[MUSIC PLAYING] We're back in the mobile kintech studio here at Rogers Arena getting set for game number two between the Canucks and Oilers. Canucks Central is for enzyme Pacific. Vancouver's premier Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, and Jeep Superstore on second Avenue between Cammy and Maine, or at enzyme pacificcrisler.ca. Dave Tomlinson going to join us in a second. But quickly, let's hit the goal horn. [MUSIC PLAYING] The goal horn is brought to you by Rewind BeerCo. Find their big West Coast IPA at a liquor store near you and celebrate big plays in a big way. Evan Rodriguez scoring his second of the postseason, putting the Panthers up 1-0 on the Boston Bruins. To this point, I don't believe Matthew Kuchuck and David Postenock have fought yet. Not yet. There's still a long way to go early in the game. Yeah, we'll see what happens. Let's bring in our next guest. It is Dave Tomlinson, Canucks color analyst. What's happening, DT? Guys, beautiful day outside and looking forward to game two. Yeah, it's perfect. The weather is just beautiful. You get to be outside, enjoy the day in this beautiful city, and now get to watch a little bit of puck here tonight. Game one was a fascinating comeback. And you know what, I think it's strange to see how this team has kind of become the, I don't know, the cardiac kids here in the playoffs. You know, they had the big game one come back against Nashville and did the same in game four. And they didn't have to do it a ton during the season. Where do you think this never-say-die attitude has been developed for this Canucks team? Well, I think it's something that's been building throughout the season. I look at where they were about halfway through the year. They were on the top of the standings in the NHL. They're one of them, they're the highest scoring team in the league, and they found a way to outscore whatever sort of miscues that they might create. And basically were able to bold those through teams. And then about three quarters of the way through the season, they started getting a little bit better in their own zone, playing a little bit tighter. They were losing some hockey games that they would normally win. But I think they were just really drilling down the details of what you need to do when it comes to the playoffs. And the coaching staff has been phenomenal, not letting the team get too high in itself, not letting the team get too low. And I just think with, you know, they've been kind of praised as they've gone along, and then they've been pressed when they've needed to. And I really do credit the coaching staff for staying on top of the team. And you get that feeling that you look around the room and someone's going to do something to help the team win. And it becomes a feeling, and then it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. And the Canucks at this point right now, never believe they're out of game. - Yeah, I mean, and you're right, it's kind of, it's all the details that have been built up over the season as well, and everything they've done to get to this point. And now they have full trust in what they're doing, which is such a departure from what we had seen here the past few years, especially last season. But now in the playoffs, it is paying dividends. And we saw the Canucks have a lot of success in slowing down Connor McDavid, 'cause he still got a point. He still had moments where he was dangerous. I think the big question everybody's having is, can you repeat the performance? And can you just, even if you don't shut him down completely, can you prevent McDavid from being the best version of himself in this series? - Well, one of the things that McDavid's so good at is finding a way to beat coverage, whether it's through speed, whether it's through a short shift and then staying out longer on the next shift so he kind of awaits whatever he's trying to shoot him, shut him down. But you go through the season and the regular season is behind the team. But the fact that in the four games, the Canucks won during the regular season, like McDavid was never really the story. The story was that McDavid was being hampered or he was not being able to be at his best. And so they do have a game plan for going up against top players. J.T. Miller relishes, shutting guys down. That's some maturity in his game. And I think that depending on whether dry-citled plays or not, but there's no dry-citled, then you can key in only on McDavid and just get in his way before he even has the puck or has that ability to get up ice. But these superstars find a way. They can't be held down for too long. And I think it's probably pretty burdensome for McDavid to not even have a shot last game per time ever for him in the playoffs. So I think that the Canucks are really gonna see what he can do when he wants to put the team on his back. - Yeah, he's definitely gonna have his A-game tonight. I would imagine from Conor McDavid, at least from what we've seen from him through, even his playoff career. I mean, the numbers are just unbelievable. But one thing about the Canucks that I think allows them to potentially have more success against McDavid and against these high-flying Oilers. I mean, we've seen how good they've been defensively all year, Dave. They continue to suppress shots. Edmunds had only had 18. But it's not just like JT can do the job. Rick Tockett doesn't have to worry about Elias Lindholm potentially being out there against McDavid. He doesn't have to worry about Patterson being out there against McDavid. You can even say the same thing about Teddy Blueger. Like