So this post is gonna rain on the Canucks parade. As if the Canucks actually have a parade to rain on.
Kesler is out for an undetermined amount of time with a fractured right foot. According to the media scrum today, Kesler was experiencing discomfort on the road trip, but 2 x rays showed nothing. Still in some pain, he went for a CT scan after the road trip, which revealed some hairline fracturing.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't damage the team all that much. Kesler hadn't been playing anywhere near his full potential since he got back from his 1st injury, and the team got along fairly well without him. As for a replacement, Vigneault said that Ebbett is a very likely candidate. Well, it's between him and Steve Pinizzotto. Malhotra isn't a candidate because he was removed for his own protection, so he didn't injure himself further. Gillis and AV both confirmed he wasn't coming back.
Regardless, Vancouver's lineup will most likely return to what it was before Kesler, but plus Booth. Probably a little like this:
Sedin-Sedin-Burrows
Raymond-Schroeder-Booth
Higgins-Lappiere-Hansen
Weise-______-Kassian
Ebbett is the most likely winner of the job, mainly because of his experience playing 4th for Vancouver and his maturity, but also because of the state Pinizzotto is in. Pinizzotto has never played an NHL game, despite being called up several times. He struggled with a rash of injuries, and missed to play when Kesler was out earlier this year. If he's healthy, this could be his chance.
In other sad news, Aaron Volpatti was put on waivers this morning. as of yet, no one has claimed him. Volpatti was injured last season, and played 16 games this year. Vigneault said he wanted him to get more minutes and improve his game, and that just wasn't going to happen in Vancouver. If no one claims him, he can get another crack at the Canucks lineup a little down the road. His main game is fighting and the Canucks just don't have a spot in their roster for a full time fighter.
Wednesday 27 February 2013
Tuesday 26 February 2013
Game in Review: Canucks vs Coyotes, Feb 26/13
Coming off their worst 3 periods all season, Vancouver kicked off the last game of February. Booth returned to the lineup, and to his spot on the 3rd line. But Bieksa is still injured, after doing something to his groin against Nashville. Needless to say, his presence is missed.
After having a day of rest, Vancouver seemed to have a little more spring in their step. However, after the initial rush had passed, it looked like someone had stuffed their skates with cement. Phoenix had 2 open net chances in the first, and only some great goaltending by Schneider combined with a lucky post kept it at 0. With 5 and a bit to go, the Canucks defense looked the worst it has in a long time. After winning the battle in the corner, Kyle Chipchura was allowed to skate around the net and walk out in front, untouched, before backhanding the puck past Schneider. That seemed to reinvigorate the Canucks, and they evened up the chances before the period ended.
The fire that the Canucks set late in the first didn't die out, and kept the pressure on. Kesler almost capitalized after Smith was pressured to deal the puck to the wrong side, but Kesler hit the side of the net. Minutes later, Alberts almost buried the puck off a great Sedin passing play but it was blocked just in front of the net. Weise and Chipchura dropped the gloves a little later, seemingly out of nowhere. Weise got some good body shots in but Chipchura got the better of him. The best Canucks chance as of then came off the Schroeder line, who held the puck in for almost a minute, but couldn't put it in. After all that, Phoenix made it 2-0. A dump in from outside the blue line bounced off Lappiere's skate and right to Mikkel Boedker, who roofed it.
Fear not, for a minute thirty one later Garrison put the Canucks on the board. After winning the battle behind the net, Kesler shot the puck up to Garrison at the point, who waited a few seconds before wristing it past Smith glove side. 4 and a little left in the 2nd, and Michael Stone trips Daniel Sedin. Stone was given a penalty for slashing, but Daniel was called for diving. I'm not a fan of the diving call, because it's one or the other. Either Daniel was slashed and tripped, or it was a love tap and he dove. I say he was slashed, but i'm biased. That pretty much did it for period number 2.
More of the same in the 3rd. Phoenix hemmed in Vancouver for pretty much the first 10 minutes of the period, and scored to make it 3-1. A clever pass found Vermette on the rush, and he put it past Schneider.
64 seconds later, the Canucks made it interesting again. Tanev's pass found Daniel on the left wing, and it found it's way past Smith. Henrik may have tipped it, but the scoresheet was never changed and it remained Daniel's goal. And here the referee's again turned a blind eye. Phoenix tripped up the Canucks 3 or 4 times in the last 10 minutes of the 3rd, and Burrows was even glove punched to the face. No calls on any of those. With an empty net, Hamhuis got desperate and tried to slap it up ice. Chipchura intercepted and put it in. Game over, 4-2 Phoenix.
Tidbits:
- Booth: Strong play on the 3rd, but still only getting about 12 minutes a night.
- Kassian: Played on the 4th again tonight. He's always been a streaky player, so i'm not surprised to see him play all 4 lines in the span of 10 games.
- PP: 0/2, had trouble keeping the puck under control but at least they're able to gain the zone.
- PK: 1/1, only real consistency of the past 5 games. Nice little bright spot.
I'm honestly not that upset about the loss. It was Vancouver's 6th game in just 9 days, and fatigue led to poor passing and giveaways.
Next game isn't until Saturday against the Kings at 7.
After having a day of rest, Vancouver seemed to have a little more spring in their step. However, after the initial rush had passed, it looked like someone had stuffed their skates with cement. Phoenix had 2 open net chances in the first, and only some great goaltending by Schneider combined with a lucky post kept it at 0. With 5 and a bit to go, the Canucks defense looked the worst it has in a long time. After winning the battle in the corner, Kyle Chipchura was allowed to skate around the net and walk out in front, untouched, before backhanding the puck past Schneider. That seemed to reinvigorate the Canucks, and they evened up the chances before the period ended.
The fire that the Canucks set late in the first didn't die out, and kept the pressure on. Kesler almost capitalized after Smith was pressured to deal the puck to the wrong side, but Kesler hit the side of the net. Minutes later, Alberts almost buried the puck off a great Sedin passing play but it was blocked just in front of the net. Weise and Chipchura dropped the gloves a little later, seemingly out of nowhere. Weise got some good body shots in but Chipchura got the better of him. The best Canucks chance as of then came off the Schroeder line, who held the puck in for almost a minute, but couldn't put it in. After all that, Phoenix made it 2-0. A dump in from outside the blue line bounced off Lappiere's skate and right to Mikkel Boedker, who roofed it.
Fear not, for a minute thirty one later Garrison put the Canucks on the board. After winning the battle behind the net, Kesler shot the puck up to Garrison at the point, who waited a few seconds before wristing it past Smith glove side. 4 and a little left in the 2nd, and Michael Stone trips Daniel Sedin. Stone was given a penalty for slashing, but Daniel was called for diving. I'm not a fan of the diving call, because it's one or the other. Either Daniel was slashed and tripped, or it was a love tap and he dove. I say he was slashed, but i'm biased. That pretty much did it for period number 2.
More of the same in the 3rd. Phoenix hemmed in Vancouver for pretty much the first 10 minutes of the period, and scored to make it 3-1. A clever pass found Vermette on the rush, and he put it past Schneider.
64 seconds later, the Canucks made it interesting again. Tanev's pass found Daniel on the left wing, and it found it's way past Smith. Henrik may have tipped it, but the scoresheet was never changed and it remained Daniel's goal. And here the referee's again turned a blind eye. Phoenix tripped up the Canucks 3 or 4 times in the last 10 minutes of the 3rd, and Burrows was even glove punched to the face. No calls on any of those. With an empty net, Hamhuis got desperate and tried to slap it up ice. Chipchura intercepted and put it in. Game over, 4-2 Phoenix.
Tidbits:
- Booth: Strong play on the 3rd, but still only getting about 12 minutes a night.
- Kassian: Played on the 4th again tonight. He's always been a streaky player, so i'm not surprised to see him play all 4 lines in the span of 10 games.
- PP: 0/2, had trouble keeping the puck under control but at least they're able to gain the zone.
- PK: 1/1, only real consistency of the past 5 games. Nice little bright spot.
I'm honestly not that upset about the loss. It was Vancouver's 6th game in just 9 days, and fatigue led to poor passing and giveaways.
Next game isn't until Saturday against the Kings at 7.
Sunday 24 February 2013
Game in Review: Canucks at Red Wings, Feb 24/13
David Booth was a scratch tonight, after feeling "under the weather" and skipping the morning skate. Volpatti played on the fourth to replace him. Bieksa was also out, after experiencing some sort of groin problem Friday night in Nashville, and AV was forced to bring up either Alberts or Barker to replace. So the lesser of two evils was brought up, and Alberts was paired with Ballard. Alberts hasn't played in 11 months. Rather than attempting to explain the lineups, I just wrote them out.
Sedin-Sedin-Burrows
Higgins-Kesler-Hansen
Raymond-Schroeder-Kassian
Volpatti-Lappiere-Weise
Hamhuis-Tanev
Edler-Garrison
Ballard-Albert
Much like Nashville, this game started off a little slow. Unlike Nashville, we didn't get killed in shots and chances departments. Lappiere had a good chance 1 on 1 with Howard early on, but Howard stretched out and made the pad save. Five and a bit into the period, Henrik and Daniel caught fire. After cycling the puck along the boards, Henrik took it behind the net and passed it to Daniel at the front, who buried it. Detroit got a brief 5 on 3 off penalties from Kesler and Tanev, and despite their chances, didn't bury anything. They managed to hit the post, and miss with Luongo out of position, but no goals. In fact, at the 10 minute mark, Detroit only had 1 shot on net, yet had 4 or 5 chances that could've been goals. So it was fitting that Detroit's tying goal was the worst chance of the night. After bouncing the puck off Garrisons skates a few times, Tootoo's shot finally bounced off Ballard's foot at the front of the net and in.
