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

Canucks-Wild Preview: God help us all

So we know the various things that are wrong with this slumping Canucks team...
-fragile confidence
-lousy power play
-lousy penalty kills
-mental lapses
-turnovers
-panic attacks
-not playing the coach's system
-not playing a full 60 minutes

So there is isn't really much else to say except for what players will be playing and who won't.

Pavol Demitra will not play against his former team.
Mike Brown will play. We could use the grit.
Kyle Wellwood will play on a line with Jannik Hansen and Steve Bernier.
Mats Sundin will play with Kesler and Burrows, which I think is a great idea. Kesler and Burrows are basically line 2 players anyways.
Mason Raymond is expected to sit out with Shane O'Brien. Strange how 2 of the 3 players involved in the scuffle at practice on Thursday sit out.
Rob Davison will play in O'Brien's stead.

The Wild lost a disappointing game to the Oilers tonight. They will be whipped and drilled by coach Jacques Lemaire's to win their game against Vancouver.

It's tough to look at the Western Conference standings right now. The Canucks have 51 points and are 2 points from a playoff spot. A loss against the Wild will once again put heaps of pressure on the team.
I really don't know what to expect from the Canucks at this point. They are trying to say all the right things in their 7 game slump, but it is all just lip service to me. These next 3 games will be crucial. All 3 are at home, where they are atrocious. They could very well lose all 3, as GM Place is not such a friendly place to play in lately. If they lose the next 3, Alain Vigneault could be fired, OR, the team will go on the road and turn it around.
Doesn't that bother you that the team plays with so much fucking anxiety at GM Place? What does that say about the team? What does that say about the fans? Well, I've had a few drinks so I'll say this: Canucks fans can be the worst fans in the League. Pessimistic. Doomsayers. How about the fans get a little more into it more consistently and cheer the team on? The players can use all the help they can get.

I know the Devils have been rolling lately, so their fans are optimistic. But when they were down with under a minute to go against the Penguins tonight you could hear the fans screaming "Let's go Devils" as the clock winded down. The Devils never quit, tied the game, won in OT, and sent Crosby home crying.
Now THERE is a team that has their shit together. Confidence is everything. Jamie Langenbrunner is everything. Jesus, what a captain he is.
To me, the Devils are the model team. They play Brent Sutter's system so well. Sure they got outshot by (I believe a 43-16 margin) yet they still win. They lose Brodeur long term and still win. When they had chances they made it count. Plus they got breaks. That's what happens to a team that is rolling and has confidence.
Can someone please tell me how Sundin can start off so sluggish after a long layoff yet Brendan Shanahan can return after more time off than Mats, play 5 games, and have 3 goals and 1 assist? Shanahan turned 40 on January 23. He's so clutch. He also is playing with better talent and has a better shot.
Anyways, I'm just ranting. I'm not losing faith in this Canucks team. Why? Because I believe that once they win a game they will turn it around. If they don't win any games, very soon Mike Gillis will do SOMETHING to change it up. All hope is not lost.

T Tags: Canucks+Wild+game+preview slump Devils Shanahan Sundin answersLabels: Canucks, Devils, Game Preview, Mats Sundin, Wild

Scoreboard watching on Tuesday night

The Canucks can find themselves out of a playoff spot before they even play Nashville on Wednesday if:

-Minnesota beats Toronto on Tuesday night and the Ducks beat the Coyotes or lose in overtime. That would tie the Wild with Vancouver at 51 points with a game in hand. The Ducks would be 2 points ahead with a win or 1 point ahead with the OT loss.
So you had better cheer for the Leafs and Coyotes on Tuesday night, or pray to the Almighty. Whatever floats your boat. C'mon...you can do it. It's for a good cause.

MORE ON THE CANUCKS

Alain Vigneault put the Nucks through somewhat of a rigorous practice on Monday, seeing that none of the guys played except for Luongo. Some of the guys were in Hawaii. Mats Sundin spent some time in Whistler with his fiancee. He didn't skate but worked out.
AV talked about Mats yesterday:

“Obviously this was probably a challenging moment in his career coming in midway through the season,” Vigneault said. “He’s been getting better every day, Today he stepped on the ice and I thought that’s the best he’s looked skating-wise and hands-wise.

“He is a key to our success obviously. He’s a big component and we need him to play well and I think he’s going to rise to the occasion.”

Damned rights he will.

-Pavol Demitra is questionable for Wednesday's game with a sore groin.

---

Canucks have to take down the Wild tonight

...not only because they can retake possession of first spot in the Northwest Division, but also because he longer this losing streak goes the harder it is on player and team chemistry and morale.

