Tuesday September 25 - Edmonton Oilers 6 - Vancouver Canucks 0
The Vancouver Canucks played two decent periods of hockey on Tuesday night at Rexall Place, but a lack of goal-scoring and a third-period defensive collapse leaves fans and coach Travis Green frustrated with just one game remaining in preseason.
Not sure there's much to see, but here are your highlights from Tuesday's 6-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
With jobs on the line, Tyler Motte's the only player who has made a convincing case for himself. Playing for the fifth time in six preseason games, he was one of only a small handful of players who didn't record a minus on Tuesday, finishing the night with three shot attempts, a takeaway and two blocks. He even got the between-periods interview treatment from Dan Murphy.
In 79 career NHL games, Motte has 14 points. He had two goals in 15 games after he joined the Canucks at the trade deadline last season. He's a buzzsaw, but he's not going to help much with scoring even if he does stick around. And since he loses his waiver exemption status as soon as he plays one more NHL game, it's unlikely that he'll be on the opening night roster.
It'd certainly be a kick in the teeth to some of the others who are supposed to be competing for jobs if Motte does stick around. And Travis Green sounded frustrated enough after Tuesday's game that it's not completely out of the question.
Post-game Green. "I don’t think anybody grabbed the ball, they just played a hockey game. And at this time of the year when you’re trying to make a team, you better bring something to the table." #Canucks
— Ben Kuzma (@benkuzma) September 26, 2018
Making matters worse for Canucks fans on Tuesday, the Oilers' camp seems to be bursting with feel-good stories that should help fuel a recovery from last year's dismal season:
• Out of nowhere, 25-year-old Ty Rattie is showing that he belongs on Connor McDavid's line and leads the league in preseason scoring with seven goals and 10 points. Little Kailer Yamamoto also looks like he's ready to add offense for the Oilers from the wing. • Jesse Puljujarvi showed off his big smile when he scored twice on Tuesday. He's skating well and looks like he could be an impact player this year. • Defenseman Oscar Klefbom looks like he has returned to form after a rough campaign last year, and rookie Evan Bouchard has looked steady enough on a shallow defense that he might be able to stick around for opening night. • Cam Talbot has been lights out. Once again, the Canucks outshot their opponent on Tuesday—35-28 this time. Vancouver didn't manage many point-blank scoring chances, but Talbot stopped everything he faced.
Meanwhile, there's concern at every corner with the Canucks. Brock Boeser hasn't scored. Anders Nilsson continues to struggle in net. Even strength goals have been tough to come by and offense from the defense has been non-existent. And defensive structure has also been lacking.
Post-game Green: "Not only do we have to find ways to score, we have to cut our goals against and that’s a team commitment. That’s not trying to create goals you’re not capable of by making drop passes or turning pucks over in the neutral zone or doing fly-bys." #Canucks
— Ben Kuzma (@benkuzma) September 26, 2018
I don't even have an Elias Pettersson GIF for you today. Back in the lineup, he managed six shot attempts but didn't deliver the exquisite highlight-reel play that we've already come to expect.
Last year, we saw Jim Benning trade for Derrick Pouliot on October 3, one day before the beginning of the 2017-18 regular season. I wonder if he'll be able to swing a deal to improve his roster before opening night.
Yesterday, I talked myself into thinking that maybe the Canucks would take a run at Zack Smith on waivers, even if it meant waiving someone in the same wage bracket—like, say, Sam Gagner. Smith's a 50.9 percent career faceoff guy, he hits, he kills penalties and, usually, he puts up some points. But he was also a minus-32 last year...
Benning didn't bite. Neither did anybody else.
All clear from yesterday, including Zack Smith
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 26, 2018
Nevertheless, let's end on a celebratory note today...
Stick taps to the greatest #Canucks ever on their 38th birthdays! 🎠🎠pic.twitter.com/U2AcFADFth
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 26, 2018