Canucks should be energized playing the Oilers tonight

Alain Vigneault has been saying that the best Canucks players have been practicing early and with a vengeance since they returned home from a gruelling road trip. They would be Luongo and the Sedins, who have not consistently been the best guys since game 1.
-From Canucks.com:

Since opening night, the Canucks have surrendered 13 first period goals over the past six games. They have surrendered a first period goal in each of those six games, and only in the game against Detroit last Thursday did they limit the opposition to less than two first period goals. Last season, the Canucks had a record of 3-11-1 when allowing more than one first period goal. Conversely, they had a record of 20-11-5 when they did not allow a single first period marker by the opposition.

At some point the Canucks are going to tighten up defensively. I just don't know when.
Jason Krog is going to receive a massive chance to once again prove himself at the NHL level, playing on the Canucks' top power play unit with the Twins.

"They [the Sedins] have such chemistry and seem to know where each other is, but they also are very good at getting the other guy the puck, too, so my job is going to be whenever there is a 50-50 puck, get it, get it to them and after that get open and be an option for them."

Yeah yeah. That's what every guy who plays with them says. We just need somebody to be an Anson Carter one of these days. Steve Bernier was tabbed as Carter 2, but has only shown moments of brilliance at an inconsistent level. He has 2 goals and 4 points in 7 games with only 11 shots. That won't cut it. He has been demoted down to the 2nd power play unit with Kesler, Wellwood, Raymond and co. Not a bad place to be either. Maybe he'll click there. I believe Pyatt is off all power play units.

The continuing saga of Kyle Wellwood.

Now here's a guy that I am really pulling for. There is a Metallica song on their new album that really reminds me of Wellwood. It's called Broken, Beat and Scarred. The first lines are
You rise
You fall
You're down
Then you rise again
What don't kill you makes you more strong.

Here's hoping Wellwood puts out another fine performance and actually breathes some life to that 2nd line. Make us forget that we even have a guy named Demitra, for a month or so anyway!

The Oilers have a bit of injury woes themselves right now.

-Shaun Horcoff is questionable for tonight's game after colliding with Colorado's Ben Guite in the Oilers' 4-1 loss to the Avs.
-Steve Staios has missed the last 2 games for personal reasons.
-Fernando Pisani is day-to-day with back issues.

There are a few Oilers who like to start scoring:

Sam Gagner: 5 games played, no points and 15 shots. The sophomore jinx is alive...for now. A player with that kind of talent has to come around. Not against us hopefully.

Kyle Brodziak: 6 games played, no points and 6 shots.

Ales Hemsky- 6 games played, no goals and 5 assists.

More Oilers stats here.

There are murmurs of Darcy Hordichuk and Rick Rypien returning tonight. That would be a good thing. Those are character guys who showed some chemistry together on the 4th line.
Glass Joe Salo is day to day with a sore groin.

Matching Speed

The Canucks probably shouldn't try to match the Oilers' speed game tonight. Not all of our guys can do that. For once I'd like to see Vancouver play a better puck possession game, slow the Oilers down in the neutral zone and make them turn the puck over, and not get confused in their own zone.

Goalie match up

Matt Garon continually impresses me. He looks like Luongo in stature but he's more agile and flexible. He alone could stop us tonight. Luongo needs to be that guy and has not been yet.

It's going to be a great game. I love watching these 2 teams go head to head. Both teams are coming off losses. The Oilers are finishing a 3 game road trip. The Canucks should have lots of energy playing at home again and having not played since Tuesday.

4-3 Canucks I'd say. Possible shootout again.

T Tags: Canucks+Oilers+preview October+25+2008 Wellwood Krog+promoted Sedins stats

Willie and Luongo nearly go unnoticed on the Sea Wall

Great piece from Elliot Pap today:

According to Canuck defenceman Willie Mitchell, just one fan in this supposed hockey-crazed city noticed superstar netminder Roberto Luongo minus his distinctive long hair.
"We went for a run on the seawall the other day and I think only one person recognized him out there," Mitchell chuckled on Wednesday. "So I think the new haircut is going to do Roberto a lot of good as far as being in the city and sliding under the radar." If hardly a soul recognized Luongo, how did the equally high-profile Mitchell escape notice? "It was one and one," responded the Port McNeill native. "One person recognized him and one recognized me." Mitchell, by the way, did admit his goalie pal appears "a little more responsible looking, maybe it's being a father" with his different 'doo. His favourite, though, remains the un-gelled, long curly look that Luongo sometime sported before he slicked it back.
"I think that's his best," said Mitchell, who couldn't resist poking fun at Bobby Lou.

I had major long hair in the early mid-90's and then cut it off around 2000. The difference between the two on how people perceive and treat you is somewhat astounding.
I think Luongo looked pretty cool with the longer locks but whatever. As long as he stops the puck I really don't care.

