Canucks end losing skid

A 4-3 win over the Hurricanes! Has Vigneault found his meal ticket for a 2nd line in Sundin-Demitra-Kesler? MAYBE!
I'm not going to analyze this game. We damned well won it, and the losing streak is over. Sundin looked great out there. So did the whiner Demitra and of course the excellent Kesler, who finally got his promotion and didn't look out of place.
Jump back on the bandwagon you fools! :)
Nah, I'll leave you with a tune. End of fucking story..

Wild 4 Canucks 3: This ain't good, but it's getting better

PERIOD 1

Turnovers.
Fragility.
Team tentativeness.
Aggressive play but being penalized for it.
Boo'd all over the ice.
That was period 1, as the Wild lead 2-0.
Kyle Clutterbuck got under the Canucks' skin. What a pain in the ass he is.

You can see the difference between the 2 teams. The Wild lost to the Oilers last night, yet they waltz into GM Place and play a really confident and loose first period. The Canucks are forcing every play.
I'd have to give the Sedin-Pyatt line some props in period 1. They were pretty solid.

PERIOD 2
Well, then Clutterbuck (I call him Clusterfuck) gets too aggressive and takes a boarding major on Alex Burrows. Game misconduct. The Canucks took over the momentum from that point. The Canucks had over 7 shots on the 5 minute PP but scored not.
Ryan Kesler had to crash through Niklas Backstrom to cut the Wild lead to 2-1.
When the Wild started putting on pressure, Luongo made a massive blocker save on Bouchard. That looked like Kiprussoff's save from yesterday. Wow.
Canucks outshot the Wild 13-7 in that period. They looked a lot better.
It's going to be tough to beat the Wild's trap. But it's not impossible.

PERIOD 3 and OT
The Canucks just kept coming. They wouldn't let up on the Wild at all. Yet Minnesota played their trapping style and prevailed. But not by much. Kesler tied the game with 15 seconds left after roofing a shot over Backstrom. But a Dank Sedin received a marginal hooking call in OT and MA Bergeron made the Canucks pay. When I say marginal, I mean that Sedin was trying to poke the puck to his brother who was still in the Wild zone. The Wild player did a 180 while falling. Alain Vigneault called it a dive in his post game presser.
Mike Milbury made a good point post game about the Canucks shooting low on Backstrom for most of the night. Backstrom will eat those up on most occasions. Gotta roof that puck more, boys!

MISC

Alain Vigneault sat Mats Sundin on the bench on the 6 on 4 for the Canucks near the end of the game. He stated post game that Sundin has to be better, and he is right. Sundin showed a few flashes tonight but was outplayed by nearly everybody. Eventually he is going to be better. Eventually.

Yeah, the Canucks find ways to lose. I thought they lost this mostly in the first period. They were too tentative and the Wild made them pay, being up 2-0 after 1 period. The Canucks fought back but never had a lead. You can't go down 2-0 like that to the Wild.

As much as Canuck life is stinky right now, I'll take the 1 point in the OT loss.

The penalty kill needs a bit of work. It wasn't terrible, but just not quite there. The Wild scored 2 PP goals tonight. So did Ryan Kesler, actually.

To all of you who bash the trap...I disagree with you. I saw Minny play it tonight and it's excellent. Just get a lead and trap, trap trap. The Wild forced turnovers while trapping and capitalized. Reminds me of how Vancouver played at one time....

The Canucks are "on the cusp of turning it around" as Kelly Hrudey mentioned. It's just too bad that the next 2 games against Carolina and then Chicago are at home. It would be great for them to get out on the road. I'd like to point out that the GM Place crowd sounded a lot better tonight. They picked up the noise level as the Canucks picked up their intensity level. But still, that is a pressure cooker of a place to play in when the team struggles.

We wanted the Canucks to shoot more and they did. 40 shots to the Wild's 27. Damn you, Backstrom!

BOXSCORE and HIGHLIGHTS

T Tags: Canucks+Wild+game+review January+31+2009 Sundin+pressure slump+continues improvement

Predators 5 Canucks 3

Yes, now the panic button is hit. It shouldn't quite be yet but it is. I watched a lot of the Calgary-Buffalo game and then the Canucks-Preds game and we fail in comparison to the intensity and consistency shown by the Flames.
This loss to the Preds will only intensify the media and fans' pressure on the team and that was the last thing Vancouver needed. There is a lot of hockey left to play, but that is becoming less and less the point.
Tonight so much went wrong.
- Sundin did not perform the way we expected him to. He was useless out there.
- I believe Mason Raymond was benched for the 3rd period or most of it. I say bench him and bring up Jason Jaffray. At least Jaffray has more heart and is more gritty.
- A 3-1 lead blown. So much for the trap.
- I have been a big supporter of Alain Vigneault, but it's ALMOST time for change, whether it be by trade or a coach's firing. This team is not to rebuild this season. It is meant to win.
- I didn't see the desperation needed.
- I hate Kevin Bieksa. He = Jovo 2.

