If you’re one of the fifteen people who regularly attended Abbotsford Heat games, you’re not surprised to learn that this Jacob Markstrom kid can tend goal. See, before he took the Utica Comets to the AHL championship series last season, Markstrom played three full seasons in the Florida Panthers system (with the Rochester Americans and San Antonio Rampage). Despite lacking a nickname of any sort, Jacob Markstrom seemed to have the local boys’ number.
Here is where a thoughtful writer would put in some research to get actual statistics, but I’m going to eschew that process in favour of made-up stuff. And I’ll also throw random nicknames at the wall in hopes something sticks. Jacob took two-two points out of the Valley like no hooded fang’s business. The Man They Call Mister Marley beat the Heat no fewer than 157 out of 158 games at the Abbotsford Sport and Entertainment Centre over a three-year period, and earned no fewer than seven thousand shutouts.
Okay, so numbers aren’t my strong suit. Suffice to say, the boy can play.
First of all, he’s bloody huge. At 6’6″ (198 cm) — for reals, I checked this time — he covers the top corners of the net even when he’s in a full crouch. He’s fast for a big man, too, snaking toes out for kick saves on pucks that change direction and darting blockers into the path of pucks that he couldn’t possibly have seen through multi-player screens. He’s not getting much run support from his teammates, which makes his 4-2-1 record over the past seven games even more remarkstromable.
Let’s look elsewhere, then, shall we? Since taking over for the injured Ryan Miller on December 22, Markstrom has stopped 202 of 218 shots for a .927 save percentage. He’s allowed two or fewer goals four times — it’s not a shock that those are the four games the boys in blue earned a W — and has only given up four power play goals in that span. I repeat, he’s only given up four power play goals in seven games, playing for the Vancouver Canucks, whose penalty kill has been abysmal this season. Even with the recent stretch of good play by J-Mark, Vancouver is successful on the PK less than 80% of the time.
If the Strom One has a weak spot, it appears to be his glove. Like a lot of European goaltenders, Markstrom holds his trapper up above the elbow, almost as if offering shooters a high five. This helps cover even more of the top shelf, where mom keeps the peanut butter, but it also reduces the ability to adjust to shots elsewhere in the region. (Darren Pang —or was it Kelly Hrudey?) slo-mo’d this during an intermission last week: North American goalies tend to hold the trapper lower, opting for shoulder bumps or windmill glove saves on shooters that try to go top cheese. Euro keepers rely more on positioning for shots up high, but this makes the glove hand a potential weak spot. For Markstrom, suddenly playing more NHL minutes than he’s ever done before, it has meant a flurry of pucks heading to that top corner, and a few more goals there than anywhere else.
The inimitable Clay Imoo put a positive spin on the glove issue, noting that in all other aspects, Marky Mark has been funkier than the league average.
Doesn't this mean that Markstrom is above average in 4 out of 5 areas? #Canucks pic.twitter.com/4jdbpS8Kgm
— Clay Imoo (@CanuckClay) January 10, 2016
Leave it to Clay to put out some positive energy in the middle of the Goalie Graveyard.
Let’s be honest: Jacob Markstrom has been one of the few bright spots for the Canucks this season. Sure, the Sedins are marvellous, and Bo Horvat and Sven Bärtschi are finally finding some chemistry, and jeez Louise, did you see the move Ben Hutton made at the blueline to set up the tying goal against Tampa last night? But on a team that’s 20th in the league on the penalty kill and 24th with the man advantage, a decent young goaltender is something to be excited about.
Awful veterans so far this year: Alex Burrows (12 points in 40 games), Chris Higgins (3 points in 25 games), Alex Edler (a bazillion bad plays per game, according to IMadeUpThatNumberForThisArticle.com), and Radim Vrbata (-13 and virtually invisible over the first 40 games). And while he hasn’t been awful, Ryan Miller has been a big bale of meh for his multi-million dollar price tag. None of them should come back next year as UFAs. Will Jim Benning take a big swing and go for a guy like Steven Stamkos, as the Hockey Night in Canada panel dangled during the broadcast last night? Not bloody likely, but there’s a schwack of free agent money freed up by letting this year’s floaters go.
And damn it all, wouldn’t it be a treat to see Henrik Sedin end his career setting up an in-his-prime Steven Stamkos for one-timers for a couple of seasons?
It would provide some much-needed run support for the 2016-17 number one goaltender, one Jacob Markstrom. Just saying.