I'm not feeling overly confident in the Canucks' abilities to play a tight 60 minutes at this point. I'm also not overly confident in the abilities of Sanford or Schneider. Both have played well, there is no doubt, but they need to steal a game at some point. And to continue the broken record.... the players in front of them need to tighten up defensively. 5 goals scored against the Wings is great, but not when you allow 6 against.

-The Wild are coming off a 4-0 win over the Blues on Wednesday night. They have won 3 of their last 5 games and 6 of their last 10.

-Vancouver has fallen to 7-7-1 on the road this year. Minny is 8-5-1 at home.

-here are the Wild players' stats. Saku's bro is better than Saku it seems.

Team stats that stand out:

-The Wild are 2nd-best in the NHL in the goals-against category. Canucks are 7th and falling.

-The Canucks are better than the Wild 5-on-5.

-The Wild have the 2nd best power play in the NHL behind who? Detroit. If it wasn't for Kyle Wellwood, the Canucks would be lower than 17th in the NHL.

-The Wild are the 2nd best team in the NHL on the PK. Canucks are 18th.

-Disturbingly, the Canucks are free-falling to the League basement when it comes to shots-per-game. They are 29th. Minny isn't that much better at 25th.

-But hey here's a positive stat: The Canucks are far better than the Wild at winning faceoffs! Woop!

So what do all these stats mean? Well, they can mean nothing at times. But if you are a betting man, you'd have to go with the Wild on this one. From a fan standpoint, I think this game could go either way. The Canucks did suffer a brain fart against the Wings last night, yet they showed a lot of resolve in the 2nd half of the 3rd period to almost tie it. They just have to carry that momentum over. (Yay cliche!)
Can the Canucks prevent their first 5 game losing streak in 3 years? This has to end at some point. Scary thing is, including Minnesota, the Canucks have 4 more road games left before they head home.
Vancouver has won both games over the Wild this season so far.

Check out the Live Blog of the game over at Canucks.com. Same crew of moderators as last night except for 1 change: Alanah is in and Miss 604 is a healthy scratch (I believe due to comments about Luongo's groin! Sorry Rebecca, I'm just kidding.) I believe Alanah is going to need some cheering up. She has a charting the moments of false hope for Canucks fans after last night's game. Worth a look. Booze helps in these dire times.
I chatted it up with the Nuckleheads last night on the board and it was a great time. No names, but some guys just don't give Wellwood his dues! Hilarious. Wellwood is gold and the sooner you get over that denial in your life the sooner you can live as free men.

POST GAME BYTES

Jacques Lemaire:

"It’s another game, and it’s a game we want to win, and we know when we play the Canucks there’s action, there’s intensity, there’s excitement – and we’ll have that. Get your seats early."

Luongo inches closer to return

Luongo has moved to the next stage of his recovery from a groin strain and that calls for "controlled shooting." So for the better part of an hour Thursday, Luongo was on ice at Joe Louis Arena and spent much of that time taking shots from Clark for the second straight day.
"Obviously, it is another step in the right direction," Luongo said. "We are still in a somewhat controlled environment even though I am facing pucks. So like I said a few days ago, it's little steps at a time. You want to make sure you are 100 per cent strength-wise before you get into practice and stuff where things are not always under control and you might have to be forced to make a move that is out of your range or something like that." -Vancouver Sun.

I think Nirvana sang it best when they said: "Take your time. Hurry up. The choice is yours. Don't be late."

GAME TIME: 5:00 PST
TV: Sportsnet

T Tags: Canucks Wild game+preview December+5+2008 losing+streak
Luongo+injury+update December+5+2008

Canucks 2 Wild 0

2 more assists from Bieksa? GOLD! He led the team in ice time as well.

The Wild looked tired being on the last game of their 4 game road trip and the Canucks took full advantage of them.

Who are the NE Division leaders right now? The fucking Canucks, baby! And all the pro pundits had us as failure.... Shame! This team is good.

Canucks vs Wild Live Blog

Get your booze and and come join in the live game chat. Hopefully I can con Alannah and/or Yankee Canuck into this as well. Go Canucks!

Canucks have not had much success against the Wild lately

Here are Luongod's stats against Minny from Canucks.com:

Last season, the Montreal-native appeared in seven of the eight games in the season series against the Wild posting a record of 2-4-1 with a 2.87 GAA and a .886 save percentage. In 21 career games played in versus Minnesota, Luongo has a record of 6-11-4 with a 2.94 GAA and a .892 save percentage. He has also blanked the Wild once in his career but that was way back during his rookie season with the Florida Panthers in a 0-0 tie on October 22, 2000.

