Canucks 3, Sharks 2: A load off for Jake DeBrusk

Article content

There’s just something about Jake DeBrusk and Nov. 2.

Article content

For the second season in a row, the winger found the net on the second day of the month and for the second season in a row it was his first goal of the season.

DeBrusk wired a shot — in a manner that was advertised as a skill of his — into the top corner late in Saturday’s game and for a moment it looked like he’d be the hero at the SAP Center in San Jose between the Sharks and DeBrusk’s Vancouver Canucks.

Instead it took another late third-period goal by Pius Suter, his second of the game, to seal the win.

It was a win that wasn’t easy. Despite the talent disparity between the two squads, it was a fair 1-1 well into the third period.

Fair in this scenario isn’t exactly what the Canucks would want to see, given who they believe they are and who we all think the Sharks are.

Article content

Then DeBrusk scored, which seemed fair given that on the whole the Canucks had more of the puck on the night.

But then San Jose tied the game with the goalie out. A dominant late-game shift by the Elias Pettersson line finally closed with a top-corner snipe by Suter, set up by who else but Conor Garland, to take the win.

The good news for the Canucks in this one was they won the game, and scored twice in crunch time.

The lesser news is the game just shouldn’t have been this close.

A helluva finish and a killer instinct

DeBrusk did what Brock Boeser couldn’t quite do moments earlier: pick the top corner of the net, as opposed to the post.

DeBrusk’s goal finished what was a rough sequence for the Sharks, who essentially had no defencemen on the ice when Boeser was sprung on a breakaway moments before DeBrusk’s goal.

Article content

Article content

The Canucks’ sniper went backhand to forehand and fired a wrist shot over Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood’s glove, but not inside the post.

The puck got out but the Canucks regained control and entered the zone again quickly. Smartly, both Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek recognized that two Sharks bizarrely changed in that moment, opening up a 5-on-3 rush for the Canucks.

Hughes pushed the tempo and the Canucks benefited. A remarkable scoring spot opened up for DeBrusk and he made no mistake.

Finding that spot

Garland loves finding shooters right between the dot and the faceoff circle; he said of Elias Pettersson’s goal a few games ago that the spot they’ve identified to shoot from is exactly there.

It was no surprise that he put the puck on Suter’s stick without apparently looking. It’s the smart play and smart players know to go there.

Article content

Seems a safe bet that Suter now gets a run on Pettersson’s wing, with Garland.

The Suter swing

Pius Suter played nearly three minutes on the night with Pettersson and Garland, taking over for Arshdeep Bains, who remains a great story but realistically isn’t a long-term fit on that line.

And the change was a smart one: the Canucks out-shot-attempted San Jose 7-1 with Suter, Pettersson and Garland on the ice.

This is what Suter does.

Where does Joshua fit?

For all that, Dakota Joshua will be ready soon enough. If Suter has a good run here with Pettersson and Garland, where do you put Joshua when gets back?

Instinctually he does look like a guy who might fit on Pettersson’s left wing, over Suter…but why mess with a good thing if you have a good thing?

Article content

Miller momentum

J.T. Miller is clearly playing through an injury. (Or is it multiple? Heard he’s dealing with or dealt with elbow, back and ankle issues.)

But even through that, his line was super-dominant: in 11:34, the Canucks outshot the Sharks by 14.

That’s a line doing their best to make it all happen.

Signs of power play life

At least they were shooting?

That’s the moral victory about the Canucks’ power play, which has been in a brutal rut.

They had a chance to make a difference in the third period. Once again, the 11th time in a row, the Canucks failed to score on the man advantage.

But, yes, they fired the puck toward the Sharks’ net. The first two-minute man advantage saw five shot attempts at the San Jose goal. The second saw three more. That’s double their shot-attempts rate this season: they’ve been averaging a miserable 2.5 shots per two-minute segment.

Article content

Take the man on

Another game where Pettersson was around the puck a lot, but he’s still passing up shots.

And Kevin Bieksa mentioned this on Hockey Night in Canada and he was absolutely right: Pettersson needs to get back to taking on defenders.

He’s in the right spots, but he needs to get to the great spots.

They keep replaying that goal from last January versus the New York Rangers, where he dekes the defenceman and the goalie to tuck in a goal. It was spectacular. He’s that player. Find that in yourself again, kid.

Did Brannstrom forget he was on the right?

Sure looked like it on San Jose’s opening goal.

Derek Forbort collected the puck on the left boards, then rimmed it around behind the net, likely expecting his partner to be there.

Article content

Brannstrom was, instead, standing almost right behind him.

The puck slid to the far wall, out of reach of a scrambling Teddy Blueger.

Then with the puck darting to the left of the slot, Erik Brannstrom oddly moved over all the way after the puck — despite being the right-side defenceman in the pairing.

Nico Strum was left unchecked as a result and made no mistake of scoring when the puck came to him.

A coulda-woulda

There was a moment midway through the second period where it looked like the puck got up into the netting behind the Sharks goal. The players all paused like they seemed to think that was the case.

Anyway play continued for quite a while.

And if the Canucks had scored, you had to figure the Sharks would have appealed right away were we proven right and the puck had indeed gone into the netting — and there’d have been no goal.

Article content

So really, the Canucks should have just taken an offside and got themselves a whistle to avoid that kind of scenario.

“Rule 36.2(b) Missed Game Stoppage Event in the Offensive Zone Leading to a Goal – A play that results in a “GOAL” call on the ice where the defending team claims that the play should have been stopped by reason of any play occurring in the offensive zone that should have resulted in a play stoppage but did not.”

Rush chances

The Sharks only had three shots in the first — they all came off the rush.

That was a sign the Canucks were defending well in-zone.

Giving up rush chances isn’t the end of the world — if they aren’t coming off of odd-man rushes.

Giving up odd-man rushes has been an issue for the Canucks this year.

Article content

Good thing Kevin Lankinen has been so sturdy.

A brief benching

It’s been has been a tough start for DeBrusk in Vancouver. He’s struggled to make himself noticed.

Getting used to a new system? New linemates?

Whatever it is, it’s not worked yet.

And it wasn’t a surprising to see him dropped off J.T. Miller’s wing for a time in the second period.  Danton Heinen was promoted back up to the line on which he started the season.

DeBrusk was back on Miller’s wing in the third.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. With a subscription, you’ll get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun online, as well as the ePaper and our app. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun.

Article content