Facing elimination, the Canucks either pull off a reverse sweep tonight or go down in a fiery ball of fury. Vigneault decided to change things up, and go with the lines that had worked so well this season. Kassian got the start with the twins, while Burrows was bumped to Kesler's wing with Raymond. Higgins and Roy were finally reunited on a line together, playing with Hansen on the third. Pinizzotto stepped in for Sestito on the fourth with Weise and Lapierre.
For the first time in a while, Hamhuis and Bieksa were reunited as a defensive pair. They were followed by Edler and Garrison on the second pairing, with Alberts and Corrado bringing up the rear.
As I said earlier, these lines have all been proven to work well (except the fourth - but who's counting?). If Kassian and Raymond both play to their max potential, the first two lines will kill San Jose. Higgins and Roy have had amazing chemistry the few times they've played together, and promise to form a great physical, yet talented, third line.
Hoping to get an early goal, the Canucks came out charging. Unfortunately, an unlucky bounce put them down early. Just 2 and a half minutes in, Hannan's shot from the point was tipped by Burns, and took a funny skip before bouncing past Schneider. Not to be outdone in a measly 4 games, Vancouver came storming back with more pressure. 5 minutes after the Burns goal, Vancouver caught a break. Raymond's point shot hit Stuart in front of the net, and trickled over Niemi's shoulder before entering the net. Later, on the power play, the Canucks had a great chance to take the lead. After a nifty passing play, Raymond ended up with the puck and a wide open net. Raymond couldn't get any height on the shot, and Niemi was able to make a pad save.
Just over 5 minutes left in the opening frame, and Roy went for a hit on Stuart by the benches. Stuart was already pinned by Hansen, and Roy's hit went shoulder to shoulder. Stuart fell to the ice, and went straight to the dressing room. On the ensuing power play, the Sharks struck again. Marleau's point shot was saved by Schneider, but the rebound went right to Pavelski. Pavelski snapped the puck off the post and in, catching Schneider gliding in the wrong direction. That'd do it for period 1, Sharks up 2-1, Canucks leading the shots 13-12.
If Vigneault gave a pep talk between periods, it didn't show. Schneider was forced to make some big saves early on, and the team didn't get any real chances. At about the midway mark of the second, Hamhuis got his stick up on Wingels, and earned himself a double minor. Vancouver managed to kill off the penalty, a good all around effort from the penalty killers. Schneider was only forced to come up great a few times on 6 minutes worth of power plays, all in the final 10 minutes. When he couldn't come up big, the defenders were there for him. First time we've seen this all series long. End of the 2nd, still 2-1 Sharks. Shots 29-17 also in favor of the Sharks.
Knowing this could be the final 20 minutes of their season, the Canucks gave it all they had. Just a few minutes in, Edler's point shot bounced to Daniel, who had a wide open net. Daniels shot not only didn't go in, it hit the opposite post. He missed a 6 foot wide opening. It seemed that the Canucks kinda gave up after that, as they simply gave the puck to San Jose every time they asked for it.
But fear not, for Kesler coined the phrase "compete like bastards" during the intermission. And compete like bastards they did. With 10 and a half to go, Vancouver struck on the power play. After winning the battle along the boards, the whole power play unit started moving the puck so fast the Sharks couldn't keep up. Daniel received the puck at the side of the net, and dished it to Burrows at the front, who tapped it past Niemi.
2 minutes later, Raymond pursued a dump shot in the San Jose zone. Raymond got to the puck, and managed to fend off 2 Sharks before Burrows arrived. Burrows pulled the puck away, and shot a 40 foot pass to the point, where Edler blasted in past Niemi. With 5 minutes left, Bieksa took a stupid cross checking call behind the net, and the Sharks made us pay. After Thornton's shot from the faceoff circle was stopped, the puck bounced to Pavelski, who had a wide open net. Pavelski made no mistake, and buried it before Hamhuis could get to him. Both teams had great chances in the final few minutes, but no one could put the puck to the back of the net.
Off to overtime, with the Canucks season on the line.
To start the extra frame, the lines were put back to what they were in game 3. Hansen wasn't on the bench, so I'd assume the changes were to compensate for his absence. Burrows was back with the Sedins, Roy centered Raymond and Kesler, Lapierre took Kassian and Higgins, while Weise and Pinizzotto were extras. Good pressure from both teams in the opening minutes, but San Jose had the better pressure. After a solid 5 minutes of end to end rushes, play settled down into zone play.
With 10 minutes left, the Sharks were dominating play. More that once, they had the Canucks on their backs, but couldn't finish it. With 7 and a bit left, Daniel Sedin was called for a dangerous hit on Wingels. On the ensuing power play, Thornton's shot on the rush dribbled behind Schneider, and Marleau tapped it in.
Sharks win the game 4-3, and win the series 4-0. They deserved the win, we played terribly.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/3 Managed to finally make the puck cycle work, paid off. Still chasing the puck around, but what's new? Can't complain, I guess.
- PK: 3/7 As good as it has been all series, but that's not saying much. Canucks knew Sharks power play was trouble, had no discipline.
- Lapierre: Stayed away from scrums, wasn't his usual lippy self. Must've gotten a lecture.
- Roy: Almost invisible. Not making a case for his sought after $6 million extension.
- Raymond: Has been invisible, but stepped up when he needed to. Good hustle, not afraid to go into the corners, played a crucial role in multiple Canuck goals.
Tuesday 7 May 2013
Sunday 5 May 2013
Game in Review: Canucks at Sharks, R1G3, May 5/13
As the Canucks touched down in San Jose, it was announced Cory Schneider would be in net for game 3. Not that Luongo has played badly, quite the contrary in fact, but the fanbase seems to be a little more comfortable with Schneider in net. The Sharks were a tough team to play in San Jose this season, losing only 2 games in regulation with the home ice advantage. Vancouver will need all 4 lines working in top form in order to pull off a win tonight.
In what can only be described as a 'clinging to hope,' AV placed Burrows with the Sedins once again. Hansen was bumped to line 2 with Higgins and Kesler, while Kassian and Raymond were the wingmen for Roy. Ebbett was scratched in favor of Sestito, who played with Lapierre and Weise on the fourth. The ever reliable defensive pairing of Hamhuis and Garrison stayed together, but Edler and Corrado were placed with each other on the second. Bieksa was stuck with clean up duty, manning the third and final defense pairing with Alberts.
It was a slow start in terms of scoring chances, but there was plenty of speed, and even more of the ruff stuff. It took 5 and a half minutes to get the first shot of the game, but the chances just blew up after that. After Sestito and Burish took roughing penalties against each other, Marleau elbowed Kesler in the head, resulting in a 4 on 3 powerplay. Only 1 shot on the 4 on 3, but the chances were there. It was at this point things got especially violent. Any place the puck slowed just a little, there was a pile of players all trying to kill each other.
Unfortunately, Weise received a well deserved roughing penalty in one of those scrums. Even worse, Hamhuis took a slashing penalty just 30 seconds into Weises penalty, resulting in a 5 on 3 powerplay. With less than 30 seconds left on an almost successful kill, the Sharks struck. After getting set up for the first time, they began closing in. In quick succession, the puck went from Thornton to Couture to Pavelski, who caught Schneider on his belly. End of the first period, 1-0 Sharks, shots 14-13 for the Canucks. Hits 14-12 for the Canucks.
For whatever reason, both teams came out rather flat in the second. Asides from an early canucks penalty kill, it was almost... boring for 5 minutes. Then: probably the weirdest goal I've seen in a long time. After a San Jose clear, the Canucks were casually skating back into their own zone after the puck. Wingels beat the defense to the puck, and took a weak shot from the blueline. Pavelski had gotten to the front of the net by then, and tipped it between Schneiders legs. 2-0 with 12 minutes to play, and the Sharks putting serious pressure on.
And then the Sedins broke through. After Daniel won a puck battle against the benches, he hit brother Henrik with a perfect cross ice pass. Henrik moved into the zone, evaded the defense, and gave a speedy Burrows a well timed pass. Burrows one timed it past a stunned Niemi, and the Canucks were on the board with 9 and a bit left in the middle frame. As the period was ending, Thornton busted past the Canucks defense on a breakaway. Before he could get to Schneider, the speedy Hansen caught up and knocked him down. Hansen was called for cross checking, and the period ended with 1:30 left on the man advantage. 2-1 Sharks, shots 23-22, also in favor of the Sharks.
After killing off most of the Hansen penalty, San Jose had one last rush with the man advantage. As Couture came down the right wing, he released a weak shot from the right wing that somehow beat Schneider 5 hole. Just seconds later, Marleau cut down the middle of the ice with no coverage, and beat Schneider 5 hole as he fell. Those two goals, just nine seconds apart, looked to be the final nails in the coffin for this game. But no, they weren't. The final nail was the Couture goal a few minutes later on the powerplay. If you're still interested at this point, Schneider was pulled and Luongo was given the final 16 minutes.
Nothing super exciting happened in the final minutes. With less than 7 minutes left, Hamhuis took a pass off the sideboards and rocketed a wrister past Niemi. Game over, 5-2 Sharks.
Tidbits:
- PP: Good cycling, plenty of zone time, but not enough shots.
- PK: Didn't let Sharks get set up. Either stopped them at the blueline or hammered it down the ice. Very inconsiderate.
- Sestito: Actually had an alright game. Got in the Sharks players faces when he needed too, played smart hockey.
- Bieksa: Speculation is that he's injured. But seeing as he was playing in the final few minutes of a blowout game, he's either fine or AV's being an idiot. Why not both?
Not trying to jump on the 'anti-AV' bandwagon again, but, eh screw it. The man can't get his lines straight to save his life, never mind his job. Players who have shown incredible chemistry are denied being on the same line together. Lines that worked before, but haven't in over a year, are given the go ahead. Same with whoever runs the defense, and the powerplay. They've been running the same plays unsuccessfully for years, and it's time for a change.
As for the Luongo haters: You had this coming.
I'm not giving up hope, not yet. While it seems unlikely, especially with the way they've played, the Canucks can still pull a few wins, or possibly a reverse sweep, out of this series.
Friday 3 May 2013
Game in Review: Canucks vs Sharks, R1G2, May 3/13
After an awful offensive showing in game 1, Vancouver shook up their lines. The Sedins were still stuck with Burrows, but Roy was bumped up to centre line 2 with Kesler and Higgins. Raymond and Hansen played with Lapierre on the third, while Ebbett centered Kassian and Weise. No change on the defensive pairings, because they actually played pretty well against a very large San Jose team. Luongo started in net, as Cory Schneider is still unable to play. Speculation is that he will not travel to San Jose for games 3 and 4.
Raise your glasses, Canucks fans. Here's to hoping the Canucks truck over the Sharks tonight. *clink*
After the first shift ended, Vancouver already had almost double the offensive zone time that they had last game. Ok maybe I exaggerated, a little, but it's not too far of a stretch. The Canucks came out with all cylinders firing, and had the Sharks on their heels for a good five minutes. Luongo remained his well and ready self, making 2 great saves on a Sharks powerplay midway through the period. Only problem was, the defense constantly let the Sharks take the puck right up the middle. Eventually, with 6 and a bit left in the first, that resulted in a Sharks goal.
After a Stuart point shot got lost in the feet of Edler, Thornton found it in front and beat Luongo blocker side. Soon after, Luongo collided with a Sharks player on the PK, and went down. He was slow to get up, but continued playing. Nothing else happened in the first. Sharks lead 1-0 in goals, 10-4 in shots, but trailed 15-12 in hits.
Very worry some period for the Canucks. Via Hosea Cheung, the Canucks did not get a single shot in the final 9:55 of the first period. They had the pressure only on, but just collapsed in the end. Even worse; the defense couldn't contain anyone. It was like they were moving 2 seconds too slow.
Vancouver was on the charge early in the second, but were cut short by a crap call. Sharks defenseman Braun shoved Burrows into Niemi, and Burrows got a penalty. Thankfully the penalty was killed, but Thornton did hit the post with the man advantage. After the PK, momentum seemed to swing in favor of the Canucks. They had shot after shot on Niemi, but he remained incredibly good, and incredibly lucky. Midway through the period, Pavelski 'scored' on the rush, but the goal was waived off because Wingels ran Luongo. No penalty. The refs should at least be constant in their calls.
Later on, Vancouver got their first powerplay of the game, but it turned into a 4 on 4 because Henrik used his hand to win the ensuing faceoff. Meanwhile, at the other end, Luongo was forced to be an acrobat. After bailing out the Canucks more than once, he made a incredible cross-crease diving save on Torres. In the dying seconds, Kesler came across the middle of the ice at full speed and absolutely NAILED Braun. Overall, not a bad period for the Canucks. Still down 1-0, but tied 18-18 in the shots. Hits 29-19 in favor of the Canucks. Also; Kesler was just dominating physical play. Hopefully he gets on the scoresheet in the third.
Once again, Vancouver come out amped up to start the period. They were physical, they were quick, and they drew a penalty. Dejardin performed a knee-on-knee hit on Edler, and it resulted in a 2 minute minor. Right off the draw, the Sedins started a cycle. The puck wound it's way to Kesler at the point, who one-timed it past Niemi just 59 seconds into the third. A few minutes later, and Bieksa took a terrible penalty. As Luongo stopped the puck, Bieksa decided to finish his check and slammed Couture into the boards. Fortunately, Vancouver was able to kill the penalty, and even managed a few shorthanded chances.
7 minutes into the third, and the Canucks put another one on the scoresheet. After Higgins put pressure on Boyle behind the Sharks net, Boyle made a quick pass up the middle, that was intercepted by Kesler. With plenty of time, Kesler turned and blasted a slap shot blocker side on Niemi. Past that, the Sharks pushed harder than they had all night. With 7 minutes left, Desjardins found the loose puck in the Vancouver zone, and hit the post.
And they just. Kept. Coming. Just under 2 minutes left, and the Sharks pull their goalie. After maintaining zone pressure for almost a minute, the worst happened. After Hansen missed the empty net by inches, the Sharks moved back into the zone. After a battle in the corner, Henrik came out with the puck. Instead of getting it out, Henrik passed right into the slot. San Jose had more men there, and took the puck back. After a quick cycle, the puck ended up on net. Though Luongo made the initial save, the puck squeaked between his legs and sat down behind him. Marleau was the only one who saw the puck, and managed to get his stick on it. Tie game, end of regulation. Shots 27-26 Vancouver, hits 35-29.
Just over a minute into OT, and both teams had great chances at either end. Vancouver had one of their shots go off the post, and the Sharks had a shot go off the stanchion and between the legs of Luongo. Thankfully, he was able to squeeze his pads shut, but it was a close one. The first 5 minutes of the OT period was pretty much just that; back and forth chances, with ridiculous saves and lucky bounces either way. After Vancouver had Niemi on his back, the Sharks iced the puck and were stuck with a tired line against the Kesler line. The Sharks were able to clear, and in the process got a 2 on 1 with fresh players. Burns stickhandled down the right wing, and fed Torres with a perfect pass, who roofed it over a sprawling Luongo. Game over, 3-2 Sharks.
Tidbits:
- PP: Able to hold it in for short little spurts, but constantly let it slip down the ice.
- PK: Had problems clearing puck on first 2 chances, but fine after that. Some shorthanded chances on the later penalties.
- Luongo: Absolutely amazing. I've said it before, and unfortunately way more than I should need to, but he was the only reason we made it out of the first two periods alive.
- Penalty Players: Bieksa, Garrison, Weise, Alberts, and Kassian have all taken terrible penalties in these 2 games. It hasn't been too lethal, but the PK can't hold out forever. Playing with fire.
Better effort from the Canucks, but not enough to get them a win. Henrik and Daniel have just been brutal this post season, coughing up the puck like it's lodged in their throat. Vancouver could've walked away with a 2-1 victory had it not been for them, BUT, they didn't deserve it. Luongo, Higgins and Kesler carried the team. Everyone else contributed to the lack of shots, the terrible zone play, and the inability to control the Sharks in general. Unless the Sedins get their crap together, Vancouver will be a 1st round elimination 2 years in a row.
Next game is Sunday, May 5th at 7PM.
Raise your glasses, Canucks fans. Here's to hoping the Canucks truck over the Sharks tonight. *clink*
After the first shift ended, Vancouver already had almost double the offensive zone time that they had last game. Ok maybe I exaggerated, a little, but it's not too far of a stretch. The Canucks came out with all cylinders firing, and had the Sharks on their heels for a good five minutes. Luongo remained his well and ready self, making 2 great saves on a Sharks powerplay midway through the period. Only problem was, the defense constantly let the Sharks take the puck right up the middle. Eventually, with 6 and a bit left in the first, that resulted in a Sharks goal.
After a Stuart point shot got lost in the feet of Edler, Thornton found it in front and beat Luongo blocker side. Soon after, Luongo collided with a Sharks player on the PK, and went down. He was slow to get up, but continued playing. Nothing else happened in the first. Sharks lead 1-0 in goals, 10-4 in shots, but trailed 15-12 in hits.
Very worry some period for the Canucks. Via Hosea Cheung, the Canucks did not get a single shot in the final 9:55 of the first period. They had the pressure only on, but just collapsed in the end. Even worse; the defense couldn't contain anyone. It was like they were moving 2 seconds too slow.
Vancouver was on the charge early in the second, but were cut short by a crap call. Sharks defenseman Braun shoved Burrows into Niemi, and Burrows got a penalty. Thankfully the penalty was killed, but Thornton did hit the post with the man advantage. After the PK, momentum seemed to swing in favor of the Canucks. They had shot after shot on Niemi, but he remained incredibly good, and incredibly lucky. Midway through the period, Pavelski 'scored' on the rush, but the goal was waived off because Wingels ran Luongo. No penalty. The refs should at least be constant in their calls.