At some time today I'll digest the players and coaches' post game reactions, but keep in mind that I'm not going to sugar coat anything.
This game was a step backward from the Sharks game, and that is not a good thing. Remember, there are no more excuses. This was a team that we had beaten 6 games in a row. We can't lose to teams like Nashville. We are supposed to be better than them.

BOXSCORE AND HIGHLIGHTS

F**k it. This is bull shit.
It's times like these where I believe I picked the right name for this site over 2 years ago. Not only are the Canucks fans waiting for a Cup: they are waiting for a team that they cheer for to be consistent and be successful. There is nothing about this Canucks team right now that suggests that any waiting will soon be over.

Oh Damn that was close...

A great effort by the Canucks tonight. Sure they fell short losing in overtime but I really liked their effort as far as consistency goes. Hell, this was the San Jose Sharks for Christ's sakes. That was a well-earned point and I applaud the Canucks team for their efforts.
I could see the difference Sami Salo made as far as getting the puck out of their own zone. The Canucks were not hemmed in their own zone as much as in recent past.
Hell, they played for the 1-0 win and almost pulled it off. Had they pulled it off, Canucks nation would have hopped back on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, the loss may still fuel the doubter's fire.
I am proud of the efforts displayed tonight and I can see a bright immediate future for the team. They have only gotten better in the past 3 games.
Take a week off boys, and keep up the great effort. It can only lead to greater things.

PS: How about Ales Hemsky and the Oilers? Holy shitballs.

PPS: I think my Burrows-Thornton Photoshop image wasn't that far off. Burrows stymied Joe for most of the game.

Highlights

Canucks period-by-period vs the Blue Jackets

FIRST PERIOD

It could have been a devastating start for Vancouver. Kevin Bieksa coughed the puck up to Kristian "The Weasel" Huselius who went in all alone on Luongo but lost control of the puck. This was very early into the game.
Then the Canucks shrugged that off and went on the attack for a long stretch, with Taylor Pyatt scoring a goal top shelf on Steve Mason. Both Sedins assisted on that. There is why Pyatt is on the top line. He used his size to get open. In fact, I thought Taylor Pyatt was pretty good in period 1.
The Jackets tied it almost 4 minutes later with a beauty 3 way passing play with Manny Malhotra tapping the puck past Luongo, who is sporting his ugly "V" mask tonight.
It seemed like the Canucks were on their heels after that. They repeatedly could not get the puck out of their zone and lost battles for the puck or failed to clear. That being said, they remained composed in front of Luongo, limiting the decent scoring chances against. Luongo did make a super save at one point however.
The Canucks are playing more physical yet have not had a penalty against yet. It was Columbus who gave the Canucks 2 PP chances, but no goals ensued.
You can see Sundin getting better as the game goes on. He has tremendous size and speed.
Wellwood is playing very well after being benched.
The Canucks came on late in the first. Let's see if they can carry that over.
Ohlund took a puck off the ankle I think and has not played since. A big loss if he doesn't come back.

Shots after 1: Canucks 9 Jackets 4.

PERIOD 2

The Canucks did carry momentum into the 2nd frame, scoring 2 goals by Mats Sundin (nice backhander) and Steve Bernier. But a bogus call on Jannik Hansen got the ball rolling for Columbus and the fragility shattered for Vancouver. Jason Williams scored on the power play and almost 2 minutes later with 1 minutes left on the clock, Rick Nash scores a beauty wrap around goal, as Kesler could not contain him. Nash's goal was the result of the Canucks once again not getting the puck out of their zone.
Nash has a goal and 2 assists so far. The score is tied at 3.
The Canucks were looking quite poised weren't they? Well now we'll see how they can deal with adversity this time around. This will not sit well with the media or fans if they lose like this. The game was in their hands.
The Jackets' forecheck remains tenacious. The Canucks' is passive.
Nice fight between Hordichuk and Boll. A true heavyweight tilt.

Shots in the second: Jackets 9 Canucks 8.
Overall: Canucks 17 Jackets 13.

Pyatt and Bernier have 3 shots each, leading both teams. Both have a goal.
The Sedins are going tonight. Good to see.

PERIOD 3

Yeah, the fragility really showed to start the 3rd period as the Jackets scored 2 goals (Commodore and Torres) in the first 2:11. That added up to 4 goals in about 5 minutes going back to the 2nd period. Commodore's goal was the result of a comedy of errors, as Luongo had dropped his stick, the Canucks couldn't clear the puck (again) and Hansen was trying to hand Louie his stick back. Commodore 64 just shot it in past the distracted Luongo.
Torres' goal was just lousy defensive coverage. I think 3 Canucks chased him behind the net. Lame-o.
But the Canucks came back. We thought they were a 'goner' but the Canucks came back, they just couldn't stay away. A power play goal 2 minutes later sparked the team. Less than 2 minutes after that Kevins Bieksa scored one off Nash's butt.
Then the game settled down a bit after that.