A minute and a half later, Datsyuk almost put the puck past Luongo, but drew a penalty in the process. On the delayed call, Kronwall ripped a shot from the point passed a screened Luongo. With less than 4 minutes left in the period, Henrik shot the puck from his own zone all the way down the ice, for what would be an icing call. But because it was outside of the trapezoid painted on the ice, Howard couldn't play it without taking a penalty. So Howard had to watch as the puck bounced right to Daniel Sedin, and then past him as Daniel roofed it. A few minutes later, Higgins managed to recover the puck in the Detroit zone, and pulled a wraparound out of his bag of tricks. The puck was put just inside the far post, which Howard wasn't prepared for. 3-2 Canucks, end of the first.
Early in the 2nd, Kassian and Huskins got locked up heading towards Howard. Kassian got clear, but Huskins collided with Howard. Somehow, Kassian ended up with a penalty on the play, and of course Detroit capitalized on the powerplay. Zetterberg brought the puck around the net and passed to Brunner at the front, whose own rebound came back to him. Brunner's next shot went right to Cleary, who batted it out of mid air and past Luongo to tie the game up. A few minutes later, Jordan Tootoo took a late run at Tanev, and Kassian intervened. Tootoo turtled as soon as the gloves came off. Both received 2 minute minors for their work. Detroit took the lead with less than 5 minutes left in the period, as Zetterberg snapped the puck past Luongo. 30 seconds later, Datsyuk batted the puck over Luongo and in, but Luongo asked for a review. After review, the refs determined that Datsyuk`s stick was too high, no goal. After Kesler was hauled down in the corner, the Canucks bench hollered at the refs for a penalty. Did they get one? You bet, but against the Canucks. Unsportsmanlike conduct, they called it. Against the whole team but served by Kassian. Of course Detroit scored on the man advantage, Brunner roofed the puck over an outstretched Luongo to make it 5-3, end of the 2nd. Vancouver managed only 3 shots in the period.
Not much happened n the 3rd, but Vancouver did have some good pressure for the first 10 minutes. Despite that, Brunner made it 6-3 just past the halfway point. Alberts was screening Luongo, and the shot hit his blocker and went in. 3 and a half left, and it's 7-3. Ballard got his stick in front of an Adbelkader shot, and it flicked up, then down as it went past Luongo. Less than a minute later it was 8-3, as Andersson slapped it past Luongo. Game over, 8-3 Wings.
Tidbits:
- Refs: Made stupid, lopsided calls all night in favor of Detroit. Lost count of the amount of times I wrote "WHY, EXACTLY?!" in my game notes.
- Luongo: Can't blame a lot of those goals on him. Goals 1, 2, 6 and 7 were a direct result of a complete screen or tip from his own defenceman. Not surprised he wasn't pulled, wouldn't of helped.
- Kassian: No problem with the penalty he took for defending Tanev, and the 2 others he took were crap. Despite the stats, he had a decent game.
- PP: 0/2, played the worst it has all season.
- PK: 2/5. Just bloody awful.
So we can blame part of this on the fact that the Canucks played 3 games in 4 nights, and that the refs called a bunch of crap penalties. But excuses aside, Vancouver played terrible hockey tonight and didn't deserve a point, no matter how bad the refs were.
Next game is Tuesday against Phoenix at 7.
Friday 22 February 2013
Game in Review: Canucks at Nashville, Feb 22/13
Hansen returned tonight from his one game suspension, so Volpatti was a healthy scratch. He played on a line with Higgins and Kesler, and the only other change was that Kassian started on the 4th line with Weise and Lappiere. Historically, the games between the Predators and Canucks in Nashville have always been close, and usually required some amazing goaltending,
There wasn't a goal against on the first shift of this game, but it was no better than last night. It was a contender for one of Vancouver's slowest starts this season, and that's saying a lot. Only some sharp saves by Luongo and some smart defense saved this from being a devastating loss. Midway through the first, Hansen split the defense on a breakaway, but was hauled down. The defenceman touched the puck first, so no call. Soon after, Vancouver got their first powerplay. It was easily the worst that the powerplay unit has played since Kesler got back, and looked sloppy. No shots on the man advantage, and Henrik took a holding call a few minutes later, where Nashville got their best chance of the period. Luongo was forced to make a goal line stand, and Patric Hornqvist kept whacking at what he thought was a loose puck. Only a superman -like shove from Bieksa saved a goal. The 1st ended in a 0-0 tie, with the shots 13-3 for Nashville. Vancouver was lucky to get out of the period tied.
The Canucks seemed to pull together in the 2nd, and the chances evened out. Booth's line generated a few good chances early in the period, and Kesler's line held the puck in for almost an entire shift. Vancouver's 2nd powerplay was a lot better, and managed a few shots. Bieksa took a funny hit from Hal Gill, and skated to the bench rather slowly. It didn't look that hard, but it was one where his knees might've knocked together. Regardless, he went to the dressing room and didn't return in the 2nd. Vancouver led the shots in the period 9-5, but nothing came off those chances and the 2nd period ended in a scoreless tie.
More of the same in the third, but Vancouver's chances slowly built up. Kassian and the Sedins played together for a few shifts, and showed some great chemistry again. With just under 11 minutes left in the third, an unlikely hero gave the Canucks the lead. That's right, you guessed it, Dale Weise. Lappiere rounded the net after recovering a shot from Hamhuis, and threw it at Pekka Rinne. Weise pounced on the rebound and broke the scoreless tie. The last 10 was almost constant pressure from Nashville, who threw everything they had at Luongo. Burrows took a slashing penalty with just over 2 minutes left to go, but a stellar Vancouver PK, combined with a incredible performance from Luongo, kept the puck out of the net. Game over, 1-0 Vancouver.
Vancouver actually ended up leading the shots department at the end of the game 24-34, compared to 13-3 for Nashville after the first. They didn't come out guns blazing, but they didn't need to. After the first, it was just smart defensive hockey that led to a victory. But please don't forget Luongo's incredible performance in the 1st, it was probably the only reason they won.
Tidbits:
- Luongo: Doesn't get rusty on the bench, was sharp from the puck drop
- Bieksa: Didn't return to the game. Only update is that it's a "lower body injury."
- Kesler: 18:13 TOI, no shots, no points, 45% in the faceoff circle. The whole game was a defensive battle, so I didn't expect him to be great, but I was a little disappointed in his performance. Seemed a little slow, liker his head wasn't in the game.
- Booth: 12:30 TOI, couple of shots, couple of hits. Been playing with a solid forecheck and good speed.
- PK: 2/2, did a great job of making sure the puck stayed out of the zone. Killed one off in the final 2 minutes and saved the game.
- PP: 0/2. Is really reliant on Kesler, so when he doesn't play well the powerplay suffers. 1st one of the night could barely gain the zone. 2nd was slightly improved but still ugly.
Next game is Sunday against Detroit at 2.
There wasn't a goal against on the first shift of this game, but it was no better than last night. It was a contender for one of Vancouver's slowest starts this season, and that's saying a lot. Only some sharp saves by Luongo and some smart defense saved this from being a devastating loss. Midway through the first, Hansen split the defense on a breakaway, but was hauled down. The defenceman touched the puck first, so no call. Soon after, Vancouver got their first powerplay. It was easily the worst that the powerplay unit has played since Kesler got back, and looked sloppy. No shots on the man advantage, and Henrik took a holding call a few minutes later, where Nashville got their best chance of the period. Luongo was forced to make a goal line stand, and Patric Hornqvist kept whacking at what he thought was a loose puck. Only a superman -like shove from Bieksa saved a goal. The 1st ended in a 0-0 tie, with the shots 13-3 for Nashville. Vancouver was lucky to get out of the period tied.
The Canucks seemed to pull together in the 2nd, and the chances evened out. Booth's line generated a few good chances early in the period, and Kesler's line held the puck in for almost an entire shift. Vancouver's 2nd powerplay was a lot better, and managed a few shots. Bieksa took a funny hit from Hal Gill, and skated to the bench rather slowly. It didn't look that hard, but it was one where his knees might've knocked together. Regardless, he went to the dressing room and didn't return in the 2nd. Vancouver led the shots in the period 9-5, but nothing came off those chances and the 2nd period ended in a scoreless tie.
More of the same in the third, but Vancouver's chances slowly built up. Kassian and the Sedins played together for a few shifts, and showed some great chemistry again. With just under 11 minutes left in the third, an unlikely hero gave the Canucks the lead. That's right, you guessed it, Dale Weise. Lappiere rounded the net after recovering a shot from Hamhuis, and threw it at Pekka Rinne. Weise pounced on the rebound and broke the scoreless tie. The last 10 was almost constant pressure from Nashville, who threw everything they had at Luongo. Burrows took a slashing penalty with just over 2 minutes left to go, but a stellar Vancouver PK, combined with a incredible performance from Luongo, kept the puck out of the net. Game over, 1-0 Vancouver.