they're so strong down the middle that all four of their centers are pretty adept defensively. And that helps them in a matchup like this one. - Well, it does and all four of those centers that you named have done that role somewhere along the way before. I mean, you know, Patterson's the guy that's usually scoring most of the points, but he also has had to go against the other team's top centerman when he first got into the league. That's how he was kind of ushered into the NHL. So each of those centermen have come up against, you know, or top guy and have to held their own against them. So I think they're well-suited that way. I was a centerman like played. And, you know, when you're strong down the middle, when you know that if you're not on the ice, the next centerman up can do the job defensively, it just kind of settles the rest of the team. And one of the things that I think, you know, the biggest improvement that the Canucks have made defensively is that they trust each other. So nobody is trying to do somebody else's job. You know, there's a couple of times where there's some interchanges from the forward and the defenseman from the opposition with a doctor in their own zone. But nobody's running out of position to go solve another somebody else's problem. They all just kind of stay where they're supposed to. They understand that they don't have to, you know, vacate their spot to go do something that somebody else didn't do because that person will get back there and help out. And so if you can trust your teammates in your own zone, you'll be able to suppress, as you said, shot schools and everything else that helps you win in the playoffs. - In terms of Patterson, and where his game is offensively, people have been saying his last game was the best game he's played so far in the playoffs, like where do you think his game is? And are you seeing signs of him getting going here offensively? - Yeah, there's some signs. I think that, you know, he's still overthinking things. And when a player is gifted offensively, they're usually able to figure some things out. And I think that it's just been harder for him to figure out why he's not having success, why he hasn't scored a goal in the playoffs. And so it's that second guessing, right? And all the best players planned instinct, you know, if they make a mistake, the very next shift, they're usually out there trying to do that same thing again and are successful. And so for Patterson, I think he just, you know, a bounce goes this way, a shot gets through, you know, anything positive. But I look at his usage in the third period and late in the game against the Oilers. And he was getting and shooting lanes, trying to block shots, trying to be physical. So the try is definitely there. It's one of those things where, you know, you're not going to paint the pretty picture offensively. So you got to, you know, drive the puck to that. Maybe you take a penalty, maybe it bounces off somebody and goes in. As soon as you get that one, then you start feeling like an offensive force again. But, you know, it's been tricky. The Canucks have gotten this far without him being the major offensive producer. So then you look to, if he can add some offense and get his shot through that, you know, maybe there's another level that Canucks can get to. - Well, it's helped a lot that Lindholm has started to find his game and he's been more of an offensive producer now up to three goals here in the postseason. And I don't know if they get through round one if they don't have Lindholm here, Dave, because as we've talked about so much, Pedersen just hasn't been going. But now that Lindholm is, at least you've got more coverage through this lineup. And Lindholm is really starting to show why he was such a coveted asset for this team at the deadline. - When you've got three lines of offensive depth, it's really hard to scout the, you know, on who you're gonna match up with, who and how you're gonna shut down all three lines. Like, most teams are built with two really strong offensive lines. And then they've got a third line that's known for their defense and they've got a fourth line that's supposed to crash and bang. And the Canucks are a little different. They're not built like most other teams where, you know, you try to game plan about how, you know, Miller's gonna get the puck the best. And you gotta work, worry about those guys. So you get your top defensive pair about against them. And then when you've got Pedersen, you know, he's feeling it and you've got a whole gland or four checking with KF straight ahead, then you're like, okay, our second parent, you take care of that. Then you get Lindholm with Garland and Dakota Joshua, like, you know, you're still trying to form your defensive plans against the top two lines. And then this line comes out and they can do everything. They can shut teams down, they can create offense. You know, they've got all the aspects of a top line. And yet they're slotted wherever you wanna put them, you know, one C. So that's where, you know, all the depth that we're talking about, the teams that he played on when he won a Stanley Cup and knows that, you know, you might be able to match your top guys with our top guys. But you just wait till you get to like our third and fourth line, you won't be able to match what we can do there. And that's been the success so far for the Canucks. - Well, and you saw the advantage the other game too. The Canucks never had a moment where it seemed like anybody was overmatched that then that's a testament to the strength they have down the