Later on, Vancouver got their first powerplay of the game, but it turned into a 4 on 4 because Henrik used his hand to win the ensuing faceoff. Meanwhile, at the other end, Luongo was forced to be an acrobat. After bailing out the Canucks more than once, he made a incredible cross-crease diving save on Torres. In the dying seconds, Kesler came across the middle of the ice at full speed and absolutely NAILED Braun. Overall, not a bad period for the Canucks. Still down 1-0, but tied 18-18 in the shots. Hits 29-19 in favor of the Canucks. Also; Kesler was just dominating physical play. Hopefully he gets on the scoresheet in the third.
Once again, Vancouver come out amped up to start the period. They were physical, they were quick, and they drew a penalty. Dejardin performed a knee-on-knee hit on Edler, and it resulted in a 2 minute minor. Right off the draw, the Sedins started a cycle. The puck wound it's way to Kesler at the point, who one-timed it past Niemi just 59 seconds into the third. A few minutes later, and Bieksa took a terrible penalty. As Luongo stopped the puck, Bieksa decided to finish his check and slammed Couture into the boards. Fortunately, Vancouver was able to kill the penalty, and even managed a few shorthanded chances.
7 minutes into the third, and the Canucks put another one on the scoresheet. After Higgins put pressure on Boyle behind the Sharks net, Boyle made a quick pass up the middle, that was intercepted by Kesler. With plenty of time, Kesler turned and blasted a slap shot blocker side on Niemi. Past that, the Sharks pushed harder than they had all night. With 7 minutes left, Desjardins found the loose puck in the Vancouver zone, and hit the post.
And they just. Kept. Coming. Just under 2 minutes left, and the Sharks pull their goalie. After maintaining zone pressure for almost a minute, the worst happened. After Hansen missed the empty net by inches, the Sharks moved back into the zone. After a battle in the corner, Henrik came out with the puck. Instead of getting it out, Henrik passed right into the slot. San Jose had more men there, and took the puck back. After a quick cycle, the puck ended up on net. Though Luongo made the initial save, the puck squeaked between his legs and sat down behind him. Marleau was the only one who saw the puck, and managed to get his stick on it. Tie game, end of regulation. Shots 27-26 Vancouver, hits 35-29.
Just over a minute into OT, and both teams had great chances at either end. Vancouver had one of their shots go off the post, and the Sharks had a shot go off the stanchion and between the legs of Luongo. Thankfully, he was able to squeeze his pads shut, but it was a close one. The first 5 minutes of the OT period was pretty much just that; back and forth chances, with ridiculous saves and lucky bounces either way. After Vancouver had Niemi on his back, the Sharks iced the puck and were stuck with a tired line against the Kesler line. The Sharks were able to clear, and in the process got a 2 on 1 with fresh players. Burns stickhandled down the right wing, and fed Torres with a perfect pass, who roofed it over a sprawling Luongo. Game over, 3-2 Sharks.
Tidbits:
- PP: Able to hold it in for short little spurts, but constantly let it slip down the ice.
- PK: Had problems clearing puck on first 2 chances, but fine after that. Some shorthanded chances on the later penalties.
- Luongo: Absolutely amazing. I've said it before, and unfortunately way more than I should need to, but he was the only reason we made it out of the first two periods alive.
- Penalty Players: Bieksa, Garrison, Weise, Alberts, and Kassian have all taken terrible penalties in these 2 games. It hasn't been too lethal, but the PK can't hold out forever. Playing with fire.
Better effort from the Canucks, but not enough to get them a win. Henrik and Daniel have just been brutal this post season, coughing up the puck like it's lodged in their throat. Vancouver could've walked away with a 2-1 victory had it not been for them, BUT, they didn't deserve it. Luongo, Higgins and Kesler carried the team. Everyone else contributed to the lack of shots, the terrible zone play, and the inability to control the Sharks in general. Unless the Sedins get their crap together, Vancouver will be a 1st round elimination 2 years in a row.
Next game is Sunday, May 5th at 7PM.
Wednesday 1 May 2013
Game in Review: Canucks vs Sharks, R1G1, May 1/13
With Schneider still sidelined with a mysterious "Body Injury," Luongo got the start for game one of the playoffs. For lineups, the Sedins were paired with Burrows, Higgins and Kassian played wing for Kesler, while Roy centered the third with Raymond and Hansen. Lapierre brought up the fourth with Ebbett and Weise on his wings. The ever reliable pair of Hamhuis and Garrison were the starting defensive pair, while Edler and Bieksa manned the second group. The big surprise: Alberts and Corrado on the final pair. Ballard was sidelined due to 'medical reasons.'
From the start, you could see that pretty much nothing had changed between Saturday nights 7-2 loss to the Oilers, and tonight. Luongo was given plenty of pressure, but he rose to the occasion. After stopping an initial point shot, he came cross-crease and stopped Havlat's wrist shot with his blocker. And that was pretty much the story of the first. Plenty of hits, and even more scoring opportunities for the Sharks. At the 7 minute mark, the hits were 17-11 in favor of the Canucks. Insanity. First period ended with no score, shots 15-9 for the Sharks.
Luongo was again called upon to be incredible in the opening minutes of the middle frame, as Edler tipped a rolling puck right into his own crease. But after that, the Canucks had their 2nd powerplay of the night. Despite the fact that it sucked like a vacuum, it still generated some momentum. With the Canucks pressing, San Jose slowly started caving and making mistakes. With 7 and a bit left in the period, Hansen led a rush up ice. In the zone, he passed back to Bieksa, whose shot hit Niemi and landed in a pile of bodies at the front of the net. Amidst all the confusion, the puck hit more players than I care to count, and wound up in the net. Turns out, Torres (former Canuck) accidentally poked it past Niemi.
After much deliberation, Bieksa was credited with the goal, and the Canucks opened the scoring. Everything was all roses and daisies after that, until Kassian glove punched Couture in the face and wound up in the sin bin. With 3 and a half left, Boyle slipped a cross ice pass past 2 Canucks to Couture, who wired the puck past a screened Luongo. The end of the 2nd left us tied at 1, the Canucks up 23-21 in shots, and the fans feeling a little more confident than after the first.
Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. Vancouver needed a big offensive boost to start the final period, but didn't get it. After almost a full 10 minutes of end to end rushes, San Jose broke the deadlock. After diving for an errant rebound, Luongo found himself surrounded by a massive pile of players, all grasping for a little rubber disc. Wingles managed to push the puck to Boyle, who was wide open and snapped it past Luongo, who literally had the whole team on his back. With less than 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd period, Vancouver needed some offense, but just didn't get it. San Jose forced a terrible goal late in the third, after Hamhuis got knocked off the puck behind his own net. The puck dribbled to Marleau, and his shot went off Hamhuis' stick and in.
Fast forward to the end of the third. 1:43 left, Sharks ice the puck, Luongo to the bench. For the first time in 60 minutes of playoff hockey, Vancouver managed to control the zone. For almost the entire 103 seconds, Vancouver cycled the puck. Problem was, that's all they did. I counted only 2 shots in almost 2 minutes of 6 on 5 hockey. Game over, 3-1 Sharks.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/2 Spent all 4 minutes chasing the puck, barely any sustained pressure.
- PK: 3/4 Couldn't manage to clear the puck, let the Sharks pick holes and drill passes right through their skates.
- Sedins: Spent most of the game hemmed in their own zone by the Couture zone. Not gonna put pucks in the net from all the way back there.
- Kesler: Needs to score goals, or make prettier passes, if Vancouver expects to make it out of round 1.
- Luongo: Held Vancouver in this game, can't be blamed for any of the 4 goals that got past him.
- Hits: Incredible. 40-26 in favor of Vancouver. 37 in the first two, only 3 in the final frame.
What exactly happened? The goaltending was superb, the defense was great. Only issue was the offense. It never managed to get out of its own zone, and when it did, it just generated a shot from the wing that Niemi easily stopped. The final two minutes was the only time that Vancouver held the puck in the Sharks zone, but even then they didn't really get any quality chances. That needs to change ASAP if they expect to move on.
Next game is Friday May 3rd at 7PM.
Tuesday 30 April 2013
The Vancouver Canucks: A Bandwagoners Guide
Inspired by Pass it to Bulis' "Bandwagon Fan Cheat Sheet," here's my "Bandwagoners Guide to the Canucks"
It's that time of year, Canucks fans! That's right, its the playoffs!
Now, most of you don't have the time or patience to follow the Canucks through an 82 (or 48) game season. That's OK, I'm not here to judge. (Well, maybe a little) In fact, I'm here to bring you up to speed.
I'm sure you've heard by now that the Canucks are facing the Sharks in round 1 of the playoffs. No? Well you know now. That's easy enough. But what about the players? And who do you blame for the good/bad things happening? Below is everything you'll need to keep you out of an awkward conversation with someone who knows more about hockey than you do.
Your choice.
It's that time of year, Canucks fans! That's right, its the playoffs!
Now, most of you don't have the time or patience to follow the Canucks through an 82 (or 48) game season. That's OK, I'm not here to judge. (Well, maybe a little) In fact, I'm here to bring you up to speed.
I'm sure you've heard by now that the Canucks are facing the Sharks in round 1 of the playoffs. No? Well you know now. That's easy enough. But what about the players? And who do you blame for the good/bad things happening? Below is everything you'll need to keep you out of an awkward conversation with someone who knows more about hockey than you do.
The Canucks are Winning:
- Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler. Memorize those names, people. When the Canucks are winning, just mentioning any of these 3 names in the sentence "_______ is playing really well tonight" will gain you respect amongst your peers.
- Low scoring game? I've still got you covered, buddy! Talk about how well Hamhuis has done with Garrison, or how improved Tanev is this year. Maybe mention that Edler looks pretty solid this post season. If Schneider is in goal, talk about how incredible he's been. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT mention Roberto Luongo. That'll open up a whole new can of worm. See "Emergency Situations" below.
The Canucks are Losing:
When the crap hits the fan, every fan has a scapegoat. For a lot of people, it's either Alain Vigneault (Head Coach) or Mike Gillis (General Manager). I'm guilty of hoping on this bandwagon occasionally. But if you wanna look a little more edumacated and what not, you should have some players on that list, too.
- Keith Ballard: A $4 million healthy scratch, who occasionally plays on the 3rd defense pairing or the 4th offensive line. If he's playing, scream "WHY THE %#@* IS KEITH BALLARD PLAYING IN THE PLAYOFFS?!" If he's in the press box, scream "WHY THE %#@* IS KEITH BALLARD SITTING IN THE PRESS BOX, IN THE PLAYOFFS?!" Fairly simple.
- Zack Kassian: Still a fairly young player, who could be the next Todd Bertuzzi (tough guy who can score). Didn't live up to the fans ridiculous expectations. If he's with the Sedins, say he deserves to be on the fourth line. Coincidentally, if he's on the fourth, make a fuss about him not playing 30 + minutes per game and scoring 40 goals en route to a cup win.
- Mason Raymond: 2nd or 3rd liner who just isn't the same player after breaking his back in the Cup Finals 2 years ago. Complain about how he needs to be traded, or that he just simply needs to get over his fear of going into corners.
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS:
While the above should get you through any normal situation, you may encounter a few "Danger Zones." Heres the most lethal, and how to handle them.
Someone Mentions the Goaltending Problem:
For those of you who have been hiding under a rock for the past year, Cory Schneider has ousted Roberto Luongo as #1 goaltender for the Canucks. But the Canucks failed to trade off Luongo, leaving us with a $6 million backup.
If anything is mentioned about the goaltending problem, the best thing to do is run. Far, far away. Everyone and their dog has an opinion on who deserves the starter spot, what's fair, and why. You'll get trapped in a never ending cycle of useless opinions. But worse: you'll get flustered, lose your composure, and start talking about how useful Ballard would be at Kesler's side.
This is the only real emergency situation, but should be avoided at all costs.
What to do with this Information:
Now you may be thinking, "Jon, I just read and memorized your advice, now what?" You can:
- Pretend to know more than other fans, act all smug about it, probably get beat up because of it.
- Become a blogger, also pretending to know more than others, but publishing it.
- Use it sparingly, so as to blend in and not look like a fool.
Your choice.
Monday 22 April 2013
Canucks vs Blackhawks, Apr 22/13
With a single point tonight, Vancouver can clinch the Northwest Division for the fifth year in a row. But easily the story of the game: 20 year defenseman old Frankie Corrado plays his first NHL game tonight. Corrado spent his season in the CHL between the Sudbury Wolves and Kitchener Rangers, and played 3 games for the AHL Chicago Wolves before his NHL call up against the Blackhawks. Bit of a trial by fire, don't you think?
Lots of lineup changes tonight, as Ballard joined the injured defenseman list and Higgins returned after missing 6 games. Burrows played with the Sedins, while Kesler tried his hand at the wing with Higgins and Roy on the 2nd. Lapierre centred the 3rd line with Raymond and Hansen, while Sestito, Ebbett and Kassian brought up the 4th. On the defensive side, Hamhuis and Garrison manned the first unit, Corrado played on the 2nd with Edler, while Alberts and Barker brought up the third.
Just minutes in, Roy and Higgins showed why they belong on a line together. Breaking into the zone, Roy's pass beat the defense and hit Higgins, whose shot was just barely stopped by a sprawling Crawford. For close to 10 minutes, the Canucks absolutely dominated play. Actually, scratch that. They dominated the entire first, but it just doesn't work for what I wanted to write. Anyways, the Canucks defense held the Blackhawks out of the middle, and were able to keep the puck away from the net more often than not. With 6 minutes left in the first, Hjalmarsson went for a hit on Daniel Sedin with his elbow up, but Daniel ducked it. The ref saw it, the Canucks went to the powerplay for the 2nd time. On the ensuing power play Garrisons shot from the point hit Oduya, then went off Hansens skate and in. Like I mentioned earlier, complete dominance of the first period for the Canucks. 1-0 Canucks after 1, shots 11-5 in favor of the good guys.
Vancouver had no problem maintaining their dominance in the 2nd, as they continued to outplay the Blackhawks in every aspect. Early on, Henrik found Higgins with a great 2 line slap pass. Higgins slid a perfect pass to a streaking Burrows, who tipped the puck on net but couldn't beat Crawford. A little past the 10 minute mark of the period, Kassian took a few shifts with the Sedins, and he sure deserved. After Kassian chipped the puck in deep to Daniel, the Sedins did their incredible cycle-and-confuse routine. Daniel found Kassian in front, who pushed off his man and beat Crawford 5 hole.
With that assist, Daniel surpassed Naslund to become 2nd all time in Canucks points, second to only brother Henrik. With just a few minutes left in the period, the Hawks put up their best effort of the game on a 4 on 4. But you know what happens when the Sedins get a little room? Miracles. Henrik banked the puck from his own zone all the way up to Daniel in the neutral zone. With only Keith even close to him, Daniel took off, pulled forehand-backhand on Crawford, then lifted it back hand over Crawford. Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful it was. Here, watch it over and over again. 3-0 Canucks after 40, shots 20-14 Vancouver.
I shouldn't even write a review for the third. Why? Because the Canucks did the exact same thing they did the first two periods. Dominance. Unfortunately, Schneider didn't get a shutout, because Sestito. Did I just use Sestito as a verb? Yes. Yes I did. After Schneider made 2 great stops in a row, the puck bounced to Sestito behind the net. Now, instead of clearing the puck to the side with nobody on it, Sestito cleared to the side with the ref. The puck bounced off the ref, and straight to Carcillo at the front, who backhanded it past Schneider. Again, can't blame the ref. He'd been there for quite a while already, and Sestito needed to be looking where he was clearing. Other than that, nothing big. Game over, Canucks 3, Blackhawks 1. Final shots 32-25.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/5 Just takes time to warm up. First one was all over the place, but 2nd and ensuing were able to control puck much better.
- PK: 2/2 Weren't able to get the puck out of the zone, Schneider bailed them out.
- Sedins: Spectacular, best they've played all season. And of course:
- Corrado: Calm and cool under pressure. I wasn't sure he was ready (not that 1 game is a proper measuring stick), but seems like he could be a defensive staple next year. 17:20 TOI, 3 hits, 1 blocked shot.
- Garrison: If his shot doesn't hit the net, it takes someone out in front. Love it.
Lots of lineup changes tonight, as Ballard joined the injured defenseman list and Higgins returned after missing 6 games. Burrows played with the Sedins, while Kesler tried his hand at the wing with Higgins and Roy on the 2nd. Lapierre centred the 3rd line with Raymond and Hansen, while Sestito, Ebbett and Kassian brought up the 4th. On the defensive side, Hamhuis and Garrison manned the first unit, Corrado played on the 2nd with Edler, while Alberts and Barker brought up the third.
Just minutes in, Roy and Higgins showed why they belong on a line together. Breaking into the zone, Roy's pass beat the defense and hit Higgins, whose shot was just barely stopped by a sprawling Crawford. For close to 10 minutes, the Canucks absolutely dominated play. Actually, scratch that. They dominated the entire first, but it just doesn't work for what I wanted to write. Anyways, the Canucks defense held the Blackhawks out of the middle, and were able to keep the puck away from the net more often than not. With 6 minutes left in the first, Hjalmarsson went for a hit on Daniel Sedin with his elbow up, but Daniel ducked it. The ref saw it, the Canucks went to the powerplay for the 2nd time. On the ensuing power play Garrisons shot from the point hit Oduya, then went off Hansens skate and in. Like I mentioned earlier, complete dominance of the first period for the Canucks. 1-0 Canucks after 1, shots 11-5 in favor of the good guys.
