Johnny Canuck vs Lords of the Underworld

Two years ago the Canucks were labelled the Devils of the West because they trapped so well and defended leads better than most Western Conference teams. I don't think the same can be said about this year's version of the Canucks. Not yet anyway. But both teams still have something major in common: they have been playing without their star goaltenders since November. The Devils have been without Martin Brodeur since November 1st, and Brodeur was expected to miss 4 months with torn bicep tendons. The Canucks lost Luongo on November 22nd.
Yet the Devils have done something that the Canucks have not been able to do: WIN CONSISTENTLY WITHOUT THEIR #1 GOALIE. New Jersey did struggle as soon as Brodeur went out however. They would lose 5 of their next 6 games. But then they would win 9 of their next 10 after the skid. The Devils are 18-13-1 without Marty. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games, but still, they have performed rather admirably without Brodeur.
The Canucks are barely keeping their heads above water without the god known as Luongo. They have a 10-11-3 record in his absence. They have not won back to back games since December 14 and 17.
Luongo could potentially play against New Jersey tonight, but it is speculated he'll wait until Thursday against the Coyotes to make his long-anticipated return. What a difference he'll make to this insecure squad.

Look at Scott Clemmenson's stats compared to Brodeur's. Pretty close.
Look at Jason Labarbera's stats compared to Luongo's. Not so close. But in the games Labarbera has played for Vancouver he has good numbers. In 5 games he has a .917 save percentage and a 2.80 GAA. The save percentage is close to Luongo but the GAA is not.

The Devils sit 6th in the tough East, 4 points up on 8th spot Carolina.
The Canucks are clinging to 5th spot in the West, 4 points up on 8th spot Colorado.

There are a lot of Canucks who are not 'rolling' right now.
There are plenty of Devils who are:
-Patrick Elias has arisen from the dead and is already approaching his points total from last year. He has 19 goals and 48 points in 42 games this year.
-Zach "attack" Parise is leading the team in scoring with 24 goals and 49 points in 42 games played. Tell me: How the hell is this guy only named to the Eastern Conference Allstar RESERVE LIST? Good Lord. A travesty.
-Brian Gionta is another player who has rebounded from a dismal 2007-08 campaign. He currently has 10 goals and 36 points in 41 games.

So if Luongo does not play we will have a battle of the backups. 2 teams with generally the same philosophy go head-to-head.

Can the Canucks put up a more consistent effort? I'm going to go with "yes". I also really doubt Sundin will take a late penalty this time around. In fact, given the rate of his improvement (and the fact that it's January 13, I think he could have a heck of a game.

Send the Devils back to hell...or...New Jersey. Same thing. :)

Speaking of that, here is a little song to get you into the mood:



GAME TIME: 7:00 PST
TV: CANUCKS PPV

T Tags: Canucks Devils Game+preview Brodeur Luongo Clemmenson Labarbera Devils+stats hell Satan Slayer

Trying to stay positive about the Canucks (5 stages)

I had a great sleep last night and have completely calmed down after the disheartening 6-4 loss to the Blues last night, and I have come to the following conclusions:

1. Sundin is going to be taking a lot of heat in this city and world-wide not only until he gets his game back, but also when the team wins at a more consistent level. It looks as though it's going to take him several games to compete at that level. Patience is required here. He was mostly to blame for 2 of the Blues' goals because of a lousy line change and an unfortunate slashing penalty. Had the Blues defenders' stick not broken, Sundin was playing at a level where he could have either scored or set up the winner. A bad break indeed.
But let's not put too much heat on him. Yes, he is making the big bucks, but it's too early to judge, plain and simple. I saw a TEAM that let each other down last night.

2. I see a Pavol Demitra who is getting paid $4 million, has played with us almost the whole season, and is not achieving results expected of him.

3. STATS TELL STORY

I see a power play efficiency that ranks 18th overall in the NHL that needs to improve.
The PK ranks 15th.
The Canucks' shots per game ranks 24th.
Vancouver ranks 21st in the NHL in winning percentage when scoring the first goal.
They rank 19th in winning percentage when leading after 1.
The Canucks rank 15th in the NHL in winning percentage when leading after 2 periods.
When out shooting their opponents, they rank 19th overall in winning percentage.
A nice stat: they rank 9th in the League in faceoff percentage.

Those are just hard data stats. But they do paint a picture. They tell us that the Canucks are not a great team...but a good team. And we can see that portrayed on the ice. Do you feel comfortable when this squad has a lead? I don't. A big part of that is because of Luongo's absence. But an even bigger part of it is that the team just cannot shut the opposing teams down like it used to. Remember when Alain Vigneault won the Jack Adams Trophy? Well that was labelled as "boring" hockey by many, but at least it was effective. This team is starting to resemble the Marc Crawford version of years past. It's too wide open for me. They need to tighten up.
Other nights they need to shoot or score more. Where is the identity?

4. Yet all is not lost. The positive here is that the Canucks still hold onto 5th spot in the West, and are still 6 points up on 8th place Minnesota. Vancouver is 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. Now take a look at the records of the teams below them in the standings. 8 of the 10 teams are playing near the 500 mark as we are (minus Dallas and Colorado).

5. The Canucks are 10-10-3 without Roberto Luongo. When Louie injured himself I stated that the Canucks would need to play 500 hockey in his absence to survive. That they are doing so far. And they are surviving.

If you want to see a great Canucks team, you are going to have to be patient. Just wait until Sundin hits his stride and Luongo returns before passing on too much judgement. That's what I'm learning to do. I just hate being patient. It doesn't come naturally for me.

T Tags: Canucks positivity Mats+Sundin Pavol+Demitra stats 2009

Demitra out 3-4 weeks / Depressing Canucks stats

Demitra, (and this should not be shocking to anyone) will miss up to a month with torn cartilage in his ribs. He sustained the injury from either reaching for the puck or shooting it. Either way, Glass Joe lives! Does this concern me? Not one bit.
It means that Kyle Wellwood may keep his rightful place as a line 2 senter for an extended period on time. I sure hope he continually impresses there.

---

Elliot Papp of the Vancouver Sun has some sad stats of the Canucks' road trip posted in an article today. Here is an excerpt:

Yes, it's a cruel world. And the Canucks' performance on their just completed six-game road trip - featuring four outright losses in the last five - was ghastly.

The Canucks collected four of a possible 12 points for a winning percentage of .333. Their opponents, meanwhile, collected 10 of a possible 12 points thanks to the NHL's 'loser' point for overtime defeats. That's a success rate of .833.

You allow your foes, especially those in your conference, to pick up that kind of salad and you'll be compost come playoff time.

Coaches love it when their team plays with the lead. In the six road games totalling 364:21, the Canucks led for 16:33 - with 14:52 of that coming in one game against Detroit. They never led for a second against Washington, Buffalo and Columbus.

Unreal, huh? I'm not completely worried yet. Wellwood is our saviour, and the Canucks should play better at home. Papp mentioned that the Canucks are perfect at home this season scoring 6 goals and allowing none against. Nice sarcasm! That was the 6-0 killing of Calgary in game 1.
Check out more of Papp's article here. Then pour yourself a drink.

T Tags: Demitra+injury+update torn+cartlage+ribs out+four+weeks Canucks+road+stats October+2008

Preseason Stats (maybe final)

I don't think any players from today's 3 games cracked the list, so this could be your final. Thank you again, USA Today for the stats. Shame on all those other 'hockey' sites for dropping the ball on preseason stats. (Hack-hack-nhl.com-hack-fucking-hack)

Is Derek Roy going to have an outstanding season?

T Tags: NHL Preseason Stats Final 2007