middle. And, you know, we've seen special teams obviously having to be a big factor in the Canucks last game. Well, they gave up the goal on the power play. They did a lot of good on that PK lead, but unfortunately gave the goal up there in the end. But also the power play had three opportunities. It really didn't get going. The power play has shown moments throughout the course of the postseason here. DT that they can be formidable, but they've had a hard time really stringing it together. But do you also think it's because they haven't had a ton of power play opportunities these past few games? - Well, I mean, if your power play is clicking, then they don't need anything more than two opportunities. Like they feel it, they go out there. Even if they've got one opportunity, that seems to be enough. But then when it's not clicking, when it's not as easy to enter the zone with the puck, when it's not as easy to make your rotations and find the open guy in the slot, then it's that same sort of thing, where you're kind of thinking about what your next patch is gonna be, rather than just reacting. And at times the Canucks power play, I think it's a little bit too locked in to holding and waiting and holding and waiting. And we've seen so far on these playoffs that you get the puck towards the net, you get some sticks free, it'll bounce off of something. But if you're trying to really wait for that fifth pass to be successful before you got to tap in, that's regular season stuff. - Yeah, and even their entries have been tough at points. It just feels slow at times. And slow can, well, we'll definitely crush a power play. But there's still so much good that we take on a game one. And I know a lot of our listeners are seeing that Leon Dreyseidel is a game time decision and wondering how else does this help the Canucks? And the bottom line is, look, most guys aren't playing at 100%, nobody's really 100% this time of year. But now we know Leon Dreyseidel is pretty close to being out of the lineup. Like, how does this injury, whether he's in the lineup or not, how do you see this sort of changing the series if at all? - Well, the thing that makes the others so dangerous is that one, two down the middle with the David and Dreyseidel, you've got two different ways that they can beat you in their lines, can do some special things. So obviously, McDavid's got the speed and Dreyseidel's got the brute force. And so if it is something back-related, something that doesn't allow him to use his power, then that takes a big bite out of the offense. They haven't done oilers. And their depth just isn't as strong as the Canucks when you start to get to the middle part of the lineup. So if he's not playing, it just makes the Canucks match up job a little bit easier. You know, you've got the whole mic so you can maybe exploit a couple of things. Maybe we see later in periods, a lot of line gets put together for that offensive thrust. If Dreyseidel is in the lineup, you're gonna gotta make sure you don't take any penalty because it's hard to run around and make hits when you're on the penalty kill and he can still tread on able or shoot the one timer. - Yeah, and hopefully we see them really get loose and do that here. But in terms of Dreyseidel being out there and let's say he does have a lower back issue and that is what's holding him off, like how do you want to see the Canucks attack him if he does play here tonight? - Get his way, like the easy thing to say is finish every hit, but it's a playoffs. You should be doing that. But after you finish the hit, you stick to him. It's so hard to kind of push somebody out of the way and then get yourself back into the play. And if you've got to do that shift after shift and you're battling something tissue related, let's say sooner or later, it'll test your will. So it's not about the big Zadora step up and blow him up. It's more about every time that he moves the puck, keep your root towards him. It doesn't have to be a big, heavy, hard hit. You just have to get in the way and force him to use energy just to get around you, buy you, battle to find some open ice because you've got a part of your body that just kind of tweaked and it kind of bothers you at the start of the game. It doesn't get better as the game goes on. So you continue to make it a real tough night for him and see what his reaction is. - So we saw the Canucks score four goals with Nurse and CC on the ice for the Oilers and that's something that's been a problem for the Oilers in years past. Nurse and CC got exposed last year against the Vegas Golden Knights and the year before against the Colorado Avalanche. Is this something you expect the Canucks to continue to try and attack when they are able to? - Well, I think part of the way, yes. Part of the way the Canucks play when they get the puck deep and then kind of do a long side release is the force, some of those defensemen that either hustle back and make play or then you get physical and then get back to the front of the net. And neither of those two defensemen seem to know what to do before they get the puck. It seems like they get the puck and then decide what to do. And so that kind of split second of indecision plays into the Canucks for checking hands. So it's got to be a real for checking type of game against those two. Like I watched the third period again just to see like how the momentum was shifting for the Canucks and there was a particular play where Nurse went to get the puck avoided a hit. And then the next thing it is just flipped it out but he had room to skate. He had room to make a play. But