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    'Zero Panic': The Moment Wasn’t Too Big for the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1

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    'Zero Panic': The Moment Wasn’t Too Big for the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1

    Dakota Joshua

    Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

    Though the Vancouver Canucks finished 10 points ahead of the Nashville Predators and won all three games of their regular-season series, the Preds have been a trendy pick for a first-round upset in many circles — in no small part because of the proven playoff performers on their roster.

    Nashville’s lineup includes 2019 Conn Smythe winner Ryan O’Reilly, along with Ryan McDonagh and Luke Schenn, who both won two Cups with Tampa Bay. Lifelong Preds like Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg also have more than 75 games of post-season experience each, including a trip to the final against Pittsburgh in 2017.

    The only Canuck who has experienced a day with the Cup so far is Ian Cole, who was on the winning side with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. 

    J.T. Miller had a run to the final with the New York Rangers in 2015, but for the rest of the core, their playoff experience has been largely limited to the 2020 bubble. It was a very different scene than the madhouse that was Rogers Arena on Sunday, when the players skated out to U2 just as the Sedins did back in 2011.

    As it turns out, experience wasn’t the difference-maker on Sunday. 

    In just his second career playoff game, 27-year-old Dakota Joshua was named the game’s first star off a three-point performance that included the game-winning goal at 9:11 of the third period.

    Joshua’s tally gave the Canucks their first lead of the night. It came just 12 seconds after Quinn Hughes threaded a puck through traffic and Pius Suter tipped it past Juuse Saros to tie the game 2-2.

    It was the veteran Predators who made mistakes at key moments. O’Reilly and his linemates Filip Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist all finished the night at minus-3, while McDonagh and Josi were each minus-2. 

    “It’s something that was uncharacteristic for us, the last 40 games or so,” said Nashville coach Andrew Brunette. “It was a little bit of a theme early in the year. The shift after a goal is so important, and we just didn’t execute. There was a breakdown, and a breakdown on the goal before, too. A little disappointing. Like I said, we haven’t done that in a long time.”

    And while it took a while to start connecting in a low-event game where the shots were just 22-21 for Nashville, the Canucks stayed patient and didn’t try to force the issue.

    “We’ve been talking about being in one-goal games the whole season, for these moments,” said Miller. “I love that there was zero panic today — hardly any at all. We had our good looks. 

    “I think the penalties kind of took our good flow out of the second. We were playing well and coming. We just stayed with it — we talked about how we’re going to score in the playoffs, and it’s pucks and bodies to the net.”

    Nine years separate Josi and Hughes — the two captains in this series, who are both Norris Trophy contenders. After the game, 24-year-old Hughes repeatedly used the word “mature” to describe the Canucks’ mindset through Game 1.

    “We could have pressed and got off our game, but we didn’t,” Hughes said. “We played strong, mature hockey. We let the game come to us. We didn’t give them too much. We knew we were going to have our looks and be able to create at certain points. Hopefully next game, we get on the power play and produce that way also.”

    Related: NHL Awards Poll: Canucks’ Hughes, Avalanche’s MacKinnon Get Love for Major Honors

    While he wasn’t busy, Thatcher Demko effectively erased any concerns about his game shape after missing 14 games with a knee injury as the regular season wound down. 

    Early on, Demko made a spectacular sprawling split save on Anthony Beauvillier. 

    And on Nashville’s second goal, Demko indicated he might have had O’Reilly’s shot if his glove hadn’t been contacted during a fly-by by Luke Evangelista.

    It was hard to tell whether the contact occurred before or after the shot went by. On the advice of video coach Dylan Crawford and director of goaltending Ian Clark, Rick Tocchet elected not to potentially dig a deeper hole if his coach’s challenge was unsuccessful. 

    “I did swear, ‘Are you effing sure?’ ” Tocchet said about discussing the call with his staff, while emphasizing that in all cases, he goes by the word that he’s given.

    In the end, it all worked out on Sunday, and Canucks fans enjoyed their team’s first playoff win in Rogers Arena since April 23, 2015.

    The victory gives home teams a 6-0 so far in the first round, with Dallas and Edmonton looking to follow suit in their openers on Monday.

    Game 2 is set for Tuesday at Rogers Arena. The Canucks will practise on Monday while the Predators have elected to stay off the ice as they game-plan for a way to level the series before heading home to Music City.

    Related: NHL Playoff Predictions: Who Advances in the West? How Many Game 7s?

    Related: NHL Playoff Pool Mock Draft: McDavid or MacKinnon at No. 1 Overall?



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