Vancouver actually ended up leading the shots department at the end of the game 24-34, compared to 13-3 for Nashville after the first. They didn't come out guns blazing, but they didn't need to. After the first, it was just smart defensive hockey that led to a victory. But please don't forget Luongo's incredible performance in the 1st, it was probably the only reason they won.
Tidbits:
- Luongo: Doesn't get rusty on the bench, was sharp from the puck drop
- Bieksa: Didn't return to the game. Only update is that it's a "lower body injury."
- Kesler: 18:13 TOI, no shots, no points, 45% in the faceoff circle. The whole game was a defensive battle, so I didn't expect him to be great, but I was a little disappointed in his performance. Seemed a little slow, liker his head wasn't in the game.
- Booth: 12:30 TOI, couple of shots, couple of hits. Been playing with a solid forecheck and good speed.
- PK: 2/2, did a great job of making sure the puck stayed out of the zone. Killed one off in the final 2 minutes and saved the game.
- PP: 0/2. Is really reliant on Kesler, so when he doesn't play well the powerplay suffers. 1st one of the night could barely gain the zone. 2nd was slightly improved but still ugly.
Next game is Sunday against Detroit at 2.
Thursday 21 February 2013
Game in Review: Canucks 4 - Stars 3
With Hansen suspended, and the defenses' terrible play in Chicago, lineup changes were needed. Burrows stayed with the Sedins, while Kassian was moved up to play with Higgins and Kesler. Booth was promoted to the 3rd with Schroeder and Raymond, and Volpatti was brought out from the press box to play with Lappiere and Weise. Edler finally got to move back to the left side where he plays best, as Tanev was promoted to play with him. The tried and true pair of Bieksa and Hamhuis got to play together again, and Garrison was paired with Ballard. Playing with Ballard, Garrison will be forced to play smarter hockey and read the play to cover for Ballard's less than stellar play. Schneider started tonight. an he deserved it after his incredible play against Chicago.
Previously, Vancouver has been known for scoring the first goal and running away with the game. This year, it seems to be all about falling behind early. Early, as in 35 seconds into the 1st period. After holding Vancouver in their own zone from the opening faceoff, Jamie Benn pulled past both Hamhuis and Bieksa to the side of the net, and he sniped it in from an odd angle. From there, the Canucks were on their heels for another 5 minutes, until Reilly Smith (the hero of the last Vancouver-Dallas game) took an interference penalty on Bieksa. After cycling the puck for 30 seconds, a brilliant Sedin passing play led to Burrows hitting the crossbar. Kesler recovered the rebound and shot it up to Edler at the point, whose wrist shot snuck past a screened Nilstorp. The credit for the goal initially went to Edler, but Burrows tipped it slightly and he was later given the goal. Past that, Vancouver evened up the chances and got the majority of the shots. The first ended in a tie, and with the shots 8-7 in favor of Dallas.
Early in the 2nd, Booth had a few chances to net his first, but instead Dallas pulled ahead. After breaking up the play in their own zone, Dallas moved into Vancouver's territory. A failed pass bounced to Michael Ryder, who backhanded it past Schneider from the faceoff circle. Moments later, the Stars had a 2 on 0, but Brenden Dillon couldn't tap the puck over a sprawling Schneider. Seeing potential in Booth, AV played the Schroeder line again. This time, Booth drew a penalty on Aaron Rome, as Rome flipped Booth over and onto the ice. Burrows was called for interference on the powerplay, but Bieksa tied the game up on the 4 on 4. After taking a pass from Hamhuis, Bieksa cut past the sprawling defender and backhanded the puck 5 hole on Nilstorp.
Kassian, after playing terrible in the first, was demoted to the fourth. Soon after, he picked a fight with Roussel. Roussel got a few shots in the start, but Kassian got the sweater over his head and threw enough lefts to force the referee's to intervene. Schneider saved the chance of the game, as Dillon tried to pull left then right, right in front of the net, but Schneider kept his left leg stiff to stop a sure goal. Words don't do it justice, here's the video. With just a few minutes left in the 2nd, Burrows cut past Rome on the right wing and almost shoveled the puck past Nilstorp. That'd do it for period 2, tied at 2.
Garrison gave the Canucks their first lead of the night just 2 and a half minutes into period #3. After having his first shot blocked, Garrison fired a slap shot from the point that might've been deflected by Higgins, but credit was given to Garrison. Hamhuis blocked a shot with his hand immediately after the goal, and had to ice it between shifts. A minute and 46 seconds after Garrisons goal, Henrik Sedin made it 4-2 on a beautiful give and go. Henrik pulled down the right wing and shot a pass cross wing to Burrows, who pulled Nilstorp down and out before passing back to a wide open Henrik. Henrik had a wide open net and even Dale Weise couldn't of missed that one.
What's this? The Canucks have a 2 goal lead? Cue a terrible defensive decision. After freeing the puck up behind his net, Kesler decided to carry the puck in front of his net and bobble it. Morrow was on it and tucked it past a surprised Schneider. 4-3 Canucks, 14 minutes left. Skip to 3 and a half minutes left, Canucks on the PK. Morrow passed it across the net to an open Benn, with Schneider out of position. Sure goal, right? NOPE. Weise and Burrows both dove stick first and knocked the puck out of play. Booth got another chance for his first of the year, as he pulled away on a partial breakaway. He was hooked and drew another penalty, as Dallas saw first hand the speed of David Booth. That powerplay would take the game right to the end, and Vancouver was content to just move the puck around and keep Dallas in their own zone. Game over, Canucks snap their 3 game losing skid.
Tidbits:
- Sedins: At least 1 Sedin in on last 8 of 11 Canucks goals. They've gotten their game back. (Credit to Jeff Patterson for the find)
- Booth: 12:09 ice time, -1, 3 shots, drew 2 penalties. Looked great, had no problem getting to full speed. Could be back at his peak by the end of the road trip. Expect him to be on a line with Kesler within 2 games.
- Kassian: Demoted to 4th line in 2nd, had multiple giveaways but still finds his way back to 2nd line every time.
- Kesler: 17:38 ice time, 2 assists, -1. On the ice for 3 goals against, big part of 2 turnovers that led to goals. Not the Selke winner we knew from 2 years ago.
- Bieksa: 5 goals now. Only 6 last year, career high of 12.
- Tanev: Good part of the PK in recent games, his good play this season has allowed him to be moved up to Edler's line. His stay at home mentality will allow Edler to jump up on the rush.
- Defense: A good shuffle seemed to be what the defense lines needed, as they only allowed a few odd man rushes this game and a half breakaway. Edler looked comfortable on the left side, Garrison looked like he had a tough time adjusting to playing with the NHL equivalent of a child loaded up with candy.
- PK: 5/5, no words necessary.
- PP: 1/5, but no complaints here. Has been great at controlling the puck, no troubles moving into the zone. Give it time and it'll be #1 again, is already #10.
I think we can expect any 2 of Booth, Higgins and Hansen to play with Kesler next game. Speaking of which, next game is tomorrow night against Nashville at 5. Seeing as it's back to back games, Luongo will start tomorrow. See ya then.
Previously, Vancouver has been known for scoring the first goal and running away with the game. This year, it seems to be all about falling behind early. Early, as in 35 seconds into the 1st period. After holding Vancouver in their own zone from the opening faceoff, Jamie Benn pulled past both Hamhuis and Bieksa to the side of the net, and he sniped it in from an odd angle. From there, the Canucks were on their heels for another 5 minutes, until Reilly Smith (the hero of the last Vancouver-Dallas game) took an interference penalty on Bieksa. After cycling the puck for 30 seconds, a brilliant Sedin passing play led to Burrows hitting the crossbar. Kesler recovered the rebound and shot it up to Edler at the point, whose wrist shot snuck past a screened Nilstorp. The credit for the goal initially went to Edler, but Burrows tipped it slightly and he was later given the goal. Past that, Vancouver evened up the chances and got the majority of the shots. The first ended in a tie, and with the shots 8-7 in favor of Dallas.
Early in the 2nd, Booth had a few chances to net his first, but instead Dallas pulled ahead. After breaking up the play in their own zone, Dallas moved into Vancouver's territory. A failed pass bounced to Michael Ryder, who backhanded it past Schneider from the faceoff circle. Moments later, the Stars had a 2 on 0, but Brenden Dillon couldn't tap the puck over a sprawling Schneider. Seeing potential in Booth, AV played the Schroeder line again. This time, Booth drew a penalty on Aaron Rome, as Rome flipped Booth over and onto the ice. Burrows was called for interference on the powerplay, but Bieksa tied the game up on the 4 on 4. After taking a pass from Hamhuis, Bieksa cut past the sprawling defender and backhanded the puck 5 hole on Nilstorp.
Kassian, after playing terrible in the first, was demoted to the fourth. Soon after, he picked a fight with Roussel. Roussel got a few shots in the start, but Kassian got the sweater over his head and threw enough lefts to force the referee's to intervene. Schneider saved the chance of the game, as Dillon tried to pull left then right, right in front of the net, but Schneider kept his left leg stiff to stop a sure goal. Words don't do it justice, here's the video. With just a few minutes left in the 2nd, Burrows cut past Rome on the right wing and almost shoveled the puck past Nilstorp. That'd do it for period 2, tied at 2.
