Both Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko are with the team as they embarked on a six -ame road trip, beginning last night in Ottawa. Boeser may play on this trip, but Demko is not expected to. The Canucks beat the Senators 4-3, in a physical affair, at the Canadian Tire Centre.
They are without Boeser, Demko, J.T. Miller, and 7 minutes into the first period Quinn Hughes. Hughes was ejected for a boarding call on Josh Norris, one of his best friends off ice. It was a bit of harsh call, there was no apparent intent to injure, and probably could have been called two minutes for boarding or cross-checking, or at worse a double minor. It was Hughes’s first Major penalty and game misconduct.
Rookie Max Sasson made his NHL debut for the Canucks. He’s a great story, undrafted, and cut several times from different teams growing up. He didn’t play College hockey until he was 21, and now at 24 he gets to don an NHL Jersey. And to top it all off, he picked up a beauty assist in this game, with many family and friends in attendance. You just have to root for those type of players.
Jake Debrusk had a great night with 2 goals and 1 assist. Kiefer Sherwood picked up a goal and an assist, along with 10 hits. He truly is one the best high value contracts in the League.
The top line of Debrusk, Sherwood, and Elias Pettersson has been on a tear lately and are developing great chemistry together. Pettersson, in his last 7 games, has 4 goals and 10 points, and is laying the body with some good hard hits. Having guys like that as line mates is clearly helping Pettersson, as neither DeBrusk or Sherwood will back down from anyone.
It was a bit deja vu watching Senators Captain, Brady Tkachuk, rip around the ice taking undisciplined penalty after undisciplined penalty, and watching the Senators unravel because of it. It reminded me very much of a young Ryan Kesler, before he became a disciplined player. Once Tkachuk gets it all together and plays more like his brother, Matthew in Florida, he will be a force in the League.
The Canucks now have a League best 7-1 road record, and hope to continue that trend against the Boston Bruins, on Tuesday night. With further stops in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Detroit, and Minnesota, before finally returning home on December 4th.
