Welcome back to another Memorable Match from the Vancouver Canucks’ 2024–25 season. Last time, we looked at the team’s match against the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 11. This week, we’ll take a look at the team’s impressionable 3–2 overtime loss against the Detroit Red Wings on February 2.
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Despite this game ending in a loss, it stuck out for a variety of reasons both before and after the actual match was played. For starters, this was the first game the Canucks played after conducting a massive overhaul of their roster. Only a couple of days before, Vancouver made two massive trades pre and post-game that resulted in J.T. Miller, Erik Brännström, Danton Heinen, and Vincent Desharnais leaving the organization. Joining the Canucks were Marcus Pettersson, Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and Drew O’Connor, all of whom played at least 15 games with Vancouver this season.
Pettersson, Chytil, and O’Connor all made their Canucks debuts the game after being acquired — February 2. All three players made a good first impression, particularly Chytil, who scored the game-tying goal with nifty moves in Detroit’s zone. Both he and O’Connor flashed their speed in this game, giving Vancouver’s style a much-needed refresh at the time.
Fans saw one of the best versions of O’Connor, as the forward’s forecheck paired perfectly with Kiefer Sherwood’s. While he didn’t get an assist, he factored in on the game’s opening goal by driving hard into the offensive zone and grabbing the puck for his trailing teammates.
Pettersson was also noticeable in his first game, as the defender ate up nearly 26 minutes of gameplay while paired with Tyler Myers. He also registered one shot, two blocks, and one hit. Notably, his Canucks debut occurred during a game in which Quinn Hughes didn’t play.
One part of this game that goes slightly under the radar due to the new debuts is Sherwood setting yet another record. The 2024 free-agent signing already factored into another Memorable Match from this season, and continued to make his impact months after. In this game, he registered his 274th hit of the season, surpassing Luke Schenn and setting a new franchise record.
Canucks 2024–25 Memorable Matches will be posted every Tuesday until June 11.
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