Canucks vs. Flames Game Day: Gaining point proves point to clinch ...

10 days ago

The Province

If the Canucks can claim a point Tuesday against the Flames, the Pacific Division title will be clinched by Vancouver

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Published Apr 16, 2024 • Last updated 19 hours ago • 4 minute read

Canucks workhorse starter Thatcher Demko is back. He's healthy and happy to lead the charge into the playoffs. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /Getty Images files

Vancouver Canucks (49-22-9) versus Calgary Flames (37-38-5)

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When and where: Tuesday, 7 p.m., Rogers Arena

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TV: SN Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet 650

The buzz: What’s in a number? Everything.

The Canucks need one point to clinch their first Pacific Division title in 11 years. A single point Tuesday against the Flames will punch their post-season ticket for the first time in four years (2020 bubble) and nine years in the traditional playoffs (2015).

There’s also another number of supreme significance.

Canucks starting goaltender Thatcher Demko returns Tuesday after missing 14 games with a knee injury. He’s primed for a return to the playoffs after his coming-out-as-a-bonafide-starter party in 2020. His stunning 42- and 48-save performances rallied the Canucks to Game 7 of the second round against the Golden Knights.

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The Canucks also sport the third-best, regular season record in franchise history heading into Tuesday’s tussle. Their 24-point improvement over last season is largely due to the coaching direction of bench boss Rick Tocchet, his assistants, and a hockey operations department not afraid of change.

Canucks game - Figure 3 — Photo The Province

The detail-oriented Tocchet is a strong Jack Adams Award candidate as top NHL coach because he only asked three things from his club. And his players willingly bought into what he was first selling upon arrival on Jan. 22, 2023, to replace the fired Bruce Boudreau.

Tocchet demanded fitness, focus and faith in his “non-negotiable” staples because that process was going to turn around a franchise that was more pretender than contender.

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And look at it now.

There’s stability in goal. There’s a Norris Trophy favourite in Quinn Hughes. There’s a bigger and better defence. There’s more balance in the lines.

There are three players in the top 20 scoring — J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and Hughes — and Brock Boeser’s commitment to becoming a complete player has resulted in a remarkable 40 goals.

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet drew up the plan to turn his club from pretenders to contenders. It will be tested in the playoffs. Photo by Jeff Vinnick /NHLI via Getty Images

Hitting the 50-win mark Tuesday would also be another feather in the performance cap.

“That’s not our ultimate goal, but it shows what a year it has been,” Hughes said Monday. “Our consistency throughout the year started in camp. We feel pretty good about our game.

“We’re not going to play amazing every night, but we try to piece together as many strong periods as we can and see where it takes us. That’s what we’re going to try and do. We want to be on our ‘A’ game and I feel we’re getting close to that.”

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The history: The Canucks are 2-1-0 against the Flames this season — 5-2 road loss Nov. 16, 4-3 road win Dec. 2, 4-2 home win March 23 — and, in their last meeting, it was Nils Hoglander scoring twice and Casey DeSmith making 22 saves.

The hope: The rested Hughes is afforded ample ice time to pile up points and put an exclamation mark on his season to convince doubters that he’s more than worthy of top-defenceman honours. He leads all blueliners with a career-high 91 points (17-74), and a plus-39 rating.

The fear: Dominos fall in the wrong direction and the mercurial Andrei Kuzmenko, who has 16 points (9-7) in his last nine meaningless, out-of-playoffs games, somehow spoils the division-clinching party. Doubtful.

The top guns: Mighty mite Conor Garland has three goals in his last three games. The pesky winger has a dozen points (6-6) in his last 12 outings and game-winners against the Coyotes and the Golden Knights.

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The wounded: Flames: Dan Vladar (hip, day-to-day), Blake Coleman (upper body, day-to-day), and Joel Hanley (undisclosed, day-to-day).

The quote: “It’s a tough building to come into. They don’t lose often here. And letting them score just one goal is a credit to a lot of guys. Defensively, I thought we were good.” — Tocchet on a 3-1 win in Edmonton on Saturday to sweep the season series

The lineup:

Suter-Miller-Boeser

Hoglander-Pettersson-Mikheyev

Joshua-Lindholm-Garland

Podkolzin-Blueger-Lafferty

Hughes-Hronek

Soucy-Myers

Zadorov-Cole

Demko

The prediction: The Canucks cap their remarkable regular-season home record with a 4-2 decision for a 27-9-5 mark. Only the Oilers and the Avalanche have as few regulation setbacks on home ice.

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(FAN FORUM: Do you have a specific question for a player? Pass it along to @provincesports and we’ll get it in a future edition.)

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