<p>On yesterday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal reviewed the Canucks’ <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-tocchet-plenty-say-monday-ot-loss">overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes</a>, dissected the team&#8217;s ongoing power-play challenges, and shared updates from <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/scenes-vancouver-canucks-practice-changes-materialize-ot-loss-hurricanes">Jeff Paterson after practice</a>.</p>
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<p>Harm began with a breakdown of what led to Vancouver’s 4-3 overtime loss to Carolina:</p>
<p>“When you’re playing teams like Philadelphia or Chicago, you have extra time and space to make those quick decisions. Early in the season, while you’re still adjusting to the pace, it feels like there’s a margin for error,” said Harm. “Playing Carolina, there was no margin for error. They kept perfect gap control, always right on top of Vancouver’s players, and I don’t think Vancouver was ready for that type of pressure. When you’re facing a team as stifling as Carolina, every play has to be bang-bang.”</p>
<p>The guys then welcomed Rink Wide&#8217;s Jeff Paterson, who shared his insights from the game and updates from today’s Canucks practice.</p>
<p>“Against Carolina, the power play managed just three shots on three attempts, two of which came from Daniel Sprong on the second unit,” JPat remarked. “These guys need to figure it out. They’re elite-level players, so it’s frustrating to watch when they can’t move the puck effectively. When the power play’s clicking, it’s dynamic and almost effortless. They’re five for 25, so 20% isn’t a terrible rate, but four of those five goals came in just two games. Outside of those, there hasn’t been much going on.”</p>
<p>The discussion then shifted to goaltending, where Kevin Lankinen’s has continued to support his position as the starting goalie over Arturs Silovs. Despite the loss to Carolina, Lankinen made several highlight-reel saves, showing consistency through his six games and outperforming initial expectations for the season.</p>
<p>“They do need to get Silovs in there at some point,” JPat said, “and I’d expect him to start one of the upcoming road games against San Jose or Anaheim. I’d go back to Lankinen for New Jersey. He’s been a revelation, the Canucks’ best player through eight games, which isn’t really debatable. Hughes could be in the conversation, but he was on the ice for Carolina’s final three goals. I’d stick with Lankinen for another game, but that’s always the challenge: figuring out when a goalie on a hot streak will start to cool off. Given how the games are spaced at home with no travel, Lankinen probably has one more really strong game in him before he needs a break.”</p>
<p>Anticipated lineup changes were another focal point, with defenceman Derek Forbort expected to return soon and Dakota Joshua nearing a return as well. However, JPat expressed doubts about whether the current roster would be enough to achieve the team’s goals.</p>
<p>“Dakota Joshua is close,” he commented. “He won’t play tomorrow against New Jersey, but by week’s end, he should be an option. They’ll need to make a roster decision to activate him, which means someone else will have to come out. But even with these changes, this team can’t reach its ultimate goals without a significant upgrade on the back end. Last November, they explored options like Zadorov; whether they revisit that, if they have the assets, and how patient this management group will be is all in the air. The reality is that unless they make a major adjustment, I don’t see significant improvement happening on defence.”</p>
<p>JPat also provided an update on goaltender Thatcher Demko, as head coach Rick Tocchet indicated Demko had “a good four days.”</p>
<p>“He’s around the team,” JPat explained, “but as far as getting a clear look at him, they’re keeping him away, with any workouts happening before the media’s allowed in. It’s unclear what ‘good days’ really mean in his case, and it still feels like he’s some distance from returning. This only underscores the importance of having Lankinen and the work he’s been able to do so far.”</p>
<p>In addition, JPat noted that Arshdeep Bains had been practicing in the top-six forward group again today. While Bains hasn’t looked completely out of place, the preference among analysts seems to be for Nils Höglander to get another opportunity higher in the lineup.</p>
<p>“I don’t want this to be a long experiment,” said Harm. “We’ve seen the type of five-on-five offensive production Höglander can offer. He’s not going to be a big point producer—he doesn’t get enough power-play opportunities to inflate his stats—but at even strength, we’re talking about a player who ranked top 10 among all forwards in goals last year. Even in his rookie season, he was top 50. He consistently produces at even strength, and he deserves a spot higher in the lineup.”</p>
<p>You can watch the full replay of the show below.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Changes are coming after Canucks&#039; OT loss ft. Jeff Paterson | Canucks Conversation Live" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AfzGoezKaSs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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On yesterday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal reviewed the Canucks’ <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-tocchet-plenty-say-monday-ot-loss">overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes</a>, dissected the team's ongoing power-play challenges, and shared updates from <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/scenes-vancouver-canucks-practice-changes-materialize-ot-loss-hurricanes">Jeff Paterson after practice</a>.
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Harm began with a breakdown of what led to Vancouver’s 4-3 overtime loss to Carolina:

