THE ROUNDUP: You’re Not Making This Easy...

CANUCKS NEWS: (With apologies to Jeff Veillette) the Canucks are actually good? Now, let’s be honest here. Last night’s game was the poster child for the defensive issues that plague this team. That being said, if you were looking for a reason to believe that this team is going to be relevant again, you couldn’t find a better example. Against a team that was very clearly looking to erase the memory of a pretty horrific third period collapse in Calgary the night before, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser put the team on their shoulders and marched them to victory. It was without a doubt the best game from a pure excitement standpoint this team has played since maybe the first game against Boston in 2012.

I keep going back to how this team has hurt us before. Making us believe in them only to rip our hearts out. And I really have found it harder and harder to get excited in the years since 2011, watching them descend from such lofty heights into these past dark years. Last night we saw the truth. Elias Pettersson is the light. He is everything that is good about this game. And he is a Canuck. If that doesn’t make you excited, I don’t know how to help you. They’re making me believe. He’s making me believe. It may all still end badly, but dammit all, they’re making me believe.

And while Pettersson’s franchise record 5 points by a rookie and one hell of a game from Boeser cannot be overstated, there was a lot of great things that happened in this game last night. He’s been one of those guys who, when he makes a mistake it seems to be magnified, but Derrick Pouliot deserves a little love today. Also, 6 goals in the NHL, all game winners. Amazing. Another Markus Granlund goal. Nikolay Goldobin’s hard work translating into points. A Loui Eriksson goal!?!?!? Sure, the game resembled one of those 1980’s Oilers games, but you know what? I will take what we saw last night over anything we saw during the Willie Desjardins era.

Here’s your morning reading... The Stanchion just kills it with the Athletties... The legalization of Cannabis in Canada has given us this, and I don’t even know what to say... Then again, words fail me when I see this as well

Or this...

I wasn’t the only one who thought this one was a call back to the 80’s...

AROUND THE NHL: Two other games last night, one in Finland as Roberto Luongo returned to lead Florida to a 4-2 win over Winnipeg in Helsinki, and those dang Coyotes won again, with a 4-3 OT win at home over Carolina...