Garrison gave the Canucks their first lead of the night just 2 and a half minutes into period #3. After having his first shot blocked, Garrison fired a slap shot from the point that might've been deflected by Higgins, but credit was given to Garrison. Hamhuis blocked a shot with his hand immediately after the goal, and had to ice it between shifts. A minute and 46 seconds after Garrisons goal, Henrik Sedin made it 4-2 on a beautiful give and go. Henrik pulled down the right wing and shot a pass cross wing to Burrows, who pulled Nilstorp down and out before passing back to a wide open Henrik. Henrik had a wide open net and even Dale Weise couldn't of missed that one.
What's this? The Canucks have a 2 goal lead? Cue a terrible defensive decision. After freeing the puck up behind his net, Kesler decided to carry the puck in front of his net and bobble it. Morrow was on it and tucked it past a surprised Schneider. 4-3 Canucks, 14 minutes left. Skip to 3 and a half minutes left, Canucks on the PK. Morrow passed it across the net to an open Benn, with Schneider out of position. Sure goal, right? NOPE. Weise and Burrows both dove stick first and knocked the puck out of play. Booth got another chance for his first of the year, as he pulled away on a partial breakaway. He was hooked and drew another penalty, as Dallas saw first hand the speed of David Booth. That powerplay would take the game right to the end, and Vancouver was content to just move the puck around and keep Dallas in their own zone. Game over, Canucks snap their 3 game losing skid.
Tidbits:
- Sedins: At least 1 Sedin in on last 8 of 11 Canucks goals. They've gotten their game back. (Credit to Jeff Patterson for the find)
- Booth: 12:09 ice time, -1, 3 shots, drew 2 penalties. Looked great, had no problem getting to full speed. Could be back at his peak by the end of the road trip. Expect him to be on a line with Kesler within 2 games.
- Kassian: Demoted to 4th line in 2nd, had multiple giveaways but still finds his way back to 2nd line every time.
- Kesler: 17:38 ice time, 2 assists, -1. On the ice for 3 goals against, big part of 2 turnovers that led to goals. Not the Selke winner we knew from 2 years ago.
- Bieksa: 5 goals now. Only 6 last year, career high of 12.
- Tanev: Good part of the PK in recent games, his good play this season has allowed him to be moved up to Edler's line. His stay at home mentality will allow Edler to jump up on the rush.
- Defense: A good shuffle seemed to be what the defense lines needed, as they only allowed a few odd man rushes this game and a half breakaway. Edler looked comfortable on the left side, Garrison looked like he had a tough time adjusting to playing with the NHL equivalent of a child loaded up with candy.
- PK: 5/5, no words necessary.
- PP: 1/5, but no complaints here. Has been great at controlling the puck, no troubles moving into the zone. Give it time and it'll be #1 again, is already #10.
I think we can expect any 2 of Booth, Higgins and Hansen to play with Kesler next game. Speaking of which, next game is tomorrow night against Nashville at 5. Seeing as it's back to back games, Luongo will start tomorrow. See ya then.
Tuesday 19 February 2013
Game in Review: Blackhawks 3 - Canucks 2 F/SO
Tonight marked the return of David Booth, about 5 weeks after straining his groin in a skating drill during practice. His return, plus the poor play of Kassian, meant that the lines needed to be shuffled. The Sedins stuck with Burrows, while Kesler played with Raymond and Hansen. Kassian was demoted to the 3rd line with Schroeder and Higgins, while Booth was eased back in on the 4th line with Lappiere and Weise. The defensive lines remained the same, and Schneider got the start.
The Canucks came into this game trying to stop a 2 game losing streak while trying to reintroduce Booth and Kesler to the 2nd line. Chicago had the opportunity to tie the record for best start in the NHL, if they could pull off the win. Another thing: Most media outlets were convinced this would be a blood bath, but both Vancouver and Chicago are usually content to play skilled, smart hockey.
From the puck drop, it was a relay race for almost 5 minutes. After getting that out of their system, the play settled into back and forth zone play. Chicago held the puck in for almost 45 seconds at one point, and only Schneider's great cross net movement saved a goal. Shortly after, Daniel Sedin caught Chicago mid change and had a half breakaway (Defenceman was going to cut him off), forcing Daniel to take a quick shot and let Emery make an easy save. As the game progressed, the hit train took off down the tracks. Weise bowled over Dave Bolland (hurrah), and Brandon Bollig didn't like it. Bollig hit Weise 3 times before he could get his gloves off, and won the fight. Fortunately the ref had his head on straight, and gave Bollig an extra 2 minute penalty for instigating. Now, normally a powerplay helps your team. Both Hossa and Bolland had breakaways on the man advantage, but Schneider saved Hossa's and Bolland lifted the puck too high after putting Schneider on his belly.
Another breakaway was gift wrapped and presented with love to Patrick Sharp just after the 10 minute mark, but Schneider came out and took the shot away. Oh, what's this? ANOTHER BREAKAWAY?! Daniel Sedin snuck through the defense and had another shot at Crawford, but hit the inside of his pad. But don't fret, he capitalized 30 seconds later. On his way down the right wing, unchallenged, Daniel back handed the puck at the net, and it snuck through Emery's pads. Shots were 12-9 at the in favor of Vancouver at the end of the 1st.
After an incredibly evenly matched first period, Vancouver decided to shut down. Chicago dominated the first 5 minutes, and eventually tied it up. Kane entered the zone and dished to Sharp on the left wing, who ripped a slap shot past Schneider. The Canucks woke up a little after that, but it soon diminished. After Ballard took a penalty, Chicago hemmed in the Canucks for the majority of the powerplay. Schneider came across and made a save, but put himself totally out of position. Bieksa and Garrison put themselves down in front of the net, and Lappiere had to cross check a man out of the crease. Lappiere's cross check was considered a penalty, and that's where the Blackhawks took their lead. After breaking his stick blocking a shot, Chicago's powerplay unit was able to cycle with ease, and Hossa slapped in a cross ice pass. 3 and a half minutes later, Hossa made it 3-1. Hossa cut through Garrison and to the front of the net, and waited until Schneider was stretched out before tucking the puck in. In a last ditch attempt to tie it up before the end of the 2nd, the Sedins got the puck behind Emery but couldn't push it in. Chicago dominated the shots 16-6.
Nothing really changed in the 3rd for either side. Oh, Hansen became public enemy number one in Chicago. No doubt there's a bounty on his head by now. Early in the period, Hansen and Hossa both reached up to grab the puck, and Hansen's elbow collided with the back of Hossa's head. Hossa was down and didn't move for about a minute, and had to be escorted to the dressing room. The elbow certainly looked accidental, if only a little bit of a brain fart for Hansen, but Hossa didn't return to the game. For the remainder of the 3rd, the Blackhawks were completely dominant in puck control and scoring chances. Hansen was also shown some Illinois lovin', as he was boo'ed every time he stepped on the ice. Michal Rozsival took a penalty on Booth with 3 and a bit left, and Vancouver made them pay. Schneider was pulled to give the Canucks a 6 on 4, and Edler was tee'ed up for a perfect slap shot. Post and in. 3-2 Vancouver, 2:42 left in the game.
With just over a minute and a half left in the third, a faceoff in the Chicago zone, and Schneider is pulled. After having the puck tied up on the side boards, Daniel Sedin fed Bieksa cross ice, and with Burrows screening the puck flew over Emery's shoulder. Tie game, 1:01 left. And after playing an entirely flat 2nd and 3rd period, Vancouver forced their way in to OT in the last few minutes. 5 minutes worth of end to end rushes later, and we arrived in a shootout.
Toews: Tried to go fast and five hole, nope
Schroeder: Weaves in and tried a wrister blocker side, denied.
Kane: Had Schneider split, trickled 5 hole. Ref originally said no, but went under review. Goal.
Higgins: Pulled it in to his body with speed down the wing, wrister up high. Goal
Shaw: Came it at full speed, pulled it backhand. Goal.
Kesler: Skated in slowly, tried a wrister glove side. Nope.
Blackhawks win, and the Canucks have now lost 3 straight.
Tidbits:
- Booth: 10:57 ice time, had an assist on the Edler goal. Pretty good performance for his first game back
- Kesler: 21:08 ice time, was on the ice for the Edler goal. Slowly getting better, but isn't really doing anything in the shootout. His "skate in slowly and fire a wrist shot" doesn't fool anybody. Obviously still not fully back yet, but frustrated he's even in the shootout.
- Raymond: Cut to the net a few times, seems to be unafraid of being in close to big defenders.
- Schneider: Almost all the credit for the single point goes to Schneider. Faced 43 shots, 3 breakaways and tons of odd man rushes. .930 save percentage, stood on his head.
- Hansen: After his hit on Hossa, everyone wanted a piece of him. Didn't get intimidated, kept playing his role. Kudos to him.
- Defense: Terrible in regulation. Constantly let Chicago players split them, allowed 3 breakaways and too many odd man rushes to count. Tightened up nicely in OT.
- PP: 1/3. First 2 resulted in more chances for Chicago than Vancouver, but desperation was the only reason Vancouver capitalized on #3.
- PK: 4/5. Did it's job, did it well.
So expect a few more games like this, as Booth and Kesler still aren't playing their best. At the same time, Chicago is easily the best team in the league right now, and dominance on their part was expected.
Next game is on Thursday against Dallas at 5:30.
The Canucks came into this game trying to stop a 2 game losing streak while trying to reintroduce Booth and Kesler to the 2nd line. Chicago had the opportunity to tie the record for best start in the NHL, if they could pull off the win. Another thing: Most media outlets were convinced this would be a blood bath, but both Vancouver and Chicago are usually content to play skilled, smart hockey.
