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.

The Vancouver Canucks: A Bandwagoners Guide

Inspired by Pass it to Bulis' "Bandwagon Fan Cheat Sheet," here's my "Bandwagoners Guide to the Canucks"

It's that time of year, Canucks fans! That's right, its the playoffs!

Now, most of you don't have the time or patience to follow the Canucks through an 82 (or 48) game season.  That's OK, I'm not here to judge. (Well, maybe a little) In fact, I'm here to bring you up to speed.

I'm sure you've heard by now that the Canucks are facing the Sharks in round 1 of the playoffs. No? Well you know now. That's easy enough. But what about the players? And who do you blame for the good/bad things happening? Below is everything you'll need to keep you out of an awkward conversation with someone who knows more about hockey than you do.

The Canucks are Winning:

 - Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler. Memorize those names, people. When the Canucks are winning, just mentioning any of these 3 names in the sentence "_______ is playing really well tonight" will gain you respect amongst your peers.

 - Low scoring game? I've still got you covered, buddy! Talk about how well Hamhuis has done with Garrison, or how improved Tanev is this year. Maybe mention that Edler looks pretty solid this post season. If Schneider is in goal, talk about how incredible he's been. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT mention Roberto Luongo. That'll open up a whole new can of worm. See "Emergency Situations" below.

The Canucks are Losing:

When the crap hits the fan, every fan has a scapegoat. For a lot of people, it's either Alain Vigneault (Head Coach) or Mike Gillis (General Manager). I'm guilty of hoping on this bandwagon occasionally. But if you wanna look a little more edumacated and what not, you should have some players on that list, too.

 - Keith Ballard: A $4 million healthy scratch, who occasionally plays on the 3rd defense pairing or the 4th offensive line. If he's playing, scream  "WHY THE %#@* IS KEITH BALLARD PLAYING IN THE PLAYOFFS?!" If he's in the press box, scream "WHY THE %#@* IS KEITH BALLARD SITTING IN THE PRESS BOX, IN THE PLAYOFFS?!" Fairly simple.

 - Zack Kassian: Still a fairly young player, who could be the next Todd Bertuzzi (tough guy who can score). Didn't live up to the fans ridiculous expectations. If he's with the Sedins, say he deserves to be on the fourth line. Coincidentally, if he's on the fourth, make a fuss about him not playing 30 + minutes per game and scoring 40 goals en route to a cup win. 

 - Mason Raymond: 2nd or 3rd liner who just isn't the same player after breaking his back in the Cup Finals 2 years ago. Complain about how he needs to be traded, or that he just simply needs to get over his fear of going into corners.

 EMERGENCY SITUATIONS:

While the above should get you through any normal situation, you may encounter a few "Danger Zones." Heres the most lethal, and how to handle them.

Someone Mentions the Goaltending Problem:

For those of you who have been hiding under a rock for the past year, Cory Schneider has ousted Roberto Luongo as #1 goaltender for the Canucks. But the Canucks failed to trade off Luongo, leaving us with a $6 million backup. 

If anything is mentioned about the goaltending problem, the best thing to do is run. Far, far away. Everyone and their dog has an opinion on who deserves the starter spot, what's fair, and why. You'll get trapped in a never ending cycle of useless opinions. But worse: you'll get flustered, lose your composure, and start talking about how useful Ballard would be at Kesler's side.

This is the only real emergency situation, but should be avoided at all costs.

What to do with this Information:

Now you may be thinking, "Jon, I just read and memorized your advice, now what?" You can:

 - Pretend to know more than other fans, act all smug about it, probably get beat up because of it.

 - Become a blogger, also pretending to know more than others, but publishing it.

 - Use it sparingly, so as to blend in and not look like a fool.

Your choice.

Canucks vs Blackhawks, Apr 22/13

With a single point tonight, Vancouver can clinch the Northwest Division for the fifth year in a row. But easily the story of the game: 20 year defenseman old Frankie Corrado plays his first NHL game tonight. Corrado spent his season in the CHL between the Sudbury Wolves and Kitchener Rangers, and played 3 games for the AHL Chicago Wolves before his NHL call up against the Blackhawks. Bit of a trial by fire, don't you think?

Lots of lineup changes tonight, as Ballard joined the injured defenseman list and Higgins returned after missing 6 games. Burrows played with the Sedins, while Kesler tried his hand at the wing with Higgins and Roy on the 2nd. Lapierre centred the 3rd line with Raymond and Hansen, while Sestito, Ebbett and Kassian brought up the 4th. On the defensive side, Hamhuis and Garrison manned the first unit, Corrado played on the 2nd with Edler, while Alberts and Barker brought up the third.