Vancouver had no problem maintaining their dominance in the 2nd, as they continued to outplay the Blackhawks in every aspect. Early on, Henrik found Higgins with a great 2 line slap pass. Higgins slid a perfect pass to a streaking Burrows, who tipped the puck on net but couldn't beat Crawford. A little past the 10 minute mark of the period, Kassian took a few shifts with the Sedins, and he sure deserved. After Kassian chipped the puck in deep to Daniel, the Sedins did their incredible cycle-and-confuse routine. Daniel found Kassian in front, who pushed off his man and beat Crawford 5 hole.
With that assist, Daniel surpassed Naslund to become 2nd all time in Canucks points, second to only brother Henrik. With just a few minutes left in the period, the Hawks put up their best effort of the game on a 4 on 4. But you know what happens when the Sedins get a little room? Miracles. Henrik banked the puck from his own zone all the way up to Daniel in the neutral zone. With only Keith even close to him, Daniel took off, pulled forehand-backhand on Crawford, then lifted it back hand over Crawford. Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful it was. Here, watch it over and over again. 3-0 Canucks after 40, shots 20-14 Vancouver.
I shouldn't even write a review for the third. Why? Because the Canucks did the exact same thing they did the first two periods. Dominance. Unfortunately, Schneider didn't get a shutout, because Sestito. Did I just use Sestito as a verb? Yes. Yes I did. After Schneider made 2 great stops in a row, the puck bounced to Sestito behind the net. Now, instead of clearing the puck to the side with nobody on it, Sestito cleared to the side with the ref. The puck bounced off the ref, and straight to Carcillo at the front, who backhanded it past Schneider. Again, can't blame the ref. He'd been there for quite a while already, and Sestito needed to be looking where he was clearing. Other than that, nothing big. Game over, Canucks 3, Blackhawks 1. Final shots 32-25.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/5 Just takes time to warm up. First one was all over the place, but 2nd and ensuing were able to control puck much better.
- PK: 2/2 Weren't able to get the puck out of the zone, Schneider bailed them out.
- Sedins: Spectacular, best they've played all season. And of course:
It took Daniel Sedin 905 games to pass M. Naslund on all-time Canucks scoring list. It also took Henrik 905 games as well. Of course it did.
— TC Carling (@TC_Carling) April 23, 2013
- Corrado: Calm and cool under pressure. I wasn't sure he was ready (not that 1 game is a proper measuring stick), but seems like he could be a defensive staple next year. 17:20 TOI, 3 hits, 1 blocked shot.
- Garrison: If his shot doesn't hit the net, it takes someone out in front. Love it.
Saturday 20 April 2013
Canucks vs Red Wings, April 20/13
Historically, a Canucks vs Red Wings game is like the 2011 Cup Finals. Either it's a close win for the Canucks, or a total blowout win for the Wings. With a single point tonight, Vancouver can clinch a playoff spot. Couple of lineup changes tonight, but no one returns yet from the injury list. Kesler centred the second line between Raymond and Kassian, while Roy returned to centre the 3rd line with Ebbett and Hansen. Higgins will most likely take Ebbett's spot once he returns. On the defensive side, Alberts was bumped to the second pairing with Edler, and Barker was put on the third with Ballard. Higgins is supposed to be returning for Monday's game against the Hawks, while Bieksa and Tanev are to return before the playoffs start. Booth has no return date.
Spot on with the last 3 games, the Canucks let the first period rest on Schneider. Wasn't much action in the beginning, more end to end hockey than intense zone play, but by the 10 minute mark the Wings had a 6-1 shot advantage. And it wasn't that the Canucks weren't trying. No, they just seemed... Uncoordinated? Vancouver had their best chance to capitalize, on a 5 on 3 powerplay midway through the first. They didn't score with a 2 man advantage, but they managed to get one past Howard before the second penalty expired. After Roy won the initial faceoff, Hamhuis fed Edler with a cross ice pass, and he blasted it past a screened Howard.
Despite the goal, the Canucks were playing like it was a charity game. On a defensive miscue, Cleary snuck behind Elder on a breakaway. Thankfully, Cleary missed by a mile, but it goes to show how out of sync they are. Later in the period, on an Edler, penalty, Burrows got a great short handed chance. After poking the puck off the sideboards, Burrows pushed past the defense and cut to the center on Howard. But because Howard was out so far, Burrows ended up tripping over him and couldn't finish his deke. It looked like Vancouver would take the lead to the dressing room, but then with 21 seconds left, Brunner beat Hamhuis to a loose puck on the sideboards. Brunners shot, not all that hard, was tipped by Emmerton just in front of Schneider. It squeaked 5 hole, and put the Wings on the board. Through 20, tied at 1. Shots 9-4 in favor of the bad guys.
The Sedins seemed to be the only ones trying in the second, but they had nothing to show for it. Lot's of good puck movement, lots of chances, but no goals. Towards the midway mark, the fury of Ballard showed itself for the first time since St Louis. After being dumped in the corner by Abdelkader, Ballard came charging back and pretty much sat on him in front of the net for a good 30 seconds. After an exchange of cross checks, the pair dropped the gloves. I'd give the fight to Abdelkader, who landed more punches but was the first down. Later, Franzen beat the living daylights out of Daniel Sedin in front of the Vancouver net. Franzen had a good 10 seconds to cross check poor Daniel before the Swedish Mafia arrived. Franzen received 2 penalties, Burrows got 1. Despite the advantage, the only real chance on the powerplay came from an individual effort on the rush by Kesler.
By the 30 minute mark of the game, Vancouver had just 2 even strength shots, and 5 on the powerplay. If you can't math, that's 7. 7 shots in 30 minutes. Gives you an indication of where this game is going. Second period over, still tied at 1. Shots 13-11 for the Wings.
Thankfully, we got one good period of hockey out of this game. Unforunately, it was pretty one sided in favor of the wings. Schneider was forced to be sharp more than once, and got lucky more than once. In one case, Datsyuks shot went off Hamhuis' skate, off Schneiders stick and off the crossbar. At the other end, one of the few Canuck chances of the third, Roy did the crossbar on a wide open net. In the final six minutes, Vancouver was under siege. Schneider became a one man, show, stopping pucks and clearing them before the Wings could pounce. Somewhere in there, Ballard sustained an injury and left to the dressing room. Somehow, the Canucks made it to the final buzzer and OT. With that one point, the Canucks clinched a playoff spot.
More of the same in OT, as Schneider became a freaking brick wall. No goals, off to the shootout!
Up first, Kesler! Fast up the middle, tries moving to the right and 5 hole... Stopped by the pad.
Datsyuk: Dipsy Doodles up the centre, tries to flip it over Schneider.... Bobbles it.
Roy: In from the left, tries to move to the right, in too close... Pokechecked
Zetterberg: Fake shot, tries to deke backhand... Stopped by the pad
Lapierre: In slow, left to right, sudden change to the left again, backhand shot... SCORES! Over a sprawling Howard!
Brunner: In fast, tries to shot 5 hole... stopped by the paddle.
Canucks win! They didn't deserve it, but it STILL counts!
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/4 Terrible. Spent the whole time chasing the puck. Only goal was off of a faceoff.
- PK:3/3 Good at getting puck out, and putting it deep in Red Wings zone.
- Defense: Will be better when Edler/Ballard can both be on their left sides again. Bieksa and Tanev are supposed to be back before the playoffs start.
- Schneider: Again, only reason we won. Didn't do bad with his stickhandling either.
- Kassian/Raymond: Didn't notice them, even with increased minutes. Bad sign, when Kesler was on for most of the game.
Next game is Monday, April 22nd vs the Blackhawks.
Spot on with the last 3 games, the Canucks let the first period rest on Schneider. Wasn't much action in the beginning, more end to end hockey than intense zone play, but by the 10 minute mark the Wings had a 6-1 shot advantage. And it wasn't that the Canucks weren't trying. No, they just seemed... Uncoordinated? Vancouver had their best chance to capitalize, on a 5 on 3 powerplay midway through the first. They didn't score with a 2 man advantage, but they managed to get one past Howard before the second penalty expired. After Roy won the initial faceoff, Hamhuis fed Edler with a cross ice pass, and he blasted it past a screened Howard.
Despite the goal, the Canucks were playing like it was a charity game. On a defensive miscue, Cleary snuck behind Elder on a breakaway. Thankfully, Cleary missed by a mile, but it goes to show how out of sync they are. Later in the period, on an Edler, penalty, Burrows got a great short handed chance. After poking the puck off the sideboards, Burrows pushed past the defense and cut to the center on Howard. But because Howard was out so far, Burrows ended up tripping over him and couldn't finish his deke. It looked like Vancouver would take the lead to the dressing room, but then with 21 seconds left, Brunner beat Hamhuis to a loose puck on the sideboards. Brunners shot, not all that hard, was tipped by Emmerton just in front of Schneider. It squeaked 5 hole, and put the Wings on the board. Through 20, tied at 1. Shots 9-4 in favor of the bad guys.
The Sedins seemed to be the only ones trying in the second, but they had nothing to show for it. Lot's of good puck movement, lots of chances, but no goals. Towards the midway mark, the fury of Ballard showed itself for the first time since St Louis. After being dumped in the corner by Abdelkader, Ballard came charging back and pretty much sat on him in front of the net for a good 30 seconds. After an exchange of cross checks, the pair dropped the gloves. I'd give the fight to Abdelkader, who landed more punches but was the first down. Later, Franzen beat the living daylights out of Daniel Sedin in front of the Vancouver net. Franzen had a good 10 seconds to cross check poor Daniel before the Swedish Mafia arrived. Franzen received 2 penalties, Burrows got 1. Despite the advantage, the only real chance on the powerplay came from an individual effort on the rush by Kesler.
By the 30 minute mark of the game, Vancouver had just 2 even strength shots, and 5 on the powerplay. If you can't math, that's 7. 7 shots in 30 minutes. Gives you an indication of where this game is going. Second period over, still tied at 1. Shots 13-11 for the Wings.
Thankfully, we got one good period of hockey out of this game. Unforunately, it was pretty one sided in favor of the wings. Schneider was forced to be sharp more than once, and got lucky more than once. In one case, Datsyuks shot went off Hamhuis' skate, off Schneiders stick and off the crossbar. At the other end, one of the few Canuck chances of the third, Roy did the crossbar on a wide open net. In the final six minutes, Vancouver was under siege. Schneider became a one man, show, stopping pucks and clearing them before the Wings could pounce. Somewhere in there, Ballard sustained an injury and left to the dressing room. Somehow, the Canucks made it to the final buzzer and OT. With that one point, the Canucks clinched a playoff spot.
More of the same in OT, as Schneider became a freaking brick wall. No goals, off to the shootout!
Up first, Kesler! Fast up the middle, tries moving to the right and 5 hole... Stopped by the pad.
Datsyuk: Dipsy Doodles up the centre, tries to flip it over Schneider.... Bobbles it.
Roy: In from the left, tries to move to the right, in too close... Pokechecked
Zetterberg: Fake shot, tries to deke backhand... Stopped by the pad
Lapierre: In slow, left to right, sudden change to the left again, backhand shot... SCORES! Over a sprawling Howard!
Brunner: In fast, tries to shot 5 hole... stopped by the paddle.
Canucks win! They didn't deserve it, but it STILL counts!
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/4 Terrible. Spent the whole time chasing the puck. Only goal was off of a faceoff.
- PK:3/3 Good at getting puck out, and putting it deep in Red Wings zone.
- Defense: Will be better when Edler/Ballard can both be on their left sides again. Bieksa and Tanev are supposed to be back before the playoffs start.
- Schneider: Again, only reason we won. Didn't do bad with his stickhandling either.
- Kassian/Raymond: Didn't notice them, even with increased minutes. Bad sign, when Kesler was on for most of the game.
Next game is Monday, April 22nd vs the Blackhawks.
Thursday 18 April 2013
Playoff Predictions
Barring an absolute failure, the Canucks should easily make the playoffs this year. They need only 2 points to clinch a playoff spot, and are 4 points up on the Wild, so they should also be able to win their Division. But what happens after that? Here's my prediction for this year:
I predict that the Canucks are a first round elimination. They will most likely be facing Minnesota or St Louis, both who have proved to be troublesome for the Canucks during the regular season. But that's not what i'm worried about. I'm worried about their lack of depth
Let's start with the defense. When everyone is healthy, our starting defense lineups are not something that an opposition wants to face. Now in the terrible event that a defender is injured, not uncommon in a playoff run, who replaces them? Enter Cam Barker and Andrew Alberts. Both Alberts and Barker could be described as 'emergency use only.' You only want them when all your other viable options are gone. Sure, they can do fine for a while on the 3rd string. But if you're even thinking about making a cup run, you need to have guys that could fill in, instantly. Take the 2011 cup run for example. Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Hamhuis goes for a hip check on Lucic, and ends up blowing out his groin. Chris Tanev was able to fill in, because he was a responsible defender who could adapt. Where's this years Tanev? Any injury in the defensive area, and we're screwed.
Alright, now for the offense. Here's what the lines will most likely be:
Sedin-Sedin-Burrows
Higgins-Kesler-Hansen
Raymond-Roy-Kassian
Pinizzotto-Lapierre-Weise
You'll notice the only real change is that Roy is centring the third line, instead of being on Keslers wing. This is a simple decision. Andrew Ebbett cannot and should not play there. He gets crushed, and has been unable to generate any offense. So Roy is bumped down to the third, and hopefully they have great chemistry. Relax, guys. I'm going somewhere with this.
So with these lines, we have 3 lines that can put the puck in the net and a checking line. But who faces off against the oppositions top lines? Sedins can't do it, they're 100% useless in their own zone. I feel that Roy is too small to effectively shut down the top lines, and Lapierre just doesn't have the defensive skill to do itl. That leaves Kesler, which means we shirk our secondary scoring to Roy. Roy cannot lift this team through 4 rounds of intense hockey, and will not.
In case you didn't get what I was going for there, I'm saying that the Sedins will get shut down, Kesler will be forced to play defensive hockey against top lines, and our main scoring will be up to Roy.
Like I said, first round elimination.
I predict that the Canucks are a first round elimination. They will most likely be facing Minnesota or St Louis, both who have proved to be troublesome for the Canucks during the regular season. But that's not what i'm worried about. I'm worried about their lack of depth
Let's start with the defense. When everyone is healthy, our starting defense lineups are not something that an opposition wants to face. Now in the terrible event that a defender is injured, not uncommon in a playoff run, who replaces them? Enter Cam Barker and Andrew Alberts. Both Alberts and Barker could be described as 'emergency use only.' You only want them when all your other viable options are gone. Sure, they can do fine for a while on the 3rd string. But if you're even thinking about making a cup run, you need to have guys that could fill in, instantly. Take the 2011 cup run for example. Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Hamhuis goes for a hip check on Lucic, and ends up blowing out his groin. Chris Tanev was able to fill in, because he was a responsible defender who could adapt. Where's this years Tanev? Any injury in the defensive area, and we're screwed.
Alright, now for the offense. Here's what the lines will most likely be:
Sedin-Sedin-Burrows
Higgins-Kesler-Hansen
Raymond-Roy-Kassian
Pinizzotto-Lapierre-Weise
You'll notice the only real change is that Roy is centring the third line, instead of being on Keslers wing. This is a simple decision. Andrew Ebbett cannot and should not play there. He gets crushed, and has been unable to generate any offense. So Roy is bumped down to the third, and hopefully they have great chemistry. Relax, guys. I'm going somewhere with this.
So with these lines, we have 3 lines that can put the puck in the net and a checking line. But who faces off against the oppositions top lines? Sedins can't do it, they're 100% useless in their own zone. I feel that Roy is too small to effectively shut down the top lines, and Lapierre just doesn't have the defensive skill to do itl. That leaves Kesler, which means we shirk our secondary scoring to Roy. Roy cannot lift this team through 4 rounds of intense hockey, and will not.
In case you didn't get what I was going for there, I'm saying that the Sedins will get shut down, Kesler will be forced to play defensive hockey against top lines, and our main scoring will be up to Roy.
Like I said, first round elimination.
Canucks at Stars, Apr 18/13
After a terrible performance in St Louis, the Canucks finished off their 5 game road trip against Dallas. A win meant that the Canucks would clinch a playoff spot. The only lineup change was Pinizzotto in for Sestito, on the fourth line.
If you were hoping that the Canucks would pick up their play tonight, as we all were, then prepare for disappointment. From the start, their defense was just as porous as previous nights. Schneider was forced to bail out his defenders multiple times, and made saves from his belly more than once. Despite that, Vancouver still managed to have a little offense. By the 10 minute mark, the shots were only 6-4, and certainly not indicative of play. Past the midway point, though, that little offense died out, and an already mangled defense was forced to play the rest of the period in it's own zone. Tied at 0 after 1, shots 12-10 in favor of the Canucks. Again, Schneider was the only reason that Vancouver was still alive at this point.
If AV gave the guys a pep talk in between periods, it did nothing. But fear not, because Derek Roy rang the wakeup bell 6 minutes in. Goligoski and Roy were both going for the puck, no one else but the goalie in the Dallas zone. Roy chipped the puck past the lone defender and went backhand-forehand on Lehtonen, 1-0 Canucks. That goal seemed to be the boost Vancouver needed, because the shots were 10-3 at the midway point in favor of the blue. Despite all the glorious offense, it was only a matter of time before the one man defense show of Schneider broke down. With the Canucks shorthanded, Edler managed to lose his stick, leaving him all but useless. As the penalty expired, Nystrom passed to a wide open Fiddler, who slammed it past Schneider to tie it up.