From the puck drop, it was a relay race for almost 5 minutes. After getting that out of their system, the play settled into back and forth zone play. Chicago held the puck in for almost 45 seconds at one point, and only Schneider's great cross net movement saved a goal. Shortly after, Daniel Sedin caught Chicago mid change and had a half breakaway (Defenceman was going to cut him off), forcing Daniel to take a quick shot and let Emery make an easy save. As the game progressed, the hit train took off down the tracks. Weise bowled over Dave Bolland (hurrah), and Brandon Bollig didn't like it. Bollig hit Weise 3 times before he could get his gloves off, and won the fight. Fortunately the ref had his head on straight, and gave Bollig an extra 2 minute penalty for instigating. Now, normally a powerplay helps your team. Both Hossa and Bolland had breakaways on the man advantage, but Schneider saved Hossa's and Bolland lifted the puck too high after putting Schneider on his belly.
Another breakaway was gift wrapped and presented with love to Patrick Sharp just after the 10 minute mark, but Schneider came out and took the shot away. Oh, what's this? ANOTHER BREAKAWAY?! Daniel Sedin snuck through the defense and had another shot at Crawford, but hit the inside of his pad. But don't fret, he capitalized 30 seconds later. On his way down the right wing, unchallenged, Daniel back handed the puck at the net, and it snuck through Emery's pads. Shots were 12-9 at the in favor of Vancouver at the end of the 1st.
After an incredibly evenly matched first period, Vancouver decided to shut down. Chicago dominated the first 5 minutes, and eventually tied it up. Kane entered the zone and dished to Sharp on the left wing, who ripped a slap shot past Schneider. The Canucks woke up a little after that, but it soon diminished. After Ballard took a penalty, Chicago hemmed in the Canucks for the majority of the powerplay. Schneider came across and made a save, but put himself totally out of position. Bieksa and Garrison put themselves down in front of the net, and Lappiere had to cross check a man out of the crease. Lappiere's cross check was considered a penalty, and that's where the Blackhawks took their lead. After breaking his stick blocking a shot, Chicago's powerplay unit was able to cycle with ease, and Hossa slapped in a cross ice pass. 3 and a half minutes later, Hossa made it 3-1. Hossa cut through Garrison and to the front of the net, and waited until Schneider was stretched out before tucking the puck in. In a last ditch attempt to tie it up before the end of the 2nd, the Sedins got the puck behind Emery but couldn't push it in. Chicago dominated the shots 16-6.
Nothing really changed in the 3rd for either side. Oh, Hansen became public enemy number one in Chicago. No doubt there's a bounty on his head by now. Early in the period, Hansen and Hossa both reached up to grab the puck, and Hansen's elbow collided with the back of Hossa's head. Hossa was down and didn't move for about a minute, and had to be escorted to the dressing room. The elbow certainly looked accidental, if only a little bit of a brain fart for Hansen, but Hossa didn't return to the game. For the remainder of the 3rd, the Blackhawks were completely dominant in puck control and scoring chances. Hansen was also shown some Illinois lovin', as he was boo'ed every time he stepped on the ice. Michal Rozsival took a penalty on Booth with 3 and a bit left, and Vancouver made them pay. Schneider was pulled to give the Canucks a 6 on 4, and Edler was tee'ed up for a perfect slap shot. Post and in. 3-2 Vancouver, 2:42 left in the game.
With just over a minute and a half left in the third, a faceoff in the Chicago zone, and Schneider is pulled. After having the puck tied up on the side boards, Daniel Sedin fed Bieksa cross ice, and with Burrows screening the puck flew over Emery's shoulder. Tie game, 1:01 left. And after playing an entirely flat 2nd and 3rd period, Vancouver forced their way in to OT in the last few minutes. 5 minutes worth of end to end rushes later, and we arrived in a shootout.
Toews: Tried to go fast and five hole, nope
Schroeder: Weaves in and tried a wrister blocker side, denied.
Kane: Had Schneider split, trickled 5 hole. Ref originally said no, but went under review. Goal.
Higgins: Pulled it in to his body with speed down the wing, wrister up high. Goal
Shaw: Came it at full speed, pulled it backhand. Goal.
Kesler: Skated in slowly, tried a wrister glove side. Nope.
Blackhawks win, and the Canucks have now lost 3 straight.
Tidbits:
- Booth: 10:57 ice time, had an assist on the Edler goal. Pretty good performance for his first game back
- Kesler: 21:08 ice time, was on the ice for the Edler goal. Slowly getting better, but isn't really doing anything in the shootout. His "skate in slowly and fire a wrist shot" doesn't fool anybody. Obviously still not fully back yet, but frustrated he's even in the shootout.
- Raymond: Cut to the net a few times, seems to be unafraid of being in close to big defenders.
- Schneider: Almost all the credit for the single point goes to Schneider. Faced 43 shots, 3 breakaways and tons of odd man rushes. .930 save percentage, stood on his head.
- Hansen: After his hit on Hossa, everyone wanted a piece of him. Didn't get intimidated, kept playing his role. Kudos to him.
- Defense: Terrible in regulation. Constantly let Chicago players split them, allowed 3 breakaways and too many odd man rushes to count. Tightened up nicely in OT.
- PP: 1/3. First 2 resulted in more chances for Chicago than Vancouver, but desperation was the only reason Vancouver capitalized on #3.
- PK: 4/5. Did it's job, did it well.
So expect a few more games like this, as Booth and Kesler still aren't playing their best. At the same time, Chicago is easily the best team in the league right now, and dominance on their part was expected.
Next game is on Thursday against Dallas at 5:30.
Sunday 17 February 2013
Game in Review: Blues 4 - Canucks 3 F/SO
Never have I seen a game played so well in one end and so terribly in another. Vancouver's goals were produced off of persistent plays, puck control and nifty passing. St Louis just took our turnovers and tucked them in the net. 3 and a half minutes in, a Blues miscue led to a Canucks powerplay for too many men on the ice, and Kesler's first goal of the season. After controlling the puck for most of the powerplay, Henrik shot a pass from the right wing to Daniel, who tipped it right to Kesler. Kesler took it mid stride and buried it blocker side on Allen from one knee. The next 10 minutes showed how equal the 2 teams were, with a whole load of hits and end to end rushes. Around the 13 minute mark, Kassian tried to feed Kesler at his own blue line, but the pass went behind Kesler and was intercepted by Jackman. The puck found it's way to Backes, and he fired it from 30 feet out on the right wing. Luongo couldn't control, the rebound, and found himself stuck like a turtle on his back, watching helplessly as T.J. Oshie buried the rebound.
With only a couple minutes left, Henrik accidently scored his first. Moving in on the net, Henrik dished beside him to Burrows, who gave it right back. The puck went off the heel of Henrik's stick, but was shoved in by Polak. Henrik really didn't want to score on this one. After passing to Burrows, he faded away from the net to let Burrows take the shot. And after the puck found it's was back to him, Henrik had his stick facing Burrows, like he was trying to pass again. But whatever, it's 2-1 Canucks. End of the 1st.
For whatever reason, both sides just erupted in the 2nd, and the refs responded in all the wrong ways. I'm not normally a ref-conspiracy guy, and just let bad calls slide. But this, this was the most 'turn a blind eye' officiating I've ever seen. It started when Backes ran right into Luongo. Lou had been standing as far into his net as he could when Backes nailed him, and the ref was staring right at him. No call. Raymond was tripped as both sides were lining up for a faceoff a few minutes later, and 4 pairs of officiating eyes couldn't be bothered to open. After that, the hit parade fired up. Hamhuis, normally a law abiding player, dumped Stewart in open ice when the puck was nowhere near them. Of course he got a penalty, and I agree with it, but it was just a sign of the Canucks frustrations. On that PK, Hansen went behind the Blues net and rammed the defender into the boards. While the defenceman was trying to get up, Hansen came around the net again, and had his stick held for a few seconds. Didn't end up hurting anyone, and just killed more time off the PK, but should've been called.
Asides from all that, the St. Louis did manage to tie the game up in the 2nd. Again, it came off of a Canuck turnover. Edler tried to find Hansen with a long pass from his own blue line, but Jackman picked it up, carried it into the Canucks zone and gave it to McDonald on the wing. McDonald passed cross ice to Tarasenko whose shot his the post and bounced right back to McDonald. With an empty net, he couldn't miss. Tie game.
Just a few minutes into the third, Volpatti and Reaves dropped the gloves. Reaves got more punches in, but Volpatti took him down in the end. After that, the Canucks in zone offense took off. At one point they had a solid 2 minutes of pressure from a few different lines, with the puck only ever making it a few feet out of the attacking zone. Despite the pressure, it was the Blues who came up with the lead. After coughing the puck up in the attacking zone, the Blues moved unchallenged into the Vancouver zone. Berglund carried the puck over the line, and passed off to Stewart whose shot went wide. Sobotka recovered it unchallenged from behind the net, and shot it from the side. The puck went off Berglund's butt and in. What a failure on Vancouver's part. St Louis moved in to the zone, recovered pucks and dominated the front of the net without so much as a fight from the 5, repeat 5, Canucks players in the zone. All 5 players were in the centre of their zone, pretty much standing still. Thank goodness that was the end of their crappy play for the game.
