THE ROUNDUP- Mar 19/19: The Captain Silences The Madhouse, Elias Reigns, And More...

CANUCKS NEWS: Yeah, I know. The Canucks are back on their bullshit. We all know it’s in their best interest to be losing games right now, but there’s a couple in the games they have left where it just felt good to get the win and last night was one of them. There used to be a narrative that the Canucks couldn’t win in that building, and sure a lot of it has to do with the modern-day Blackhawks being nowhere near as good as that team back then, but when you think about how bad the Canucks have been? They have no business winning that many games in Chicago.

A couple things that were great about last night? Well, Elias Pettersson breaking the record was excellent, though it’s a shame he couldn’t have done it at home a few days ago. I am sure he’ll get plenty of accolades tomorrow night when they take on the Sens. And that was a hell of a game from Bo Horvat, who could be downright terrifying if the Canucks had some actual skilled wingers for him to play with. The fact that he’s been able to put together a career year playing with the guys he’s had on his wings speaks volumes about how far he’s come, and how the trade to get that pick should be right up there with the Naslund deal in terms of the impact he is going to have on this team.

While it was good that Alexander Edler was able to redeem himself, that has to be one of the dumbest plays he’s made in his time as a Canuck. There’s literally no reason for him to be trying to stop that puck. None. There’s no one near him. And it was awful that the game had to go to OT and there was a risk that Thatcher Demko was in a position to lose because of Edler. But, he set up the play that saved the day and sent a building full of Blackhawks fans home pissed off that the team that had won 5 in a row couldn’t exploit the defensive juggernauts of the Canucks. So, I ain’t that mad...

Here’s what’s happening in Canuckville:

JPat and his 5 Takeaways from last night... Here’s EP40 on breaking the record last night...

If you subscribe to the Athletic, Harman Dayal’s piece on how Quinn Hughes can reinvent the Canucks dreadful PP is a must-read... And of course, the Athletties from last night (with a lot of Antoine Roussel content you will want to read)...

AROUND THE NHL: The not-at-all-ripe-for-a-first-round-upset Tampa Bay Lightning clinched the Presidents Trophy last night, thus guaranteeing themselves the Stanley Cup, since that is how it works... The not-even-trying-to-make-it-look-stealth-like Los Angeles Kings had no shots in the 3rd period of their 3-2 loss to Winnipeg. Seriously, screw those guys... The San Jose Sharks scored 19 seconds into the game, coughed up that lead, then managed to tie it all in the first period. They went on to lose 7-3 and holy cow that’s a bad look... A trio of games to keep an eye on tonight: Montreal takes on Philadelphia as the Flyers try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, and the Canadiens, who started the year like one of the Habs teams of yesteryear could very well miss the dance themselves... Then a couple Western Conference tilts as Colorado and Minnesota square off and the Oilers face the St Louis Blues. The Oilers can stay within 5 of a playoff spot with a win in their game, but the Avs and Wild match should be fun. The Avalanche are desperately trying not to fall out of reach, while Minnesota can bump Arizona out of the last Wild Card slot with a win. Also keep an eye on the Panthers and Stars match. A regulation loss for Dallas combined with a Minnesota win would put the Wild just one point behind the Stars and increase the danger of Dallas falling out of that playoff spot, which would just be terrible.