‘A lot of progress’: Canucks wrap up road trip looking like a different team

Asked if he scored into an empty-net on Thursday because he did so at the end of practice on Wednesday during coach Rick Tocchet’s empty-net shooting drill, J.T. Miller smiled and shook his head and said: “I’m not giving Rick any more credit.”

Miller’s relentless sparring partner, Conor Garland, sitting one locker stall over, said: “You know how he did that? Because he works on his game.”

“Honestly,” Miller said upon brief reflection, “I should have moved my feet and probably used my teammates, if I’m being frank. If I missed there, we were. . .”

Miller didn’t finish his thought. And he didn’t miss the empty net from 150 feet as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 to complete a three-game sweep of California.

As Garland said, the Canucks have worked on their game. They flew home a very different team than the porous, discombobulated one that travelled to the Golden State one week ago after a 6-0 embarrassment on home ice against the New Jersey Devils.

The Canucks swept the San Jose Sharks (3-2), Anaheim Ducks (5-1) and Kings and got better defensively in each of them.

They have won their last six road games this season, and are suddenly 7-2-3 — two points behind the Pacific Division-leading Kings and Vegas Golden Knights — as they open a six-game homestand Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.

“I think we made a lot of progress,” veteran defenceman Tyler Myers said. “Guys have really bought in the last week, especially. Our systems play on the ice feels like night and day from the first seven or eight games. And I think it shows; we’re getting results. It should let all of us know that if we stick to that plan and play within the system, we’re going to have results. It was a great road trip, and we just want to keep building.”

Miller said: “I feel like every game, we’re kind of getting closer to the 60 minutes. It seems like everybody’s just getting a little more on the same page and we have more urgency. So it’s a good combination for our group. When we’re working hard and are a little more on the same page and we’re reading plays faster, we look like a faster team.”

The Canucks outscored the Kings 4-1 after getting caught flat-footed on Quintin Byfield’s breakaway goal for Los Angeles just 1:43 into the first period.

Garland, Jake DeBrusk and Quinn Hughes scored consecutive goals for the Canucks, before Vladislav Gavrikov’s late goal for L.A. set the stage for Miller’s empty-netter.

After failing to score in the first nine games of his $38.5-million contract in Vancouver, DeBrusk scored in each of the three games in California.

 “Usually, it starts off with a couple greasy ones before the nice ones come,” DeBrusk told Sportsnet on Tuesday.

His go-ahead goal on Thursday certainly qualified as a “nice” one. An offensive-zone shift of exceptional skill and puck control by the Canucks ended with Hughes passing cross-ice to DeBrusk, who outwaited Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper before finessing the puck around him and the near post at 5:51 of the second period.

The only drawback for the Canucks, and a significant one, was losing leading goal-scorer Brock Boeser to a head injury when he was semi-blindsided by Tanner Jeannot at 10:44 of the first period.

Jeannot was issued a five-minute match penalty and game misconduct. Besides the facts that the King targeted Boeser’s head with his shoulder, attacked from a semi-blind angle and delivered the blow a second after the Canuck had passed the puck away in the neutral zone, there was nothing wrong with the hit.

Facing an automatic suspension for the match penalty, Jeannot should sit out games. But how many games will Boeser miss? Given the contact to his head, and the Canuck’s reaction as he lay near centre ice, he may have concussion issues.

“I mean, obviously, it’s a dangerous play,” Tocchet told reporters. “I don’t know how Brock is; I haven’t seen him (after the game). It’s a tough play.”

At least for one night, the Canucks absorbed Boeser’s loss as seamlessly as they did most other things against one of their key rivals.

“I just think we’re getting to our game,” Tocchet said. “Obviously, the odd-man rushes (allowed) are getting less and less. I think that’s the key. Just a more connected group. You’ve got to remember, you’ve got 10 or 11 different guys (from last season). . . and a couple guys are injured. I mean, there’s a lot of different moving parts, and we’re hanging in there. So I’m really proud of the guys.”

Lekkerimaki next up?

As Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman has reported, the Canucks are happy with the transition of top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki to the American Hockey League and would like to get the 20-year-old rookie Swede some NHL games. The challenge for the organization is finding the right time and place in the lineup.

If Boeser misses more than just the final two periods on Thursday, now could be the time for Lekkerimaki and the place could be in the Canucks’ top six.

The team’s call-up of equally impressive prospect Aatu Raty during the road trip was a no-brainer. Raty’s NHL ceiling goes much higher than the fourth line, but at this stage of his career — and given the centre’s physicality and checking chops — there are no organizational worries about his ice time and role being limited in the short term.

But with Lekkerimaki, who has five goals in seven games for the Abbotsford Canucks and obviously profiles as a scorer at the NHL level, there needs to be an opportunity near the top of the lineup. Boeser has played almost entirely on Miller’s wing this season, although Lekkerimaki demonstrated some pre-season chemistry with centre Elias Pettersson. On either line, this could be the opportunity that Lekkerimaki and the Canucks have been waiting for.

Praise for Pettersson

Pettersson failed again to register a point for the Canucks. But he managed to make a positive impact with two of the biggest defensive plays of the game, both shorthanded.

In the second period, Pettersson quickly made up ground on Anze Kopitar to reach a loose puck before the Kings captain could score into what looked like a semi-open net. And early in the third, Pettersson slid backwards and extended his legs to block a shot from Byfield when it also looked like there was a lot of net available.

Pettersson was more engaged physically around the puck, registered four hits, made several nice plays to set up scoring chances, posted expected goals-for of 75 per cent and even launched an early one-timer, a sight rarely seen this season.

We understand Pettersson has set a low bar with just five points in 12 games. But if he continues to work as hard as he did Thursday, surely his offence will re-emerge.

Kevin’s in goal

Goalie Kevin Lankinen started for the eighth time in nine games, stopped 25 of 27 shots, and won all three games on the road trip. We need to keep reminding ourselves he was lifted from the free-agent bargain bin only during training camp and was supposed to be the fill-in No. 2, behind Arturs Silovs, while Thatcher Demko recovers from his perplexing knee injury.

Lankinen took the crease from Silovs after Game 3, and continues to play the best goal of his career as Demko inches his way back towards playing. The injured Vezina Trophy runner-up increased his workload with the team during the California tour, but has yet to fully practise and appears still to be some time away from returning.

“I kind of knew the situation coming in here,” Lankinen said. “Thatcher’s been here for a long time and he’s proven he’s one of the best goalies in the world. It’s just fun to see him out there, and kind of pick his brain a little bit, too, because I feel like there’s something I could learn from him. Whenever he’s coming back, that’s up to him. But I’m just happy that he’s a big part of the team, and, just like myself, doing the best to help the team win no matter who’s in net.”

Mighty Quinn

After becoming the third-fastest defenceman in NHL history to reach 300 assists, behind only Bobby Orr and Brian Leetch and just ahead of Paul Coffey, Quinn Hughes’ only thought ahead of Game 377 on was assist No. 301. 

Actually, it wouldn’t even have been something that interesting. His focus was probably just the “process” and having a good opening shift against the Kings. Hughes had a goal and assist on Thursday, giving him six points in California. 

“It would be disrespectful of me not to appreciate it,” Hughes said before the game about his historic accomplishment in Tuesday’s win in Anaheim. “But I’m just always (focused) day to day and looking forward. Three hundred assists is nice, but it wasn’t something that I was looking at.”

He said he was unaware of the accomplishment until informed about it post-game.

“I like where my game is at, my body and my mind,” Hughes said. “I’ve just got to keep going.”

Thursday, he did.