Canucks 4, Canadiens 1: Smashing win over Montreal a reminder ...

Alright, let’s be clear off the top: the Montreal Canadiens are not playing for this season.

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They’re the second-youngest squad in the NHL.

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Their goals for this season are very different from the Vancouver Canucks’. They’re trying to win the cup. The Canadiens are just trying to get better.

So against this opponent, you wanted the Canucks to be exactly what they were: sound and tight defensively, ready to strike on offence when the moments presented themselves.

And that’s exactly what happened in a 4-1 win Thursday at Rogers Arena.

The Canucks gave little away and were clinical with the chances they created.

“We don’t want to back off,” Rick Tocchet said, praising his team’s work defending the lead in the third period. “I think when we back off that’s where we get trouble. I didn’t see that tonight.”

Montreal Canadiens’ Rafael Harvey-Pinard, left, and Vancouver Canucks’ Ilya Mikheyev vie for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESSDeSmith save after PP failure

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The Canucks had a five on three in the first period. It could have set momentum off in a big direction.

But they didn’t score and then they didn’t score in the remaining 5 on 4 either.

And right at the end, the Habs got a two-on-one.

Casey DeSmith bailed his team out though.

Montreal would have seized a whole lot of momentum there had they scored.

Did that save the game for Vancouver?

Tocchet concurred that it was a massive moment.

“That’s a two goal swing. You know, that’s a great point. I forgot about that,” he said: a goal against right after the Canucks couldn’t convert a five on three would have been very, very demoralizing.

“Casey with that save let everybody breathe a little bit,” he said.

Carson Soucy grinned wide about the meaning of DeSmith’s save.

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“Yeah he made a couple timely ones tonight,” he said.

“He just seems so set, so solid in his positioning right now.”

DeSmith saw the puck

More than once, DeSmith found himself all alone, facing the shooting, swallowing up the shot.

It was a statement about how well the Canucks boxed out the crease.

The Habs had no high-danger chances in the third period according to Natural Stat Trick. Tocchet said his staff’s data tracking said the same thing.

“We’ve been harping on that,” Soucy said post-game.

“They come hard at the net in the playoffs. We want to be ready for that.”

Lotto?

The game started with some new looks up front: Elias Lindholm between Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty and Teddy Blueger centring Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Åman.

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But midway through the second, Rick Tocchet threw a true wrinkle into the mix: he reunited the Lotto Line.

Was it to turn the knife?

Montreal Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj (72) checks Vancouver Canucks’ Sam Lafferty (18) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS

They had some impressive shifts, but they were also on the ice for Juraj Slafkovský’s goal late in the second. (Quinn Hughes didn’t cover his stick at all there.)

The goal against was unfortunate, Tocchet indicated. He’d put the trio out there because, yes, he wanted to push the game further in the Canucks’ direction.

“I just had a feeling,” he said. They ended up taking a couple defensive zone draws, but that was just coincidence.

“It was more for the offensive. You know, just to maybe get that seperating goal. If we could get that goal…”

Tocchet deploying the Lotto Line was why Blueger was on the ice with Conor Garland and Vasily Podkolzin for Garland’s marvellous goal, shortly before the Slafkovský tally.

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Things were back to normal in the third period.

Podz and the boys

The Canucks’ third line, the one centred by Lindholm really was solid.

They controlled play well. They didn’t give anything away defensively.

And Podkolzin was a wrecking ball.

This was probably the most physical game he’s ever played in the NHL: tying his career-high with six hits. (He had six hits in a game in his rookie season: Nov. 2 vs. the New York Rangers.)

And what a stat line, really. Because of the Canucks taking three penalties in the second, he didn’t see much ice, just 10 minutes or so. But on top of the bone-crunching hits, he also had four shot attempts.

He smiled when the hit total was posed to him. “Maybe in the AHL,” he replied when asked if he’d ever had that many hits in a game.

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It’s the sixth game in a row with three or more hits in a game; he had five in three straight games beginning with the March 7 win against Vegas.

He also finally picked up his first point of the season, a second assist on Teddy Blueger’s third period goal, a tip of a Tyler Myers point shot.

His friend Nils Höglander was beaming about Podkolzin’s game post-game.

“So physical. So good to see.”

The Garland fracas

On top of his outstanding goal, sniping the top corner over Sam Montembeault, Conor Garland was at his pesky best.

He got into quite the altercation in the second period with Montreal tough guy Arber Xhekaj.

“That was my fault,” he said after the game. There hadn’t been anything that Xhekaj did to provoke him.

He just lost his cool, he indicated.

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Fair enough.

The last hat trick

Nikita Zadorov scoring twice in the first period meant we were back on hat trick alert, an extra-special one since he’s a defenceman.

But he didn’t really have any further scoring opportunities on the night, so the hat trick never looked like it was going to happen.

The Canucks haven’t had a hat trick by a blueliner in nearly 33 years: Dave Babych was the last, Nov. 22, 1991 versus Calgary.

Zadorov recorded a hat trick for Calgary near the end of last season.

Vancouver Canucks’ Nikita Zadorov celebrates his first goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESSThe playoff bar

This win gave the Canucks 96 points.

They still haven’t officially clinched a playoff spot, but the playoff qualification bar is generally seen to be around 94 or 95 points and so by that measure they’re well and truly in.

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Calgary still has 14 games to play, so they could still get to 99 points. If they lose two more games or the Canucks win two more, that will seal it.

Cole scratched

Ian Cole is OK, Rick Tocchet insisted pre-game.

He just needs a break, the coach went on.

He’s dealing with something minor. If it were the playoffs, obviously he’d have played.

“It’s a good time to maybe get him some (rest),” Tocchet said. “At this point, I want to get Ian Cole healthy.”

NEXT GAME

Saturday

Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks

7 p.m., Rogers Arena, TV: SN Pacific, Radio: Sportsnet 650

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