Shots in the 3rd: Canucks 12 Jackets 12

OVERTIME

The story in overtime was Kevin Bieksa, and not in a good way either. He coughed the puck up while heading past center leading to a golden Jackets chance. Then he took hooking penalty as he lost the foot race with a Jacket player who streaked by him. The Canucks killed that power play off quite effectively. The Sedins had a glorious chance and over-passed on the play. This game went to a shootout.

Shots in OT: Jackets 3 Canucks 1

Shots overall: Canucks 30 Jackets 28

SHOOTOUT

Not even close. Both Jason Williams and Nash made it look easy on Luongo and Wellwood and Sundin missed their chances.

6-5 Jackets. At least we looked better in general and got 1 point on this 5-game homestand.
It still stings though, doesn't it?

-Pavol Demitra left the game at some point and didn't play in the 3rd period. Not sure what happened there. **UPDATE** Groin injury. Big fucking surprise.
Too much excitement for him I guess. Glass Joe 2. Sami Salo is Glass Joe.

-Pyatt played over 17:00, scored 1 goal and had 5 shots. He was an even 0 for +/-
-Sundin played over 19:00 and scored 1 goal on 2 shots. He was a +1.
-Bieksa, despite his Jovo-like cough-ups scored 2 points and was a +1.
-Is Huselius any good or what? I didn't think weasels were all that dangerous.
-Nash is an immovable object out there.

BOXSCORE AND HIGHLIGHTS

Player interviews post game.

Tech Tags: Canucks+Blue+Jackets+game+review losing+streak+continues Sundin Demitra+injured shootout January+18+2009

Coyotes 4 Canucks 1

A fail of epic proportions as Temujin would say.

Alain Vigneault is probably done in Vancouver. The players are playing like they have tuned him out. I would expect his firing sooner rather than later. It's over, right?
Regardless of the 3 bad goals let in by Luongo, I'd say the players have tuned AV out.
If a firing has not been announced by Friday lunch time I would be surprised.
A tonne of turnovers.
A gutless effort (minus Kesler)
A fairly productive effort by Line 2.
Yeah, this should be the end of Vigneault. Hate to say it but it's true. Obviously the players have tuned him out. A fail by the whole team tonight.
In these situations the coach gets the axe. And it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Mike Gillis already had a backup plan in mind.

T Tags: Canucks+are+gutless Alain+Vigneault+fired

The Devils made them do it

Lose that is.

The Canucks keep finding ways to lose. After being yelled at, called out and worked hard in practice there was a fair bit of optimism for Canucks fans heading into this one. Maybe they would put together a full 60 minutes. Maybe Jason Labarbera would steal one, because Curtis Sanford had previously failed.
Nope. Labarbera looked terrible and allowed 2 questionable goals on his first 6 shots and was pulled. Sanford made almost the same gaff playing the puck behind his net and by 11:07 of the first period the Nuckleheads were down 3-0 to a team you really don't want to be trailing by that much.
The goalies let the team down primarily. The team let eachother down by coming out flat and getting outshot 12-4 in the first period. Sure, Vancouver clawed it's way back into it but that isn't the point. The game was lost in the first period.
Now Canucks fans pray that Roberto Luongo will return on Thursday to hopefully put a bandage over this gaping wound.
You know Luongo will not put up with this shit if he's playing. The first goal let in by Labarbera was not only a folly on his part for looking like a dying beached whale in his crease. There was a lack of communication from his defencemen there. Luongo would talk to his D-men about that. He'd give them hell. Labarbera said nothing and minutes later he slammed the bench door shut as he was pulled.
Deflating.
These backup goalies are not getting it done. However, when they play well the team in front of them doesn't bail them out. Fucking frustrating. Luongo's return had better stabilize the situation. If it doesn't, very soon Alain Vigneault's job will be at stake, if it isn't already. Oh yeah, it's true. Admit it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Look at the standings. The Canucks have played more games than the teams below them and are now only 3 points away from losing a playoff spot.
It's a bad sign for a coach when he (and his assistant) calls his guys out and gives them the hollering and screaming treatment yet the team comes out like they did tonight. Post game Vigneault switched tones and calmly said he believes in this group. I've heard that before....from coaches that are clinging to a job.
Vigneault's system is good, but the players are not all buying into it. Gone is the defensive system that Vigneault wants at this point. This squad refuses to tighten up defensively.
It's saddening to watch the players post game riding their exercise bikes and trying to answer questions to the reporters as to "what the hell is going on right now." They say they don't know or play stupid most of the time. But at least Ryan Kesler mentioned the "tighten up defensively" part. Regardless you can sense the frustration in the group.
That frustration needs to be dealt with soon. Winning will fix that.

Oh by the way, kudos to Pavol Demitra for responding positively after being called out. He went from demotion to promotion within about 20:00. Good job Pavol. And good job line 3.

