The Vancouver Canucks finally stopped the bleeding with that 2–0 win over the Anaheim Ducks, but it didn’t exactly feel like a huge turning point. It was more like a team catching its breath after being underwater a little too long. They’re still beat up, still improvising lineups, and still leaning on kids who thought they’d be spending most of this season watching veterans handle the hard minutes.
Instead, the youngsters are out there killing penalties, taking late defensive-zone faceoffs, and trying to survive NHL matchups they never expected to see this soon. One day, this could pay off. That day probably isn’t coming this season.
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It’s not effort that’s missing for the Canucks. If anything, the young players are working overtime to keep the structure from crumbling. But with Brock Boeser, Zeev Buium, Nils Höglander, Marco Rossi, and Thatcher Demko out, the whole operation has a bit of a duct-tape look. Head coach Adam Foote keeps talking about teaching young players new roles, and he’s not wrong. There isn’t another option. Still, the Ducks’ win could steady everyone’s nerves. Whether that feeling sticks is the mystery.
Item One: Nikita Tolopilo’s Almost-Shutout
Nikita Tolopilo probably deserved to walk away with his first official shutout. Thirty-two saves will usually get you the puck, the photo, and a place in the next morning’s highlight reels. Instead, concussion protocol stepped in after a collision, wiped away the clean sheet, and handed the final minutes to the backup.
That didn’t seem to bother Tolopilo at all. He just shrugged and said the win mattered more. Small things like that tell you where this team stands right now. The record isn’t flattering, and the injuries have stretched the roster to the edges.
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Still, the young guys aren’t folding. They’re trying to drag the group forward shift by shift. They might not be ready to carry a playoff push, but they’re learning the hard way. Honestly, that might be the only kind of learning that ever sticks in this league.
Item Two: Riley Patterson Is Putting Up Big Junior Numbers
Down in Niagara with the IceDogs, 19-year-old centre Riley Patterson is having the kind of Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season that gets a fan base leaning forward a little. The Canucks grabbed him in the fourth round in 2024, and this season, he’s showing why they thought there was more in the tank. At six feet and almost 200 pounds, he plays with a sturdy base.
Friday night was another good game. Two goals in a 6–4 loss to the Oshawa Generals extended his point streak to nine games. Eight goals and ten assists over that stretch, and 59 points in 40 games overall. Those numbers already match his previous season in Barrie with the Colts, except he did that over 64 games. Efficiency like that usually means a player is figuring out who he is.
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What stands out isn’t just the totals. Patterson plays with a calmness that’s unusual for his age. He sees the ice well, slips into scoring areas, and uses his body with confidence. This season feels less like a blip and more like a foundation. If he keeps climbing, he’ll be one of those prospects everyone starts talking about a lot more by next fall.
Item Three: Anthony Romani: A Late-Round Bet Showing Life
Then there’s Anthony Romani playing with the Big Ten Michigan State University. Sixth-round picks don’t usually draw headlines, but every now and then one starts to make a little noise. Romani had one of those nights on Friday — a hat trick and an assist in a 6–3 win over Penn State. That brings Romani to 12 goals and 10 assists in 25 games, and he’s been heating up with eight points in his last seven.
Then there’s Anthony Romani over at Michigan State in the Big Ten. Sixth-round picks don’t usually draw headlines, but every now and then one starts making noise. Romani had one of those nights on Friday — a hat trick and an assist in a 6–3 win over Penn State. That bumped him to 12 goals and 10 assists in 25 games, and he’s been heating up with eight points in his last seven.
Most hockey fans also know that Gavin McKenna is the big young name at Penn State — projected by many as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft — which makes Romani’s performance even more noticeable in that matchup.
Romani is still adjusting to the college game — bigger bodies, tighter checking, and less time to think — but his mix of size and scoring touch shows up pretty clearly. Romani doesn’t disappear in games. He’s noticeable, always around the puck, always sniffing for chances. For a late-round pick, that’s what you want to see: a player making himself unavoidable.
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No one’s carving out a roster spot for him tomorrow, but his second-half push is exactly the kind of thing that turns a long-term project into a real possibility.
What’s Next for the Canucks?
Vancouver has taken three of the last four meetings with Toronto, though the Maple Leafs handed them that 5–0 embarrassment earlier this month. The bigger story is how both teams arrive at this one. The Canucks have been in a freefall for weeks — 14 losses in their last 16 games — while Toronto shows up looking like a team with its back against the wall and a lot of questions swirling around it.
This game feels less like a measuring stick and more like two tired teams trying to outlast each other. Desperation on one end, youth and patchwork lineups on the other. Depth vs. panic. Fresh legs vs. frayed nerves. It might not be pretty, but it’ll be interesting.
