Canucks Coffee: Bouquets for Bedard, saluting 'sleepy' Dickinson and the kill is the thrill

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Good morning, Who wants coffee?

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You’ll probably need a cup or two, or maybe three, to digest the Canucks’ sloppy, plodding and listless 2-0 victory Monday over the struggling Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Arena.

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Rather than dwell on everything that went wrong — aside from what was so right in Thatcher Demko’s 31-save outing for his fifth shutout of the season — we’re going to take a closer look at other developments.

We’re looking at who didn’t play (Connor Bedard), who returned to play (former Canucks centre Jason Dickson) and the penalty kill that continues to own the day.

So take some sips. Here we go.

FIRST SERVING: Cole on Bedard: ‘Makes you play different. It’s a problem’

All it took was one look because seeing is believing.

When the Canucks faced North Vancouver rookie phenom Connor Bedard on Dec. 17 at the United Center, they not only saw a budding star, they saw the way the game will be played by the emerging elite.

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It’s not just the speed, smarts and stick handling that has Bedard as the Calder Trophy favourite — even while nursing a fractured jaw after putting up 33 points (15-18) in 39 games — it’s the manner in which he contorts and confounds.

Bedard finds open ice and uses a high stick position to release deceptive shots that pack velocity, accuracy and even a last second change of direction.

The first overall selection in the 2023 draft set up two goals against the Canucks, had five shots, seven attempts, two posts and made one lasting impression that night in a 4-3 setback.

Imagine trying to defend the driven dynamo?

“He ripped a puck a couple of times from places you wouldn’t think are dangerous,” recalled Canucks defenceman Ian Cole. “As a D-man, you’re thinking: ‘What shot can I give up? What can I take away and what can I leave the goalie?’

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“He will shoot from a spot where you’re going to leave it for the goalie, and then rips it off the crossbar. He makes you play different. I can’t let him shoot from there and have to adjust. It’s a problem, it’s a real problem.”

Bedard has the high hockey I.Q. to anticipate where he’ll find open ice in the slot. Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane are also very adept at that skill.

“They kind of pull it (puck) either next to, or either behind their feet, almost like a pitcher,” added Cole. “Same delivery but then a different pitch. It’s almost like Bedard is looking at two options, where he’s leaning and where he can go in the same motion.”

It’s why you’ll see Bedard whip a shot that looks like it’s going short-side stick but actually heads glove side to stun goalies. It’s that high hand position, stick flex and innovation.”

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SECOND SERVING: Dickinson: ‘I didn’t sleep very well after the game’

Let’s preface this segment by stating we’re really happy for Jason Dickinson.

The former tormented Canucks third-line centre is a second-line pivot with the injury-ravaged and struggling Blackhawks. In midst of all the misery, he already has a career-high 15 goals and should be the club’s All-Star Game representative. 

At 28, he signed a two-year, US$8.5 million contract last week. Sweet home, Chicago.

That said, if you remember Dickinson’s one year of terror here, you’ll never forget the quote.

“Honestly, I didn’t sleep very well after the game because right there, that was the difference,” Dickinson said of coughing up two power-play goals in a 3-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Nov. 5, 2021. “If we’re able to get those kills, we’re looking at a different game.

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“At 5-on-5, it has been mostly positive and it’s why we’re in the fight, but special teams are crucial and separate top teams from the bottom. It’s no surprise or a secret formula.”

Dickinson was acquired from the Dallas Stars to prop up a porous and historically pitiful Canucks penalty kill. In that season, ineffectiveness of the league’s second-worst kill actually got better, but was still second worst at 74.9 per cent.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Dickinson had just 11 points (5-6) in 62 games and was traded to the Blackhawks. So much for that Canucks three-year-deal security. 

The penalty kill has long been a sore point in this market.

Even late last season as new head coach Rick Tocchet tried different deployments to get a read of what he had — or didn’t have — it was dead last at one point in March at just 67.7 per cent efficiency. 

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So, was Dickinson really part of the problem or just a victim of what has long plagued the franchise? You have to go back to the 2014-15 playoff season to find a time it was in the top 10. It finished ninth at 85.7 efficiency.

THIRD SERVING: Cole: ‘Against the best players, everything has to be crisp’

Cole knows that patience, persistency and push pays off — especially on the penalty kill.

At 34, the grizzled defender has seen the strategy to deny potent power plays shift. The Canucks deploy a diamond formation, which has a lot to do with the PK being on a goal-denying heater.

The penalty kill had another night to remember. In the last 19 games, the Canucks have killed 49 of 55 man-advantage opportunities and have logged 13 perfect nights, including a 4-for-4 performance against the Maple Leafs on Saturday and going 5-for-5 against the Blackhawks on Monday.

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It shouldn’t be surprising. The new hockey operations department was wary of the weakness with wise roster additions. Filip Hronek, Nikita Zadorov, Teddy Blueger, Pius Suter, the injured Carson Soucy and Cole all had penalty-kill pedigrees.

It was then up to assistant coach Mike Yeo to formulate the plan.

“He’s great,” said Cole. “Very detailed and kind of what you need out of a guy who’s running the PK. Going against a club’s best five players, everything has to be so crisp. 

“He’s coming from how I want your feet angled, where I want your stick and which side of the body, and where I want your shot lane. It has to fade to the weak side post because if there’s a backdoor guy, you’ve got to take that, too, and let Demmer (Thatcher Demko) have the strong-side post.”

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Sound confusing? At the outset, it was. Now, it’s more memory based off of where to go and when.

“We’re talking six inches here — 15 or 20 degrees — and it makes you focus on little things that really matter and you add in more aggressiveness,” summed up Cole. “And having (Adam) Foote on the bench to supplement that has been great.”

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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