Vancouver regained it's fire, and continued to press on as the period wore down. Kesler was shoved from behind into the boards twice, which led to a 5 on 3. They were unable to capitalize but got another chance after Ian Cole took a holding call on Henrik with just over 4 minutes left to play. Late in the powerplay, Hamhuis' point shot found the front of the net, and the Blues defender cleared it right to a wide open Raymond. Raymond buried it, tie game with 1:47 left. Off to OT we go.
Again, the Canucks dominated the period. Shots over the 3rd and OT were 19-4 in favor of Vancouver. At one point, Burrows was sprung for a breakaway, but couldn't get the puck high enough on Allen as he attempted his favorite move. Eventually we went off to a shootout. Kesler, Burrows and Raymond were the shooters. but only Kesler and Burrows got a chance. Kesler's first attempt of the season was a shot low blocker side, and it trickled into the corner. Meanwhile, Oshie froze Luongo and snapped it 5-hole. Burrows tried to do the same, but was off by a few inches. McDonald finished the Canucks off, and put Vancouver on a 2 game losing streak going into a tough 4 game road trip.
Tidbits:
- Kassian: Demoted to the 3rd line as the game wore on. Didn't have a shot, was -1, 11:03 ice time . His bad pass led to the Blues first goal. Only 4 shots on goal in last 5 games. Going through Sedin withdrawal? Regardless, he needs to be able to produce without Henrik and Daniel spoon feeding him. Keep in mind he's only 22, and still has quite a bit of developing to do.
- Kesler: 1 goal, 2 shots, -2, 22:49 ice time. So much for slowly letting him back into his role. Needs to redevelop his defensive forward skills with Malhotra gone, reflected in him being on ice for 3 St Louis goals.
- PK: 2/2, did well keeping the puck out of their zone, kept it to the outside when it was in their zone.
- PP: 2/4, both units seem to be much better with Kesler back. Schroeder is more comfortable on 2nd line role, less ice time.
- Luongo: Not his sharpest game of the year, rebound control would've helped a lot, but so would less turnovers.
Next game is Tuesday against Chicago at 5:30.
So with both goalies coming off bad games, who do you start against Chicago? Luongo does well against the Blackhawks in the regular season, and Schneider's been good against them his whole career. I refuse to do another stats sheet to prove this.
With only a couple minutes left, Henrik accidently scored his first. Moving in on the net, Henrik dished beside him to Burrows, who gave it right back. The puck went off the heel of Henrik's stick, but was shoved in by Polak. Henrik really didn't want to score on this one. After passing to Burrows, he faded away from the net to let Burrows take the shot. And after the puck found it's was back to him, Henrik had his stick facing Burrows, like he was trying to pass again. But whatever, it's 2-1 Canucks. End of the 1st.
For whatever reason, both sides just erupted in the 2nd, and the refs responded in all the wrong ways. I'm not normally a ref-conspiracy guy, and just let bad calls slide. But this, this was the most 'turn a blind eye' officiating I've ever seen. It started when Backes ran right into Luongo. Lou had been standing as far into his net as he could when Backes nailed him, and the ref was staring right at him. No call. Raymond was tripped as both sides were lining up for a faceoff a few minutes later, and 4 pairs of officiating eyes couldn't be bothered to open. After that, the hit parade fired up. Hamhuis, normally a law abiding player, dumped Stewart in open ice when the puck was nowhere near them. Of course he got a penalty, and I agree with it, but it was just a sign of the Canucks frustrations. On that PK, Hansen went behind the Blues net and rammed the defender into the boards. While the defenceman was trying to get up, Hansen came around the net again, and had his stick held for a few seconds. Didn't end up hurting anyone, and just killed more time off the PK, but should've been called.
Asides from all that, the St. Louis did manage to tie the game up in the 2nd. Again, it came off of a Canuck turnover. Edler tried to find Hansen with a long pass from his own blue line, but Jackman picked it up, carried it into the Canucks zone and gave it to McDonald on the wing. McDonald passed cross ice to Tarasenko whose shot his the post and bounced right back to McDonald. With an empty net, he couldn't miss. Tie game.
Just a few minutes into the third, Volpatti and Reaves dropped the gloves. Reaves got more punches in, but Volpatti took him down in the end. After that, the Canucks in zone offense took off. At one point they had a solid 2 minutes of pressure from a few different lines, with the puck only ever making it a few feet out of the attacking zone. Despite the pressure, it was the Blues who came up with the lead. After coughing the puck up in the attacking zone, the Blues moved unchallenged into the Vancouver zone. Berglund carried the puck over the line, and passed off to Stewart whose shot went wide. Sobotka recovered it unchallenged from behind the net, and shot it from the side. The puck went off Berglund's butt and in. What a failure on Vancouver's part. St Louis moved in to the zone, recovered pucks and dominated the front of the net without so much as a fight from the 5, repeat 5, Canucks players in the zone. All 5 players were in the centre of their zone, pretty much standing still. Thank goodness that was the end of their crappy play for the game.
Vancouver regained it's fire, and continued to press on as the period wore down. Kesler was shoved from behind into the boards twice, which led to a 5 on 3. They were unable to capitalize but got another chance after Ian Cole took a holding call on Henrik with just over 4 minutes left to play. Late in the powerplay, Hamhuis' point shot found the front of the net, and the Blues defender cleared it right to a wide open Raymond. Raymond buried it, tie game with 1:47 left. Off to OT we go.
Again, the Canucks dominated the period. Shots over the 3rd and OT were 19-4 in favor of Vancouver. At one point, Burrows was sprung for a breakaway, but couldn't get the puck high enough on Allen as he attempted his favorite move. Eventually we went off to a shootout. Kesler, Burrows and Raymond were the shooters. but only Kesler and Burrows got a chance. Kesler's first attempt of the season was a shot low blocker side, and it trickled into the corner. Meanwhile, Oshie froze Luongo and snapped it 5-hole. Burrows tried to do the same, but was off by a few inches. McDonald finished the Canucks off, and put Vancouver on a 2 game losing streak going into a tough 4 game road trip.
Tidbits:
- Kassian: Demoted to the 3rd line as the game wore on. Didn't have a shot, was -1, 11:03 ice time . His bad pass led to the Blues first goal. Only 4 shots on goal in last 5 games. Going through Sedin withdrawal? Regardless, he needs to be able to produce without Henrik and Daniel spoon feeding him. Keep in mind he's only 22, and still has quite a bit of developing to do.
- Kesler: 1 goal, 2 shots, -2, 22:49 ice time. So much for slowly letting him back into his role. Needs to redevelop his defensive forward skills with Malhotra gone, reflected in him being on ice for 3 St Louis goals.
- PK: 2/2, did well keeping the puck out of their zone, kept it to the outside when it was in their zone.
- PP: 2/4, both units seem to be much better with Kesler back. Schroeder is more comfortable on 2nd line role, less ice time.
- Luongo: Not his sharpest game of the year, rebound control would've helped a lot, but so would less turnovers.
Next game is Tuesday against Chicago at 5:30.
So with both goalies coming off bad games, who do you start against Chicago? Luongo does well against the Blackhawks in the regular season, and Schneider's been good against them his whole career. I refuse to do another stats sheet to prove this.
Friday 15 February 2013
Game in Review: Stars 4 - Canucks 3
After about 6 months of rehab, Kesler made his 2013 season debut tonight against the Stars, and he didn't disappoint In the first period, he had over 5 minutes of ice time, 3 shots, went 2/4 in the faceoff circle and saw some time on both the Penalty Kill and Powerplay units. Although, he did wiff on a slap shot attempt from the point early on. Anyways, the 1st period was a cycle of rushes and decent in zone chances, filled with a good chunk of hits. It was constant until Reilly Smith got the go ahead goal off of a good wrist shot, and that would do it period number 1.
About 3 minutes into the 2nd, the Canucks managed to tie it up. After a beautiful give and go, Henrik hit Daniel with a short pass, and Daniel banked it off of Bachman and in. With that assist, Henrik tied Markus Naslund for the all time points record. 53 seconds later, Higgins gave Vancouver their first lead of the game. Weise fed Higgins at the point, who skated for a few seconds to get a clear shot before snapping it at the net. Poor Bachman was screened by Robidas, his own defender, and had it bounce off Robidas stick before deflecting 5 and a half minutes later, Henrik broke the record. Off of the rush, Henrik fed a perfect pass through the legs of the defender, right to Burrows who snapped it in. Daniel retrieved the puck for him, and he received a standing ovation that lasting for almost 2 minutes and well into the commercial break.
Somewhere near the middle of the second, the Canucks and Stars took a few brutal runs at each other, and the tensions climbed. In the last 5 minutes of the 2nd, the game exploded. Volpatti and Ryan Garbutt dropped the gloves right off of the faceoff, and Volpatti knocked him down with a punch to the face. On the next draw, 1 second later in hockey time, Lappiere and Fiddler threw down off the face off, and danced for a while before wrestling it out. Again, off the next face off, Weise and Nystrom ripped into each other with a flurry of punches, which Nystrom won. 3 fights in 3 box score seconds. With just over 2 minutes left, Daley fired a shot from 10 feet inside the blueline, Schneider couldn't control the rebound, and Eakin pushed it past him to make it 3-2, end of the 2nd.