instead it was just get the puck out of the zone and I've done my job. Well, sure you've got out of the zone but you've also given it back to the team that's coming down your throat again and you're not doing the most important thing that the Oilers like to do and that's get the puck into their forward hands, right? The Oilers are a team that are built from the back end and bring all their guys up on the rush and they filter the puck through those defensemen. They're a team that get the puck to their forwards and then let the forwards do their work. So the more times the Oilers are forced to bring it around the boards or flip the puck out of the zone because the Canucks are forward checking, the more times the Canucks are gonna have the puck back and just keep doing the same thing to wear them down. - You saw a lot of Zadorov over the course of the regular season DT. Did you expect to see him do what he's doing here in the post season? - Oh, there's a build up. I mean, I can't say that I saw the offense coming from him, but he's one of his villains that just loves to be in the middle of things. And during the regular season, you're playing four days a week. Sometimes she just don't have that ordinary part of you, but in the playoffs, that's when guys like that are at their best. And the lines are a little bit blurred and what's a late hit or what you're allowed to do in front of that. And he's figured it out. There were times before I thought, for DT Zadorov, when he was playing in Calgary, that he'd take things a little bit too far and wouldn't understand why he was getting that penalty or the puck was leaving his stick at the wrong time. And we'll go back to the coaching staff and just credit them for settling him down and letting him, oh, hey, listen, you're gonna make a mistake here and there. That's fine, we get it, but continue to be physical, continue to play to your strengths. And if there's open ice, get galloping because we've seen that happen a couple of times. - Hey, DT, really appreciate the time on the Insights. Thanks for this. - Thanks for having me on, guys. I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day, beautiful sun and some hockey. - Yeah, get in a little nap maybe before the game. That might help. - Oh, on the pregame nap, love it. (laughing) - Thanks, DT. - See ya. - There he is. It is Dave Thompson, Canucks color analyst joining us here. On Canucks Central and Nikita Zadora has taken the city by storm. He is everybody's favorite player, it seems like. He's that blue-collar guy that's just won over the fan base. - Well, and he's one of those guys that right now embodies the crest, plays with physicality, plays with passion. He defends his teammates, you know, he inflicts pain and players love seeing guys. I mean, fans love seeing players like that, right? And right now he's exceeding all expectations. He's playing at a level that we had not seen from him. We saw flashes of what he can do, but like he at times can be a dominant force out there. And as much as Edmonton has a few big players, like, you know, Evander, Kane even. And you saw him and Zadora get into it a little bit, but nobody can challenge Zadora either physically because of how big an imposing he is. - The front-off has made a pretty big bet that, all right, we're not gonna be able to like, you know, find a true top four. We're not gonna be able to build a true top four that quickly, right? They had Quinn Hughes last year. They've kept Tyler Myers. Me on that, they went to work in rebuilding this defense. And they started with Susie in the off season, kept going with Ian Cole and then decided, you know what, let's just get even bigger. Let's go for Zadora. And you heard Rick Talkett talk about this. Love what Vegas is doing. And look at how big and noble they are on the back end. And you just felt that idea, sort of, beginning to foster within the Canucks. And they went about building it. And it's not just the size, it's mobility. There's some puck moving ability there too, between all of Susie, even Myers, and Zadora have to an extent. Zadora can't even skate the puck out on his own sometimes, as we've seen, but just that simple bet of like, all right, we're just gonna go after big guys that can move pretty well. - Yeah, and as much as Cole had his struggles, obviously, last game, he's also brought a big physical edge, right? And he's not like the tallest, he's like, what, six, two? Like, he's not a short player. - I would say he's brought vet savvy, more than anything else. - And I mean, if you see him up close, like he's a big guy, like, he's, he's very blind. - He's not a big career in streets for the first time. I was just like, who is this guy? - Yeah, no, he's, so the guy can really bring the physicality when need be. They don't really have, outside of Quinn, they don't have a guy who's small, even Phillip Pironic's like over six feet, over 200 pounds, like he's a guy that will battle too. And he has his moments where he's, you know, he can do better in certain defense situations, but I thought last game he was really good at it too. Like, they don't have an easy guy to play against. And because of how elusive Quinn is, Quinn is, and how dominant he is, he's a terror to play against as well. And we have the type of blue line, like that is really hell in the postseason against opponents. And we see it. Just how much time and space it takes away in the playoffs when time and space is already at a premium. Coming up, we'll get to the mail bag, your questions for us here on Canucks Central. That's next on SportsNet 650. [BLANK_AUDIO]
