Five years ago today, the Vancouver Canucks defeated the St. Louis Blues 6–2 to advance to the Pacific Division Finals for the first time since their fateful 2011 Stanley Cup Finals trip. This 2020 Bubble Playoff run was the current core’s first time playing in the postseason, as Vancouver’s last postseason venture was back in 2015.
Prior to Game 6 of their first-round series against the Blues, Vancouver had taken down the Minnesota Wild in Game 4 of their playoff qualifier series. The task of taking on St. Louis, the defending Stanley Cup champion, was daunting — especially for a young team in their first official playoff series. However, Vancouver proved that they deserved to be in the postseason by snagging an early 2–0 series lead.
Despite the jubilation of Vancouver’s early series lead, which included a close 4–3 overtime win capped off by a highlight-reel goal by former Canucks captain Bo Horvat, St. Louis proved why they were the defending champions. The Blues came back with a 3–2 overtime win in Game 3 and a 3–1 win in Game 4 to even the series up. For a young Vancouver team, this adversity was something that would help propel them to wins in a later round — but that’s a topic for another day.
Game 5 was a big one for both Vancouver and St. Louis. For the Canucks, this was the opportunity to regain their lead, pushing the Blues to the brink of elimination. For St. Louis, this was a defining match that would give them the advantage after a strong comeback. Tyler Motte got the Canucks off to a good start by scoring the game’s opening goal while shorthanded. The Blues forced their way back, scoring three unanswered to carry a 3–1 lead into the halfway mark of the game.
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With three more goals needed to steal a win away, Vancouver put their heads down and got to work. J.T. Miller scored the Canucks’ second goal of the game a little less than two minutes after the game’s halfway mark. Jake Virtanen tied the score up around five minutes after, sending the Cancuks towards the end of the period with the chance to steal the game in the third period. However, Motte potted his second of the game with less than two minutes in the second frame to give Vancouver a 4–3 lead. In a gutsy effort, the Canucks took Game 5, putting St. Louis on the cusp of elimination.
Nerves were high heading into Game 6. Fans weren’t sure what to expect from Vancouver in this series-clinching game, as time and time again, the Blues proved themselves as a force capable of stealing a game when they needed it most. Even so, it was Vancouver who impressed the most in this match, with the Canucks scoring four unanswered before St. Louis tallied their first of the game. Motte had yet another two-goal game, while Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, Troy Stetcher, and Brock Boeser also added to Vancouver’s final score of six goals.
This first-round for the Canucks was meaningful in more ways than one. The young core of Boeser, Quinn Hughes, and Elias Pettersson gained valuable playoff experience. Jacob Markström showcased his skills with a series-saving stop, making fans more comfortable with him in net (more on that in another article). Most importantly, despite it not occurring in front of fans, it gave Vancouver’s fanbase something to cheer about in a particularly isolated time.
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