Canucks Learn Lessons About Margins for Error vs. Predators in Game 5

Is there some interference? Probably. Is Vancouver’s attempts at defending the play producing some of the interference? Probably. If Tocchet challenges it could he be rewarded? Yes. Could it backfire? Possibly. 

From a Nashville perspective, you take the money and run. The referees didn’t deem anything wrong on the play. From a Vancouver perspective, it’s incredibly frustrating. There might be enough on the play to refuse the goal, but maybe not conclusively. As Tocchet said, it’s 50/50. On Monday night, Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Cooper challenged a goaltender interference call and got burned. Who knows if Tocchet was thinking about that. There is a case to be made that this moment in Vancouver was equally as touch-and-go as the one in Sunrise the night before.

It’s easy to play armchair quarterback (armchair NHL coach?). One thing is for sure, now is not the time to live with regrets. There is another game to be played.

Low Scoring but High-Flying Affair

As disappointing as the result was for Canucks fans, another way to look at it is that Game 5, despite only featuring three goals, was the most entertaining. Granted, the other four matches had their moments, but it feels safe to say that they also had sequences that felt slow and sluggish. In contrast, Game 5 was like a breath of fresh air.

It’s important to take away positive in defeat. The only reason why the match was scoreless at the end of the first period was Juuse Saros. Vancouver did just about everything right except score a goal. Blueger and Carson Soucy both played a hand in keeping pucks in Nashville’s zone, the Canucks looked hungry to get the jump on their opponents, swirling all over the place. The Connor Garland/Elias Lindholm combination played well yet again and almost pulled off the same trick as the overtime winner in Game 4, only for Saros to shut the door this time. 

People tend to remember the back-and-forth affairs that finish with plenty of goals, but a 2-1 contest can be just as thrilling. Saros and Silovs were truly excellent despite only facing 20 and 22 shot attempts, respectively. 

It was nice to see the rivals play a more free-flowing brand of hockey. Even watching the telecast from home, one could tell that the Rogers Arena crowd was bouncing. The Canucks faced a great goalie who caught on fire. That’s not a reason to revert to the Game 3 and 4 performances. Yes, they lost Game 5, but Vancouver often looked amazing. One has to think that will pay dividends eventually.

Opportunity Beckons for Canucks

Much like the Eastern Conference series pitting the Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Boston Bruins, the home side has claimed victory only once in five matches. What’s more, in both cases, that happened in Game 1. From that point onward Nashville took Game 2 as the road team, Vancouver took Games 3 and 4 in Nashville, and the Predators responded last night as the visitors. 

There is a case to be made that this bodes well for the Canucks, as Game 6 sees the clubs head back to Tennessee. But the Canucks should be wary. There is more than enough evidence to suggest that the Predators will not go down quietly. In fact, there is more than enough evidence to suggest that in a parallel universe, the series is already over and the Predators have won. How did Vancouver win Game 1? With two brilliant goals in rapid succession in the third period when trailing 2-1. How did they win Game 4? An unbelievable comeback incredibly late in the third period that only a Hollywood screenwriter would come up with. Even then, that script might be rejected for being laughably unconvincing.

The point being made isn’t that Vancouver doesn’t merit its 3-2 series lead. The results are what they are. But the margins in this series have been fine. Just look at Nikita Zadorov’s goal in Game 5: out of the blue from a tight angle when the score was 0-0 in the third period. And it could have been the series clincher! Saros would have given up a bad goal that decided the entire series. At every moment through 60 minutes of regulation the outcome has hung in the balance. No team has blown out the other and nobody has operated on cruise control. 

Now is when coaching becomes critical for the Canucks. It’s Tocchet’s job to tell his players that Game 5’s final score is water under the bridge and if they play as they did again for Game 6, then they can close out the series. There is no reason why they can’t if they perform with similar intensity. 

Everyone gets to hold their breath again on Friday night.