Just minutes in, Roy and Higgins showed why they belong on a line together. Breaking into the zone, Roy's pass beat the defense and hit Higgins, whose shot was just barely stopped by a sprawling Crawford. For close to 10 minutes, the Canucks absolutely dominated play. Actually, scratch that. They dominated the entire first, but it just doesn't work for what I wanted to write. Anyways, the Canucks defense held the Blackhawks out of the middle, and were able to keep the puck away from the net more often than not. With 6 minutes left in the first, Hjalmarsson went for a hit on Daniel Sedin with his elbow up, but Daniel ducked it. The ref saw it, the Canucks went to the powerplay for the 2nd time. On the ensuing power play  Garrisons shot from the point hit Oduya, then went off Hansens skate and in. Like I mentioned earlier, complete dominance of the first period for the Canucks. 1-0 Canucks after 1, shots 11-5 in favor of the good guys.

Vancouver had no problem maintaining their dominance in the 2nd, as they continued to outplay the Blackhawks in every aspect. Early on, Henrik found Higgins with a great 2 line slap pass. Higgins slid a perfect pass to a streaking Burrows, who tipped the puck on net but couldn't beat Crawford. A little past the 10 minute mark of the period, Kassian took a few shifts with the Sedins, and he sure deserved. After Kassian chipped the puck in deep to Daniel, the Sedins did their incredible cycle-and-confuse routine. Daniel found Kassian in front, who pushed off his man and beat Crawford 5 hole.

With that assist, Daniel surpassed Naslund to become 2nd all time in Canucks points, second to only brother Henrik. With just a few minutes left in the period, the Hawks put up their best effort of the game on a 4 on 4. But you know what happens when the Sedins get a little room? Miracles. Henrik banked the puck from his own zone all the way up to Daniel in the neutral zone. With only Keith even close to him, Daniel took off, pulled forehand-backhand on Crawford, then lifted it back hand over Crawford. Words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful it was. Here, watch it over and over again. 3-0 Canucks after 40, shots 20-14 Vancouver.

I shouldn't even write a review for the third. Why? Because the Canucks did the exact same thing they did the first two periods. Dominance. Unfortunately, Schneider didn't get a shutout, because Sestito. Did I just use Sestito as a verb? Yes. Yes I did. After Schneider made 2 great stops in a row, the puck bounced to Sestito behind the net. Now, instead of clearing the puck to the side with nobody on it, Sestito cleared to the side with the ref. The puck bounced off the ref, and straight to Carcillo at the front, who backhanded it past Schneider. Again, can't blame the ref. He'd been there for quite a while already, and Sestito needed to be looking where he was clearing. Other than that, nothing big. Game over, Canucks 3, Blackhawks 1. Final shots 32-25.

Tidbits:

 - PP: 1/5 Just takes time to warm up. First one was all over the place, but 2nd and ensuing were able to control puck much better.
 - PK: 2/2 Weren't able to get the puck out of the zone, Schneider bailed them out.

 - Sedins: Spectacular, best they've played all season. And of course:

It took Daniel Sedin 905 games to pass M. Naslund on all-time Canucks scoring list. It also took Henrik 905 games as well. Of course it did.
— TC Carling (@TC_Carling) April 23, 2013

 - Corrado: Calm and cool under pressure. I wasn't sure he was ready (not that 1 game is a proper measuring stick), but seems like he could be a defensive staple next year. 17:20 TOI, 3 hits, 1 blocked shot.
 - Garrison: If his shot doesn't hit the net, it takes someone out in front. Love it.

Canucks vs Red Wings, April 20/13

Historically, a Canucks vs Red Wings game is like the 2011 Cup Finals. Either it's a close win for the Canucks, or a total blowout win for the Wings. With a single point tonight, Vancouver can clinch a playoff spot. Couple of lineup changes tonight, but no one returns yet from the injury list. Kesler centred the second line between Raymond and Kassian, while Roy returned to centre the 3rd line with Ebbett and Hansen. Higgins will most likely take Ebbett's spot once he returns. On the defensive side, Alberts was bumped to the second pairing with Edler, and Barker was put on the third with Ballard. Higgins is supposed to be returning for Monday's game against the Hawks, while Bieksa and Tanev are to return before the playoffs start. Booth has no return date.

