Success at residence has been powerful to realize thus far this season for the Vancouver Canucks.
However after their 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, the Canucks head into Sunday’s conflict with the visiting Nashville Predators on a profitable word and with proof of what they’ll do once they play to their potential.
“Now we have to make it two video games in a row. Make it our identification,” Vancouver ahead Elias Pettersson mentioned.
The Canucks have managed a surprisingly weak home-ice report (3-3-3) to start out the season. The low level was the 5-2 beating by the hands of the New York Islanders on Thursday, after which coach Rick Tocchet apologized to their followers.
The boo birds have been cheering the Canucks when the ultimate buzzer sounded in opposition to the Blackhawks, nevertheless.
“Since I have been right here, me personally, I felt this staff has responded after unhealthy efforts,” Tocchet mentioned. “I have never seen them string plenty of unhealthy efforts. I commend the gamers.”
The Canucks took over Saturday’s sport within the second interval, throughout which they erased a one-goal deficit and grabbed maintain of the momentum.
“I feel we acquired too stale within the impartial zone, did not include pace, and once they acquired the puck deep, they have been breaking it out simple,” Pettersson mentioned, when requested what helped them acquire the higher hand. “Getting extra pace within the impartial zone modified it for us.”
Now to see whether or not the Canucks can do the identical in opposition to one other struggling customer to their area.
“They seem to be a powerful opponent,” Pettersson mentioned. “We have got to re-charge the batteries and be able to go.”
The Predators have dropped the primary three contests in a five-game street journey, with the newest setback a 2-0 choice to the Calgary Flames on Friday. Nashville dropped consecutive 3-2 extra time losses to start the trek.
“It was a decent hockey sport,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette mentioned of the sport versus the Flames. “Ice was at a premium. I assumed they defended actual nicely and we failed to actually create an entire lot moreover after we acquired determined at completely different instances late within the sport.”
The Predators had extraordinarily excessive hopes going into the season with the addition of a trio of veteran free brokers in forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei. As a substitute, they limped out of the gates with 5 consecutive losses in regulation.
It appeared that they had turned the tide by occurring a 4-1-1 run however since have only one wins of their previous seven video games (1-4-2).
“I really feel like we’re hoping to win proper now,” captain Roman Josi mentioned. “We’re probably not going on the market and attacking the sport, like getting a win. We’re simply sort of hoping and we’ll see what occurs.”
One saving grace for the Predators is a mirrored image to final season. They have been floundering till a 16-0-2 run in February and March sprung them right into a playoff berth.
“The place (we’re in), we have to get some factors, we have to get some wins,” Josi mentioned. “We have got to assault the sport and get on the market and play to win. … We’re not doing that proper now.”
–Discipline Degree Media
