Welcome to the latest edition of the Vancouver Canucks’ 3 Up, 3 Down for the 2022-23 season. This will be a weekly column released on Mondays chronicling the highs and lows of the previous seven days.
To say the season has not started well for the Canucks would be a massive understatement. Especially J.T. Miller, who has been on the ice for all eight goals the team has given up so far. It started in Edmonton on Oct. 12 when they had a 3-0 lead only to see it evaporate and end in a 5-3 loss. Then came the City of Brotherly Love on Oct. 15. This time it was a 2-0 advantage that finished as a 3-2 defeat.
Both times the Canucks had a multiple-goal lead and both times they lost AND allowed the other team to score a shorthanded goal to tie it up. Two events that will go down as firsts in franchise history. Not exactly the type of record you want to be setting, especially after preaching to the fans about avoiding a slow start to the season. So, instead of being 2-0 and riding high, they are 0-2 and facing heat from the media and Canucks Nation.
It’s going to be difficult to find three positives for the “Plus” column, but I am going to try. With that said, let’s get this week’s 3 Up, 3 Down going.
Plus One: Kuzmenko Scores First NHL Goal
One positive to come out of the last week was the play of rookie Andrei Kuzmenko. The 26-year-old scored his first NHL goal against the Oilers and then proceeded to put up five shots against the Flyers. While he failed to string together two games with points, it wasn’t for lack of effort as Carter Hart denied him his second NHL goal with a brilliant toe save when Kuzmenko found himself alone at the side of the net.
After two games, it’s clear Kuzmenko is a legitimate NHL player with high-end skill. He’s also been an analytics monster logging a 74 Corsi-for percentage (CF%), which of course leads the team. In fact, his whole line, which includes Nils Hoglander and Elias Pettersson, has been arguably the best trio the Canucks have put together this season so far. So, that’s at least one positive for Canucks Nation to hang their hat on in what has been a very difficult first week.
Minus One: Power Play Struggling & Giving Up Shorthanded Goals
The Canucks’ power play should be one of the best in the league. Except, it hasn’t been, not by a long shot. In fact, it’s been so bad that penalty-killing units are feasting on it by scoring shorthanded goals. First, it was Darnell Nurse blasting one by Thatcher Demko, then Scott Laughton on a breakaway after a bank pass found him all alone from the red line in.
It would look better if the Canucks were scoring on the power play along with those shorthanded goals. But they aren’t and currently sit 25th in the NHL with a 7.7 percent success rate and only one power play goal scored – that by Kuzmenko on opening night. If they want to be successful this season, they need to score with the man advantage, and of course not give up shorthanded goals.
Related: Canucks Prospects Report: McDonough, Lockhart & More
So far, the uber-skilled first unit that includes Pettersson, Miller, Hughes, Kuzmenko and Bo Horvat doesn’t look in sync. Pettersson is missing the net on one-timers, Miller is using dangerous cross-ice passes that have the potential of being picked off – and have a few times already, leading to goals and scoring chances – and the man who runs the power play in Jason King doesn’t seem to know how to change it for the better. All I know is, the power play needs to be a source of strength, and right now, it’s one of the reasons the Canucks are losing games. If they want to avoid another bad October, that has to change sooner rather than later.
Plus Two: Bieksa Will Sign One-Day Contract to Retire as a Canuck
Kevin Bieksa is back ladies and gentlemen, and he’s here to stay. Yes, the thing that should have happened in 2020-21 is going to happen in 2022-23, the man they call “Juice” will sign a one-day contract to retire as a Canuck. That event will take place on Nov. 3, the same day the Canucks play the Ducks, the only other team that Bieksa has ever played for in the NHL.
The Canucks will hold a pre-game ceremony in his honor to celebrate his retirement and it is sure to bring back many memories of his time in Vancouver. From his humble beginnings as a rough-and-tumble defensive defenceman – he was more likely to hit and fight than score a goal – he finished his career as one of the NHL’s best two-way physical blueliners capable of scoring 40 points and throwing 100 hits. His character and personality were also second-to-none and still are, as he’s transitioned to a career as an analyst on Hockey Night in Canada. Without a doubt, this ceremony won’t be his last as he will probably be inducted into the Ring of Honor at some point, just like his buddy Alex Burrows.
Minus Two: Blown Leads & J.T. Miller
They say no lead is safe in the NHL. Well, the Canucks know that all too well as they have given up multiple-goal leads twice already this season. They also have no points to show for it, as the winning goals have all come in regulation. In fact, both of them were scored in the third period with little-to-no time remaining on the clock to mount a comeback.
Related: Canucks News & Rumors: Bieksa, Horvat & Mikheyev
Not only are the Canucks giving up leads, but their best players are also the ones to blame for it, Miller in particular. As mentioned off the top, he’s been on the ice for all eight goals they have given up. While he hasn’t been directly responsible for every goal against, he hasn’t helped either. Whether it be knocking down a shot only to direct it to a wide-open Travis Konecny or turning the puck over on the power play and slowly backchecking, he’s been far from the two-way force fans saw last season when he put up 99 points.
It’s great that Miller has acknowledged that he’s been bad, but now his actions need to speak louder than his words. Hopefully, that starts in Washington later today (Oct. 17).
Plus Three: Burroughs Stepping Up With Injuries Mounting
During a week when Bieksa’s return to the franchise was announced, another hard-hitting, gritty defenceman was also making his presence known. That man’s name is Kyle Burroughs. The B.C. boy and Vancouver native was arguably the Canucks’ best player against the Flyers as he scored his second career goal off a wicked wrist shot and ended up playing 19:29 in the absence of Tucker Poolman who left early in the game. He also had four shots on goal and fought 6-foot-1, 220-pound Nic Deslauriers after a questionable hit on his teammate Curtis Lazar. All in all, for someone that was a forgotten man coming into the season, he’s again become a valuable member of this defence corps that is getting thinner by the day.
Minus Three: Poolman Leaves Game Against the Flyers
The Canucks suffered yet another blow to their defence on Saturday when Poolman left the game in the first period with an undisclosed injury. After dealing with migraines as a result of a concussion last season, there was obviously concerns that it could have been related to that. Fortunately, as reported by Patrick Johnston on Twitter, general manager Patrik Allvin said that Poolman was being monitored and that “he seemed to be feeling OK this morning [Oct. 16]”.
While both Allvin nor Boudreau confirmed what exactly the injury was, all signs seem to point to Poolman’s head, which could be problematic considering the issues he’s had in the past (from “Canucks’ Tucker Poolman thrown another curve by migraines” The Province, 4/4/22). If he can’t go for the game against the Capitals, then Jack Rathbone figures to draw into the lineup in his place.
That does it for another edition of the Canucks’ 3 Up, 3 Down. Hopefully next week we’re talking about their first win and maybe even a 4-2 record. Until then, stay positive Canucks Nation, the regular season is only two games old and there is still plenty of hockey to be played before the panic button should be dusted off.