Game in Review: Canucks at Sharks, R1G4, May 7/13

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.

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. 

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.

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.