VANCOUVER – Through the first 10 games and 20 days of their National Hockey League season, the Vancouver Canucks have done what it took them the final two months of last season to achieve: win six games.
The Canucks also have a shootout loss in October, so they’re 6-3-1. This represents about the best-case-scenario start under new head coach Travis Green, who took over a team staggering out of consecutive bottom-three finishes and struggling to rebuild while most of the organization’s best construction materials are still a couple of years away from showing up in the NHL.
It’s a great start. It may also be as good as it gets for the Canucks in 2017-18.
Thursday’s 6-2 win against the Washington Capitals, which extended the Canucks’ winning streak to four games, may turn out to be the season peak. After all, the team just ahead of them in the Pacific Division is the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who are 7-1-0 now but will not still be near the top of the overall standings in March.
Still, the Canucks have gained momentum through the first one-eighth of the regular season largely without their best defenceman, injured Alex Edler, or a power play whose three goals against the Capitals nearly doubled Vancouver’s total output with the man advantage.
The Canucks are also missing smoke and mirrors. There is nothing fluky about their six wins. Sure, nobody sober would have predicted grinder Derek Dorsett would have six goals by now. But team-wise, there is no statistical anomaly that screams "false economy" or "market correction."
One goalie, Anders Nilsson, has been superb (.943 save percentage), but the other, Jacob Markstrom, slightly below average (.908 per cent).
A good penalty kill has been offset by the poor power play.
The Canucks have just flat-out earned their wins.
Yes, they were lucky in the first period against Ottawa last week, but then outplayed the Senators in the final 40 minutes to win 3-0. And their 1-0 win Tuesday in Minnesota was a tedious game that could have gone either way.
But nobody is investigating the Canucks for theft in these games, and Vancouver badly outplayed the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and, when it counted Thursday, the Capitals.
"We beat one of the better hockey teams in the league tonight, and definitely one of the most skilled," gritty Canucks defenceman Alex Biega said. "That’s a really good team we beat over there. They were frustrated. You close quickly, you chip pucks by them and use your speed. That’s hard to play against. I think we’ve deserved everything we’ve got."
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The Canucks are balanced and cohesive and relentless in trying to execute Green’s commands to move the puck quicker and be tougher to play against without it. They look very little like last season’s plodding 69-point team that lost its final eight games. But they have very little star power. Opponents aren’t game-planning to stop Dorsett, whose six goals are only one shy of his season-high from the last five years.
Dorsett has surprised teams. So have the Canucks.
"Probably," veteran defenceman Chris Tanev said. "If they faced us the last couple of years, we’re playing a lot harder and faster than we did in the past. That’s how you have to play in this league now. Everyone’s quick, everyone moves the puck. That’s how we’ve played the last few games."
In their last 11 periods, the Canucks have outscored the Sabres, Red Wings, Wild and Capitals 14-3. And the Canucks had to travel before each of these games.
They finally get a short rest at home before playing the Dallas Stars on Monday.
"I just think everyone’s buying in," Dorsett said. "Everyone’s chipping in and having fun playing hard. This is fun to be a part of. I think we have the most depth we’ve had since I’ve been here (the last four seasons) and it’s showing. We can put out any line and not have to worry about the matchup."
The "checking" line of Dorsett, Brandon Sutter and Markus Granlund went head-to-head against Alex Ovechkin’s line Thursday and generated two goals and positive possession numbers. The top line of Bo Horvat between Brock Boeser and Sven Baertschi combined for three goals and eight points on the power play.
Asked to identify the Canucks’ top line, Baertschi said: "There’s no such thing." Green would love that answer.
"We’re playing really good defence, not giving up too much," Tanev said. "And we’re getting pucks to the net, forechecking well. It’s really good to see."
But is this sustainable?
"Yeah," he said. "Why not?"
Are the Canucks this good? Maybe not. But right now, at the end of October, they’re sure playing that way.
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