T Tags: Luongo Mitchell Sea Wall haircut

At least Luongo is excited about the current Canucks team

"It reminds a bit of two years ago when I got here," Luongo said yesterday.
"There were a lot of new faces and a lot of people didn't know what to expect and we ended up having a great season. I get that same feeling a bit this year.
I think guys are going to be excited to play and once we all get together and play as a team, I think we're capable of great things."

I agree. But most pundits and experts predict the Canucks to finish anywhere from 11th in the West to 29th overall in the NHL this coming season. To me that always seemed ludicrous because we have the best goalie in the West and one of the best blue line corps still.
The big question mark remains whether or not the D and the 2 best forwards Mike Gillis acquired can remain healthy for extended periods of time.
Either way, I believe the Canucks should be deemed underdogs this year because of what has been said. Hey boys, they are predicting you to fail! Go out there and prove them wrong!
For more on Luongo, check out Ben Kuzma's article in the Province.

Luongo / Brodeur Poll: Who is better?

Martin Brodeur Career Stats

GP- 891
Average GP per season- 63
Wins- 494
Average Wins per season- 38
Losses- 263
Ties- 105
Goals Against- 1931
GAA- 2.20
Save Percentage- .913
Shutouts- 92
Average Shutouts per season: 7.07

Won Calder Trophy in 1994
Won 4 Jennings Trophies in 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004
Won 2 Vezina Trophies in 2003, 2004
Won Stanley Cup 3 times

Is a 9-time NHL All star

Won 2 silver medals at the World Championships
Won a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics

---

Roberto Luongo Career Stats

GP- 417
Average GP per season- 59
Wins- 162
Average Wins per season- 23
Losses- 190
Ties- 33
Goals Against- 1037
GAA- 2.63
Save Percentage- .919
Shutouts- 32
Average Shutouts per season- 4.5

NHL All Star 3 times

2 Golds and 1 Silver medal in World Championships

---

Is Roberto Luongo better than Martin Brodeur? 69% of you voted 'Yes'. I am a little torn on the matter. Right NOW, Luongo may very well be better. At least now we can guage even more how good Luongo's numbers can be, as he plays on a more defensive team, a luxury that Brodeur has had for almost all of his 13-year career. Luongo played 6 of his 7 years on a dismal cellar-dwelling Panthers team, yet still had great numbers (besides wins). Long has Luongo been second fiddle to Brodeur, Hasek, Joseph, and Belfour, as those starters were in the limelight, playing in World Cups, Olympics, All Star Games, etc, while Luongo played well in the shadows. That has changed already. It's now a Brodeur-Luongo duo for goalie supremacy, and it's front and center, as both goalies log so much ice time.
Louie had a better playoff run than Marty did. However, Brodeur is not done yet. Not at 35-years old.
At the same time, the Devils may take a few steps back in the offseason, as the cap has caught up to them. Scott Gomez may jet through unrestricted free agency. That is a serious blow if it happens. Have you ever wondered how well Brodeur would have played on that lousy Panthers team of the late 90's/early 2000's? I do. He may not have put up the same heroic efforts that Luongo did. It's just hard to say. If the Devils lose a few strides in the summer, is Brodeur going to save them? Maybe. I want to see him play on a lousy team more often to guage how good he really is.
Brodeur's 12 shutouts this season was a stellar performance. Luongo had 5.
Brodeur's career stats are sick. He is well on his way to becoming arguably the greatest goalie of all time.
Luongo's career is young and has so much potential still.
There is no arguing that Brodeur's puck-handling skills are fantastic. It is a huge part of his game. Luongo will need to work on his.

I'm torn, but still leaning toward Brodeur.
You have voiced your opinion in the poll, now why do you think that way?

**I'm out of town all day today, so you won't hear from me.
Did you see the Sabres/Sens game? Terrific! The Sens look composed. Even when they skated off the ice after the victory they looked calm and composed. Buffalo doesn't even know what hit them! Bryan Murray was mentioning in his post game interview that the Sens kept cool, even after the Sabres had rallied from a 2-0 deficit. No kidding.**


T Tags: Luongo Brodeur who+is+better

Vigneault for Jack Adams

A great piece in the Vancouver Sun yesterday from Iain McIntyre about Luongo and Vigneault that offers a bit more insight to especially what Vigneault did this season including:

Nonis and Vigneault separately addressed players after a 4-0 loss to Edmonton on Dec. 4. The theme was that they needn't play scared, that players had to find a way to relax and just enjoy the games.

Vigneault, himself, never stopped enjoying his job.

Players were unsure initially what to make of him. But he backed up his promise to treat everyone "fairly, not equally." He benched Brendan Morrison and Jan Bulis, scratched free-agent bust Marc Chouinard from the lineup, used his grinders when he felt they were better than the top-six forwards, and even called on Luongo in November to be better.

