Vancouver Canucks forward Shawn Matthias earned the first hat trick of his NHL career in the Canucks’ 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Friday night at Rogers Arena.
Matthias didn’t have to work very hard for his hat trick, and that’s because his three goals were the result of defensive mistakes and mental errors from the Bruins.
The Canucks opened the scoring just 1:46 into the first period when forward Zack Kassian made a great pass to Matthias to finish off a 2-on-1 scoring chance.
Vancouver doubled its lead less than four minutes later when Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton turned the puck over to Matthias with a poor pass from behind the goal line. Matthias skated to the net unimpeded and showed great patience to find the best shooting angle.
Patrice Bergeron’s first-period goal made the deficit 2-1 heading into the first intermission, but the Canucks opened up another two-goal advantage when Radim Vrbata was left all alone in front of Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask and scored his 21st goal of the season at 9:26 of the second period. Bruins defensemen Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg both went behind the net to defend Chris Higgins, putting Rask in a difficult spot against Vancouver’s leading goal scorer.
Matthias’ goal to complete his hat trick was the result of a bad pass by Seidenberg that went right to Kassian. Rask denied Matthias with a great save on the initial shot, but the Canucks forward was able to score on the rebound.
In this instance, it’s better to make the safe play and clear the zone by sending the puck up along the boards instead of passing across the slot where it can be intercepted.
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These defensive errors, whether they be poor positioning, bad passes or duplicating jobs, are taken advantage of by most teams at this level. Rask is an elite goaltender with a .923 save percentage on the season — a remarkable accomplishment given the team’s inconsistent defensive play this season — but it’s unfair to rely on him time and time again after so many breakdowns in the defensive zone.
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A change on the blue line is worth considering when the Bruins resume their road trip Monday night against the Calgary Flames.
Matt Bartkowski hasn’t played since Dec. 31 (healthy scratch), but inserting him into the lineup would give Boston more mobility on the back end and a defenseman who can quickly move the puck out of the defensive zone. Bartkowski has been turnover prone this season, but the B’s control 53.7 percent of even-strength shot attempts when he’s on the ice — a better mark than every Boston defensemen except Zdeno Chara (54.7 percent) and Hamilton (55.5 percent).
Regardless of what the blue line looks like Monday, Boston must correct its defensive issues quickly. Three of the next four opponents on this road trip (St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames) rank inside the top 15 in goals scored per game.
Luckily for the Bruins, they have two full days to watch video and use valuable practice time to make adjustments.
Thumbnail photo via Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports Images. GIFs via Twitter/@PeteBlackburn
