trick goal came after he forced a turnover in his own zone before skating hard to the net and beating Murray on the forehand, perhaps the epitome of who Brandon Sutter is as a player.
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And, to make a great night even better, Brandon Sutter made history by becoming the sixth Sutter in NHL history to record a career hat trick, while it was the first hat trick by a Sutter in 31 years, which is a hell of a long time. So, on what was a big night for the Vancouver Canucks who needed this win, veteran Brandon Sutter was the star of the show and his first career NHL hat trick could go down as a defining moment when it comes to the fierce race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in an ultra-competitive North Division.