Canucks Takeaways: Lekkerimaki leads third-period comeback to finish skid

In the midst of a protracted shedding streak, the Vancouver Canucks had been in determined want of some good vibes. 

With only one win within the month of October, it was getting understandably tough for the Canucks to take care of some positivity about what they’re constructing in direction of. And when Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild handed the Canucks their tenth straight loss Sunday, morale was at an all-time low.

But Tuesday evening in opposition to the Anaheim Ducks, the Canucks clawed again from an early deficit, incomes a powerful 6-5 victory to get lastly again into the win column because of an time beyond regulation snipe from Filip Hronek and a few late-game heroics from Jonathan Lekkerimaki.

It was a win that took a good bit of resilience from a dejected Vancouver squad.

For a lot of the evening in Southern California, the Canucks seemed to be headed to a well-recognized destiny. A 3-goal second interval from the Ducks put the Canucks right into a 4-1 gap that appeared, at occasions, insurmountable.

But targets from Brock Boeser and Jamie Oleksiak within the early goings of the third lower into the Ducks’ lead, completely setting the stage for Lekkerimaki to attain twice with the web empty to power time beyond regulation.

It was the sixth time in franchise historical past that the Canucks rallied from a three-goal, third-period deficit.

“It was a big win for us,” Lekkerimaki informed reporters post-game, who gave all of the credit score to Jake DeBrusk for screening Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal on each his targets. “We have to build on it.”

It could be an understatement to say that it has been a attempting season for the Canucks, the place ethical (and actual) victories have been few and much between by 14 video games. The emergence of Lekkerimaki, nonetheless, has been a small silver lining amidst a slew of storm clouds.

The 2022 fifteenth total decide has earned a bigger position this season because the Canucks prioritize growing their youthful expertise, and Lekkerimaki has made the many of the alternative, with six targets and 12 factors in 14 video games.

It’s a small pattern measurement, however we’d lastly be witnessing Lekkerimaki come into his personal on the NHL degree.

“He’s elite in terms of his ability to get (the shot) off and pick corners,” head coach Manny Malhotra mentioned of the younger Swede. “But extra so his poise that he had, recovering a pair pucks and simply settling it down for us, placing us in a great spot.

“Another step in his growth.”

Broadly, the Canucks have been piecing collectively glimpses of competitiveness, even when the outcomes have not been there. But three targets down on two separate events, it most likely would have been straightforward for Vancouver to chuck this one within the rubbish and sit up for Thursday.

Instead, they dug in and caught the Ducks trying.

“Really pleased with the response from the guys. That’s the type of effort that we’ve been looking for, for a while now,” Malhotra mentioned. “In the past few weeks, there were some instances where we went away, and you never want to be a team that goes away. So the fact that we were able to keep our heads about us, stay with the process and get rewarded for it, obviously that’s great for our morale, great for the group. Gives us something to build off of.”

While hardly any veteran Canuck is piecing collectively a stellar season, it has been a very tough go for Hronek. Heading into Tuesday’s recreation, Vancouver’s No. 1 defenceman was being out-shot 130-71, out-scored 15-11 and was minus-seven with eight factors.

It wasn’t a stellar begin for Hronek on Tuesday both.

The Ducks caught the 28-year-old out of place on a rush within the first interval, and a centring cross from A.J. Greer careened off Hronek’s stick and previous Canucks goalie Leevi Meralainen.

He was additionally on the ice for Jeff Malott’s purpose, when he did not corral the puck in opposition to Mikael Granlund, then misplaced a puck battle alongside the boards because the Ducks had been capable of rating simply seconds later.

He got here by when it mattered, although, serving to to arrange Lekkerimaki’s tying purpose earlier than potting considered one of his personal for the game-winner.

It was the primary time beyond regulation game-winning purpose of Hronek’s 10-year profession.

“Much needed,” Hronek informed Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy concerning the win. “Really comfortable that we may come again and get a win.

“Everyone worked in the third period and we have to bring that to other games.”

It had been an unusually quiet October for Boeser, who has come to be generally known as one of many the Canucks’ most constant first-month producers.

But the month is not over but, and on Tuesday Boeser resurrected his ‘Brocktober’ moniker with a purpose and two assists, together with the first helper on Hronek’s OT winner.

The three-point exhibiting brings Boeser to 4 targets and 12 factors in 14 video games — 11 of which got here in October.

When the Ducks put the league on discover by not solely making the playoffs final season, however beating the Stanley Cup-hopeful Edmonton Oilers within the first spherical, the idea was that the rebuild was full in Anaheim.

To additional show it, GM Pat Verbeek matched a five-year, $90 million supply sheet to Leo Carlsson, then re-upped with 40-goal man Cutter Gauthier shortly thereafter to maintain his two centrepieces in Anaheim for years to come back.

But, like every younger crew, there have been some rising pains of late. The Ducks are off to a sub-.500 begin, and at 5-6-1, sit behind Vegas, Edmonton, Seattle and San Jose within the Pacific Division

Was final season only a false optimistic?

It’s most likely too early to inform earlier than the season even reaches the quarter-mark, however after blowing two separate three-goal results in the Thirty second-place crew to lose their fifth in six video games, it is clear Joel Quenneville’s squad has some kinks they should work out in the event that they wish to keep aggressive.

Malhotra, on Paul Cotter returning for OT after receiving a 10-minute misconduct: “A welcome addition, absolutely, in overtime. We kind of forgot about him for a second.”