Tip of the hat to the Devils, who showed us what it takes to win without their superstar goalie in net.

I think the Canucks PPV panel made a good point about Sundin and Luongo being distractions. That's about the best bang for my $13 spent on this fucking PPV game.
Soon we will see the impact Luongo has on this team when he plays.

By the way, where was Sundin post game? On a plane to Sweden I'll bet!

T Tags: Canucks+lose+to+Devils January+13+2009 Demitra+promoted Labarbera+sucks Alain+Vigneault+fired? Canucks+need+Luongo game+review

Canucks-Sharks period by period

I'm going to try something a little different for tonight's game against the Sharks. After each period I'm going to rate the Canucks' performance in several different categories in report card fashion. After the game I'll average out the ratings to hopefully give you more of an idea of how the team performed. Ratings will be based on my own opinion. If you disagree in any shape or form, you can let me know in the comments section.
Since all eyes are on Sundin, I'll include his general performance in a stat category as well.

PERIOD 1

Goaltending- 99% (flukey Blake goal off Kesler's skate)
Defensive play- 99%
Offensive play- 100%
Power play efficiency- 60%
Penalty Killing efficiency- 99%
Discipline- 20%
Shots for- 100%
Shots against- 60%
Ambition/effort- 100%
Physical game- 50%
Sundin's performance- 95%

PERIOD 2

Goaltending- 30% (lousy goal let in by Sanford)
Defensive play- 95%
Offensive play- 90%
Power play efficiency- 10% (no goals on a 4 minute PP)
Penalty Killing efficiency- 100%
Discipline- 95%
Shots for- 95%
Shots against- 95% (only 7 shots for the Sharks)
Ambition/effort- 100%
Physical game- 60%
Sundin's performance- 85%

PERIOD 3

Goaltending- 40% (Sanford just didn't get it done.)
Defensive play- 40%
Offensive play- 40%
Power play efficiency- 0%
Penalty Killing efficiency- 50%
Discipline- 30% (Mats...what were you doing? 2 minors in the 3rd)
Shots for- 10%
Shots against- 10%
Ambition/effort- 70%
Physical game- 30%
Sundin's performance- 20%

AVERAGE

Goaltending- 56%
Defensive play- 78%
Offensive play- 76%
Power play efficiency- 23%
Penalty Killing efficiency- 83%
Discipline- 48%
Shots for- 68%
Shots against- 55%
Ambition/effort- 90%
Physical game- 47%
Sundin's performance- 67%

This ratings thing is kind of tough. It needs to be simplified.
Sundin looked better tonight, scoring a goal and 4 shots. But he took 2 penalties in the 3rd. One of them led to Marleau scoring a PP goal..the winning goal.
To me, a lot of them blame falls on Sanford tonights as he really wasn't good enough at all.

T Tags: Canucks Sharks game+review live ratings performance January+10+2009

Blues 6 Canucks 4

- What a night for Martin St. Louis tonight.
- Steve Mason for the Calder!
- Michal Rosival eats the door leading to the bench and spits chicklets.
- Apeman Zach Stortini gets injured during a fight...yay!

Am I avoiding the topic? Why yes I am!
Sundin's debut at GM Place was forgettable. He not only made a lousy line change to lead to the Blues' 1 goal, but he took a slashing penalty to lead to a Blues' PP goal to salt this one away. Oh, I can hear the Sundin haters coming out of the woodwork already.
I don't get why this team underestimates lousy opponents, but they do. Sundin wasn't the only lousy player on the ice tonight. This looked like Leafs hockey circa the last 5 years at LEAST.
A lousy loss to a lousy team....again. End of story.
If the Canucks can muster any humility or pride and give the Sharks a run for their money on the grand stage called Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night I'll be impressed.
Oh, and I hear Sundin will be the guest on After Hours post game. This could get interesting.
In the meantime, Vancouver blows 2 points at home to a shitty road team that out-waited and out-hustled them when it mattered. The Canucks were outshot 26-12 after the first period. Ass. And again I say.....ASS.

BOXCORE AND CRAPLIGHTS

Not the Sundin show, but the Bernier show

“It’s timing, where you come in and shoot, you jam yourself a little bit. And when you’re trying to make a pass (it goes) over a stick,” Sundin said post game. “It felt exactly like where you are at the start of a season, where you’re trying to get it back, but the only way to get it back is to play games.”