Unlike the first period, the Canucks offense didn't die out after 10 minutes in the second. No other goals to show for it, but it kept the Stars busy in their own end. All seemed OK, until the end of the period. With less than 2 minutes left, Daniel Sedin took a tripping penalty. Vancouver was able to hold them off right until the very end, when with only seconds left, a shot from 20 feet out hit the crossbar and trickled towards the open net. Thankfully, Andrew Alberts dove cross-crease and batted the puck away. As the period ended, Robidas took Hamhuis hard into the boards, and a brawl ensued. Both Robidas and Hamhuis ended up with minor penalties.
Just a minute and a half in, the Stars picked up where they left off. A minute and a half in, Aaron Rome broke up a promising Kassian/Raymond rush, and pushed it the other way. Smith pushed the puck past the Vancouver defense to an open Eakin, who snapped it blocker side on Schneider. 2 and a half later, Burrows tried a drop pass to Ballard at his own blueline, but Ballard missed it. Benn grabbed the loose puck and snapped it top corner, 3-1 Stars. Only 3 minutes later, Whitney was wide open at the side of the net, and buried the rebound off of a tipped shot. Kassian had a shot off the post late in the third, but other than that, nothing worth noting. Game over, 5-1 Stars
I hate to say I told you so, but, well, I don't. I love to be right. The Canucks crappy play finally caught up with them. All the giveaways, terrible passing, a lack of offense, combined with relying on Schneider to always save the day, was just a recipe for failure. Sure, they were at the end of their road trip, and probably exhausted, but they've played this way for most of the trip.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/2 Just chased the puck. No cycle, no form, no goals.
- PK: 4/5 Sloppy as my dinner tonight. In case you were wondering, I had Sloppy Joes.
- Schneider: Can't blame him for any of those, or the loss. Has held us in the last few games with no help at all.
- Kassian: Couple of good chances, actually looked decent tonight. Might be ready to play top 6 again.
Next game is Saturday Apr 20th vs Detroit.
If you were hoping that the Canucks would pick up their play tonight, as we all were, then prepare for disappointment. From the start, their defense was just as porous as previous nights. Schneider was forced to bail out his defenders multiple times, and made saves from his belly more than once. Despite that, Vancouver still managed to have a little offense. By the 10 minute mark, the shots were only 6-4, and certainly not indicative of play. Past the midway point, though, that little offense died out, and an already mangled defense was forced to play the rest of the period in it's own zone. Tied at 0 after 1, shots 12-10 in favor of the Canucks. Again, Schneider was the only reason that Vancouver was still alive at this point.
If AV gave the guys a pep talk in between periods, it did nothing. But fear not, because Derek Roy rang the wakeup bell 6 minutes in. Goligoski and Roy were both going for the puck, no one else but the goalie in the Dallas zone. Roy chipped the puck past the lone defender and went backhand-forehand on Lehtonen, 1-0 Canucks. That goal seemed to be the boost Vancouver needed, because the shots were 10-3 at the midway point in favor of the blue. Despite all the glorious offense, it was only a matter of time before the one man defense show of Schneider broke down. With the Canucks shorthanded, Edler managed to lose his stick, leaving him all but useless. As the penalty expired, Nystrom passed to a wide open Fiddler, who slammed it past Schneider to tie it up.
Unlike the first period, the Canucks offense didn't die out after 10 minutes in the second. No other goals to show for it, but it kept the Stars busy in their own end. All seemed OK, until the end of the period. With less than 2 minutes left, Daniel Sedin took a tripping penalty. Vancouver was able to hold them off right until the very end, when with only seconds left, a shot from 20 feet out hit the crossbar and trickled towards the open net. Thankfully, Andrew Alberts dove cross-crease and batted the puck away. As the period ended, Robidas took Hamhuis hard into the boards, and a brawl ensued. Both Robidas and Hamhuis ended up with minor penalties.
Just a minute and a half in, the Stars picked up where they left off. A minute and a half in, Aaron Rome broke up a promising Kassian/Raymond rush, and pushed it the other way. Smith pushed the puck past the Vancouver defense to an open Eakin, who snapped it blocker side on Schneider. 2 and a half later, Burrows tried a drop pass to Ballard at his own blueline, but Ballard missed it. Benn grabbed the loose puck and snapped it top corner, 3-1 Stars. Only 3 minutes later, Whitney was wide open at the side of the net, and buried the rebound off of a tipped shot. Kassian had a shot off the post late in the third, but other than that, nothing worth noting. Game over, 5-1 Stars
I hate to say I told you so, but, well, I don't. I love to be right. The Canucks crappy play finally caught up with them. All the giveaways, terrible passing, a lack of offense, combined with relying on Schneider to always save the day, was just a recipe for failure. Sure, they were at the end of their road trip, and probably exhausted, but they've played this way for most of the trip.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/2 Just chased the puck. No cycle, no form, no goals.
- PK: 4/5 Sloppy as my dinner tonight. In case you were wondering, I had Sloppy Joes.
- Schneider: Can't blame him for any of those, or the loss. Has held us in the last few games with no help at all.
- Kassian: Couple of good chances, actually looked decent tonight. Might be ready to play top 6 again.
Next game is Saturday Apr 20th vs Detroit.
Tuesday 16 April 2013
Canucks at Blues, Apr 16/13
Following an uncommon offensive fiesta in Nashville last night, the Canucks flew to St Louis. Bieksa managed to obtain another lower body injury against the Predators, so he joined Tanev and Higgins on the injured list. Burrows started on the first line with Henrik and Daniel, while Kesler centred Roy and Hansen. This 2nd line paid off handsomely last night in Nashville, generating plenty of chances and combining for 4 points. Raymond and Kassian played with Ebbett on the 3rd, while Lapierre played with Weise and Sestito on the 4th. Pinizzotto was a healthy scratch.
Thanks to the fact that Tanev and Bieksa were injured, the D lines needed a little work. The tried and true Hamhuis and Garrison headed up the defensive lines, while Edler and Barker played on the 2nd. Alberts and Ballard brought up the rear.
Not much action on the Vancouver end of the spectrum in the beginning. In fact, in 12 minutes of hockey, they only generated 3 shots while allowing 10. Oh, did I mention that 2 of those were from centre ice? Not a good start against a team who will most likely be our first round playoff matchup. Only real action came from a couple of good Vancouver PK's. Ballard seemed a little antsy towards the end of the period. I only clued in after he cross checked Leopold in the back of the head 6 times. Play wasn't dominated by St Louis, but certainly run by them, until the final minute. Ebbett, Sestito and Lapierre were caught in their zone for over a minute, and were only barely bailed out by Schneider. End of the first, tied at 0, shots 14-5 in favor of the Blues.
Right off the faceoff, the hatred from nowhere continued. Kesler and Sobotka challenged each other to fight after the puck was dropped, but neither actually dropped the gloves. Then followed 5 minutes of Schneider saving the Canucks butts, because apparently we don't have an offense anymore. Any attempt we made into the offensive zone was just a single shot from the wing, with no forecheck or attempt at generating a rebound.
Stayed that way until about 4 minutes left, when the crap finally hit the fan. In the Canucks zone, Backes shoved Ballard into the boards, which Ballard understandably didn't like. Ballard came up with a cross check, and the 2 dropped their gloves. But before Backes could beat the crap out of Ballard, Burrows came out of nowhere and pinned Backes' arms to his side. Somehow in there, Backes got a cut on his hand. Enough B's for yeah? Burrows and Backes both received 4 minute penalties, and Ballard was handed a 2 minute minor. No clue why, but that's how it went down. Personally, it was nice of Burrows to be a "knight in shining armor" for Ballard, but Ballard knew what he was getting into.
Through all of this, the Blues continued to press, and the Canucks continued to rely on Schneider. But it wasn't the Blues who drew first blood, it was Vancouver. With 12.2 seconds left in the 2nd, Henrik fed Edler cross-point, who wristed one past Halak with Hansen screening. Did I mention this one was on the powerplay? Through 40 minutes, 1-0 Canucks. Shots 25-11 in favor of St Louis.
It actually looked like the Canucks would hold this one together. They were able to generate more chances early in the third, and actually looked like they were playing in sync. Aside from a few defensive blunders, that is. But that's what eventually cost them. With 9 minutes left in the game, Barker tried to kick the the puck off his own blueline, but just turned it over to Bouwmeester. With Edler the only man back, the Canucks faced a 3 on 1. Bouwmeester snapped it 5 hole on Schneider, and just like that, tie game. And the Blues kept coming. Schneider was forced to make a flurry of saves a few times, as he continued to be the only reason Vancouver was in this game. And let's not forget the violence. It seemed every time Schneider made a save, or someone went into the boards, a crowd gathered and players ended up on their backs. Somehow, everyone got out of the third period alive. Tied 1-1, shots 35-18 for the Blues.
Vancouver looked a lot better in the OT period, only allowing St Louis one or two decent scoring chances. Keith Ballard ran Backes with his stick late in the period, but no penalty. Other than that, nothing excited. Off to a shootout!
Macdonald up first, - Pulls left, catches Schneider on his belly, roofs it. (1-0)
Roy - Down centre, backhand forehand, Halak barely caught it. (1-0)
Shattenkirk - Down the middle, shoots it in close, Schneider barely hangs on. (1-0)
Burrows - Tries his trademark fake shot backhander-er, doesn't get it high enough. (1-0)
Steen - Right wing cutting to left wing, snaps it top left corner past Schneider. (2-0)
That'd do it. Final shots: 36-22 St Louis. Vancouver didn't put up much of a fight, and were lucky to come away with a single point.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/3 Very on and off. When it's gonna score, you can tell. Otherwise they're just chasing the puck.
- PK: 4/4 Always found a way to clear the zone before the Blues could start a cycle, impressed with how well it performed.
- Kesler: Seems like he's back into great shape. But he should stick to putting the puck in the net, not wasting his time discussing a fight with Sobotka.
- Schneider: Fan-freaking-tastic. Only reason the Canucks got anything out of this game.
- Ebbett: Looked like a real third wheel on the third line. Raymond and Kassian have good chemistry with each other, but Ebbett is just always out of place.
That win moved St Louis into 6th place. With Vancouver all but locked in third, it looks like the Canucks first round playoff matchup will be either St Louis or Minnesota. If this game is any indication of whats to come, we`ll see a face paced, hard hitting, series with multiple injuries. And if Vancouver can`t pull together a decent defense/offense, they're going to get crushed. Granted, they had 2 starting defenceman injured, but what if that happens post season? And what about the third line? Ebbett cannot play that roll, he just gets crushed. This is where Gillis' trade deadline failures come into light. Essentially, any injury and we are absolutely screwed.
Thanks to the fact that Tanev and Bieksa were injured, the D lines needed a little work. The tried and true Hamhuis and Garrison headed up the defensive lines, while Edler and Barker played on the 2nd. Alberts and Ballard brought up the rear.
Not much action on the Vancouver end of the spectrum in the beginning. In fact, in 12 minutes of hockey, they only generated 3 shots while allowing 10. Oh, did I mention that 2 of those were from centre ice? Not a good start against a team who will most likely be our first round playoff matchup. Only real action came from a couple of good Vancouver PK's. Ballard seemed a little antsy towards the end of the period. I only clued in after he cross checked Leopold in the back of the head 6 times. Play wasn't dominated by St Louis, but certainly run by them, until the final minute. Ebbett, Sestito and Lapierre were caught in their zone for over a minute, and were only barely bailed out by Schneider. End of the first, tied at 0, shots 14-5 in favor of the Blues.
Right off the faceoff, the hatred from nowhere continued. Kesler and Sobotka challenged each other to fight after the puck was dropped, but neither actually dropped the gloves. Then followed 5 minutes of Schneider saving the Canucks butts, because apparently we don't have an offense anymore. Any attempt we made into the offensive zone was just a single shot from the wing, with no forecheck or attempt at generating a rebound.
Stayed that way until about 4 minutes left, when the crap finally hit the fan. In the Canucks zone, Backes shoved Ballard into the boards, which Ballard understandably didn't like. Ballard came up with a cross check, and the 2 dropped their gloves. But before Backes could beat the crap out of Ballard, Burrows came out of nowhere and pinned Backes' arms to his side. Somehow in there, Backes got a cut on his hand. Enough B's for yeah? Burrows and Backes both received 4 minute penalties, and Ballard was handed a 2 minute minor. No clue why, but that's how it went down. Personally, it was nice of Burrows to be a "knight in shining armor" for Ballard, but Ballard knew what he was getting into.
Through all of this, the Blues continued to press, and the Canucks continued to rely on Schneider. But it wasn't the Blues who drew first blood, it was Vancouver. With 12.2 seconds left in the 2nd, Henrik fed Edler cross-point, who wristed one past Halak with Hansen screening. Did I mention this one was on the powerplay? Through 40 minutes, 1-0 Canucks. Shots 25-11 in favor of St Louis.
It actually looked like the Canucks would hold this one together. They were able to generate more chances early in the third, and actually looked like they were playing in sync. Aside from a few defensive blunders, that is. But that's what eventually cost them. With 9 minutes left in the game, Barker tried to kick the the puck off his own blueline, but just turned it over to Bouwmeester. With Edler the only man back, the Canucks faced a 3 on 1. Bouwmeester snapped it 5 hole on Schneider, and just like that, tie game. And the Blues kept coming. Schneider was forced to make a flurry of saves a few times, as he continued to be the only reason Vancouver was in this game. And let's not forget the violence. It seemed every time Schneider made a save, or someone went into the boards, a crowd gathered and players ended up on their backs. Somehow, everyone got out of the third period alive. Tied 1-1, shots 35-18 for the Blues.
Vancouver looked a lot better in the OT period, only allowing St Louis one or two decent scoring chances. Keith Ballard ran Backes with his stick late in the period, but no penalty. Other than that, nothing excited. Off to a shootout!
Macdonald up first, - Pulls left, catches Schneider on his belly, roofs it. (1-0)
Roy - Down centre, backhand forehand, Halak barely caught it. (1-0)
Shattenkirk - Down the middle, shoots it in close, Schneider barely hangs on. (1-0)
Burrows - Tries his trademark fake shot backhander-er, doesn't get it high enough. (1-0)
Steen - Right wing cutting to left wing, snaps it top left corner past Schneider. (2-0)
That'd do it. Final shots: 36-22 St Louis. Vancouver didn't put up much of a fight, and were lucky to come away with a single point.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/3 Very on and off. When it's gonna score, you can tell. Otherwise they're just chasing the puck.
- PK: 4/4 Always found a way to clear the zone before the Blues could start a cycle, impressed with how well it performed.
- Kesler: Seems like he's back into great shape. But he should stick to putting the puck in the net, not wasting his time discussing a fight with Sobotka.
- Schneider: Fan-freaking-tastic. Only reason the Canucks got anything out of this game.
- Ebbett: Looked like a real third wheel on the third line. Raymond and Kassian have good chemistry with each other, but Ebbett is just always out of place.
That win moved St Louis into 6th place. With Vancouver all but locked in third, it looks like the Canucks first round playoff matchup will be either St Louis or Minnesota. If this game is any indication of whats to come, we`ll see a face paced, hard hitting, series with multiple injuries. And if Vancouver can`t pull together a decent defense/offense, they're going to get crushed. Granted, they had 2 starting defenceman injured, but what if that happens post season? And what about the third line? Ebbett cannot play that roll, he just gets crushed. This is where Gillis' trade deadline failures come into light. Essentially, any injury and we are absolutely screwed.
Saturday 6 April 2013
Canucks vs Flames, Apr 6/13
The last time these 2 teams met, Calgary dished out a 4-2 spanking in Vancouver, over a month ago. Since then, their top defenceman and their captain have been traded away. Vancouver saw Raymond and Weise return to the lineup, both missed games due to shoulder injuries. As a result, Pinizzotto and Jensen were scratched. Top 2 lines didn't change, Higgins and Hansen with Roy, and the Sedins with Burrows. Raymond played with Kassian and Ebbett on the 3rd, while Lappiere centred between Sestito and Weise on the 4th. No change on the defensive lines.
34 seconds in, Daniel Sedin caught Giordano pinching on the blueline, and poked the puck to Burrows, who was rushing down the right wing. Burrows tossed it to Hamhuis on the rush, who tapped it past a sprawling Kiprusoff. Moments later, Cammalleri hit the post coming down the wing. Schneider was forced to be sharp on that shift, stopping 3 or 4 in close before finally getting control of the puck. For whatever reason, Kassian and Jackman decided this would be the perfect time to fight. Few good punches, but it turned into a wrestling match that the refs broke up. If that wasn't random enough, Sestito and McGrattan decided to drop the gloves 30 seconds later. Sestito got his butt handed to him on a sliver platter and took an instigator penalty, but on the plus side: was out of the way for a full 5 minutes.
Vancouver doubled their lead soon after, after a good cycle by the fourth line. Lappiere on the sideboards found Garrison at the point, whose shot tipped twice and went in. The goal was officially given to Garrison, but the replay shows it hit Weise before it went in. Towards the end of the period, Tanev took a hit in the corner from McGrattan. He stayed on the ice to make a clearing pass, but was in obvious pain. He limped to the bench, and went straight to the dressing room. Less than a minute later, Stajan fed Wideman on the rush. Wideman faked a slapper, then wristed it past a frozen Schneider. Calgary almost tied it seconds later, as Huddler hit the post from the left wing. Period ended with the Canucks up 2-1, but down in shots 15-8. Could have easily been 3-2 Calgary if the post shots had gone in, or worse if Schneider hadn't been sharp.