“When you’re playing teams like Philadelphia or Chicago, you have extra time and space to make those quick decisions. Early in the season, while you’re still adjusting to the pace, it feels like there’s a margin for error,” said Harm. “Playing Carolina, there was no margin for error. They kept perfect gap control, always right on top of Vancouver’s players, and I don’t think Vancouver was ready for that type of pressure. When you’re facing a team as stifling as Carolina, every play has to be bang-bang.”

The guys then welcomed Rink Wide's Jeff Paterson, who shared his insights from the game and updates from today’s Canucks practice.

“Against Carolina, the power play managed just three shots on three attempts, two of which came from Daniel Sprong on the second unit,” JPat remarked. “These guys need to figure it out. They’re elite-level players, so it’s frustrating to watch when they can’t move the puck effectively. When the power play’s clicking, it’s dynamic and almost effortless. They’re five for 25, so 20% isn’t a terrible rate, but four of those five goals came in just two games. Outside of those, there hasn’t been much going on.”

The discussion then shifted to goaltending, where Kevin Lankinen’s has continued to support his position as the starting goalie over Arturs Silovs. Despite the loss to Carolina, Lankinen made several highlight-reel saves, showing consistency through his six games and outperforming initial expectations for the season.

“They do need to get Silovs in there at some point,” JPat said, “and I’d expect him to start one of the upcoming road games against San Jose or Anaheim. I’d go back to Lankinen for New Jersey. He’s been a revelation, the Canucks’ best player through eight games, which isn’t really debatable. Hughes could be in the conversation, but he was on the ice for Carolina’s final three goals. I’d stick with Lankinen for another game, but that’s always the challenge: figuring out when a goalie on a hot streak will start to cool off. Given how the games are spaced at home with no travel, Lankinen probably has one more really strong game in him before he needs a break.”

Anticipated lineup changes were another focal point, with defenceman Derek Forbort expected to return soon and Dakota Joshua nearing a return as well. However, JPat expressed doubts about whether the current roster would be enough to achieve the team’s goals.

“Dakota Joshua is close,” he commented. “He won’t play tomorrow against New Jersey, but by week’s end, he should be an option. They’ll need to make a roster decision to activate him, which means someone else will have to come out. But even with these changes, this team can’t reach its ultimate goals without a significant upgrade on the back end. Last November, they explored options like Zadorov; whether they revisit that, if they have the assets, and how patient this management group will be is all in the air. The reality is that unless they make a major adjustment, I don’t see significant improvement happening on defence.”

JPat also provided an update on goaltender Thatcher Demko, as head coach Rick Tocchet indicated Demko had “a good four days.”

“He’s around the team,” JPat explained, “but as far as getting a clear look at him, they’re keeping him away, with any workouts happening before the media’s allowed in. It’s unclear what ‘good days’ really mean in his case, and it still feels like he’s some distance from returning. This only underscores the importance of having Lankinen and the work he’s been able to do so far.”

In addition, JPat noted that Arshdeep Bains had been practicing in the top-six forward group again today. While Bains hasn’t looked completely out of place, the preference among analysts seems to be for Nils Höglander to get another opportunity higher in the lineup.

“I don’t want this to be a long experiment,” said Harm. “We’ve seen the type of five-on-five offensive production Höglander can offer. He’s not going to be a big point producer—he doesn’t get enough power-play opportunities to inflate his stats—but at even strength, we’re talking about a player who ranked top 10 among all forwards in goals last year. Even in his rookie season, he was top 50. He consistently produces at even strength, and he deserves a spot higher in the lineup.”

You can watch the full replay of the show below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfzGoezKaSs

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
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