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2025-01-10

Rick Tocchet will work the Team Canada bench with Jon Cooper at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February. The Vancouver Canucks head coach knows what makes the Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss tick and why he was selected to be the Team Canada head honcho. He knows skill and how to manage and motivate. It’s why the Lightning can strike in quick fashion. And they did Sunday in a 4-2 matinee triumph at Rogers Arena. “Their top six is as good any any in the league,” Tocchet warned before puck drop. “You have to make sure with those type of players that you take back ice and you’ve got to hit the weak side. And you want to take (Nikita) Kucherov away. “Almost like (Connor) McDavid. You can’t let him wind it up. Be spread out.” Kucherov was at his quick release and playmaking best as the Lightning looked like they might strike a will. However, all that envious stuff is what made the Canucks’ moxie in the third period impressive. They were being outshot and often out-hustled in the second period and were outshot 18-5. But the manner in which the Canucks pressed for the equalizer to make it 2-2 is going to resonate with Tocchet. They didn’t quit. Tyler Myers went behind the Lightning net and found Kiefer Sherwood in the slot. Conor Garland then ripped a slapper off the shoulder of Andrei Vasilevskiy. And then Lightning struck again a Kucherov pass from the flank found Jake Guentzel parked at side of the net and it went in off his glove with 3:56 remaining. A video review confirmed a good goal. Brandon Point then ended the suspense with an empty-net goal. Here’s what else we learned as the Canuck now face the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday: There were several ways the Canucks could have responded when their captain was dropped by a Brandon Hagel high stick in the opening minute, which drew a four-minute penalty. It sent the Norris Trophy winner to the medical room for facial repairs, but it also sent the first power-play unit into disarray without the quarterback to wheel and deal. Erik Brannstrom tried to fill in for Hughes but the collective effort mustered just one shot. And, of course, it took a protective cage-and-shield combination clad Hughes to give his club a shot in the arm when he returned. Looking like he was back at the University of Michigan, where he wore a mandatory full cage, he opened scoring more for what he could feel than see. It’s the kind of stuff you can’t teach. All instinct and skill. Hughes came out of the corner to cause the Lightning all kinds of coverage problems and then threw a no-look backhander through traffic that beat a surprised Vasiliveskiy low to the short side. It gave the Canucks, who have coughed up the firth goal on 15 occasions this season, some sense relief. It also gave Hughes 16 points (4-12) in the last 11 games and was just three points shy of Cale Makar, who leads all blueliners with 35 points. And Hughes is now 10th in all-time franchise goals by a defenceman with 50. The Lightning can strike from anywhere at any time. That’s what makes the Bolts so dangerous. It’s not just the skill level, it’s the ability to find players at speed and even off a little deception to throw a goaltender off his game. Tampa erased a 1-0 deficit in the second period by striking twice in less a two-minute span on a pair pf plays that had Lankinen prone at the wrong post. In a frame where they outshot the Canucks by a whopping 18-5 margin, it seemed like only a matter of time before Tampa would score. You could just sense it. In a wild scramble in front of Lakinen, who was hanging on to the right post to deny a short-side shot, the Canucks could clear the puck and the confusion led to Noah Juulsen being late to get across to Kucherov. He had nothing but net to snap home his 13th of the season. And then the power play, it was a little art of deception. Kucherov took a pass at the face-off dot on the right side and Lankinen looked like he was anticipating a slap shot. Kucherov faked it and send a cross-ice feed to a wide-open Point, who had nothing but net to make it 2-1. It’s also quick puck movement by the Lightning that caused problems. Victor Hedman sprung Kucherov with a long lead pass and he found a speedy Jake Guenzel down the left wing. He forced Lankinen to make a tough wrap-around save. Like most coaches, Tocchet knows goalies can be cut from a different cloth. They often take a Zen-like approach to their equipment and craft and it’s best to avoid many of them on game day. What he does know is that the respect that Thatcher Demko commands in the room and on the ice — and especially during his long and arduous recovery from an April 21 left-knee injury — and why he will be so welcomed when he’s expected to play Tuesday. And with J.T. Miller expected to return Thursday after taking an indefinite leave of absence of Nov.19 to re-set his body and mind, the dynamic duo will be vital to better home-ice results. “Huge,” said Tocchet. “I probably start Millsy mostly at home 80 or 90 per cent of the time since I’ve been here. He gets the puck and he gets it in deep and that gets your team ready to go. “And then Demko makes a good save early and that gives the guys juice. Like Lanks (Lankinen) has done, but I don’t want our goalie to have to be our best player in the first period and drive the pace In his career-best 103 points last season to finish ninth in league scoring, Miller led the club with nine first goals of the game, 20 goals at home and 28 outside the division. Demko was 21-5-1 at home last season with a 2.32 goals-against average, .925 saves percentage and four shutouts. bkuzma@postmedia.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump on Sunday pushed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office. “Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness," Trump wrote on social media, referring to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Intercontinental Exchange Inc. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitorsExtra Space Storage Inc. stock outperforms competitors on strong trading day
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