No, Sundin did not get a 5 point night in his debut. He was hardly even a factor. 15 minutes of ice time over 24 shifts, zero goals, no assists, no shots on net, one hit and 9-for-18 on faceoffs. But it didn't matter because it's almost as if Sundin was a decoy in tonight's game, as a couple of slumping Canucks revived themselves. In only 13:13 of icetime (hint at the irony), Steve Bernier scored 2 goals and added an assist in the Canucks' convincing 4-2 victory over the Oilers. Alex Burrows had 1 goal and 2 assists while Ryan Kesler tallied 2 assists. Yes, the Canucks got scoring from unlikely sources tonight. The best part was that they out played the Oilers in the 3rd period while being up 3-1, showing the killer instict that has been lacking in recent games.
To top it off, Demitra didn't just score into the empty net to bury the game...nah he took a slap shot to make it look even more convincing.
This was a great start for the brief Sundin era in Vancouver. The team didn't look distracted at all. Sundin was used sparingly, and the rest of the guys stepped up. Who could ask for anything more than a convincing win?
Jason Labarbera was solid but didn't have to be great. That is Canucks hockey under Alain Vigneault. This is partially why we needed Sundin in the first place: 3 lines that can do damage. Depth.
And to think that Luongo isn't even playing yet.

- Apparently, there were Canucks fans pissing off Craig MacTavish behind the Oilers' bench. I missed that part.

- Ohlund vs Souray. Huh....Ohlund faired better against Iginla.

- What are Labarbera's stats as a Canuck? Well before the game they were sickeningly good. If IHDB updated them after tonight they should look like this.

Sundin, Wellwood, Bernier and Burrows post game interviews. These guys look excited.

- Oilers fans boo'ed Sundin every time he touched the puck. But he "didn't hear them."

BOXSCORE

HIGHLIGHTS


T Tags: Canucks Oilers game+review January+7+2009 Sundin+debut Bernier highlights boxscore

Canucks 3 Senators 0: Canucks improve and Sens get worse

Everyone's been asking about us taking too many penalties. Tonight we responded physically and kept it within the rules.
-This was one of our best defensive games in a while.
-We played hard for Sanford because we know he's been playing his guts out out there. -Shane O'Brien

The Canucks outshot the Senators 32-18 tonight, including 9-7 in the 3rd. Why? Because the frustrated Sens took a lot of penalties, where the Canucks took less. Tonight's 3-0 drubbing of the Sens was a combination of the Canucks' excellent effort AND the Senators' lack of it.
Lots of talk about the chemistry between Demitra and the Sedins post game. It makes me wonder why Alain Vigneault doesn't always have him playing with Dank and Hank. I think AV wants to spread out the scoring more on most nights. Those 3 accumulated 6 points tonight. If the Canucks play a team that is deeper on offense, then maybe that combo wouldn't be a great idea. This is where Sundin is going to help out greatly...depth up front.
Vigneault just mentioned that he plays players more if they deserve it. I guess he doesn't always feel Demitra earns a top line spot? It also depends on how physical the opposing team's defence is.
Demitra was absolutely terrific. 1 goal 1 assist, 4 shots. He was a force out there, even in the 'small' areas, liking keeping the puck in the opposing team's zone while on a power play. He was the go-to guy tonight no doubt.
Jason Jaffray said pregame that he knows it's going to be tough for him to keep a roster spot with Sundin and Ryan Johnson coming into the lineup soon. But he wants to make the decision 'tough' for management to send him back to Manitoba. Once again I though Jaffray played really well tonight in Pyatt's place. I would almost go as far to say that I'd prefer Jaffray in there over Pyatt anyway.
By the way:
Alfredsson had 2 shots and was a -2 tonight. 17:45 of icetime.
Dany Heatley had no shots and was a -1. 19:38 of icetime.
Jason Spezza had 1 shot and was a -1. 21:36 of icetime.

How important was this win? Check out the standings.
I'm loving the effort by Sanford tonight. Let's ride this guy until Luongo comes back. And let's hope the Canucks can continue this style of game against the Flyers. It's going to be a tough task against the Bullies.

Canucks PPV is saying that Sundin will be their guest in the first in the first intermission in the game against the Flyers 2 nights from now.

Canucks.com will be streaming the Canucks' practice on Tuesday at 10:30 I believe. Who's going to be on the ice? Mr. Mean Mats Sundin! Or, Baldilocks and the 3 Swedes, as Temujin and the Humming Giraffe put it on the Canucks.com Live Chat board tonight.


BOXSCORE

T Tags: Canucks Senators game+review Sanford Demitra

Oilers beat Canucks / No Sundin until Tuesday

I won't even get too much into the Canucks-Oilers game except to say that the Canucks stabbed themselves in the foot by taking too many penalties and then put the heavy pressure on when it was too late. Vigneault addressed that post game.
Intense 3rd period wasn't it? 14 shots to 3 for the Nucks but to no avail. The Oilers scored 2 PP goals to the Canucks' 1.

Sundin was reportedly expected to land in Vancouver on Saturday. But that has been delayed to Tuesday. So Ben-Angt Gustafsson's prediction of Sundin playing for the Canucks by January 10 may be about right. He wants to persuade Mats to play for Sweden in 2010.
Like I said...distractions...
Sundin will no doubt kick start our power play, amongst many other things. Obviously Pavol Demitra can't get the job done, nor the Sedins. Sundin's presence will be welcomed here. In the meantime the Canucks need to put together a solid game like we all know they CAN. It's just not happening right now.
Sanford looked fine tonight, but his team didn't bail him out.
How do you like the play of Dwayne Roloson? Yeah, 39 years old and still ticking. Doesn't surprise me one bit. What surprised me was the Oilers' play in front of Rolie the Goalie. Pretty impressive. The Oilers supposedly sucked right? Well eat your words. They aren't toast just yet. The Northwest Division race is only just heating up, in my opinion.