Weise was given credit for the 2-0 goal at the beginning of the period, with Garrison and Lappiere getting the helpers. Tanev also returned from the dressing room, looked a little sore still. Calgary picked up right where they left off in the first, at Tanguay hit outside of the post just seconds in. All 4 lines continued to play like they had a 4-0 lead, and gave up pucks like they were going out of style. It's a freaking miracle that Calgary didn't blow the game open, and the Canucks just got plain lucky. 7 and a half in, Henrik and Daniel moved the puck into the Calgary zone, and eventually left Daniel behind the net. Daniel attempted a wraparound, Kiprusoff wasn't able to retain the rebound, and Burrows shoved the loose puck 5 hole.
The Sedins had a few good shifts towards the end of the period, and one great one over 90 seconds long, but nothing to show for it until Jackman took a penalty on Bieksa with 30 seconds left. Henrik won the draw, and it found it's way to Edler on the point, who wired it 5 hole on Kiprusoff with Hansen in front. Through 40 minutes, Canucks up 4-1, despite being outshot 24-18 and being thoroughly outplayed for a period and a half.
Nothing truly spectacular in the first 10 minutes, but both sides were actually pushing in this period. It wasn't until about the 11 minute mark that someone potted a goal. Stajan hit Tanguay just outside the blueline, and he burst past the Canucks defense. Tanguay moved left to right, opened up Schneiders pads, and slid it 5 hole. 4-2, 9 minutes to play. Calgary all but dominated the end portion of the game, but Schneider kept the Canucks up 2 goals. 30 seconds left, Bieksa takes a penalty for boarding, faceoff in the Vancouver zone. Daniel and Henrik forced a turnover, and Henrik buried it. Game over, 5-2 Canucks.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/2 First chance was 6 seconds long thanks to a Daniel Sedin penalty, second chance was 4 seconds long because Elder has a wicked point shot. Not much to analyze.
- PK: 5/5 Numbers not indicative of play. Constantly let Calgary run around them, let them right in the middle and take as many shots as they wanted.
- Sestito: Sometimes I think the only reason they dress him is so Kassian doesn't do something stupid and fight someone 50 pounds heavier than him. Thing is: Sestito hasn't won a fight all season, is terrible in his own weight class. Seems like he doesn't really wanna fight either.
- Hank and Dank: Fantastic play, easily one of their best games of the season. Combined for 6 points total. Closest I've seen to classic Sedin play.
34 seconds in, Daniel Sedin caught Giordano pinching on the blueline, and poked the puck to Burrows, who was rushing down the right wing. Burrows tossed it to Hamhuis on the rush, who tapped it past a sprawling Kiprusoff. Moments later, Cammalleri hit the post coming down the wing. Schneider was forced to be sharp on that shift, stopping 3 or 4 in close before finally getting control of the puck. For whatever reason, Kassian and Jackman decided this would be the perfect time to fight. Few good punches, but it turned into a wrestling match that the refs broke up. If that wasn't random enough, Sestito and McGrattan decided to drop the gloves 30 seconds later. Sestito got his butt handed to him on a sliver platter and took an instigator penalty, but on the plus side: was out of the way for a full 5 minutes.
Vancouver doubled their lead soon after, after a good cycle by the fourth line. Lappiere on the sideboards found Garrison at the point, whose shot tipped twice and went in. The goal was officially given to Garrison, but the replay shows it hit Weise before it went in. Towards the end of the period, Tanev took a hit in the corner from McGrattan. He stayed on the ice to make a clearing pass, but was in obvious pain. He limped to the bench, and went straight to the dressing room. Less than a minute later, Stajan fed Wideman on the rush. Wideman faked a slapper, then wristed it past a frozen Schneider. Calgary almost tied it seconds later, as Huddler hit the post from the left wing. Period ended with the Canucks up 2-1, but down in shots 15-8. Could have easily been 3-2 Calgary if the post shots had gone in, or worse if Schneider hadn't been sharp.
Weise was given credit for the 2-0 goal at the beginning of the period, with Garrison and Lappiere getting the helpers. Tanev also returned from the dressing room, looked a little sore still. Calgary picked up right where they left off in the first, at Tanguay hit outside of the post just seconds in. All 4 lines continued to play like they had a 4-0 lead, and gave up pucks like they were going out of style. It's a freaking miracle that Calgary didn't blow the game open, and the Canucks just got plain lucky. 7 and a half in, Henrik and Daniel moved the puck into the Calgary zone, and eventually left Daniel behind the net. Daniel attempted a wraparound, Kiprusoff wasn't able to retain the rebound, and Burrows shoved the loose puck 5 hole.
The Sedins had a few good shifts towards the end of the period, and one great one over 90 seconds long, but nothing to show for it until Jackman took a penalty on Bieksa with 30 seconds left. Henrik won the draw, and it found it's way to Edler on the point, who wired it 5 hole on Kiprusoff with Hansen in front. Through 40 minutes, Canucks up 4-1, despite being outshot 24-18 and being thoroughly outplayed for a period and a half.
Nothing truly spectacular in the first 10 minutes, but both sides were actually pushing in this period. It wasn't until about the 11 minute mark that someone potted a goal. Stajan hit Tanguay just outside the blueline, and he burst past the Canucks defense. Tanguay moved left to right, opened up Schneiders pads, and slid it 5 hole. 4-2, 9 minutes to play. Calgary all but dominated the end portion of the game, but Schneider kept the Canucks up 2 goals. 30 seconds left, Bieksa takes a penalty for boarding, faceoff in the Vancouver zone. Daniel and Henrik forced a turnover, and Henrik buried it. Game over, 5-2 Canucks.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/2 First chance was 6 seconds long thanks to a Daniel Sedin penalty, second chance was 4 seconds long because Elder has a wicked point shot. Not much to analyze.
- PK: 5/5 Numbers not indicative of play. Constantly let Calgary run around them, let them right in the middle and take as many shots as they wanted.
- Sestito: Sometimes I think the only reason they dress him is so Kassian doesn't do something stupid and fight someone 50 pounds heavier than him. Thing is: Sestito hasn't won a fight all season, is terrible in his own weight class. Seems like he doesn't really wanna fight either.
- Hank and Dank: Fantastic play, easily one of their best games of the season. Combined for 6 points total. Closest I've seen to classic Sedin play.
Thursday 4 April 2013
Game in Review: Canucks vs Oilers, Apr 4/13
Coming off 2 of the worst game of the season, Vancouver was looking for a little vengeance against the Oilers, who burned them 4-0 in their last meeting.
Just a few lineup changes tonight, as Roy made his Canucks debut, and Kassian returned from the Wolves. Burrows stuck with the Sedins, while newcomer Derek Roy centred between Higgins and Hansen. Jensen and Kassian played with Lapierre on the 3rd, while Sestito, Ebbett and Pinizzotto brought up the 4th. Barker replaced Alberts on the 4th line, playing with Tanev.
Thankfully, Vancouver didn't allow a goal in the first 16 seconds. In fact, they even had pressure and a forecheck early on, and managed something called a shot. Vancouver was forced to face a Lapierre interference call early on, but handled it nicely. By the 7 minute mark, Taylor Hall hadn't even registered a goal, never mind a hat trick. With 5 and a bit left in the period, the Canucks were given a 5 on 3 powerplay. After moving the puck around a bit, and losing it once or twice, Garrison unleashed his slapper. It hit Petri right in the leg, leaving him to limp around as the Canucks cycled the puck. It quickly found it's way to Bieksa, whose shot went in past a Daniel Sedin screen. Other than a couple of insane scrums in front of the Oilers net, but nothing else went in. 1-0 Canucks, end of the 1st.
Vancouver did a great job of not allowing Edmonton to move in on Schneider, early in the second. By the halfway point of the second, the Canucks had only allowed Edmonton to take 11 shots in the entire game, while managing 19 of their own. All 4 lines continued to push, but Khabibulin stood tall. Pavel Bure, who was in attendance, received a standing ovation during the TV timeout. No relation to the game or anything, just thought you'd like to know. Vancouver finally broke through with 5 and a half left in the seconds. Daniel crossed the blueline and dished to Henrik behind the net, who gave it back to Daniel at the left faceoff circle. Daniel then passed it to, guess who, Henrik, at the side of the net. Henrik somehow didn't pass the puck, and snapped it passed a sprawling Khabibulin. Roy's line presented the Oilers with quite a final few minutes, but again couldn't put the puck in the net. Through 40 minutes, 2-0 Canucks.
More of the same in the third, as the Canucks just dominated puck play. at the 7 minute mark, Hansen forced and turnover and shot the puck up to Roy. Roy took it into the Oilers zone, out waited the defenseman, and shot the puck to Higgins who tipped it past Khabibulin. Minutes later, a great Sedin passing play resulted in Daniel hitting the crossbar, but no goal. 7 and a half left in the third, Tanev moves towards the net. Tanev was hooked, then spun around before being stripped of the puck. John Shorthouse was so surprised at the non call, that he just stopped talking all together. With just seconds remaining, Garrison took a hit from Brown awkwardly in his own zone, and limped to the bench. In that same play, Lapierre took the puck down the wing and threw it on net. Kassian picked up the rebound, and snapped it home with 3 seconds left. Game over, 4-0 Vancouver.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/5 Still all over the place, but any time the Canucks PP capitalizes in a good, and welcome one.
- PK: 4/4 Great job clearing the puck out of the zone. Saw Henrik and Daniel in the latter halves of the penalties, for whatever reason.
- Roy: Liked his speed. Played well with Higgins and Hansen, saw PK time.
- Kassian: Eager to play after his injuries/demotion. Played fast and hard, plenty of shots.
- Bieksa: 200th career point on the opening goal.
- Sedins: Impressed with their play this game, quite a pick up from the last 15 games. If they stay like this, Vancouver might have a chance of making it past round 1 in the playoffs.
Just a few lineup changes tonight, as Roy made his Canucks debut, and Kassian returned from the Wolves. Burrows stuck with the Sedins, while newcomer Derek Roy centred between Higgins and Hansen. Jensen and Kassian played with Lapierre on the 3rd, while Sestito, Ebbett and Pinizzotto brought up the 4th. Barker replaced Alberts on the 4th line, playing with Tanev.
Thankfully, Vancouver didn't allow a goal in the first 16 seconds. In fact, they even had pressure and a forecheck early on, and managed something called a shot. Vancouver was forced to face a Lapierre interference call early on, but handled it nicely. By the 7 minute mark, Taylor Hall hadn't even registered a goal, never mind a hat trick. With 5 and a bit left in the period, the Canucks were given a 5 on 3 powerplay. After moving the puck around a bit, and losing it once or twice, Garrison unleashed his slapper. It hit Petri right in the leg, leaving him to limp around as the Canucks cycled the puck. It quickly found it's way to Bieksa, whose shot went in past a Daniel Sedin screen. Other than a couple of insane scrums in front of the Oilers net, but nothing else went in. 1-0 Canucks, end of the 1st.
Vancouver did a great job of not allowing Edmonton to move in on Schneider, early in the second. By the halfway point of the second, the Canucks had only allowed Edmonton to take 11 shots in the entire game, while managing 19 of their own. All 4 lines continued to push, but Khabibulin stood tall. Pavel Bure, who was in attendance, received a standing ovation during the TV timeout. No relation to the game or anything, just thought you'd like to know. Vancouver finally broke through with 5 and a half left in the seconds. Daniel crossed the blueline and dished to Henrik behind the net, who gave it back to Daniel at the left faceoff circle. Daniel then passed it to, guess who, Henrik, at the side of the net. Henrik somehow didn't pass the puck, and snapped it passed a sprawling Khabibulin. Roy's line presented the Oilers with quite a final few minutes, but again couldn't put the puck in the net. Through 40 minutes, 2-0 Canucks.
More of the same in the third, as the Canucks just dominated puck play. at the 7 minute mark, Hansen forced and turnover and shot the puck up to Roy. Roy took it into the Oilers zone, out waited the defenseman, and shot the puck to Higgins who tipped it past Khabibulin. Minutes later, a great Sedin passing play resulted in Daniel hitting the crossbar, but no goal. 7 and a half left in the third, Tanev moves towards the net. Tanev was hooked, then spun around before being stripped of the puck. John Shorthouse was so surprised at the non call, that he just stopped talking all together. With just seconds remaining, Garrison took a hit from Brown awkwardly in his own zone, and limped to the bench. In that same play, Lapierre took the puck down the wing and threw it on net. Kassian picked up the rebound, and snapped it home with 3 seconds left. Game over, 4-0 Vancouver.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/5 Still all over the place, but any time the Canucks PP capitalizes in a good, and welcome one.
- PK: 4/4 Great job clearing the puck out of the zone. Saw Henrik and Daniel in the latter halves of the penalties, for whatever reason.
- Roy: Liked his speed. Played well with Higgins and Hansen, saw PK time.
- Kassian: Eager to play after his injuries/demotion. Played fast and hard, plenty of shots.
- Bieksa: 200th career point on the opening goal.
- Sedins: Impressed with their play this game, quite a pick up from the last 15 games. If they stay like this, Vancouver might have a chance of making it past round 1 in the playoffs.
"Stay Still Gill" Should Go.
I don't normally take swings at the staff of a team (cough), because quite frankly, I have no clue how to do their jobs. But this has gone far enough. Over his 5 some odd years as GM of the Vancouver Canucks, Gillis has earned the reputation of "Stay Still Gill," due to the fact that he almost never makes any moves at the Trade Deadline. This has been fine in the last few years, when the Canucks weren't plagued by injuries or failing so miserably.
It's no secret for either of the above, and i'm not going to deny that the 2 go hand in hand. But with that in mind, why WOULDN'T you bring in some desperately needed replacements? And with how low the asking prices were this year, I am at the point where I believe Gillis should be fired for his inability to make trades.
Some who still like Gillis may bring to the table: "Oh, he was busy with the Luongo trade" or "It's ok, said injured players will be back soon.'
First of all: He's had over a year to negotiate this Luongo trade, and it's clear that he's not going to get much value for him. Luongo is now downright pissed, saying that his "contract sucks," and that he'd "happily give up the $64 million to start elsewhere." My gosh man, move him along! If you can't do that, find someone who will and put him in your chair. Also, Gilman could've been given a list of needs, and then sought them out. He did it with the Derek Roy trade, and he could've done a heck of a lot more.
Secondly, we don't know when anyone is coming back. At this point, our injured players barely have enough time to reintegrate before the playoffs, nevermind get back into the best condition of their lives. Going into the playoffs, Vancouver could've used some depth wingers, more than the one centreman acquired, and possibly even a depth defenseman. Because let's face it, Alberts and Barker aren't going to hold this team together.
Let's address that further. Ryan Clowe, 3rd all time in Sharks Playoff scoring, went for the price of 3 draft picks to New York. Granted, he wanted a long contract extension, but you work past these things. Either Raffi Torres or Tanner Glass would've been happy to come back to Vancouver, and add a little more grit into the Canucks lineup. Both of them with low cap hits, and a history of clutch play. Raffi went for one draft pick to San Jose, and Tanner wasn't even considered.
When your team is playing like crap, you make changes. Vigneault has fiddled with the lineups all season, and Gillis has failed to deliver new players. One new player will not change the course of this team.
Just to clarify, I still feel Vigneault should go. He did well for a while, but has run his course with this team. And Gillis quite clearly doesn't have the guts to make the necessary changes. I'm not saying we need to trade the Sedins or something drastic like that, but trades should've been made.
It's no secret for either of the above, and i'm not going to deny that the 2 go hand in hand. But with that in mind, why WOULDN'T you bring in some desperately needed replacements? And with how low the asking prices were this year, I am at the point where I believe Gillis should be fired for his inability to make trades.
Some who still like Gillis may bring to the table: "Oh, he was busy with the Luongo trade" or "It's ok, said injured players will be back soon.'
First of all: He's had over a year to negotiate this Luongo trade, and it's clear that he's not going to get much value for him. Luongo is now downright pissed, saying that his "contract sucks," and that he'd "happily give up the $64 million to start elsewhere." My gosh man, move him along! If you can't do that, find someone who will and put him in your chair. Also, Gilman could've been given a list of needs, and then sought them out. He did it with the Derek Roy trade, and he could've done a heck of a lot more.
Secondly, we don't know when anyone is coming back. At this point, our injured players barely have enough time to reintegrate before the playoffs, nevermind get back into the best condition of their lives. Going into the playoffs, Vancouver could've used some depth wingers, more than the one centreman acquired, and possibly even a depth defenseman. Because let's face it, Alberts and Barker aren't going to hold this team together.
Let's address that further. Ryan Clowe, 3rd all time in Sharks Playoff scoring, went for the price of 3 draft picks to New York. Granted, he wanted a long contract extension, but you work past these things. Either Raffi Torres or Tanner Glass would've been happy to come back to Vancouver, and add a little more grit into the Canucks lineup. Both of them with low cap hits, and a history of clutch play. Raffi went for one draft pick to San Jose, and Tanner wasn't even considered.
When your team is playing like crap, you make changes. Vigneault has fiddled with the lineups all season, and Gillis has failed to deliver new players. One new player will not change the course of this team.
Just to clarify, I still feel Vigneault should go. He did well for a while, but has run his course with this team. And Gillis quite clearly doesn't have the guts to make the necessary changes. I'm not saying we need to trade the Sedins or something drastic like that, but trades should've been made.
Tuesday 2 April 2013
Gillis Has the Moves, Like Jagger
Normally, the time leading up to the NHL trade deadline is a very, very quiet one for GM Mike Gillis and the Vancouver Canucks. Not this time.
