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Canucks drop shootout decision to Oilers, trade Del Zotto and recall Kero

January 17, 2019, 3:04 PM ET [368 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Wednesday January 16 - Edmonton Oilers 3 - Vancouver Canucks 2 (SO)

Tied in the Pacific Division standings heading into the game and within sniffing distance of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers squared off like they really had something to play for on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena.

Here are your highlights:



It was a night when all the other teams in that playoff race were shaking their fists, as both teams earned a point before Alex Chiasson gave the Oilers the win when he beat Jacob Markstrom in the fourth round of the shootout.

Markstrom looked somewhat shaky with his glove in the first period, giving up a shorthanded goal to Jujhar Khaira and a power-play marker to Connor McDavid. He got better and better as the game went on and was superb in a high-intensity overtime that saw the Oilers record five shots, as well as against the first three Oilers in the shootout before Chiasson finally beat him to snag the extra point.

As for the Canucks—they had a tough time generating offense as the Oilers did a Hitchcockian job of limiting opportunities. Vancouver managed just five shots on goal in the first period and 22 through 65 minutes, including overtime. They also had 17 shot attempts blocked—including five by Block—I mean Brock—Boeser, and nine misses—including goalposts for Tyler Motte and Jake Virtanen.

But the Canucks were in the game thanks to a power-play goal from Brandon Sutter and Markus Granlund's eighth of the year. They even took the lead briefly before Ben Hutton's second goal in as many games was challenged and ruled to be offside late in the second period. Jake Virtanen also had the win on his stick with less than 20 seconds left on the clock in the third, but shot straight into Mikko Koskinen's pads.

When all was said and done, the Oilers caught Minnesota with 49 points but still sat outside the playoff bracket in ninth place in the Western Conference because they've played one more game than the Wild. The Canucks slotted into 10th with 48 points, ahead of the Ducks with 47 and the Blues and Coyotes with 45.

Minnesota and Anaheim play each other on Thursday, while St. Louis visits Boston. All the other teams in the mix are idle.

Sure, these teams are all pretty mediocre, but weird things can happen in the playoffs. Never forget the 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings, who were 13-12-4 and 12th in the West when they fired coach Terry Murray on December 12, 2011, then went 27-15-11 the rest of the way to squeak into the playoffs with a 40-27-15 record before knocking off the Presidents' Trophy-winning Canucks in the first round of the playoffs and losing just four postseason games on their way to winning the Stanley Cup.

I'm not saying the Canucks will be the team that captures that magic this year. But a couple of teams out of this group are going to turn it on—probably getting healthy at the right time, and riding a streak of puck luck that turns into confidence, which turns into an underdog run.

Wednesday's game offered a taste of how much more fun mid-season hockey is for fans when that hope exists—and when the race is tight. Playing 35 meaningful games just to *make* the playoffs might wear teams down too much to leave them with much to give if they get into the postseason, but the Canucks' attempted run should be entertaining for as long as it lasts—especially in games against other teams with the same goals in mind.

Bo Horvat may be the latest man down. He didn't miss a shift on Wednesday but this hit was pinpointed as a source of more possible discomfort on a guy who may already have been playing hurt.




Horvat's situation is serious enough that the team made a roster move on Thursday morning.




Don't hold it against him, but Kero is the new Michael Chaput—swapped for the former Utica farmhand last June, just before Chaput became an unrestricted free agent.

Listed at 6'0" and 185 pounds, Kero has spent most of this season as Utica's No. 1 centre and currently ranks second in team scoring with 16-20-36 in 43 games, one point behind team leader Reid Boucher.

For now, he slots into the roster spot that was vacated when Michael Del Zotto was traded to the Anaheim Ducks late Wednesday in exchange for defenseman Luke Schenn and a seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft.

Both players were first-round picks in 2008, with Schenn going to Toronto at No. 5 and MDZ to the New York Rangers at No. 20. Del Zotto has picked up 54 goals and 215 points in 589 career NHL games with the Rangers, Predators, Flyers and Canucks. Schenn has 30 goals and 143 points in 716 NHL cames with the Leafs, Flyers, Kings, Coyotes and Ducks.

Signed by the Ducks to a one-year deal with a cap hit of $800,000 last July 1, Schenn was placed on waivers in mid-November and assigned to the AHL's San Diego Gulls after clearing. With an early-November birthday, Schenn made the Leafs as an 18-year-old in the fall of 2008, so his games with the Gulls this season have been the first of his career in the AHL. In 22 games, he is 2-8-10 and a plus-eight with nine penalty minutes for San Diego, currently sitting in second place in the AHL's Pacific Division.

Because Schenn was already in the minors, the Canucks were able to assign him directly to the Utica Comets, where he'll come in handy. Despite big holes in their roster in goal and on the blue line, the Comets continue to defy expectations by putting up wins. Kole Lind's first goal as a pro turned out to be the game-winner in Utica's 5-4 win over Syracuse on Wednesday, giving the Comets a record of 6-3-1-0 in their last 10 games and moving them into a tie with Rochester for top spot in the AHL's North Division.

The team's success has come despite a patchwork defense that is missing Olli Juolevi for the rest of the year, as well as Ashton Sautner and Jalen Chatfield with long-term issues. At 29, Schenn's lack of footspeed may have spelled the end of his time as a useful NHL defenseman, but he should definitely help the Comets down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Thursday, the Canucks are holding an optional practice, with just a few players on the ice.




I don't expect we'll get clarity on this until Friday, but it'll be interesting to see what else happens, roster-wise, before the Buffalo game. With Kero's recall, the team is now back to 23 players again—not counting Elias Pettersson.

If Petey is ready to get back into the lineup on Friday, someone will have to come out. Will that be Horvat, placed on IR? Will Jim Benning make another trade to free up a spot? Or will Kero simply be shipped right back to Utica if it turns out that both Horvat and Pettersson are able to play?

Tune in tomorrow!
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