Canucks stink up the Shark Tank

5-0 Sharks. I had predicted 5-1 Sharks. Many, including myself are wondering why Alain Vigneault didn't start Curtis Sanford tonight, as Cory Schneider faced a barrage of Sharks shots and didn't have much of a chance. Sanford replaced Schneider and stopped all shots he faced just to re-enforce our opinion. But hold on a second. The Canucks played a fair bit better in front of Sanford tonight plus the Sharks let up on us after it was 5-0. Sanford faced a few tough shots and looked solid. Further proof of the Sharks backing off? The Canucks outshot the Sharks 13-5 in the 3rd period.
Maybe AV saw something in Schneider recently that prompted him to start red head. Maybe he thought Sanford couldn't handle back-to-back starts on consecutive nights. Who cares? Not saying names, but the Canucks handed out some apple turnovers in front of Schneider. One team had chicken or turkey plus stuffing and eggnog on their minds prematurely while the other team didn't.
Call it a stinker. Nothing to worry about, except for this.
Don't even start with the jet lag excuses. How long does it take to fly from Vancouver to San Jose?
It was a stinker. No use in over-analyzing this one. It's over now. If the Canucks played that way in front of Luongo they would have lost this one. The Sharks are an amazing team, and we just let them toy with us.

BOXSCORE

Canucks beat Oilers 4-2 on Linden night

What a terrific tribute to Linden pregame. Linden shed no tears before his speech up to the point of his banner being raised. Much like his father, he braved the tears of joy and pulled off the most classiest act I've seen in a jersey retirement ceremony, deflecting almost all of the attention and praise from himself and directing it to his former teammates, family, etc.

"This is an incredible day," said Linden. "To the fans of Vancouver and the province of B.C., it's hard to express my gratitude to you tonight. Thank you for letting me into your lives. Thanks for being incredible, passionate hockey fans."

Linden speech Part 1



Linden speech Part 2: I can see our friends Roger and Krista in the stands at the 5:50 mark. Lucky bastards! Listen to what he says about people seeing his jersey in the rafters...class personified:



Here is a clip of his jersey being raised:


Then the Canucks come out and beat the Oilers in mostly sound fashion to let Linden go home even more proud.
I'm not sure about the injuries to O'Brien and Salo, but it looks like Salo could be out a lot longer than #55. It's hard to replace glass when you break it.
The Hansen-Sedin line clicked with 5 points: 3 for Dank, 2 for Hansen and 1 for Hank. A great game by them.
You can also see that Kesler and Burrows are beginning to claw their way back to becoming offensive threats.
What I really don't get was AV's lineup change of Wellwood centering Hordichuk and Brown on the 4th line to start the game. Strange.
The Canucks kept the Oilers to the outside for most of the game. I thought that Sanford was steady in goal with every shot minus the Gagner goal. He deserves another look in the next game.

BOXSCORE

T Tags: Trevor+Linden+retirement+night retired+jersey Canucks+beat+Oilers December+17+2008
Trevor+Linden+retirement+night+video speech

Canucks 5 Panthers 3

I don't know what else to say except:

- Demitra breaks out with 2 goals!
- Panthers poop the bed on the last game of their Canadian road trip!
- Schneider was solid and the Canucks played well in front of him.

That was a big win and I am proud of this team for pulling off a win like they did.

2 straight power play goals and a shorthanded goal in the 2nd period to erase a 2 goal deficit?
OK that's gold!

Great character win tonight.

AV press conference post game Yeah he's a little happier after tonight.



BOXSCORE AND HIGHLIGHTS

No, the Canucks can NOT finally beat the Avalanche

In a game where Steve Bernier arose from the grave to score 2 goals the big picture is that the Avalanche really exposed Cory Schneider. Ryan Smyth mentioned post game that basically Schneider looked a bit shaky to start so they put 1 and a lot of times 2 guys in front of him to distract him. It worked. It especially worked on the goal that made it 4-4.
The Avalanche are deadly in the shootout. When the camera panned the Canucks' bench just prior to it I thought I saw a look of concern on a lot of their faces. Sure enough, Wolski (wow what a goal), Svatos and Hejduk all made Cory look silly in their shootout attempts and the damned Avalanche beat us again. Schneider banged the post with his stick and looked disgusted.
To be honest, in a game like this it sure would have been nice to have Roberto Luongo back between the pipes.
Yeah the single point was nice, but still a frustrating loss.