The intensity died down only a little in the 3rd, there were no fights early on but everyone asides from the Sedins were throwing hits like they were going out of style. Bieksa made a terrible choice to pinch to get the puck in the offensive zone, and it led to a 3 on 1 that Schneider managed to handle. Schneider made another couple of brilliant saves on the PK a few minutes later, and the third rolled on. Around 8 minutes in, the Stars crashed the crease on the rush, and Roussel pushed the puck through Schneider's pads to tie it at 3. After that, the game slowed down until the 3 minute mark. On a delayed penalty, Jamie Benn shot the puck cross ice to Brenden Dillon who buried it. 4-3 Stars, 3:01 left to play. After a few seconds, it wound down to a face off in the Dallas zone, after an icing call, goalie pulled, 11 seconds left. Henrik won the face off, but Hamhuis' shot was stopped and the puck was tied up in the corner until the buzzer rang. Kesler slashed a Benn after the horn, and a little face washing took place, but nothing serious. Game over, 4-3 Dallas.
Tidbits:
- Aaron Rome returns to Vancouver for the first time since being dropped at free agency
- Canucks drop a 2 goal lead again.
- Daniel Sedin is 4th in all time Canucks points at 728, only 29 from becoming 2nd all time, with no active player within 300 points of him. Needless to say, both twins will stay at the top of that list for a while.
- Kesler: 17:27 ice time, 4 hits, 4 shots, 1 assist but -1 in the +/- department. 75% in the faceoff circle. Not a bad start to a season, but could've been a heck of a lot better
- PK: 4/4. Played solid, improved off of their flaws from last game.
- PP: 0/3 Looked a lot slicker with Kesler back on the first unit, able to hold the puck in a little better but still a few problems gaining the zone.
Expect games like this for the next little while. Thankfully, they shouldn't be as bad because the Sedins seem to have found their groove, but it'll take some time for both Kesler and Booth to get their groove back.
Next game is Sunday against St. Louis at 6.
Thursday 14 February 2013
Malhotra, Kesler and what the next month brings.
Malhotra hasn't attended the last few practices, and hasn't been working out with the team for some time now. It was revealed this morning that Malhotra has been placed on Injured Reserve, and will not play for the remainder of the 2012-13 season. GM Mike Gillis described it as being one of the hardest decisions of his career. Malhotra's contract expires this year, and Gillis also revealed that they are looking for a position for him within the team. So, Malhotra's playing days are over. The timing couldn't be more perfect, but his defensive draw perfection will be missed.
On a happier note, Ryan Kesler has been cleared medically to play. Coach AV had him playing with Higgins and Kassian in practice, as well as back on the first Power Play unit. Nothing official has been released, but it is believed he will play either tomorrow against Dallas or Sunday against the Blues. Either way, his minutes will be limited and he will have to ease his way back into the lineup. The combination of Higgins and Kassian on his wings will guarantee he is kept relatively safe from shenanigans and heavy hits.
With Kesler returning, Booth should be close behind. I expect he will start on the 2nd line, and catch some 2nd line Power Play time with Schroeder and Kassian.
Speaking of Schroeder, I'd like to point out that so far, I am right. With Malhotra out, Schroeder's position as 3rd line center is secure for the season. I would like to make a tiny revision to my lineup predictions, and say that Raymond will stay. With Booth and Kesler back, there's no desperate need for Volpatti. So here's what I think:
Sedins-Sedin-Burrows
Booth-Kesler-Kassian
Raymond-Schroeder-Hansen
Higgins-Lappiere-Weise
Yes, Higgins is on the 4th line. But because Schroeder is so young and the 3rd line is so young, they will only be played in situations where they're not up against the biggest players the opposition has. The 3rd and 4th will likely play equal minutes for the rest of the season. Plus, with Kesler and Booth being slowly re-integrated into the team, and the Sedins having a very typical slow start, the very capable 3rd and 4th lines will be expected to pick up the slack for the next few weeks.
Now onto the long term stuff. So far, the Canucks have played easier teams, most of whom have been divisional foes. But the upcoming games are against much tougher teams who are used to fighting tooth and nail for each point, not slicing through their division like the Canucks are. Take a look at the next few weeks:
02/15 - Canucks vs Stars
02/17 - Canucks vs Blues
02/19 - Canucks at Blackhawks
02/21 - Canucks at Stars
02/22 - Canucks at Predators
02/24 - Canucks at Red Wings
02/26 - Canucks vs Coyotes
Heck of a time to bring Kesler and Booth back. Neither will be playing very well for at least 2 weeks, and in that time they'll face the best of the Central division, and Dallas (who are playing just above .500 hockey). The Central division seems like it's going to be the dominant group in the West this year, headed by the Blackhawks, who are still unbeaten in regulation (10-0-3). Detroit, Nashville and St. Louis have all played pretty good hockey, and are with in one point of each other in the standings, and 7-8 points each behind Chicago. Wouldn't be an easy trip with Kesler, Booth and the Sedins at peak performance, never mind playing like it's an exhibition game. Unless they get their game on right off the bat, I can the Canucks coming off this road trip with seriously bruised egos.
Anyways, there's my 2 cents. Next game is tomorrow against the Stars at 7.
On a happier note, Ryan Kesler has been cleared medically to play. Coach AV had him playing with Higgins and Kassian in practice, as well as back on the first Power Play unit. Nothing official has been released, but it is believed he will play either tomorrow against Dallas or Sunday against the Blues. Either way, his minutes will be limited and he will have to ease his way back into the lineup. The combination of Higgins and Kassian on his wings will guarantee he is kept relatively safe from shenanigans and heavy hits.
With Kesler returning, Booth should be close behind. I expect he will start on the 2nd line, and catch some 2nd line Power Play time with Schroeder and Kassian.
Speaking of Schroeder, I'd like to point out that so far, I am right. With Malhotra out, Schroeder's position as 3rd line center is secure for the season. I would like to make a tiny revision to my lineup predictions, and say that Raymond will stay. With Booth and Kesler back, there's no desperate need for Volpatti. So here's what I think:
Sedins-Sedin-Burrows
Booth-Kesler-Kassian
Raymond-Schroeder-Hansen
Higgins-Lappiere-Weise
Yes, Higgins is on the 4th line. But because Schroeder is so young and the 3rd line is so young, they will only be played in situations where they're not up against the biggest players the opposition has. The 3rd and 4th will likely play equal minutes for the rest of the season. Plus, with Kesler and Booth being slowly re-integrated into the team, and the Sedins having a very typical slow start, the very capable 3rd and 4th lines will be expected to pick up the slack for the next few weeks.
Now onto the long term stuff. So far, the Canucks have played easier teams, most of whom have been divisional foes. But the upcoming games are against much tougher teams who are used to fighting tooth and nail for each point, not slicing through their division like the Canucks are. Take a look at the next few weeks:
02/15 - Canucks vs Stars
02/17 - Canucks vs Blues
02/19 - Canucks at Blackhawks
02/21 - Canucks at Stars
02/22 - Canucks at Predators
02/24 - Canucks at Red Wings
02/26 - Canucks vs Coyotes
Heck of a time to bring Kesler and Booth back. Neither will be playing very well for at least 2 weeks, and in that time they'll face the best of the Central division, and Dallas (who are playing just above .500 hockey). The Central division seems like it's going to be the dominant group in the West this year, headed by the Blackhawks, who are still unbeaten in regulation (10-0-3). Detroit, Nashville and St. Louis have all played pretty good hockey, and are with in one point of each other in the standings, and 7-8 points each behind Chicago. Wouldn't be an easy trip with Kesler, Booth and the Sedins at peak performance, never mind playing like it's an exhibition game. Unless they get their game on right off the bat, I can the Canucks coming off this road trip with seriously bruised egos.
Anyways, there's my 2 cents. Next game is tomorrow against the Stars at 7.
Tuesday 12 February 2013
Game in Review: Canucks 2 - Wild 1
In what has become a bit of a tradition, Vancouver didn't register a shot until past 5 minutes in to the first period. Part of that was due to a Garrison penalty just over a minute in to the first, but the Canucks have struggled getting into the offensive zone, period. A few minutes past the 10 minute mark of the first, Vancouver drew first blood. Hamhuis fed Kassian just outside the blue line, and Kassian streaked in and fed a perfect pass from the face off circle to Bieksa, who was flying down the centre lane, and tapped it in. This was a powerplay goal, but it was generated off the rush and had more to do with speed than a man advantage.
Vancouver's penalty kill played a few times in the first, and Minnesota figured out how to crack it. They figured out that if they tempt the defenders with a puck in the corner, it opens up a man in front. Luckily, Luongo stood tall and saved his teams' butt. With about 5 minutes left in the period, the Lappiere line held the puck in for a solid minute, and even pulled off a change mid cycle. Then with about 3 minutes left, Burrows split the defense at centre ice and pulled off on a breakaway. Thanks to a wobbling puck, he was unable to put the puck over Darcy Kuemper's pad.
Vancouver's defensive ability showed off early in the second, as the Canucks held Minnesota to 0 shots in the period until past the 10 minute mark. At about that time, the Schroeder line looked like the Sedins re-incarnated. After Schroeder and Raymond dug the puck out of the corner, Raymond toe dragged around the defender and pulled the puck to the point, then passed cross ice to Ballard. Ballard made a perfect cross ice pass to Hansen, who was wide open in front and roofed it to make it 2-0. A little later, Falk hit Daniel Sedin from behind into the boards, which led to Lappiere, Tanev, and Kassian giving him a good ol' fashioned face washing and a Lappiere penalty.
