Paul Cotter scored his fourth goal of the season against Vegas tonight, then stood over Adin Hill like he owned the crease.
It was a standup celebration built to get under a goalie's skin. Hill won't forget it any time soon.
Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson picked up the assists, adding to two hot starts. Hronek already had four helpers through three games coming into the night.
Pettersson came in with five points in three games, and his heavy hit on Zayne Parekh on Saturday set up a Canucks goal.
The real surprise is the goal scorer. Cotter came into the night with three goals, including one shorthanded and a game-winner.
In the clip, Cotter finishes the play, then pops up and stands tall over Hill, soaking in every second of it.
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Manny Malhotra's rebuilding Canucks are playing with swagger
Cotter carries a $2,150,000 cap hit, and he's producing like a top-six forward. Malhotra moved him up beside Brock Boeser and Liam Öhgren at practice this week.
The Canucks came into the night at 2-1-0. For a team whose front office refused to talk about wins and losses, the early returns are better than expected.
The celebration was the right kind of cocky. A rebuilding team needs players who believe they belong, and Cotter just told an entire building he does.
He's like the kid who finally beats his older brother at the driveway game and won't stop talking about it.
Hill, 30, carries a $6,250,000 cap hit for Vegas. Ryan Craig's group came in at 1-1-0 after a 4-3 loss to Anaheim.
Vancouver now heads out on a six-game road trip, starting Thursday in Carolina.
Swagger travels well when the goals keep coming. If they dry up, every goalie on that trip will have already seen this clip.
Did Paul Cotter go too far with his celebration over Adin Hill?
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