Do you believe?

J.T. Miller’s dominant performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday nearly made us forget about Jim Benning’s disaster of a press conference.

With Elias Pettersson out of the line-up, the new-look top line of Miller, Brock Boeser and Nils Hoglander put together two really solid games against the best team in the North Division.

Of the two, Saturday’s performance was ultimately the one that stood out. The Canucks as a whole weren’t as effective on Saturday, but the top line continued to drive play. They were eventually rewarded with two third-period goals from Miller and Hoglander, which led the Canucks to victory.

Their recent performance has led some to envision a new Canucks top-six amidst Pettersson’s return.

I mean, when you’re a desperate one-line team like the Canucks, you should get creative to try and remain in the win column.

I’m all for this team trying to spread out the offence in order to win. This seems like a fun experiment. Now, can we implement this, and just stop playing the other bottom-six forwards?

Canucks News

• Jimmi recaps the most satisfying Canucks win of the season [Nucks Misconduct]
• Craig Button gives his thoughts on the Leafs and Canucks after the weekend. [TSN]
• Podkolzin continues to shine in the KHL playoffs [The Province]
• A preview from the Montreal Canadiens perspective. They are coming off of a 7-1 dismantling of the Winnipeg Jets on home ice. [Eyes on the Prize]
• That flicker of hope for the Canucks remains barely lit, despite Jim Benning’s antics [Sippin’ On A 40 Podcast]

Around the NHL

• Speaking of a flicker of hope, the Calgary Flames came from behind on Sunday, only to lose to the Senators in a shootout. Calgary has now lost three of their last five games against Ottawa, and they’re 4-7-2 over their last 13 games. [Matchsticks and Gasoline]

If you want to talk about a flicker of hope for the Canucks, a window is opening up with the Flames plummeting.

• To keep that flicker alive, the Canucks probably need a sweep against the Montreal Canadiens. For more intel on their next opposition, here’s a look at how the Canadiens have adjusted their game under new head coach Dominique Ducharme [Eyes on the Prize]
• Tom Wilson has been suspended for seven games after doing something stupid...again [Sports Illustrated]
• Finally, as the vaccine rollout, erm, rolls on, some U.S. NHL players have now reportedly received the vaccine. [Sportsnet]