Thursday March 28 - Vancouver Canucks 3 - Los Angeles Kings 2 (S/O)
I've seen Quinn Hughes play live quite a few times over the last 12 months: at the World Championship in Denmark, at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Kamloops and at the World Junior Championship in Victoria and here in Vancouver.
None of that prepared me for what we saw as Hughes made his NHL debut at Rogers Arena on Thursday.
Here are your highlights for the Canucks' shootout win over the Los Angeles Kings:
If you want to cut to the chase, let's go straight to "The Shift" that got the crowd buzzing in Rogers Arena during overtime. Full credit to Travis Green for fearlessly putting Hughes out with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser—offering a glimpse of what Canucks fans can expect in the years to come.
Quinn Hughes - @_EPettersson - @BBoeser16
— NHL (@NHL) March 29, 2019
Yeah, we could get used to this. pic.twitter.com/e6kzGbZ4tq
They cheered and groaned from coast to coast:
(Ignore the caption—this was from overtime)
Please enjoy Quinn Hughes’ cousins enjoying his first NHL assist as much as I did (they’re all at Boston College) pic.twitter.com/hkW1Y4V9to
— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) March 29, 2019
In the shootout, Green showed stayed true to the occasion, rolling out the Big Three to big cheers before former King Tanner Pearson ended the night by beating his old teammate Jonathan Quick, who'd had himself quite a night.
After the grim losses to Calgary, Columbus and Anaheim over the last week, the atmosphere in the arena at game's end was euphoric and the mood rippling among the jaded observers on press row was pretty much universal. "That was fun!"
The game itself had a terrific dramatic arc. Quinn got better and more prominent as he went along. He played 4:30 in the first period, then got his first shot with 8:21 left to play in the second. Less than four minutes later, he had his first point—delivering as advertised as he fearlessly ducked behind the opposing net, then banked the puck back to himself to set up another shot. Quick got that one, but Brock Boeser was able to convert the rebound for his 26th goal of the year.
Quinn Hughes with the finesse, the shot, and the assist on Brock Boeser's goal, earning his first point in the NHL. The first of many, I am sure. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/z0x0PJnK8Y
— J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) March 29, 2019
Also notable—the way Luke Schenn came in to bang some bodies after the Kings took liberties with Boeser and Hughes after goal.
The Legend of Luke continues to grow with every game he plays. He had "only" four hits on Thursday, but also chipped in an assist, six shot attempts and three blocks as he played the role of veteran advisor to the rookie.
Hughes on Schenn: "He was unreal today, just making me feel comfortable. To have a guy like that support me and talk me through the game, it made it so much easier. Hopefully one day if I have the career he's had, in my 700th game I can help a rookie out the way he's helped me."
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) March 29, 2019
Schenn on Hughes: "He was unbelievable, what a debut. Every time he came on the ice the fans were chanting his name and a big roar. At one point the ref came by the bench & said if he changed his name to Hughes the fans would start cheering for him even. Bright future for sure."
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) March 29, 2019
Schenn is doing everything we always wanted Erik Gudbranson to do and has won over the fanbase in a hurry. Luke and his brother Brayden are Saskatchewan boys who now spend their summers in Kelowna. Maybe B.C. is where he was meant to be?
Schenn's an impending unrestricted free agent who's making just $800,000 this season. I wonder how much the Canucks will offer him to come back next year?
Schenn's physicality has been contagious, too. Jake Virtanen had a feisty game on Thursday, leading the Canucks with six hits—and I don't have video for it, but Elias Pettersson executed a sneaky hip-check at one point to separate Anze Kopitar from the puck, illustrating once again that he's not limited by his size.
Hughes' debut came at a rather poetic time, on the night where Alex Edler set a new Canucks' franchise record for goals by a defenseman.
Earlier Alex Edler scores to tie the game at 1 and he is now the #Canucks franchise leader in goals by a defenseman. pic.twitter.com/jsWAk88hKZ
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) March 29, 2019
How long do you think it'll take Quinn to get to 94 goals?
Last season, we were lucky enough to wrap up on a celebratory note as the Sedins said their goodbyes to NHL life. Thursday's game breathed life into playing out the string this year. Four more chances to see Quinn work his magic with Petey and The Flow before we break for summer...
With the win, the Canucks put off their official playoff elimination for one more day. A single point for Colorado tonight in their crucial head-to-head matchup against Arizona would mathematically eliminate Vancouver from postseason contention.
The Canucks are off today before their homestand continues against Dallas on Saturday so to wrap up, don't forget that you can check in on two more Canucks' college prospects this weekend, as the NCAA tournament begins.
Jack Rathbone and Harvard kick things off against UMass at noon PT on Friday, then Tyler Madden and Northeastern take on Cornell on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PT. For subscribers, both games can be seen on TSN.ca and the TSN app.