The good:

-The single point gave us 33 points to tie Calgary for top spot in the Northwest. What a win by Calgary in NYC today. I thought the Flames were supposed to collapse...

- The Sedins were playing possessed tonight.

- Jason Jaffray looks good on the 4th line.

- How about the scoring chances by Bernier and Edler in OT? If only they had converted. Bernier was a goal post away from a hat trick.

- Demitra had an assist, finally getting a point after 5 games.

The bad:

- Demitra was also a -3.

- Wellwood looked like he stayed up until 4 AM the previous night playing Halo. He was quiet tonight beyond his shootout goal.

- Ryan Smyth rubbed Hank Sedin along the boards in OT and it looked like the Swede was hurt. We'll see what happens there.

-After only 5:38 of icetime, Salo left the game with an injury. I missed what happened there. My bet is he sneezed and probably cracked a rib.

- the first 2 paragraphs in this post. There is a lot of pressure on Schneider. Let's see how he responds against Nashville on Tuesday.

At one point the Canucks were running away with this division. Look at it now:













A 6-point spread from top to bottom. Let the dog fight begin.

BOXSCORE AND HIGHLIGHTS

T Tags: Canucks Avalanche Game+review December+7+2008 Schneider Bernier+scores

Canucks lack consistent effort as losing skid hits 4 straight

Sure, you could say it was a close game as the Canucks battled hard in the second half of the 3rd to almost tie it. But it was a complete brain cramp by the team between the 3:23 and 6:08 mark of the 3rd period that really did them in. The Wings scored 3 goals in that span, cushioning their lead to 6-3. Too much of lead for the Canucks to come back from.
It was a whacky 3rd to say the least, as 5 goals were scored.
I don't think I can count how many things went wrong for Vancouver tonight.
-coughing the puck up
-taking too many penalties (7 minors to the Wings' 4)
-taking penalties at the wrong time (Ohlund's hooking call because he couldn't match the opposing player's speed at the 18:42 mark of the 3rd, spoiling any chance of a miracle comeback)
-where Curtis Sanford started strong, he couldn't stone the Wings when it counted. He completely gaffed on Derek Meech's wrap around goal.
-the Nucks were outshot 17-8 in the 2nd period and 38-25 overall. I'm surprised this game was even close.
-Steve Bernier has only 1 goal in his last 13 games. Yeah. Didn't see that coming.

The good?

-Sanford played very well up until the 3rd.
-The Wings only scored 1 PP goal
-Datsyuk: 5 shots and no points
-Zetterberg: 3 shots and no points
-Hossa: 7 shots and 1 assist
The Canucks kept the big guns off the board, but in the end Detroit had too many weapons on this night.
-Kyle Wellwood only received 10:37 of ice time. In that span, he coughed the puck up for the Wings' 2nd goal, then scored a power play goal, and also almost scored a highlight reel goal in the 3rd. He was good.
-Love seeing Mason Raymond score. Same with Burrows.
-Taylor Pyatt has gone from a pylon to a demonic force over the past couple of weeks. I liked his play at both ends of the ice.
-Why is everybody bagging on Shane O'Brien for taking minor penalties? Let's pick on the team as a whole. O'Brien isn't the only guilty party.
-AV put Demitra back with the Sedins. I like that combo. Phd, baby.
-We don't play Detroit again until the 2nd or 3rd round of the playoffs! (Ooo...jinx)

The Canucks have lost their division lead to the Wild. A scary scenario: They are 4 points ahead of the Coyotes who are in 9th place. Thank Luongod they won all those games in November, because December is turning into a month not to remember.



BOX SCORE

HIGHLIGHTS


POST GAME BYTE

"That was exciting, post-lockout hockey, wasn't it?" Detroit coach Mike Babcock asked. "Last shot wins."

T Tags: Canucks Red+Wings game+review December+4+2008 Sanford Wellwood losing+streak Pyatt+riot

Canucks remedy some issues but create new ones in loss to Columbus

It's one thing to say that the Canucks are bound to lose a few games after a long undefeated streak, but this is a game they should have won. The 2 goals they scored were on the power play, which remedied that issue, mentioned earlier. But for 3 guys to try take the puck off Nash, who then slid the puck to the Kristian "The Weasel" Huselius for the winning goal, was a complete blunder. The breakaway miss by Daniel Sedin became costly.
All of the hype surrounding rookie Cory Schneider may now have come to a halt. He looked pretty good most of the time, but fell off balance for the tying goal by Andrew Murray. The other 2 goals he could not be faulted on. I thought he seemed a little bit "off" though. There were times where he came far out of his net to make a save and then looked completely out of position. At times I thought he looked slow moving left to right in his butterfly stance. He let out a lot of crazy rebounds as well. His teammates may be having a hard time reading where those rebounds are coming out.
Kyle Wellwood improved as the game went on. He turned the puck over twice earlier in the game and the Jackets had great scoring chances as a result. But then Woody scored the Canucks' first goal and created more chances after that. At least he is making good on his promise to win one for Schneider. Unfortunately, most of the other guys are not helping.
32 shots to 29 in favor of Vancouver. That was a remedied problem as well...getting more shots. Unfortunately, the Jackets are coached by Hitchcock and limited most of those shots to the outside. Other than that, Steve Mason looked pretty great in goal for Columbus...especially robbing Wellwood with seconds left.