On this penalty, the Wild capitalized on their new knowledge of the Canucks PK weakness. Cullen pulled the puck out of the corner and fed a wide open Setoguchi in front of the net, who pulled it wide and shot it past Luongo to cut the Canucks lead in half. As the game got tougher and nastier, Kassian played a few shifts with the Sedins to straighten out the likes of Clutterbuck. Feeling left out of the toughness game, Raymond decided to flatten an unknown Wild player in the neutral zone, then run the goalie moments later in an attempt to knock the puck in. Bravo, Raymond.
A couple of quick, back to back, chances by both teams marked the beginning of the 3rd. Couple of heavy hits on both sides, and a few scary moments. The Wild all but dominated 15 minutes of play after the first minute, as the Canucks seemed to be comfy with their one goal lead. With a little over a minute left in the third, Minnesota pulled their goalie, and forced Luongo to stand on his head. Fortunately, he played like he has all year and the Canucks pulled off the win.
Tidbits:
- Henrik Sedin doesn't register a point, is still one point behind Naslund for the all time lead in points.
- Ebbett replaced Malhotra in this game, who wasn't available due to 'personal reasons'
- Malhotra hasn't been skating with the team, and has been mostly working out off ice
- Josh Harding, who was supposed to play this game, was replaced by Darcy Kuemper. Harding has MS, and had a negative reaction to some new medicine he took.
- PK: Good in terms of stats, but the Wild had them figured out. On the other hand, plenty of short handed chances by Vancouver.
- Powerplay: Cannot. Get. The. Puck. In. The. Zone. Had some success on the rush and off faceoff's, but no luck otherwise
- Sometime you've gotta admire the sense of humor these guys have. At one point, a Konopka stole Burrows glove as he went onto the bench, then tossed it back on to the ice just to see Burrows fish for it with his stick from the bench. Pure gold.
- Luongo's shutout streak against Minnesota snapped at 228 minutes.
Next game is Friday against the Stars at 7.
Vancouver's penalty kill played a few times in the first, and Minnesota figured out how to crack it. They figured out that if they tempt the defenders with a puck in the corner, it opens up a man in front. Luckily, Luongo stood tall and saved his teams' butt. With about 5 minutes left in the period, the Lappiere line held the puck in for a solid minute, and even pulled off a change mid cycle. Then with about 3 minutes left, Burrows split the defense at centre ice and pulled off on a breakaway. Thanks to a wobbling puck, he was unable to put the puck over Darcy Kuemper's pad.
Vancouver's defensive ability showed off early in the second, as the Canucks held Minnesota to 0 shots in the period until past the 10 minute mark. At about that time, the Schroeder line looked like the Sedins re-incarnated. After Schroeder and Raymond dug the puck out of the corner, Raymond toe dragged around the defender and pulled the puck to the point, then passed cross ice to Ballard. Ballard made a perfect cross ice pass to Hansen, who was wide open in front and roofed it to make it 2-0. A little later, Falk hit Daniel Sedin from behind into the boards, which led to Lappiere, Tanev, and Kassian giving him a good ol' fashioned face washing and a Lappiere penalty.
On this penalty, the Wild capitalized on their new knowledge of the Canucks PK weakness. Cullen pulled the puck out of the corner and fed a wide open Setoguchi in front of the net, who pulled it wide and shot it past Luongo to cut the Canucks lead in half. As the game got tougher and nastier, Kassian played a few shifts with the Sedins to straighten out the likes of Clutterbuck. Feeling left out of the toughness game, Raymond decided to flatten an unknown Wild player in the neutral zone, then run the goalie moments later in an attempt to knock the puck in. Bravo, Raymond.
A couple of quick, back to back, chances by both teams marked the beginning of the 3rd. Couple of heavy hits on both sides, and a few scary moments. The Wild all but dominated 15 minutes of play after the first minute, as the Canucks seemed to be comfy with their one goal lead. With a little over a minute left in the third, Minnesota pulled their goalie, and forced Luongo to stand on his head. Fortunately, he played like he has all year and the Canucks pulled off the win.
Tidbits:
- Henrik Sedin doesn't register a point, is still one point behind Naslund for the all time lead in points.
- Ebbett replaced Malhotra in this game, who wasn't available due to 'personal reasons'
- Malhotra hasn't been skating with the team, and has been mostly working out off ice
- Josh Harding, who was supposed to play this game, was replaced by Darcy Kuemper. Harding has MS, and had a negative reaction to some new medicine he took.
- PK: Good in terms of stats, but the Wild had them figured out. On the other hand, plenty of short handed chances by Vancouver.
- Powerplay: Cannot. Get. The. Puck. In. The. Zone. Had some success on the rush and off faceoff's, but no luck otherwise
- Sometime you've gotta admire the sense of humor these guys have. At one point, a Konopka stole Burrows glove as he went onto the bench, then tossed it back on to the ice just to see Burrows fish for it with his stick from the bench. Pure gold.
- Luongo's shutout streak against Minnesota snapped at 228 minutes.
Next game is Friday against the Stars at 7.
Monday 11 February 2013
Luongo doesn't suck against Minnesota
So Luongo will get the start tomorrow against Minnesota. Cue the 'Luongo sucks against Minnesota' posts. NO. In his career, Luongo has played 29 games against Minnesota. Believe it or not, he actually has a winning record against them. I present to you: What I did with my Monday afternoon. Enjoy.
So here's Luongo's career against Minnesota with the Canucks, viewed overall. If you've never run across a chart like this, here's a handy little guide: GP = Games Played, Record is broken down into Wins-Losses-OT/SO Losses, GA is Goals Against and GAA is Goals Against Average.
Right away, you should notice his record at home is much better than his record in Minnesota. But his away record doesn't matter, because he's going to be playing at home, where he plays much better.
Basically the same thing, just broken down by year. He's played much better in recent years, but he's also played way less games.
So here's Luongo's career against Minnesota with the Canucks, viewed overall. If you've never run across a chart like this, here's a handy little guide: GP = Games Played, Record is broken down into Wins-Losses-OT/SO Losses, GA is Goals Against and GAA is Goals Against Average.
Career against Minnesota, Overall:
GP
|
Record
|
Save %
|
GA
|
GAA
|
|
Career:
|
29
|
15-10-4
|
.887
|
79
|
2.72
|
Home:
|
18
|
12-3-3
|
.934
|
36
|
2
|
Away:
|
11
|
3-7-1
|
.840
|
40
|
3.64
|
Right away, you should notice his record at home is much better than his record in Minnesota. But his away record doesn't matter, because he's going to be playing at home, where he plays much better.
Career against Minnesota, Broken Down by Year:
Season
|
GP
|
Record
|
Save %
|
GA
|
GAA
|
2011/12
|
2
|
2-0-0
|
1.00
|
0
|
0
|
2010/11
|
3
|
2-1-0
|
.873
|
8
|
2.67
|
2009/10
|
5
|
3-2-0
|
.868
|
18
|
3.60
|
2008/09
|
4
|
3-0-1
|
.930
|
7
|
1.75
|
2007/08
|
7
|
2-4-1
|
.885
|
20
|
2.86
|
2006/07
|
8
|
3-3-2
|
.898
|
26
|
3.25
|
Basically the same thing, just broken down by year. He's played much better in recent years, but he's also played way less games.
Career against Minnesota, Home Games only
Season
|
GP
|
Record
|
Save %
|
GA
|
GAA
|
2011/12
|
2
|
2-0-0
|
1.00
|
0
|
0
|
2010/11
|
2
|
2-0-0
|
.972
|
2
|
1
|
2009/10
|
3
|
3-0-0
|
.920
|
6
|
2
|
2008/09
|
3
|
2-0-1
|
.916
|
6
|
2
|
2007/08
|
4
|
1-2-1
|
.885
|
10
|
2.50
|
2006/07
|
4
|
2-1-1
|
.909
|
12
|
3
|
Just to prove my point, he currently has an 8 game win streak going against the Wild at Rogers Arena, as well as a 2 game shutout streak at home. On top of that, over the last 3 seasons Luongo has only let in an average of 1 goal per game. This, not even counting his play this season, is enough to justify his starting tomorrow night.
Career against Minnesota, Away Games only
Season
|
GP
| Record |
Save %
|
GA
|
GAA
|
2011/12
|
0
|
0-0-0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2010/11
|
1
|
0-1-0
|
.677
|
6
|
6
|
2009/10
|
2
|
0-2-0
|
.791
|
11
|
3.60
|
2008/09
|
1
|
1-0-0
|
.971
|
1
|
1
|
2007/08
|
3
|
1-2-0
|
.885
|
8
|
2.67
|
2006/07
|
4
|
1-2-1
|
.887
|
14
|
3.50
|
Now this, this is where the crap hits the fan. This is the blemish on his record. This is what the media and fans point to when arguing against his start. Last year, he didn't play a single game in Minnesota. The year before that, only one, and he let in six goals. Before that, only 2 starts which led to 6-2 and 5-2 losses. For whatever reason, he just can't keep his cool in Minnesota. But this isn't something recent, Luongo's Minnesota Curse goes back to his first days as a Canucks, so you can't point to these stats and say he's going under. Even when he was at his best, he just couldn't keep it together in the Excel Energy Center. But all of that is invalid, throw it out the window, because it doesn't matter. What matters is his home record, which is where he'll be playing tomorrow night.
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