Canucks celebrate overtime win against St. Louis Blues in Vancouver on Tuesday.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
The Vancouver Canucks have had what looks like a lucky start to their season.
Three third-period comebacks have led to two wins in overtime and one in a shootout.
The fast start, for now, defies the widespread prediction that the Canucks will be among the worst teams in the NHL for the second consecutive season.
Vancouver's first three games are also a preview of the team's strategy: Grind out low-scoring games.
Although grinding it out and hoping to win isn't a strategy that usually propels teams to the playoffs, it's what Vancouver management has chosen. Unwilling to ride out another season at the bottom, and scoring a top draft pick, the Canucks have said they want to be a playoff contender. And this is what the season is likely going to look like, not many goals, and not much fun to watch.
A key to one-goal games is an ability to win in overtime. Here, at least, the Canucks are notably improved over last season.
A year ago, with the introduction of three-on-three play for the five minutes of overtime, the Canucks were befuddled. They lost seven times in overtime before the season was two months old. Later, as the team began to collapse, the performance in overtime improved. Vancouver was 3-2 in its final five overtime decisions.
This month, Vancouver is 2-0 in three-on-three play.
Canucks coaches, defenceman Ben Hutton said, have preached an array of tactics. They include a willingness to take a long skate back around one's own net to re-set the attack if there is no offensive opportunity at hand. When there is a window for a two-on-one, go for it. And, perhaps most important, hit the net when shooting. Rebounds that go wide often lead to dangerous counterattacks.
It's all about "sitting back," said captain Henrik Sedin, who was credited with the overtime winner Tuesday night in Vancouver when the Canucks defeated the previously unbeaten St. Louis Blues.
"Last year, we forced things to get a goal," Sedin said on Wednesday after practice. "We lost the puck in the wrong areas. You could say we had too much puck."
It's about knowing when to push, Sedin said.
"As soon as you get the puck, you've got to jump – all three guys've got to jump. And, usually, you already have one guy beat. That's where you've got to take your chance."
The chances, in a long season, can pay off. How a team fares in overtime and shootouts is crucial. In 2014-15, when the Canucks last made the playoffs, they were 12-5 in games decided after regulation time, 6-3 in overtime, and 6-2 in shootouts.
If the Canucks had instead been a so-so 8-9 in overtime/shootout decisions, they would have missed the playoffs, rather than finishing fifth in the Western Conference.
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom believes the team has a confidence it didn't have a year ago. One example: Last season, when the Canucks were losing after two periods, they won only three times in 34 games.
This season, the team is three for three.
"I don't think it's just overtime," said Markstrom of the team's early showing. "The whole game has changed. We play more confidently. We work harder. And we're sticking to our plan, if we get down a couple goals. Last year, sometimes it could be like, pack it in. Now, it's more like, I don't even think anybody's worried, when we get down. We know we're going to score. We're so confident. That's huge."