Opinion 1: I know Taylor Pyatt is improving his all-round game, but was it necessary to put him on the top line? That was a hunch by Vigneault that did not pay off.
Opinion 2: I thought the Raymond-Jaffray-Brown line played terrific, and deserved more icetime than the 9:44 - 5:50 - 5:18 icetime that they received respectfully.

Curtis Sanford left the game with back spasms after stopping 11 of 11 shots. He was looking pretty solid up to that point wasn't he? Bummer. Hopefully he'll heal up over the next 3 days. The schedule doesn't get easy from there: Detroit on Thursday and Minnesota on Friday. Yikes. Suddenly these losses don't seem kosher. Remember the ideal plan: play at least 500 hockey in Luongo's absence.....

BOXSCORE

HIGHLIGHTS

Photo from ESPN

T Tags: Canucks Blue+Jackets recap highlights boxscore December+1+2008

Call it a hangover

Is anybody panicking after the Canucks' 2nd straight loss? They shouldn't be. I think this type of losing after a massive winning streak is fairly normal. The highs and lows of a season after all.
The power play (1 shot in 3 PP chances?) and attaining golden scoring chances (Nucks outshot in every period) are in the forefront of the Vancouver Province today and I think that is a fair assessment. We need more shots from the point, but at the same time, as Bieksa had mentioned, they don't want to shoot the pucks into a blocking defender giving them an easy clear. Screw it. Blast the puck at guys and make them pay for it if they want to block it. Ask Ryan Johnson about that.
Speaking of Johnson...
The Canucks have lost the first 2 games after Johnson went out with broken bones.
Would that now be 2 games played by Kevin Bieksa since his return with both games being losses? TRADE HIM NOW!!!
I kid....mostly.
I feel the worst for kid Cory Schneider, who played his heart out of Hockey Night in Canada no less, but was not bailed out by his team. 31-18 were the final shots. I like the composure of the kid. I bet he gets a fair bit more games played coming up.

What was Wellwood implying with his hand gestures after his goal? That was cool. A weight off his mind? I will he was thinking... "I'm a genius!"
Who knows.

Getting back to the original point: the Canucks are going through the natural cycle after a winning streak. Look at Detroit: they have lost 3 of their last 4.

SOUND OFF

CANUCKS ON SCHNEIDER (canucks.com)

“He’s looked great; he’s steady, he’s been great technically and when the pucks are hitting him, that means he’s doing a good job.” Luongo

“It’s his first game so it’s really exciting and he’s doing an amazing job out there." - Hansen

“I had a lot of fun out there, it was really exciting and I think I answered a few questions about myself,” said Schneider.

“At the same time, we didn’t get the points we needed and Calgary’s kind of closing in on us. It was a very big game and we didn’t get the win.”

He's right. Minnesota and Calgary are now only 1 point behind us. How quickly a 5-point spread can disappear.
The story on Schneider is very interesting. It is great if he can continue to show this maturity and poise, because he could be the future of the franchise if Luongo is not signed long term next year.

“We’re going to make sure we win the next one for him.” - Wellwood.

Great stuff.

Schneider image from Canucks.com


T Tags: Canucks Flames Game+review November+29+2008 Cory+Schneider+NHL+debut power+play+sucks

Canucks come up Lame

What a disappointing way to give up the game-winning goal:



The streak had to end at some point. I still hate that it has. The Canucks let up on the Flames and paid for it.
They didn't play terrible, but lacked some of the intensity from recent games, they really didn't capitalize on their chances (Hansen breakaway comes to mind) and at some point the power play has to come to life. I'm not so sure what will get the PP going. Less passing more shots? (I believe they only had 4 shots total on 4 power plays. More traffic in front of the net? I am surprised that the Canucks have been this successful in November without being all that effective with the man-advantage. But in order to sustain long-term success they will have to find ways to score 5 on 4 or even 5 on 3.

You could see Calgary getting their shiz together as the game went on. That was a character win by a team who has struggled on the road.

Funny thing...I was watching the game with my uncle and cousin at a sportsbar here in Abbotsford, and we were wondering if Iginla was even playing. Right then Iginla made that sweet pass to Cammalleri on the delayed Canucks penalty to tie the game at 2 late in the 2nd period.
Why did it surprise me that that was Cammalleri's first career hat trick? He made it look easy.

Can't wait for the rematch on Saturday in Calgary. I thought it would be a lot more physical last night...maybe Saturday night will be alright for fighting.

BOXSCORE & HIGHLIGHTS

T Tags: Canucks Flames game+review Cammalleri+hat+trick lame+power+play