The Vancouver Canucks’ third-period comeback attempt fell one goal short in their 3-2 game-seven loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Despite the team’s failure to move past the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, fans returned to Rogers Arena this spring, and the players could feel it.
“I’ll tell you what, it hit me emotionally at the end of the game when they were cheering for us and clapping,” forward JT Miller said of the team’s enthusiastic postgame send-off. “When you see that, you know you are in a good place, in a good market and it’s just the beginning of really good things here in the future.”
Most preseason analysts predicted that the Canucks would miss the playoffs entirely, but they punched above their weight all season, capturing the Pacific Division title, easily dismissing the Nashville Predators in the first round, and pushing the talented Oilers to the verge of elimination.
They played well. “We didn’t expect them to make it this far,” one supporter told CTV News following the game. “It’s disappointing but they came back and they had a chance at the end.” In his first full season as Canucks coach, Rick Tocchet brought his team to within one win of the conference finals.
“I told them before the game, they put respect back in that jersey and the city,” Tocchet stated. “Fans have got something to be proud about and it’s all because of the players.” One of the biggest stories of the Canucks playoff run was Arturs Silovs’ development as a good NHL goaltender after spending the most of the season in the American Hockey League with the Abbotsford Canucks.
After starter Thatcher Demko and backup Casey DeSmith suffered injuries, the 23-year-old Latvian rookie started ten postseason games. Silov’s five wins in those games ranked him sixth all-time among Canucks goaltenders in postseason wins.
Arty went all out for us. “What a playoff for that kid,” commented Tocchet. “What about his growth? So there are a lot of benefits from that.” With the sorrow of the loss still fresh, team captain Quinn Hughes struggled to see the good side.
I’m sure we’ll look into it in the following days, but it’s difficult to know what to say right now,” he said. Outside the arena following the game, fans were disappointed to see the postseason run come to an end, but proud of the team’s performance.
“They did their best, and that’s all that matters,” one supporter stated. “Good luck next year. We know what it takes to win a series today, and these guys will do it for us next year. “Go Canucks Go!” added another. For the first time in a long time, the city rallied around the club, and as the offseason begins, there is a genuine sense of hope about what the future holds.
