A look at some of the analytics from the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 victory over the Florida Panthers.
Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver's most recent 4-0 victory over the Florida Panthers
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The Canucks came up on the short of the analytics mostly because they spent the last two periods defending a multi-goal lead. Florida finished with a 20-16 even-strength scoring chances advantage while also winning the even-strength high-danger scoring chances battle 9-5. In the end, though, Vancouver outscored the Panthers 3-0 at even-strength en route to a 4-0 shutout win over the defending Stanley Cup champions.
When looking at the heatmap, it shows that the Canucks did a good job of keeping the "guts of the ice" relatively clean. Yes, Kevin Lankinen did have to face six high-danger shots, but Vancouver did a good job boxing out, which allowed their goaltender to see shots from distance. Ultimately, the team performed well in the defensive zone and found a way to keep one of the league's most dangerous offences off the scoresheet.
As for a forward line that stood out, it would be the trio of Max Sasson, Teddy Blueger, and Danton Heinen. Vancouver's fourth line combined for five points and finished with an xGF% of 71.39 in 11:04 of ice time. If this trio can put replicate this type of performance, it will go a long way in making the Canucks a tougher team to play against.
Lastly, it was a standout night on the blue line for Mark Friedman. In 14:30 of ice time, Friedman threw two hits, recorded two shots on goal and was the only defenceman to finish above 50% in even-strength SF%. Ultimately, Friedman found a way to have a positive impact and showed that he can bring value to Vancouver's bottom pair.