First off, as I tweeted earlier: Zach Kassian and Andrew Gordon have both been sent down to the AHL Chicago Wolves. Assistant GM Laurence Gilman hinted that it was due to off ice behaviour. Their replacements were Niklas Jensen and Bill Sweatt. Sweatt is a career AHL'er, who sees minimal ice time with the Canucks. Jensen, on the other hand, is a prospect, who played his first NHL game last night against San Jose. Coach Vigneault placed him on a line with the Sedin twins.
Moving on, the Canucks have purchased the Peoria Rivermen, which are the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. Perfect timing, as the Canucks contract with the Wolves expires at the end of this season. Nothing has been said (yet), but it is believed that this is the first step into bringing the Canucks farm team to Abbotsford, BC. Problem is, the Heat (Calgary Flames farm team, currently occupying Abbotsford) are locked in to a 10 year deal with the city of Abbotsford.
Onto trade news: Gillis made official a deal with the Dallas Stars. The Canucks obtained centreman Derek Roy in exchange for Canucks defenseman Kevin Connauton and a 2nd round pick in next years draft. Connauton has been struggling this year, and was a team worst -12 when he was traded. I don't mind trading him for Roy. Roy is a small guy, measuring 5'9 and only 183 pounds, basically the same size as Schroeder. Thing is, Roy has had plenty of experience in the league, and his experience will be critical until Kesler comes back. Roy's best season was a 32 goal / 81 point season in 07-08, and he's managed 50-60 point seasons since. Regardless, I anticipate him fitting well between Higgins and Hansen. As a result of the Canucks acquiring Roy, Schroeder was sent down to the Wolves.
On the topic of centreman, Kesler should be returning soon. A recent press conference revealed that he should be skating within a week or so, but the rest is unknown.
Last little piece of info. Higgins re-signed with the Canucks this afternoon. A 4 year, $10 million dollar contract ($2.5 per year).
First off, as I tweeted earlier: Zach Kassian and Andrew Gordon have both been sent down to the AHL Chicago Wolves. Assistant GM Laurence Gilman hinted that it was due to off ice behaviour. Their replacements were Niklas Jensen and Bill Sweatt. Sweatt is a career AHL'er, who sees minimal ice time with the Canucks. Jensen, on the other hand, is a prospect, who played his first NHL game last night against San Jose. Coach Vigneault placed him on a line with the Sedin twins.
Moving on, the Canucks have purchased the Peoria Rivermen, which are the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. Perfect timing, as the Canucks contract with the Wolves expires at the end of this season. Nothing has been said (yet), but it is believed that this is the first step into bringing the Canucks farm team to Abbotsford, BC. Problem is, the Heat (Calgary Flames farm team, currently occupying Abbotsford) are locked in to a 10 year deal with the city of Abbotsford.
Onto trade news: Gillis made official a deal with the Dallas Stars. The Canucks obtained centreman Derek Roy in exchange for Canucks defenseman Kevin Connauton and a 2nd round pick in next years draft. Connauton has been struggling this year, and was a team worst -12 when he was traded. I don't mind trading him for Roy. Roy is a small guy, measuring 5'9 and only 183 pounds, basically the same size as Schroeder. Thing is, Roy has had plenty of experience in the league, and his experience will be critical until Kesler comes back. Roy's best season was a 32 goal / 81 point season in 07-08, and he's managed 50-60 point seasons since. Regardless, I anticipate him fitting well between Higgins and Hansen. As a result of the Canucks acquiring Roy, Schroeder was sent down to the Wolves.
On the topic of centreman, Kesler should be returning soon. A recent press conference revealed that he should be skating within a week or so, but the rest is unknown.
Last little piece of info. Higgins re-signed with the Canucks this afternoon. A 4 year, $10 million dollar contract ($2.5 per year).
Saturday 30 March 2013
Canucks at Oilers, Mar 30/13
The last time the Canucks and Oilers faced off (almost 2 months ago), Vancouver pulled off a 3 goal comeback that finished with Tanev scoring his first NHL goal in overtime. Kassian was medically cleared to participate. this game, and took part in the pregame skate, but he did not play.
Previous to this game, the Canucks had scored the first goal 9 times in a row. Oh, spoiler alert. 16 seconds in, Edmonton struck. With Hamhuis pinching, Eberle cleared the puck, and found Hall down the wing. Hall's shot went top corner, just over the glove of Schneider. Daniel had the perfect chance to tie it seconds later, but was denied 1 on 1, after failing to recover from his spin-o-rama. 2 minutes later, a defensive miscue led to the Oilers second of the game. Petry's cross point pass found a wide open Smid, whose shot beat Schneider down low. That would do it for poor Cory, who let in 2 goals on 2 shots. But even a goalie change couldn't save these poor playing Canucks. 38 seconds after the Smid goal, RNH found Hall on the rush, and Hall buried it top corner, again. 3 shots, 3 goals for the Oil. Not so fun fact: That is the fastest 3 goals in Oilers history. In other words, this period was so bad it made the history books.
Vancouver managed to calm down a little after that, and were even gifted a powerplay. Of course, the puck went everywhere but the net, and nothing came of it. Just seconds later, the Oilers took their turn at the powerplay roulette. After being given the entire top of the zone to move the puck, the Oilers gave it to Hall at the side of the net, who tucked it 5 hole on Luongo. 4-0, just 8 minutes in. With that, Hall broke Gretzky's record for fastest Oilers hat trick. 4 minutes later, Higgins stole the puck and almost put the Canucks on the board, but Dubnyk got his blocker on it. Hemsky had a chance to make it 5-0, but bobbled it and Luongo was able to get his stick on it. Bieksa tormented Hall for the rest of the period, checking his every chance he got. Shots 11-10 Oilers at the end of 20.
Less than a minute it, Paajarvi's shot beat Luongo on the rush, but hit the crossbar. Despite that bobble, the Canucks picked up play, and were once again gifted a powerplay. They managed a few more shots on this one, and managed to maintain zone pressure, but no result. Luongo was forced to make some nice saves midway through the period, as the Canucks defense continued to let the Oilers drive wide. 2nd period ended with the Oilers still up 4-0, shots 18-14 Canucks.
Only notable thing about the third was that Luongo stood on his head a couple times, denying Hall twice while coming cross crease. Other than that, nothing notable.
Tidbits:
- PP: 3/3. Why do I even do this. no change in how the PP has played since the beginning of the season. Occasionally moves the puck a little better, but really no change.
- PK: 1/4. Always leaving that point man open. Sometimes pays off, sometimes not. Didn't in this game.
So what happened? The Canucks went from a 6 game win streak to this? They had it coming. Vancouver's roster has been incredibly injured the last 10 games (Kesler, Booth, Kassian, Ballard, Weise, Malhotra etc), and it's kind of amazing they were able to put together 6 straight with that many missing. And if you've watched the last 10, their play really hasn't been all that, well, impressive. It was only a matter of time before a monumental collapse such as this.
Next game is Monday at 7:30 in San Jose.
Previous to this game, the Canucks had scored the first goal 9 times in a row. Oh, spoiler alert. 16 seconds in, Edmonton struck. With Hamhuis pinching, Eberle cleared the puck, and found Hall down the wing. Hall's shot went top corner, just over the glove of Schneider. Daniel had the perfect chance to tie it seconds later, but was denied 1 on 1, after failing to recover from his spin-o-rama. 2 minutes later, a defensive miscue led to the Oilers second of the game. Petry's cross point pass found a wide open Smid, whose shot beat Schneider down low. That would do it for poor Cory, who let in 2 goals on 2 shots. But even a goalie change couldn't save these poor playing Canucks. 38 seconds after the Smid goal, RNH found Hall on the rush, and Hall buried it top corner, again. 3 shots, 3 goals for the Oil. Not so fun fact: That is the fastest 3 goals in Oilers history. In other words, this period was so bad it made the history books.
Vancouver managed to calm down a little after that, and were even gifted a powerplay. Of course, the puck went everywhere but the net, and nothing came of it. Just seconds later, the Oilers took their turn at the powerplay roulette. After being given the entire top of the zone to move the puck, the Oilers gave it to Hall at the side of the net, who tucked it 5 hole on Luongo. 4-0, just 8 minutes in. With that, Hall broke Gretzky's record for fastest Oilers hat trick. 4 minutes later, Higgins stole the puck and almost put the Canucks on the board, but Dubnyk got his blocker on it. Hemsky had a chance to make it 5-0, but bobbled it and Luongo was able to get his stick on it. Bieksa tormented Hall for the rest of the period, checking his every chance he got. Shots 11-10 Oilers at the end of 20.
Less than a minute it, Paajarvi's shot beat Luongo on the rush, but hit the crossbar. Despite that bobble, the Canucks picked up play, and were once again gifted a powerplay. They managed a few more shots on this one, and managed to maintain zone pressure, but no result. Luongo was forced to make some nice saves midway through the period, as the Canucks defense continued to let the Oilers drive wide. 2nd period ended with the Oilers still up 4-0, shots 18-14 Canucks.
Only notable thing about the third was that Luongo stood on his head a couple times, denying Hall twice while coming cross crease. Other than that, nothing notable.
Tidbits:
- PP: 3/3. Why do I even do this. no change in how the PP has played since the beginning of the season. Occasionally moves the puck a little better, but really no change.
- PK: 1/4. Always leaving that point man open. Sometimes pays off, sometimes not. Didn't in this game.
So what happened? The Canucks went from a 6 game win streak to this? They had it coming. Vancouver's roster has been incredibly injured the last 10 games (Kesler, Booth, Kassian, Ballard, Weise, Malhotra etc), and it's kind of amazing they were able to put together 6 straight with that many missing. And if you've watched the last 10, their play really hasn't been all that, well, impressive. It was only a matter of time before a monumental collapse such as this.
Next game is Monday at 7:30 in San Jose.
Thursday 28 March 2013
Canucks vs Avalanche, Mar 28/13
And the Canucks bad luck continues, as Keith Ballard has been placed on the already enormous injury list, with a fractured foot. Fortunately, Steve Pinizzotto made a return, after being sidelined with a mystery illness. So, the only line change was that Pinizzotto played with Ebbett and Higgins on the 3rd line. Barker was replaced by Alberts on the 3rd defensive pairing.
One could only hope that this game would be just a little more exciting than Tuesday's match against the Blue Jackets. I was not disappointing. Less than 5 minutes in, the Sedins struck. From the left faceoff circle, Daniel backhanded a pass to the other circle, right onto the tape of Henrik. Henrik threw a pass through a few pairs of feet, and found Burrows, who snapped it past Varlamov. Those first 5 minutes were easily the best that the Sedins have looked in quite some time, but it ended just as quickly as it began.
Past that first goal, the Canucks passing turned it to what can only be described as ***(censored for your safety)***. Furthermore, I thought one of the best players on the ice for the Canucks in the first, was Andrew Alberts (Asides from Schneider, of course). Yep, pretty awful. Vancouver let the Av's take 10 straight shots without registering one of their own. The only thing that stopped Colorado from tying the game was some goaltending brilliance by Schneider. First period ended with the Canucks up 1-0, shots 11-8. Vancouver was outhit 11-2.
More of the same in the 2nd, as the Canucks continued to turn the puck over and failed to maintain any zone pressure. The only excitement came with 6 minutes left in the period, when Pinizzotto and Ebbett collided in the Colorado zone. Ebbett was slow to his feet, and limped slowly to the bench. He returned without missing a shift, but we all made a huge deal out of it because this game felt like a replay of Tuesdays game. Still 1-0 through 40 minutes, shots 21-15 for Colorado. Only 1 regulation goal in the last 5 periods at Rogers Arena (courtesy of Hosea Chung), simply a testament to how boring these past few games have been.
4 minutes in, and the Avalanche made this snooze fest a little interesting. Parenteau dig the puck out from behind the net, and found a wide open Duchene in front, who buried it over a sprawling Schneider. Realizing that they didn't have an 8-1 lead, the Canucks attempted to turn up the heat. Just moments later, Daniel's pass found Bieksa in front, but it bounced, and he wiffed on it. With 7 and a bit left in the third, the Canucks struck. Hamhuis found Burrows on the sideboards, who snapped a quick pass to Daniel at the faceoff circle. Daniels shot went 5 hole past a screened Varlamov, and may have been tipped by Henrik. Regardless, 2-1 Canucks. Henrik and Higgins both potted empty netters, sealing the deal with about a minute and a half left.
Kind of funny how this game ended 4-1 Vancouver, when it was truly one of the worst games of the season.
Tidbits:
- PP: Zip for zip. No chances, no analysis.
- PK: 1/1. Ehhh. Kept the puck out of the net, but left the sides open.
- Schneider: As always, incredible. Saved the Canucks butt's more than once.
Next game is Saturday in Edmonton at 7.
Tuesday 26 March 2013
Canucks vs Blue Jackets, Mar 26/13
Coming off an impressive 3-0-0 road trip, the Canucks returned home to face the Blue Jackets. Schneider was given his fifth consecutive start, sort of surprising, seeing as he played both back to back games on the road.
With Weise added to the already overwhelming injury list, Higgins stepped up to first line with the Sedins. The speed line of Raymond, Schroeder and Hansen remained intact, after being the source of the Canucks scoring the past 3 games. Ballard was still manning the left wing on the third line, with Ebbett and Burrows. Gordon and Sestito played with Lappiere on the fourth.
Edler, fresh off his 2 game suspension, played with Bieksa on the first D line, while Garrison and Hamhuis manned the second line. Alberts and Tanev brought up the third.
I'm not going to lie, the first period was rather... lopsided. No goals, but the Canucks out shot the Jackets 13-2. Quite the change from previous matches between these teams over the last few years. Most importantly: All of the Canucks lines were in on the domination. The 4th line looked especially on the ball, cycling the puck like their lives depended on it. Close call for Schneider, who got caught trying to handle the puck behind his net. Trapped on both sides, he said 'eh, screw it' and kicked the puck to Mason Raymond. Anyways, I already spoiled it for you. End of the first, 0-0.
Good grief. The Canucks continued to dominate every single shift, and held the Jackets to just a few shots. At about the midway mark of the second the shots were 21-5 in favor of, you guess it, Vancouver. And that\s how period number 2 ended. Yeah, i'm not kidding.
Third period: Go! Just kidding. On an early Canucks powerplay, Garrison's shot from the point hit Hansen, and turned him into a pile of mush. On the plus side, Garrison has found his point shot groove, and is just unleashing hell with his slapper. Hansen returned without missing a shift, but i'm guessing he'll need to have his left cheek replaced. Late in the third, still 0-0, Tanev's clearing attempt hit the linesman and stayed in. The puck rounded the net, and Foligno's shot was only stopped by a Hamhuis kick save. End of regulation, no goals. I cannot wait until the Jackets are an Eastern team.
A few back and forth chances in the OT period, couple of almost lucky bounces. Hansen burst past the defense on a breakaway with 29 seconds left, but was denied. To a shootout we went.
Raymond - Pulled wide, attempted a shot 5 hole. No goal.
Anisimov - Stick handled in, tried backhand. Saved
Schroeder - Fake shot, goes for 5 hole. No goal
Johansen - Pulled wide, tried to get Schneider moving cross crease. Saved
Lappiere - In slow, fake shot, backhand and in
Calvert - Tried too many dekes, lost it in front of Schneider.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/3
- PK: 2/2
Final score says it all in terms of special teams. Gonna say it: Wish I didn't watch this game.
Next game is Thursday against the Avalanche at 7.
With Weise added to the already overwhelming injury list, Higgins stepped up to first line with the Sedins. The speed line of Raymond, Schroeder and Hansen remained intact, after being the source of the Canucks scoring the past 3 games. Ballard was still manning the left wing on the third line, with Ebbett and Burrows. Gordon and Sestito played with Lappiere on the fourth.
Edler, fresh off his 2 game suspension, played with Bieksa on the first D line, while Garrison and Hamhuis manned the second line. Alberts and Tanev brought up the third.
I'm not going to lie, the first period was rather... lopsided. No goals, but the Canucks out shot the Jackets 13-2. Quite the change from previous matches between these teams over the last few years. Most importantly: All of the Canucks lines were in on the domination. The 4th line looked especially on the ball, cycling the puck like their lives depended on it. Close call for Schneider, who got caught trying to handle the puck behind his net. Trapped on both sides, he said 'eh, screw it' and kicked the puck to Mason Raymond. Anyways, I already spoiled it for you. End of the first, 0-0.
Good grief. The Canucks continued to dominate every single shift, and held the Jackets to just a few shots. At about the midway mark of the second the shots were 21-5 in favor of, you guess it, Vancouver. And that\s how period number 2 ended. Yeah, i'm not kidding.
Third period: Go! Just kidding. On an early Canucks powerplay, Garrison's shot from the point hit Hansen, and turned him into a pile of mush. On the plus side, Garrison has found his point shot groove, and is just unleashing hell with his slapper. Hansen returned without missing a shift, but i'm guessing he'll need to have his left cheek replaced. Late in the third, still 0-0, Tanev's clearing attempt hit the linesman and stayed in. The puck rounded the net, and Foligno's shot was only stopped by a Hamhuis kick save. End of regulation, no goals. I cannot wait until the Jackets are an Eastern team.
A few back and forth chances in the OT period, couple of almost lucky bounces. Hansen burst past the defense on a breakaway with 29 seconds left, but was denied. To a shootout we went.
Raymond - Pulled wide, attempted a shot 5 hole. No goal.
Anisimov - Stick handled in, tried backhand. Saved
Schroeder - Fake shot, goes for 5 hole. No goal
Johansen - Pulled wide, tried to get Schneider moving cross crease. Saved
Lappiere - In slow, fake shot, backhand and in
Calvert - Tried too many dekes, lost it in front of Schneider.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/3
- PK: 2/2
Final score says it all in terms of special teams. Gonna say it: Wish I didn't watch this game.
