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While the defence still has some kinks to work out, and it maybe wasn’t Jacob Markstrom’s best night, the Canucks are starting to show signs that things are starting to come together, and you probably couldn’t get a better example of that than looking at their goal scoring right now. They’ve scored 11 goals in the past 2 games, which is one more than they scored in 7 contests last September. 27 goals total for the exhibition season, and there’s still two more games to come. When you think about how this team struggled to put the puck in the net the last couple seasons, this is certainly encouraging.
The Canucks came out firing last night, yet it was Ottawa who scored on their first shot, as Bobby Ryan blasted one past Markstrom to open the scoring. It didn’t take long for the Sens penalty trouble to bite them though, as their 3rd penalty of the night was a 5 minute boarding penalty to Jordan Szwarz for this dirty hit on Oscar Fantenberg:
Here's the hit on Oscar Fantenberg. Jordan Szwarz got five and a game for his part in the hit, which was in the numbers. #Canucks #Senators pic.twitter.com/K0efMKoKax
— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) September 24, 2019
Fantenberg would not return, and the Canucks would make the Sens pay on that 5 minute PP, first one from JT Miller:
It went in, trust us. J.T. Miller puts it home to make it a 1-1 game, mid-1st. pic.twitter.com/6UWpMqCJSw
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 24, 2019
And then Elias Pettersson with his first of the night (and not Edler as the tweet says):
Make that 2-1 #Canucks! Shots are 14-4 Vancouver as Edler finds twine on the power play. pic.twitter.com/1KwwNH1HU1
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 24, 2019
Before the period was done, Edler would get his though, for a 3-1 score after 20 minutes.
Save some for the regular season boys! with another ! 3-1 #Canucks after 20. pic.twitter.com/pZuClDIX85
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 24, 2019
An Artem Anisimov goal made it 3-2 in the 2nd, but it was Petey on the PP again, and tell me this isn’t mid-season form:
Pre-season game, mid-season clapper from @_EPettersson pic.twitter.com/VOdysciwec
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 24, 2019
Holy smokes! He got all of that one. The Sens refused to die though, and former Kamloops Blazer Rudolfs Balcers made it 4-3. Jordie Benn took a holding call late in the 2nd, and it was starting to look like the Sens might get back in this one, but just as the penalty expired, Tyler Myers spotted Benn as he exited the penalty box, leading to this breakaway beauty:
Now THAT'S how you end a period. #Canucks up 5-3 after 2. pic.twitter.com/jo28mjyPWu
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 24, 2019
Onto the third and another dirty hit from Ottawa, this one from Chris Tierney on Brock Boeser:
Tierney hit on Boeser #Canucks pic.twitter.com/F40X0v8YiL
— Matthew (@dooley_matt_) September 24, 2019
This time it was Bo Horvat with the PPG and a 6-3 lead. In a cruel twist, Tierney would score on his next shift after a Jacob Markstrom clearing attempt landed right on Tierney’s stick. That was it for the scoring and like I said, there’s things that need to be worked on, but you can see things are starting to come together. 4 points for EP, a 4 point night for Alexander Edler, 3 assists from Brock Boeser, and they went 4 for 7 on the PP. Giving up 45 shots to the Ottawa Senators is not a good look though, especially with the number of AHL’ers they iced last night. These two teams will meet again Wednesday, this time at Rogers Arena before the Canucks close out the exhibition schedule with a visit from the Arizona Coyotes. There will likely be more cuts coming either today or tomorrow, and with guys like Jake Virtanen, Loui Eriksson and Tim Schaller not really lighting things on fire last night, the Canucks have some difficult choices ahead in terms of who gets sent down to Utica.
POST GAME CHATTER:
Two goals. Two assists. @_EPettersson filled the scoresheet as Vancouver nets four power-play goals in their win over Ottawa @AbbyCentre. pic.twitter.com/y2OWOe4a1p
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 24, 2019
"The guys were making fun of me asking when my last breakaway goal was... I said it was probably peewee or midget." - Jordie Benn on his tally pic.twitter.com/a7eVkiFhDO
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 24, 2019
"Jake won't get moved unless someone picks him up on waivers if they try and sneak him through. Goldy I can't see getting picked up by anyone and Gaudette will start the year in Utica."@sportsnetmurph on possible moves.
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) September 24, 2019
Listen: https://t.co/mDLZc4njsd pic.twitter.com/poivbKwUtP
Camp is underway in Utica, and we’ll have more details on that soon:
DiPietro, Kielly, Teves, Rafferty, Gadjovich out early working with Curtis Sanford and Kalamazoo coaches Nick Bootland And Joel Martin pic.twitter.com/c1xLWbPoa5
— Ben Birnell (@OD_Birnell) September 24, 2019