Spot on with the last 3 games, the Canucks let the first period rest on Schneider. Wasn't much action in the beginning, more end to end hockey than intense zone play, but by the 10 minute mark the Wings had a 6-1 shot advantage. And it wasn't that the Canucks weren't trying. No, they just seemed... Uncoordinated? Vancouver had their best chance to capitalize, on a 5 on 3 powerplay midway through the first. They didn't score with a 2 man advantage, but they managed to get one past Howard before the second penalty expired. After Roy won the initial faceoff, Hamhuis fed Edler with a cross ice pass, and he blasted it past a screened Howard.

Despite the goal, the Canucks were playing like it was a charity game. On a defensive miscue, Cleary snuck behind Elder on a breakaway. Thankfully, Cleary missed by a mile, but it goes to show how out of sync they are. Later in the period, on an Edler, penalty, Burrows got a great short handed chance. After poking the puck off the sideboards, Burrows pushed past the defense and cut to the center on Howard. But because Howard was out so far, Burrows ended up tripping over him and couldn't finish his deke. It looked like Vancouver would take the lead to the dressing room, but then with 21 seconds left, Brunner beat Hamhuis to a loose puck on the sideboards. Brunners shot, not all that hard, was tipped by Emmerton just in front of Schneider. It squeaked 5 hole, and put the Wings on the board. Through 20, tied at 1. Shots 9-4 in favor of the bad guys.

The Sedins seemed to be the only ones trying in the second, but they had nothing to show for it. Lot's of good puck movement, lots of chances, but no goals. Towards the midway mark, the fury of Ballard showed itself for the first time since St Louis. After being dumped in the corner by Abdelkader, Ballard came charging back and pretty much sat on him in front of the net for a good 30 seconds. After an exchange of cross checks, the pair dropped the gloves. I'd give the fight to Abdelkader, who landed more punches but was the first down. Later, Franzen beat the living daylights out of Daniel Sedin in front of the Vancouver net. Franzen had a good 10 seconds to cross check poor Daniel before the Swedish Mafia arrived. Franzen received 2 penalties, Burrows got 1. Despite the advantage, the only real chance on the powerplay came from an individual effort on the rush by Kesler.

By the 30 minute mark of the game, Vancouver had just 2 even strength shots, and 5 on the powerplay. If you can't math, that's 7. 7 shots in 30 minutes. Gives you an indication of where this game is going. Second period over, still tied at 1. Shots 13-11 for the Wings.

Thankfully, we got one good period of hockey out of this game. Unforunately, it was pretty one sided in favor of the wings. Schneider was forced to be sharp more than once, and got lucky more than once. In one case, Datsyuks shot went off Hamhuis' skate, off Schneiders stick and off the crossbar. At the other end, one of the few Canuck chances of the third, Roy did the crossbar on a wide open net. In the final six minutes, Vancouver was under siege. Schneider became a one man, show, stopping pucks and clearing them  before the Wings could pounce. Somewhere in there, Ballard sustained an injury and left to the dressing room. Somehow, the Canucks made it to the final buzzer and OT. With that one point, the Canucks clinched a playoff spot.

More of the same in OT, as Schneider became a freaking brick wall. No goals, off to the shootout!

Up first, Kesler! Fast up the middle, tries moving to the right and 5 hole... Stopped by the pad.
Datsyuk: Dipsy Doodles up the centre, tries to flip it over Schneider.... Bobbles it.
Roy: In from the left, tries to move to the right, in too close... Pokechecked
Zetterberg: Fake shot, tries to deke backhand... Stopped by the pad
Lapierre: In slow, left to right, sudden change to the left again, backhand shot... SCORES! Over a sprawling Howard!
Brunner: In fast, tries to shot 5 hole... stopped by the paddle.

Canucks win! They didn't deserve it, but it STILL counts!

Tidbits:

 - PP: 1/4 Terrible. Spent the whole time chasing the puck. Only goal was off of a faceoff.
 - PK:3/3  Good at getting puck out, and putting it deep in Red Wings zone.

 - Defense: Will be better when Edler/Ballard can both be on their left sides again. Bieksa and Tanev are supposed to be back before the playoffs start.
 - Schneider: Again, only reason we won. Didn't do bad with his stickhandling either.
 - Kassian/Raymond: Didn't notice them, even with increased minutes. Bad sign, when Kesler was on for most of the game.

Next game is Monday, April 22nd vs the Blackhawks.