Defenceman Kevin Bieksa said Vigneault's message never wavered, nor did he "lose it" with players, despite the slump that had everyone on edge. They may not always like the coach as much as the media does, but they respect and believe in him.

After the December summits, the Canucks began using their aggressive four-man press more often, and almost immediately the team started scoring. After Christmas, catapulted by back-to-back wins against the Calgary Flames, the Canucks began winning, too.

I was one of the people who was condemning the Canucks to finish in 9th place this season because I thought that they were not going to be able to score enough to win. That would have been the case had it not been for Luongo's stellar play and Vigneault's excellent system that he brought in. It's amazing that the Canucks coach brought in a rigid defensive system and then corrected the scoring issue in December without losing the teams' ability to play well in front of Louie.

It is a feat worthy of a Jack Adams trophy nomination and in my opinion, a 'Coach of the Year' crown.

Unfortunately, the scoring issue presented itself again in the playoffs, and now it is front and center in our minds. I can't wait to see some of the deals Nonis strikes in the summer.

T Tags: Canucks Alain+Vigneault Roberto+Luongo Jack+Adams+Trophy

What the hell is she thinking?

I get a kick out of this picture because of the woman in the background with a sign that says: "Luongo is Dreamy." Keep holding it up! I don't think he can see it! Oh, you're just trying to get on TV.....
Hey lady, how about you quit distracting him! If he gets too confident, he starts playing the puck more often....oh shit...too late...1-0 Ducks. Bitch!

Between that lady, and Beetlejuice with the "Taylor Pyatt Has Beautiful Eyes" sign, I think some Vancouver fans need to get their head out of Seventeen Magazine and create signs that actually relate more to hockey, like:

"Hey Luongo, let's play a game. First person to play the puck gets their head shaved."

or

"Hey Louie, close your legs"

or

"Hey Pyatt, if your shot looked as good as your eyes do, we wouldn't be 1-for-20 on the powerplay in this series."

or

"Hey Pyatt, pretend the net is a mascara stand and go stand in front of it!"

OK, I'm kidding around. I'm done now. Unless somebody has something to add to that.

Want to read something that is really comical? Check out Jes Golbez's Jan Bulis post.

T Tags: Robert+Luongo Taylor+Pyatt Humor

Brodeur Beats Luongo to Record

Due to the Canucks' lack of desire to win last night, poor Roberto Luongo didn't even tie Bernie Parent's 33-year-old record for single-season wins (47) last night. Instead, Martin Brodeur backstopped the Devils to a 3-2 win over Philly last night and surpassed Parent's feat. Brodeur had good things to say about Luongo in his post-game interview:

"If goalies are able to play a lot, they'll get close to it every single year," Brodeur said. "Luongo's in his prime right now and if he doesn't do it this year, it's going to happen. ... I think it's the bulk of the games. If somebody's able to stay healthy and stay successful on a top team, they'll probably be able to challenge that record."

That is little consolation to Luongo right now I'm sure. Brodeur would need to lose his last game against the Islanders on Sunday, and Luongo and the Canucks would have to win their last 2 against San Jose and Phoenix in order for Luongo to tie Brodeur and not feel like second best.
And in my opinion, that may have been a large part of the disappointment that showed on Roberto's face last night after the loss and during Canucks' Fan Appreciation Night. Luongo played his heart out against the Avs only to have his teammates NOT bail him out. Depressing stuff, isn't it?
This guy wasn't very happy either.

Perhaps the Canucks' Awards cheered him up a little.

-Cyrus McLean Award (Leading Scorer): Daniel Sedin
-Fred J. Hume Award (Unsung Hero): Kevin Bieksa
-The Canucks Most Exciting Player Award: Roberto Luongo
-Walter “Babe” Pratt Award (Best Defenceman): Kevin Bieksa
-Cyclone Taylor Award (MVP): Roberto Luongo
-The Molson Cup Trophy (Most Molson Cup Selections): Roberto Luongo
-The Toni Panti award for Swedish Language Studies: Not Roberto Luongo.

Tech Tags: Luongo Brodeur Canucks Parent Record

Ian Clark changed Luongo's stance

Ian Clark had to work with Luongo to improve his mobility earlier in the season. From the Vancouver Sun today:

"The problem with his stance was he was too wide and locking in too early," Clark said. "He was using all his width in his stance so he had nowhere to extend. We actually narrowed him a little bit and heightened him."

By "locking in low and wide," Luongo was actually reducing his mobility, one of his most important assets.

"We worked a lot on being more upright, especially when the play isn't as threatening as it is when the puck is in tight," Luongo said. "For me, there are two areas it really helped me out -- my mobility and reading the play better.

"If you're more wide and crouched down, you lock in more on the shooter and sometimes you can't react to the pass."

Hey, I don't mean to brag...ok, yeah I do... but we were all over that in mid-October, thanks to a family member of mine who works with Clark in the summer.