Capitals 2, Canucks 1 (OT): Vancouver earns a point against Washington

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The Vancouver Canucks needed to flip the script Wednesday.

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They had to refrain from surrendering the opening goal to the first-place Washington Capitals, who also have the NHL’s top offence. They had to gain, not blow, another lead and finally hit the 30-shot mark for the first time in 16 games.

And they couldn’t afford to have another player hobbled by a shot or a hit on the second stop of a demanding five-game road trip.

The Canucks got a scare late in the first period when J.T. Miller was ridden heavily into the end boards by Martin Fehérváry. The winger was favouring his left shoulder at the bench and missed a shift, but returned for the second period and was at his feisty best.

And on a night where much of the focus was on Alex Ovehckin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s career goal record of 894 — the hulking Capitals winger went scoreless with three shots and eight attempts to remain 23 goals shy of eclipsing that legendary mark — the focus was more on the Canucks checking enough boxes to get the job done.

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They did cough up the first goal, but held the Capitals to 18 shots and piled up 31 of their own in a tough 2-1 setback. It was finally settled when Pierre-Luc Dubois went untouched to score his second of the night with 41 seconds remaining in the extra session.

It came after Ovechkin was denied by Kevin Lankinen, who then stopped Jakob Chychrun on a breakaway.

The Canucks showed something that couldn’t be measured in their 20th one-goal outcome. They showed heart. They went stride for stride with the top team in the Eastern Conference and that had to resonate with head coach Rick Tocchet, although moral victories are getting harder to stomach.

And so is a 4-10 record in overtime. That’s a lot of points the Canucks could use to secure a playoff berth.

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“We played a good game,” said Tocchet. “That’s a top team and we did a nice job and the guys worked hard. We were connected. We spent a couple of days really evaluating our team and everybody bought in to our identity.

“There were a lot of guys doing a lot of good things. They’re a gritty team and our guys hung in there and we have to build off this.”

When Conor Garland drew the Canucks even late in the second period by pouncing on a Quinn Hughes rebound, the game was there for the taking. Lankinen made a series of superlative saves, Jonathan Lekkerimaki had a chance to win it in regulation and Carson Soucy stretched out to save a sure goal.

Here’s what we learned as the Canucks look ahead to back-to-back tests Friday in Carolina and Saturday in Toronto:

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Bounce-back Lankinen larcenous

Lankinen allowed five goals on 26 shots Monday in Montreal, and while two were deflected and one found its way through a mosh-pit, the question was how would the veteran stopper bounce back Wednesday?

The answer was encouraging.

While the Canucks defended well and limited rush chances, the big-bodied Capitals often found their way to the net. Dubois opened scoring by pouncing on a bouncing puck to put a backhander home in the final minute of the first. But that was after Lankinen denied Ovechkin with a quick flick shot on a power play and even diving out to get another puck headed for the net.

When the pace picked up in the second period, Lankinen shoved an aggressive stick to deny Connor McMichael in tight and then made a sharp left-pad save off him and sprawled to get to the rebound.

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It looked like Lankinen would have to steal a win because the Canucks had ample opportunity to take the lead in the first period. Jonathan Lekkerimaki couldn’t get to a cross-ice feed by Miller and Miller hammered a one-timer wide off a pass from Brock Boeser.

And in the second period, Pius Suter had several chances. Off the rush, Garland’s pass was tipped by Jake DeBrusk and Suter couldn’t bury the rebound. And then in a wild flurry, Suter had a chance at the side of the net and again on a Hughes rebound with goalie Logan Thompson losing his stick.

Hughes is becoming target

The Canucks captain keeps adding to his repertoire and it led to a frustrating first-period fracas.

The reigning Norris Trophy winner is not only adept at gaining the offensive blue-line and backing off defenders, he often uses his speed and smarts to wheel around the net to look for passing or shooting options. The Capitals were on notice and Dubois made a point of trying to get to Hughes and get under his skin during a bizarre shift.

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First, he crossed checked Hughes in the corner to draw a hooking penalty, and when the play wound up along the other sideboards, he went after Hughes again and then pulled him off the boards to drag him into a phantom roughing minor. It drew a scrum with Kiefer Sherwood and McMichel getting roughing minors from a brief skirmish, while Dubois was assessed the double minor. Tom Wilson also got a roughing minor.

Tocchet said he didn’t get an explanation for the Hughes minor and neither did the captain.

“I don’t know,” said Hughes. “Obviously frustrating. I’m in the box longer than Dubois and I don’t now how that happens. It’s just the way it played out.”

With Hughes in the box, the Canucks mustered but one shot on a four-minute power play as DeBrusk was denied his team-leading 12th road goal and 17th overall.

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“We played well and competed,” added Hughes. “We worked hard, made plays and had looks. It’s frustrating in overtime, but you can’t sulk about it. It is what it is. Three games left to make this a good road trip. We’re a good team and have battled through a lot of adversity and haven’t had our full lineup all year.”

The Capitals measure up as the league’s biggest and the best way to gain an upper hand on the Canucks is knowing Hughes is playing with a fractured left hand that’s protected by apparatus, straps and bandage.

Hence, the extra attention.

“He just controls the play and can make those big-moment plays,” lauded Tocchet. “We’re lucky we’ve got him.”

Great praise for ‘The Great 8’

Tocchet was an assistant coach with Pittsburgh and post-season series with the Capitals were always tough, especially a second round, seven-game triumph in 2017 en route to two-straight Stanley Cup titles for the Penguins.

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Ovechkin was somehow held to two goals in that series, but his intimidating presence was there then and still is.

“You might be able to shut him down for a bit, but then he’d run your defence or hit somebody,” said Tocchet. “He could do something other than score. You think you’ve done a good job of shutting him down for a period or two, but if you look at the scoresheet, he had run four guys.

“And in the third period when the defence goes back for the puck, they’re a little hesitant and it loosens things up and he gets his slot shots. That’s how he gets his goals. That’s what amazes me. It’s his aggressiveness.”

Hoglander still skates fine line

At his best, Hoglander is a forechecking beast, hard hitter and opportunist.

It’s how the bull-like winger scored a career-high 24 goals last season after growing his wayward game for much of the previous campaign in the AHL at Abbotsford. The swashbuckling Swede earned praise and also drew the ire of Tocchet with a penchant for bad penalties, a disturbing trend that has continued and surfaced again Monday in Montreal.

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Hoglander’s interference minor with 35.7 seconds remaining in regulation times, after DeBrusk scored the equalizer to force overtime, was a gut-punch. It turned into Nick Suzuki’s power play winner just 48 seconds into the extra session. It was Hoglander’s 12th minor of the season that’s tied for the team lead. Not scoring in 32 games probably played into the frustration.

“At first, he had his hands kind of over (Lane) Hutson and I’m not sure it was a penalty, but it was close,” Tocchet recalled. “It was high-alert time. As as player at that point, two indecisions or not, you can’t do the next egregious thing (first the interference minor shove on Josh Anderson and no-stick on Hutson) with 3:57 left in 4-4 game. Suzuki wins in PP 48 second in OT.)

“I don’t blame the ref at that point.”

OVERTIME — Sherwood had seven hits to increase his league-leading total to 237.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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