Next game is Thursday against the Avalanche at 7.
Thursday 21 March 2013
Game in Review: Canucks at Coyotes
The last thing I expected when I opened Twitter this afternoon, was to see that Ballard was playing 3rd line left winger. What. And then I saw the injured list: Kesler, Booth, Higgins, Kassian and Pinizzotto. Kassian re-injured his back last game, while Higgins 'tweaked' his back in practice, and Pinizzotto caught the flu or something rather.
As a result, the bottom 2 lines got put in a blender. Ebbett maned line 3, with Ballard and Weise, while Chicago Wolves call up Andrew Gordon played with Lappiere and Sestito on the 4th. Top 2 lines stayed the same. With Ballard off playing forward, the defense needed a change up too. Edler and Bieksa were paired on the 1st line, while Garrison and Hamhuis manned the second. Barker dressed this game to play with Tanev on the 3rd. Schneider got his 2nd straight start.
Surprisingly, Ballard looked alright playing froward. He played defense first, but was always in on the play. On his first shift, he nearly hit Weise streaking to the net. A little later on, the Canucks D let generic Coyotes player 1 through, and only the speed of Mason Raymond saved a possible goal. With 7 minutes gone in the first, the Canucks drew first blood. Coming out from behind his own net, Tanev took the puck to his own blueline before hitting Raymond at centre ice. Raymond carried the puck in deep, before spotting Tanev streaking down the middle. Tanev had all the time in the world, and snapped it past Smith blocker side.
5 minutes left, and Ballard came close twice. He hit the post on a shot from the faceoff circle, and deked through the defense on his way to the net, but was stopped by Smith. Schneider remained sharp at the other end, stopping all 5 shots that he faced. End of the 1st, 1-0 Canucks. Statistics said that the Coyotes outhit the Canucks 24-4, but I call that a total load of baloney.
Early in the 2nd, Daniel Sedin cut past Stone on a breakaway. Just a few feet from the goal, Stone shoved Daniel from behind and Smith went for the poke check. Daniel fell, nailed head first into Smith, and then into the post. Daniel went right to the room bleeding, and Smith took a few minutes to get his head straight again. Soon after, Phoenix began their domination of the period, cramming at the puck. Only Ballard grabbing Vermette from behind and yanking him down saved a goal. Minutes later, Schneider barely got a piece of a shot off of a 2 on 1, directing it into the corner. Thankfully, Daniel Sedin returned just after, seemingly alright.
The third line continued to be a thorn in the side of the Phoenix D, being a threat every time they stepped on the ice. Weise cut in on a breakaway, but was unable to get the backhand shot off, and Ballard couldn't bury the rebound. Fast forward to near the end of the 2nd, 2 minutes left, Canucks on the powerplay. Edler went behind the net, and ran headfirst into Smith, who was corralling the puck. Immediately, he was jumped by all 4 Phoenix players on the ice, who were jumped by the rest of the Canucks on the ice. Mike Smith was right in the middle of all of it, and I was hoping for a goalie fight. Schneider edged out of his net to the blueline, but told by the bench to go back. Edler received a 5 minute penalty for charging, Hansel a 2 minute minor for roughing. Bieksa was hooked with half a minute left, giving the Canucks a 4 on 4 powerplay to start the third. 40 minutes in the books, 1-0 Canucks. Shots 19-17 for Phoenix.
Jason Labarbera started the 3rd in net for the Coyotes, and Smith wasn't even on the bench. Nothing came off of the Canucks powerplay, and the Coyotes were left with a minute and a half on the Edler penalty. Minute left in the penalty, and the Canucks took another call. However, the Coyotes scored before the Canucks could touch the puck. Vrbata's slap shot from the low point went off the crossbar, and right to Vermette with a wide open net. Tie game, just a few minutes in. Tensions still running high, the Canucks 4th line had a face washing war, and ended up taking/drawing a penalty, 4 on 4.
Around the 10 minute mark, Schroeder gave the Canucks their lead back. Edler's point shot was tipped between Labarbera's legs, and buried by Schroeder. Lappiere had a good chance on the rush a few minutes later, but Labarbera remained solid. Lappiere returned to the bench a bit slow, like he'd strained something or been checked a little too hard. 7 and a half left, Coyotes on the powerplay. Handzel was right in Schneider's crease, and bowled him over, no call. From there, the Canucks gave the puck over pretty much every chance they got. Thank freaking goodness for Schneider, who was forced to stop a breakaway deke and rebound in the last 2 minutes, on top of his regular amazing play.
1:08 left to play, Phoenix empty net, Henrik ices the puck on an attempted empty net shot, faceoff in the Canucks zone. Actually, it hit a Coyotes shin pad, cue arguments for the Coaches Challenge. Regardless, faceoff in deep. The Canucks kept the puck away from the net, and held on for the win. Game over, 2-1 Canucks.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/4. Pretty bad, couldn't even control the puck.
- PK: 1/4. Again, pretty bad. Constantly let the Coyotes run the zone.
- Ballard: Pretty dang good game, generated plenty of chances while playing a defense first game
- Gordon: No points, no shots, 8:37 TOI. Didn't do anything to stand out, but was playing on 4th line.
- Weise: Good game for the Dutch Gretzky. Playing with speed and skill, good fit with Ebbett.
So after this, the Canucks play in LA on Saturday at 1 PM. I won't be covering this game, due to this silly little thing called 'a job.' Anyways, it's a back to back weekend, as the Canucks play the Avalanche on Sunday at 5.
As a result, the bottom 2 lines got put in a blender. Ebbett maned line 3, with Ballard and Weise, while Chicago Wolves call up Andrew Gordon played with Lappiere and Sestito on the 4th. Top 2 lines stayed the same. With Ballard off playing forward, the defense needed a change up too. Edler and Bieksa were paired on the 1st line, while Garrison and Hamhuis manned the second. Barker dressed this game to play with Tanev on the 3rd. Schneider got his 2nd straight start.
Surprisingly, Ballard looked alright playing froward. He played defense first, but was always in on the play. On his first shift, he nearly hit Weise streaking to the net. A little later on, the Canucks D let generic Coyotes player 1 through, and only the speed of Mason Raymond saved a possible goal. With 7 minutes gone in the first, the Canucks drew first blood. Coming out from behind his own net, Tanev took the puck to his own blueline before hitting Raymond at centre ice. Raymond carried the puck in deep, before spotting Tanev streaking down the middle. Tanev had all the time in the world, and snapped it past Smith blocker side.
5 minutes left, and Ballard came close twice. He hit the post on a shot from the faceoff circle, and deked through the defense on his way to the net, but was stopped by Smith. Schneider remained sharp at the other end, stopping all 5 shots that he faced. End of the 1st, 1-0 Canucks. Statistics said that the Coyotes outhit the Canucks 24-4, but I call that a total load of baloney.
Early in the 2nd, Daniel Sedin cut past Stone on a breakaway. Just a few feet from the goal, Stone shoved Daniel from behind and Smith went for the poke check. Daniel fell, nailed head first into Smith, and then into the post. Daniel went right to the room bleeding, and Smith took a few minutes to get his head straight again. Soon after, Phoenix began their domination of the period, cramming at the puck. Only Ballard grabbing Vermette from behind and yanking him down saved a goal. Minutes later, Schneider barely got a piece of a shot off of a 2 on 1, directing it into the corner. Thankfully, Daniel Sedin returned just after, seemingly alright.
The third line continued to be a thorn in the side of the Phoenix D, being a threat every time they stepped on the ice. Weise cut in on a breakaway, but was unable to get the backhand shot off, and Ballard couldn't bury the rebound. Fast forward to near the end of the 2nd, 2 minutes left, Canucks on the powerplay. Edler went behind the net, and ran headfirst into Smith, who was corralling the puck. Immediately, he was jumped by all 4 Phoenix players on the ice, who were jumped by the rest of the Canucks on the ice. Mike Smith was right in the middle of all of it, and I was hoping for a goalie fight. Schneider edged out of his net to the blueline, but told by the bench to go back. Edler received a 5 minute penalty for charging, Hansel a 2 minute minor for roughing. Bieksa was hooked with half a minute left, giving the Canucks a 4 on 4 powerplay to start the third. 40 minutes in the books, 1-0 Canucks. Shots 19-17 for Phoenix.
Jason Labarbera started the 3rd in net for the Coyotes, and Smith wasn't even on the bench. Nothing came off of the Canucks powerplay, and the Coyotes were left with a minute and a half on the Edler penalty. Minute left in the penalty, and the Canucks took another call. However, the Coyotes scored before the Canucks could touch the puck. Vrbata's slap shot from the low point went off the crossbar, and right to Vermette with a wide open net. Tie game, just a few minutes in. Tensions still running high, the Canucks 4th line had a face washing war, and ended up taking/drawing a penalty, 4 on 4.
Around the 10 minute mark, Schroeder gave the Canucks their lead back. Edler's point shot was tipped between Labarbera's legs, and buried by Schroeder. Lappiere had a good chance on the rush a few minutes later, but Labarbera remained solid. Lappiere returned to the bench a bit slow, like he'd strained something or been checked a little too hard. 7 and a half left, Coyotes on the powerplay. Handzel was right in Schneider's crease, and bowled him over, no call. From there, the Canucks gave the puck over pretty much every chance they got. Thank freaking goodness for Schneider, who was forced to stop a breakaway deke and rebound in the last 2 minutes, on top of his regular amazing play.
1:08 left to play, Phoenix empty net, Henrik ices the puck on an attempted empty net shot, faceoff in the Canucks zone. Actually, it hit a Coyotes shin pad, cue arguments for the Coaches Challenge. Regardless, faceoff in deep. The Canucks kept the puck away from the net, and held on for the win. Game over, 2-1 Canucks.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/4. Pretty bad, couldn't even control the puck.
- PK: 1/4. Again, pretty bad. Constantly let the Coyotes run the zone.
- Ballard: Pretty dang good game, generated plenty of chances while playing a defense first game
- Gordon: No points, no shots, 8:37 TOI. Didn't do anything to stand out, but was playing on 4th line.
- Weise: Good game for the Dutch Gretzky. Playing with speed and skill, good fit with Ebbett.
So after this, the Canucks play in LA on Saturday at 1 PM. I won't be covering this game, due to this silly little thing called 'a job.' Anyways, it's a back to back weekend, as the Canucks play the Avalanche on Sunday at 5.
Tuesday 19 March 2013
Game in Review: Canucks vs Blues, Mar 19/13
Couple of lineup changes tonight, as Kassian returned and Ebbett was a healthy scratch. Schroeder was reunited with Raymond and Hansen, while Kassian played with Higgins and Lappiere. Weise centred the 4th line with Sestito and Pinizzotto.
After being out for a few with a back injury, Kassian made his impact immediately known. His fight with Chris Stewart less than 3 minutes in was just the start of a fast paced, intense game. Schroeder was able to fit right in with his old line mates, generating a few good scoring chances. On the other end, Schneider was forced to be sharp a few times, making 2 in close saves on Andy McDonald, and then stretching his leg to make a 3rd on Wade Redden. St Louis' dominance this season in the neutral zone was in the first, as the shots were 10-3 for the Blues with 7 remaining. Few more dominant plays by the Blues, couple of penalties to the Canucks and the first was over. Tied at 0, shots 15-3 for the Blues. What.
Kassian was not on the bench to start the second, but that bad news was lost in an early Canucks goal. Raymond pulled the puck out of the defensive corner, and skated hard up the ice. His pass hit Hansen just before the blueline, and Hansen's slap shot went right underneath the crossbar, just beside the post, and in. Immediately after, Sestito and Reaves, 2 heavy weights, dropped the gloves. Couple of big punches from both sides, but Sestito got Reaves down in the end. Minutes after the Hansen goal, the Sedin line capitalized. Burrows got the puck from the corner to Henrik behind the net, who gave Daniel a perfect cross-crease backhand pass, right through the legs of the Blues defenders. Daniel caught Jake Allen on his belly, and snapped it in.
The party didn't stop there, as Higgins danced his way through the Blues defense, but lost it before he could make a fool of Allen. Just past the halfway point of the 2nd period, and Schroeder showed exactly why he belongs in the NHL. Just inside the blueline, Schroeder pulled a spin-o-rama out of his bag of tricks, putting himself in perfect position to hit Dale Weise with a pass. Weise cut to the net unchallenged and put the puck backhand past Allen. Beautiful. That would do it for period number 2, a MUCH better period than the first one. Actually, one of the better periods this season. Canucks led the shots 14-6 in the period, and led 3-0 after 40.
Just as things were getting good, the Canucks decided, well, they'd played enough hockey. They were outplayed and out hit the first 5 minutes of the period, until Vladimir Tarasenko's shot went off Jaden Schwartz leg and in. And the pressure. Just. Kept. Coming. It was like the first period all over again, except we actually had our hopes up this time. More bad luck, as Schwartz shot hit Tanev in the ear, and bounced right to Berglund. Berglund banged the puck short side, and just like that, 3-2 Canucks with 6:22 left in the 3rd. Can't blame it all on bad luck, though. When you play the entire 3rd period in your own end, you end up with plays like that.
4 minutes left, delayed St. Louis penalty, and the Canucks played almost a full minute of keep away. Hansen, Henrik and Raymond all danced circles through desperate Blues players before a missed shot was recovered by the St Louis defense. Nothing on the penalty, full minute left on the clock. The Sedin line basically sat in the offensive zone for the full minute, cycling the puck, pinning players and forcing turnovers. Game over, 3-2 Canucks. Horrible 3rd period, but otherwise A-OK.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/2 - What can I say? Awful performance.
- PK: 3/3 - Again, what can I say? Did it's job.
- Sedins: After being basically absent the last few games, they stepped up their game big time.
- Kassian: Played 2:48, left before 2nd period started and didn't return. Apparently re-aggravated his back.
After being out for a few with a back injury, Kassian made his impact immediately known. His fight with Chris Stewart less than 3 minutes in was just the start of a fast paced, intense game. Schroeder was able to fit right in with his old line mates, generating a few good scoring chances. On the other end, Schneider was forced to be sharp a few times, making 2 in close saves on Andy McDonald, and then stretching his leg to make a 3rd on Wade Redden. St Louis' dominance this season in the neutral zone was in the first, as the shots were 10-3 for the Blues with 7 remaining. Few more dominant plays by the Blues, couple of penalties to the Canucks and the first was over. Tied at 0, shots 15-3 for the Blues. What.
Kassian was not on the bench to start the second, but that bad news was lost in an early Canucks goal. Raymond pulled the puck out of the defensive corner, and skated hard up the ice. His pass hit Hansen just before the blueline, and Hansen's slap shot went right underneath the crossbar, just beside the post, and in. Immediately after, Sestito and Reaves, 2 heavy weights, dropped the gloves. Couple of big punches from both sides, but Sestito got Reaves down in the end. Minutes after the Hansen goal, the Sedin line capitalized. Burrows got the puck from the corner to Henrik behind the net, who gave Daniel a perfect cross-crease backhand pass, right through the legs of the Blues defenders. Daniel caught Jake Allen on his belly, and snapped it in.
The party didn't stop there, as Higgins danced his way through the Blues defense, but lost it before he could make a fool of Allen. Just past the halfway point of the 2nd period, and Schroeder showed exactly why he belongs in the NHL. Just inside the blueline, Schroeder pulled a spin-o-rama out of his bag of tricks, putting himself in perfect position to hit Dale Weise with a pass. Weise cut to the net unchallenged and put the puck backhand past Allen. Beautiful. That would do it for period number 2, a MUCH better period than the first one. Actually, one of the better periods this season. Canucks led the shots 14-6 in the period, and led 3-0 after 40.
Just as things were getting good, the Canucks decided, well, they'd played enough hockey. They were outplayed and out hit the first 5 minutes of the period, until Vladimir Tarasenko's shot went off Jaden Schwartz leg and in. And the pressure. Just. Kept. Coming. It was like the first period all over again, except we actually had our hopes up this time. More bad luck, as Schwartz shot hit Tanev in the ear, and bounced right to Berglund. Berglund banged the puck short side, and just like that, 3-2 Canucks with 6:22 left in the 3rd. Can't blame it all on bad luck, though. When you play the entire 3rd period in your own end, you end up with plays like that.
4 minutes left, delayed St. Louis penalty, and the Canucks played almost a full minute of keep away. Hansen, Henrik and Raymond all danced circles through desperate Blues players before a missed shot was recovered by the St Louis defense. Nothing on the penalty, full minute left on the clock. The Sedin line basically sat in the offensive zone for the full minute, cycling the puck, pinning players and forcing turnovers. Game over, 3-2 Canucks. Horrible 3rd period, but otherwise A-OK.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/2 - What can I say? Awful performance.
- PK: 3/3 - Again, what can I say? Did it's job.
- Sedins: After being basically absent the last few games, they stepped up their game big time.
- Kassian: Played 2:48, left before 2nd period started and didn't return. Apparently re-aggravated his back.
Monday 18 March 2013
Game in Review: Canucks vs Wild, Mar 18/13
With Kassian still out with a back injury, and Booth struck down with a foot injury, the Canucks were forced to bring up some replacements. Schroeder was recalled from Chicago to centre the fourth line, and Sestito was brought out to man his left wing. Pinizzotto was brought up to the 3rd line to play with Higgins and Lappiere. The Raymond/Ebbett/Hansen 'speed line' was kept together, same with the Sedins/Burrows line.
Luongo got the start.
