VANCOUVER — The Boston Bruins showed up in Vancouver this week reeling from two consecutive lopsided losses and in need of a win to break their losing skid.
On Saturday night, the Bruins responded. They showed up and showed out at Rogers Arena, carving up Vancouver’s defensive structure, puncturing the Canucks off of the rush, generating scoring chances in bunches even when short-handed and demolishing the Canucks in a decisive 5-1 victory.
It’s hard to say that the Canucks showed up whatsoever. Whether it was the flu, which is going around the room and caused the club to play without Kevin Lankinen and Derek Forbort, or something more concerning is difficult to pinpoint.
Whatever the explanation, the club wasn’t just flat and lifeless against Boston. It was a loss so complete that it recalled former Canucks general manager and head coach Harry Neale, who was once asked about his team’s execution after a dreadful performance and responded simply, “I’m in favour of it!”
The Canucks were outworked in every phase of the game. They defended terribly. They were outshot by a massive margin, even when trailing. In truth, they didn’t even sustain a heavy shift until the scoreboard already read 4-0 late in the second period.
Aside from Max Sasson scoring his first career goal, there was nothing to like about this team’s performance, and it was difficult to square that with the complete effort the Canucks managed in beating the Florida Panthers earlier this week.
So Vancouver’s completely baffling home struggles continued and an opportunity to build some momentum after an “identity win” on Thursday was squandered. Meanwhile, divisional opponents like Los Angeles, Edmonton and Calgary picked up wins to shrink the inconsistent Canucks’ margin for error.
Here are three takeaways from what was the least impressive Canucks performance of the season.
The home struggles thing
The Canucks have played 16 home games and have managed to come away with a victory on only five occasions.
That’s unimpressive enough, but the magnitude of their issues at home goes deeper than that. This isn’t just a team that is struggling to win games at home, it’s outright struggling to put together acceptable efforts at Rogers Arena.
In 14 of the 16 home games, for example, Vancouver has trailed. In a whopping 10 of 16 home games, it’s trailed by multiple goals.
Even some of this club’s home victories — like its comeback win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on this homestand — were games in which the Canucks opened flat and had to battle back. There’s an evident lack of focus and consistency, an inability to play the right way regularly enough, that has fundamentally defined who this club is on home ice this season.
Is it any wonder why the number of empty maroon seats at Rogers Arena has swollen this season given the quality of the product that Vancouver fans have been treated to?
This team needs to figure out some way to make its home a fortress again — like it was last season. And even if the results aren’t there, efforts like this on home ice are inexcusable.
Grab that puck!
Max Sasson scores his first @NHL goal 👏 pic.twitter.com/trTR4QDSl1— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 15, 2024
Max Sasson gets on the board
Midway through the third period, Canucks rookie forward Sasson found himself on a two-on-one with J.T. Miller, took a feed on his tape and put a puck through Jeremy Swayman to spoil the shutout for the Boston starter and record his first NHL goal.
It was a feel-good moment in a dreary hockey game and may further solidify Sasson’s hold on a roster spot.
The high-motor 24-year-old has now played in 10 NHL games and has managed a goal and four assists. That’s an excellent scoring pace for a fourth-line contributor and is the sort of depth offensive output that the club sorely needs. It should help Sasson to keep earning minutes, shifts and games at this level.
Now, under the surface, Sasson’s production is likely inflated by a run of incredibly favourable percentages. His on-ice shooting percentage entering Saturday’s game was nearly 24 percent. As the sample expands, that’s likely to dry up, which isn’t exactly a surprise; no one, after all, is describing Sasson as a player likely to sustain a 40-point pace in a bottom-six role without power-play time.
The thing is, what Sasson is doing with his speed and hockey IQ is pretty interesting. Even if his underlying profile doesn’t stand out, his positional play is solid and he’s got the speed to punish mistakes against the grain — as he showed in his two-assist performance against the Panthers on Thursday.
Producing the way Sasson has will likely earn him some rope in the Canucks lineup. It may afford him the space to improve and get more comfortable at the NHL level.
Ultimately it’s the other stuff, however, his motor and work rate and the impact he can make as a two-way player with his intelligence and his speed, that’s going to keep him around.
The antics of an ancient villain
You never have to hand it to Brad Marchand, of course, but it should be noted that the Bruins pest — one of the great Canucks killers in the history of Vancouver opponents — relishes the chance to put on a show when the opportunity presents itself.
On Saturday, for example, Marchand got the Bruins’ party started with a power-play goal that opened the scoring in the first period. On that five-on-four sequence, Marchand was roundly booed by the Rogers Arena faithful every time he touched the puck. And when he beat Thatcher Demko up high to give the Bruins the lead, he held his hand to his ear, trolling Canucks fans.
Brad Marchand – Boston Bruins (13)
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/SjSwAlxOXv— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) December 15, 2024
Then, with time expiring in the second period, Marchand went after Canucks captain Quinn Hughes — who is still wearing a face shield and hiding his face from the cameras during games — with a cross-check. That elicited a response from Miller, who jumped Marchand to defend Hughes, only to eat a few gloved sucker punches after Marchand somehow extricated himself from the pile.
Brad Marchand gives Quinn Hughes a cross check. J.T. Miller steps up to defend his captain.
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL#Canucks #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/AbByd5V8Vj
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) December 15, 2024
Canucks fans will never forgive Marchand for what happened during the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, nor for his low bridge hit that injured Sami Salo the next season. Quite rightly, too.
The way, however, that Marchand embraces the villain role and understands the entertainment side of his place in the game is remarkable. It’s also increasingly rare in this league, and it should be both noted and celebrated when we have occasion to do so.
On Saturday night, Marchand put on a show at Rogers Arena. At least somebody did.
(Photo of Brad Marchand scoring in the first period against Thatcher Demko: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)
