'With a lack of practice, we haven’t been able to implement all the changes I would like and work on the changes that we’ve made. Today was just get them skating to get our legs back.' — Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau.

The whiteboard got a workout. So did Bruce Boudreau’s vocal cords.

The Vancouver Canucks coach subscribes to the theory that you play like you practice. And judging by the manner in which his players were practising at one point Monday at Rogers Arena, it wasn’t conducive to winning.

So, Boudreau called a teaching timeout, gathered his group at centre ice and dropped a few words of wisdom. Not F-bombs. Just a reminder to take advantage of a rare practice window while other National Hockey League clubs have been shut down by rising COVID-19 case numbers.

“I’m going to give you a pass today because you’ve been off for a few days,” Boudreau said to his players.

It was all they needed to hear. The pace picked up. The intensity in mini 3-on-2 games was evident and the message sunk in. The best way to hit the ground running following the Christmas break and build on a 6-0-0 run under the new bench boss was not to develop bad habits.

“I fully understand when you’ve been off as much as we’ve been off — basically playing games the last 10 days — that usually practices are sloppier and I was just trying to indicate that to them,” said Boudreau.

“With a lack of practice, we haven’t been able to implement all the changes I would like and work on the changes that we’ve made. Today was just up and down the ice and get them skating to get our legs back for tomorrow (Tuesday) and I think we accomplished that.

“I don’t know how much better they’ll be from these practices, but they’ll be more knowledgeable in how I want them to play. We’d like to go over faceoffs and play them a little bit differently than we have.”

Boudreau has got to his players and got the most out his top guns when it matters most. 

An aggressive system predicated on a two-man forecheck causing turnovers and down-low scoring chances — along with pinching defencemen working the walls and taking away zone exits — is showing up on the stats sheet.

In the last six games, J.T. Miller has nine points (2-7) while Brock Boeser has seven (5-2), Bo Horvat six (3-3) and Quinn Hughes six (0-6). 

In that span, the club was also ranked 13th overall in goals per game (3.17), third in goals against (1.67), seventh on the power play (31.3 per cent) and 13th on the penalty kill (83.3 per cent). It’s an easy sell to go harder when the results are obvious, even with five players remaining on the COVID-19 protocol list.

“You’d love to have everybody back and hopefully we can implement it when they get back and they get it in a hurry,” said Boudreau, knowing his club may or may not play Dec, 27 following the Christmas break, depending on the number of COVID-19 cases. “You take it one day at a time. I can’t read the future. I have to prepare like we’re playing that date.

“When you’re playing well and having success, you can’t wait to get back. We tested this morning and if there are any (COVID-19) cases, that would got a long way to shutting us down for a couple of days.”

The Canucks captain took one look at the vintage black pads and colourful mask that Thatcher Demko donned at practice Monday and was stoked.

It was a hint that the Canucks will wear their retro black jerseys and flying-skate logo at some point in the near future.

“Love those,” said Horvat. “I love Demko’s gear and I’m big fan of the skate jersey. He said his gear was a mock-up of Kirk McLean and it looked pretty sweet out there.”

Meanwhile, Horvat doesn’t expect a lull between games will make it difficult to manufacture urgency when the schedule resumes.

“I don’t see it as being a problem,” he said. “It’s going to allow us time to get guys back in the lineup and to pick up where we left off by keeping that positive mindset. This is good for us and for him (Boudreau), who couldn’t implements things on the fly. A mini camp is going to be good for our systems.”

Horvat was also quick to laud the organization for treating the latest COVID-19 wave in a prudent manner.

“A lot differently than last year when we went through it,” he said. “We know how and why it spreads and to take the precautions has been proper so far. Hopefully, there is more good to come out of it.”

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