What an awful start to a game. Minnesota all but dominated the first 10 minutes of play, and the Canucks turned the puck over every chance they got. Their first powerplay just a few minutes in didn't generate a single shot. Just as the powerplay was ending, Burrows took a high stick and had to go to the dressing room. He returned, but it set the tone for the game. 8 minutes left in the period, and Suter cross checked Henrik in the kidneys. Later, on another Canucks powerplay, Luongo left the net to play the puck. He dropped it to Bieksa, who bobbled it and almost watched it slide into his own net. Tensions rose, and so did the Canucks. Weise and Sestito started crushing Minnesota's players, and even double teamed to take town Falk.
Yep, that was a whole period. 0-0 after 20, shots 10-7 Canucks. Goes against my normal 'essay-per-period' policy.
Weise and Tanev nearly opened the scoring 5 minutes into the 2nd. Coming in to the zone, the puck wound it's way to Tanev on the rush. His shot through traffic bounced to Weise, whose shot was barely saved by Backstrom. That play ignited the Canucks, and a flurry of scoring chances. None of them counted, but it was more than happened in the 1st. Weise's line had another chance float over the top of the unguarded net, but no cigar.
And then the powerplay. The drought, it's over. After going 0/35, everything came together. Edler tee'd up Garrison, whose rocket point shot nailed Daniel Sedin and bounced right to Henrik. Henrik had a wide open net, and couldn't miss if he wanted to. Of course the Wild scored a few minutes later. On the powerplay, Brodin and his merry men were left all alone on the point, and hammered a slapper past Luongo. Few more chances back and forth, but no results. 1-1 going into the 3rd.
Early in the third, Minnesota took the lead, after Coyle tipped Stoner's shot over Luongo's shoulder. Henrik and Pinizzotto almost combined to tie the game just a few minutes later, but Backstrom was centred to it. Henrik had pulled the puck out of the corner, and found Pinizzotto streaking down the middle lane. His shot was rushed, and he didn't have time to get it up high. Around the 10 minute mark, Ballard and Tanev were stuck back on a 2 on 2. Tanev took his man and check him, while Ballard somehow ended up behind his man. Long story short, Cullen scored and I feel like revising my last article.
Fast forward to the end of the third. 2 minutes left, 3-1 Wild, faceoff in the Minnesota zone. Vancouver pulls their goalie. Despite an entire 2 minutes of pressure, the Canucks couldn't bury anything. Game over, 3-1 Wild. Yeah, that just happened.
Tidbits:
- PP: 1/4. Wow, finally. Everything had slowly been coming together over the last 3 or 4 games, and finally clicked tonight.
- PK: 1/2. Has had a tendency over the last few games to leave a whole half of the zone open.
- Garrison: Has been able to get his point shot going in the last few games, but still unable to get real accuracy on it.
Next game is tomorrow night against the Blues.
- Garrison: Has been able to get his point shot going in the last few games, but still unable to get real accuracy on it.
Next game is tomorrow night against the Blues.
Sunday 17 March 2013
What the heck happened?
For the last 5-6 years, the Vancouver Canucks have been recognized as a dominant force in the NHL. The last 2 seasons, the Canucks have taken the Presidents Trophy for most points in a single season. In the 2010-11 season, they went to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but lost 4-0 on home ice. Vancouver had an incredible team for that cup run, so what changed?
Absolutely nothing. Asides from replacing bruisers like Torres and Glass with people like Booth and Kassian, the key lineup has remained the same. So do we like in fighters and checkers? Not a chance, Sestito, Kassian, Weise, Pinizzotto and Lappiere are holding down the fort just fine.
So the Canucks are lacking in skill then? Don't be stupid. Vancouver's lineup is filled with forwards who have no challenge putting the puck in the net. Think about it. The Sedin twins make anyone they play with a 40 goal scorer, we have a speed line that skates circles around the oppositions best, and a 4th line that is able to put the puck in the net when we need to (IE: Couple weeks ago against Nashville, 1-0 win). The only line that hasn't produced is Booth/Kassian, but they've shown great chemistry and look promising.
The Canucks defense isn't the problem either, loaded with the likes of Edler, Hamhuis, Garrison, Bieksa, the young Tanev, and even Ballard. Ballard hasn't had a bad season, and really deserves spot #6. It's not goaltending either, with two starting goalies in the lineup.
Gotta be injuries then. With Kesler gone, Booth frequently out, Bieksa having an injured groin, we just can't keep up, right? Wrong again. With Kesler and Booth out of the lineup at the beginning of the season, the Canucks still managed to win quite a few games. And with Bieksa out, why WOULDN'T you play Ballard?
That boils it down to one thing: Coaching, leadership. This isn't about Captain Henrik, or any of the assistant captains. This is about Alain Vigneault. This is his 7th year with the Canucks, and has had his coaching position longer than any other coach currently working in the NHL. I'm not knocking his coaching skills, he's done well with us. Actually, you know what? I AM going to call out his skills. This isn't a 'rebuilding' franchise, or a bottom 8 team. As I mentioned earlier, the Canucks have a star studded lineup. He has plenty to work with, but he continually makes bad decisions that leads to losses.
Alright, now we touch on what used to be the Canucks bread and butter, the powerplay. My goodness, 2 years ago, the Canucks had the number 1 powerplay in the league. The last 2 years, it has insisted on performing the drop pass in the neutral zone, which almost always gets intercepted. It has not performed well, and is on a 0-30ish drought this season. Either the players insist on the stupid repetitive plays,or AV does. Regardless, after 2 years, he should recognize what works and what doesn't. And either he is blind and hasn't, or just doesn't care.
Another thing: he holds grudges against players. Ballard has sharpened up well this year, and the Canucks most solid defensive pairing at the beginning of the year was Ballard and Tanev. So why in the **** does Ballard find himself in the press box mid season? I HAVE NO CLUE. Instead of bringing in the veteran Ballard to help out when Bieksa was injured, AV played Alberts. FREAKING ANDREW ALBERTS. And then Cam Barker made the lineup, while Ballard still watched. I'll admit, Ballard has had some defensive blunders in the past, but like I said, he's sharpened up nicely.
And the finale: The shootout. He insists on playing the same ineffective trio each game. Edler, Burrows and Raymond are great shootout scorers. But when you only play those 3, and they have only 1 or 2 moves each, it's pretty easy to scout and stop. Why not throw rotate them? Throw new faces in? The Canucks have plenty of good players who can deke the pants off any goaltender, yet never see the shootout.
So am I blaming AV for the Canucks terrible play? Absolutely. With players like Vancouver has, we should be competing with Chicago for top spot in the West. Instead, we lose the lead in our division and battle just to stay in the top 8. I'm calling for a coaching change, AV has 'expired.'
Absolutely nothing. Asides from replacing bruisers like Torres and Glass with people like Booth and Kassian, the key lineup has remained the same. So do we like in fighters and checkers? Not a chance, Sestito, Kassian, Weise, Pinizzotto and Lappiere are holding down the fort just fine.
So the Canucks are lacking in skill then? Don't be stupid. Vancouver's lineup is filled with forwards who have no challenge putting the puck in the net. Think about it. The Sedin twins make anyone they play with a 40 goal scorer, we have a speed line that skates circles around the oppositions best, and a 4th line that is able to put the puck in the net when we need to (IE: Couple weeks ago against Nashville, 1-0 win). The only line that hasn't produced is Booth/Kassian, but they've shown great chemistry and look promising.
The Canucks defense isn't the problem either, loaded with the likes of Edler, Hamhuis, Garrison, Bieksa, the young Tanev, and even Ballard. Ballard hasn't had a bad season, and really deserves spot #6. It's not goaltending either, with two starting goalies in the lineup.
Gotta be injuries then. With Kesler gone, Booth frequently out, Bieksa having an injured groin, we just can't keep up, right? Wrong again. With Kesler and Booth out of the lineup at the beginning of the season, the Canucks still managed to win quite a few games. And with Bieksa out, why WOULDN'T you play Ballard?
That boils it down to one thing: Coaching, leadership. This isn't about Captain Henrik, or any of the assistant captains. This is about Alain Vigneault. This is his 7th year with the Canucks, and has had his coaching position longer than any other coach currently working in the NHL. I'm not knocking his coaching skills, he's done well with us. Actually, you know what? I AM going to call out his skills. This isn't a 'rebuilding' franchise, or a bottom 8 team. As I mentioned earlier, the Canucks have a star studded lineup. He has plenty to work with, but he continually makes bad decisions that leads to losses.
Alright, now we touch on what used to be the Canucks bread and butter, the powerplay. My goodness, 2 years ago, the Canucks had the number 1 powerplay in the league. The last 2 years, it has insisted on performing the drop pass in the neutral zone, which almost always gets intercepted. It has not performed well, and is on a 0-30ish drought this season. Either the players insist on the stupid repetitive plays,or AV does. Regardless, after 2 years, he should recognize what works and what doesn't. And either he is blind and hasn't, or just doesn't care.
Another thing: he holds grudges against players. Ballard has sharpened up well this year, and the Canucks most solid defensive pairing at the beginning of the year was Ballard and Tanev. So why in the **** does Ballard find himself in the press box mid season? I HAVE NO CLUE. Instead of bringing in the veteran Ballard to help out when Bieksa was injured, AV played Alberts. FREAKING ANDREW ALBERTS. And then Cam Barker made the lineup, while Ballard still watched. I'll admit, Ballard has had some defensive blunders in the past, but like I said, he's sharpened up nicely.
And the finale: The shootout. He insists on playing the same ineffective trio each game. Edler, Burrows and Raymond are great shootout scorers. But when you only play those 3, and they have only 1 or 2 moves each, it's pretty easy to scout and stop. Why not throw rotate them? Throw new faces in? The Canucks have plenty of good players who can deke the pants off any goaltender, yet never see the shootout.
So am I blaming AV for the Canucks terrible play? Absolutely. With players like Vancouver has, we should be competing with Chicago for top spot in the West. Instead, we lose the lead in our division and battle just to stay in the top 8. I'm calling for a coaching change, AV has 'expired.'
Saturday 16 March 2013
Game in Review: Canucks vs Red Wings, Mar 16/13
You probably already knew this, but there was an NHL team in Vancouver before the Canucks. The Vancouver Millionaires came into the league in 1912, and won Vancouver's only cup in 1915. In honor of 100 years of pro hockey in BC, the Canucks wore the ugliest maroon/white jerseys, which I wrote about some time ago. Notice how no one is smiling in any of those photos? These jerseys would get you bullied in hockey school.
Kassian was out with an injured back, so Sestito was in. He played on the 4th, and Weise was bumped up to the 3rd line with Higgins and Booth. Vancouver was looking to bury the bad memory of a recent 8-3 loss to Detroit, and came out strong.
Just off the opening faceoff, Daniel Sedin broke the Detroit line and passed to Burrows, who one timed it past Howard and in. Past that Burrows was on fire, moving through the Detroit defense like they were standing still. All seemed well, until Detroit lucked out 6 minutes in. Datsyuk cut down the right wing, pushed away from Hamhuis, and threw the puck to the net. Abdelkader was in front of the net, battling with Garrison, and the puck went off his skate and in. For once, a terrible goal didn't come at the expense of Bieksa.
Minutes later, on a delayed call, Burrows almost got his 2nd of the evening. Henrik rounded the net and tossed the puck crease to Burrows, whose wrister was labeled top shelf, but was somehow stopped by Howard. Late in the first, Booth was taken down in the corner. He took a while to get up, and when he did, he skated gingerly back to the bench. Judging by the way he held his leg up, it was either a skate problem or ankle injury. Other than that, the first was a great period for Vancouver. The passing was there, everyone was in position, they just had a few unlucky bounces.
Booth wasn't on the ice to start the 2nd, and it was revealed that he wouldn't return to the game. Early on, Bieksa put the Canucks on the powerplay, and they looked ridiculously dangerous. They might've scored, but Burrows took a high sticking penalty in the final minute of the man advantage. Moments later, Lappiere took a tripping penalty, giving Detroit a 5 on 3. The Canucks didn't just hold the Wings off, they didn't allow them a single shot. Burrows had a great short handed breakaway, but bobbled the puck.
6 left in the 2nd, and Detroit took the lead. A passing flurry involving Datsyuk, Franzen and Zetterrberg ended in Zetterberg burying the puck out front. Moments later, Hansen sprung past the Detroit defense and was hauled down, penalty shot. After deking Howard just out of position, Hansen's wrist shot hit the post.
Wings up 2-1 after 40 minutes.
Almost off the puck drop, the Canucks fell apart. With Vancouver's forwards off in la-la land, Detroit's veterans were left to pick apart the defense. Filppula shot a perfect cross ice pass on the rush to Zetterberg, whose shot beat Luongo going the wrong way. From there, the Canucks literally just gave the puck to the Wings. 6 minutes in, Cleary's shot beat a screened Luongo on the rush, 4-1 Wings. All hope seemed lost. Then, a 5 on 3 with 8 minutes left in the game. Ah wait, I forgot. This is the cursed Canucks powerplay. Nothing on it, and then Detroit scored again. Another lucky bounce, this time off Adbelkader's chest and into the net.
Burrows potted his second of the night, backhanded off of a rebound, late in the third. It didn't matter, because with only a few minutes left on the clock, there was no chance of a come back. Game over 5-2 Wings.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/5. Honestly not all that bad, seemed like it had it mostly together from the first attempt. Got Garrison's point shot off a few times.
- PK: 2/3. Killed off a 5 on 3, but was picked apart on the third one.
- Bieksa: Looked a heck of a lot better than Thursday night, was joining rushes, and didn't turn the puck over. Drew a penalty or two.
- Burrows game opening goal was just 6 seconds in, and is now the club record for fastest goal. Previous was held by Trevor Linden, 9 seconds. Fastest opening goal in NHL was 5 seconds.
After the first period, it seemed like the Canucks, well... Gave up? No chance they're tired, playing the last few games at home, with a days break in between. So what happened? I've decided this post is too long, so i'm gonna write my "WTF Happened" post tomorrow afternoon.
Next game is Monday against the Wild at 7.
Kassian was out with an injured back, so Sestito was in. He played on the 4th, and Weise was bumped up to the 3rd line with Higgins and Booth. Vancouver was looking to bury the bad memory of a recent 8-3 loss to Detroit, and came out strong.
Just off the opening faceoff, Daniel Sedin broke the Detroit line and passed to Burrows, who one timed it past Howard and in. Past that Burrows was on fire, moving through the Detroit defense like they were standing still. All seemed well, until Detroit lucked out 6 minutes in. Datsyuk cut down the right wing, pushed away from Hamhuis, and threw the puck to the net. Abdelkader was in front of the net, battling with Garrison, and the puck went off his skate and in. For once, a terrible goal didn't come at the expense of Bieksa.
Minutes later, on a delayed call, Burrows almost got his 2nd of the evening. Henrik rounded the net and tossed the puck crease to Burrows, whose wrister was labeled top shelf, but was somehow stopped by Howard. Late in the first, Booth was taken down in the corner. He took a while to get up, and when he did, he skated gingerly back to the bench. Judging by the way he held his leg up, it was either a skate problem or ankle injury. Other than that, the first was a great period for Vancouver. The passing was there, everyone was in position, they just had a few unlucky bounces.
Booth wasn't on the ice to start the 2nd, and it was revealed that he wouldn't return to the game. Early on, Bieksa put the Canucks on the powerplay, and they looked ridiculously dangerous. They might've scored, but Burrows took a high sticking penalty in the final minute of the man advantage. Moments later, Lappiere took a tripping penalty, giving Detroit a 5 on 3. The Canucks didn't just hold the Wings off, they didn't allow them a single shot. Burrows had a great short handed breakaway, but bobbled the puck.
6 left in the 2nd, and Detroit took the lead. A passing flurry involving Datsyuk, Franzen and Zetterrberg ended in Zetterberg burying the puck out front. Moments later, Hansen sprung past the Detroit defense and was hauled down, penalty shot. After deking Howard just out of position, Hansen's wrist shot hit the post.
Wings up 2-1 after 40 minutes.
Almost off the puck drop, the Canucks fell apart. With Vancouver's forwards off in la-la land, Detroit's veterans were left to pick apart the defense. Filppula shot a perfect cross ice pass on the rush to Zetterberg, whose shot beat Luongo going the wrong way. From there, the Canucks literally just gave the puck to the Wings. 6 minutes in, Cleary's shot beat a screened Luongo on the rush, 4-1 Wings. All hope seemed lost. Then, a 5 on 3 with 8 minutes left in the game. Ah wait, I forgot. This is the cursed Canucks powerplay. Nothing on it, and then Detroit scored again. Another lucky bounce, this time off Adbelkader's chest and into the net.
Burrows potted his second of the night, backhanded off of a rebound, late in the third. It didn't matter, because with only a few minutes left on the clock, there was no chance of a come back. Game over 5-2 Wings.
Tidbits:
- PP: 0/5. Honestly not all that bad, seemed like it had it mostly together from the first attempt. Got Garrison's point shot off a few times.
- PK: 2/3. Killed off a 5 on 3, but was picked apart on the third one.
- Bieksa: Looked a heck of a lot better than Thursday night, was joining rushes, and didn't turn the puck over. Drew a penalty or two.
- Burrows game opening goal was just 6 seconds in, and is now the club record for fastest goal. Previous was held by Trevor Linden, 9 seconds. Fastest opening goal in NHL was 5 seconds.
After the first period, it seemed like the Canucks, well... Gave up? No chance they're tired, playing the last few games at home, with a days break in between. So what happened? I've decided this post is too long, so i'm gonna write my "WTF Happened" post tomorrow afternoon.
Next game is Monday against the Wild at 7.
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