Not exactly stats that invoke positivity. How about the Wild being 21-13-11 lifetime against the Canucks? Blame Cloutier right? Not really. But this is a new Canucks team and this is a new year. The Canucks have proven this season that they can beat teams any way they like (and lose in the same manner).
We saw a tighter defensive style against the Coyotes and Kings that had been lacking for most of the earlier part of the season, and I would imagine they will continue that type of effort tonight.
Luongo has been getting better and better, yet he attributes a lot of his recent success to the team committing more to defence, as this clip shows. Luongo stated recently:

"That’s the identity of our team, we’ve always been good defensively. The fact we’ve been able to score more goals this year is an added bonus. But just because we’ve scored more doesn’t mean we have a different identity. We always took pride in our defensive play and that’s where we are."

Good. Keep pounding that into their heads, captain.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

It's strange that this will be the first time we play the Wild over 14 games in. Bless the new schedule. Is this a true test of how well we match up against Minnesota? Not really. The Wild have some serious injury issues. Brent Burns, Owen Nolan and Marian Gaborik are on the IR. Good! Despite these absences, guys like Mikko Koivu (2 goals and 15 points in 12 games), Antti Miettinen (6 goals and 12 points in 12 games) and Andrew Brunette (5 goals and 9 points in 12 games) are stepping up to the plate and contributing. More Wild stats here.
This is the final game of a 4-game road trip for the Wild. Minnesota won their last game 3-1 over the Avalanche two nights ago. But who isn't beating the Avs these days?
The Wild have 2 wins and 3 losses in their last 5. The Canucks are 4-1-0.

TEAM STAT COMPARISONS

-Wins: Canucks 8 Wild 8
-Points: Canucks 16 Wild 17. The race is on!
-Goals Per Game: Canucks 3.21 (7th) Wild 2.67 (23rd)
-Goals Against Per Game: Canucks 2.71 (14th) Wild 2.17 (2.17). There are key stats right there. Minny traps and have an awesome goalie in Backstrom.
-Powerplay Percentage: Canucks 17.6% (16th) Wild 20.4% (9th). We really need to get our PP going quick.
-Penalty Kill Percentage: Canucks 79.2% (21st) Wild 93.8% (1st). Well that won't help our PP. Holy toledo.

So, I'll take a "don't take stupid penalties" sandwich with "score the first goal" fries on the side please. The Canucks play 5th best in the NHL 5 on 5 as far as goals for and against goes.

I think we can win this one. We are at home, the Wild should be a bit road weary, and Luongo is red hot. 3-2 in a shootout is my guess.

More Canucks game notes

-Demitra is skating again but taking it easy I would assume. Fracturing ribs sucks and takes about a month to heal as long as you don't aggravate the problem. For once, I can say that it's too bad Demitra isn't playing tonight. I'd like to see how he'd respond playing against his former team.
-Jannik Hansen may play tonight. His groin never felt better (hey Larschied?)
-Does Woody have any magic left? Of course he does!

My good friend Temujin is at the game tonight. He is quite gun-shy about going to Nucks games because I believe they have only won ONCE in the 7 or 8 games he's been to. Is Jin a curse? He will feel like he is if we lose tonight.

If Calgary loses to Columbus and we beat the Wild in regulation, we take the top spot in the Northwest tonight. It's a great day for hockey!

T Tags: Canucks+Wild+game+preview October+8+2008 Jannik+Hansen+may+return stats

Wild and Pierre-Marc Bouchard agree to a 5-year deal

Browsing through online hockey news sites late tonight, I came across this article in the Star-Tribune that is stating that Minnesota has locked up Bouchard to the tune of $20.4 million over 5 years.
The 24-year old C/RW was drafted 8th overall by the Wild in 2002. For a small frame, (5'10" 160-170 pounds) I'm suprised that Bouchard doesn't get injured more. Bouchard averaged 16:51 of icetime last season, which was the highest of his career, and he also scored his highest points total (13 goals 50 assists) 63 points.
Many still expect more of Bouchard, who tore up the QMJHL with the Chicoutimi Saqueneens prior to his start in the NHL. In 2 seasons there, he scored 84 goals and 235 points in only 136 games. Of course, they score in hoards in the QMJHL anyway, but still.
$4 million is a great deal for the Wild, in my opinion.

T Tags: Wild+sign+Pierre-Marc+Bouchard

What type of style will Barry Melrose coach?

As reported by Melanie Formentin at the Lightning's site: Last Thursday, Steven Stamkos and Barry Melrose were introduced to Lightning fans during a season ticket holder meet and greet. Melrose, in true salesman fashion said:

“Skating and speed is used defensively, it’s used offensively,” Melrose said. “We’re going to be physical. You’re going to see a lot of hitting. And again, this is not going to be a nice place to play. When teams land in Tampa they’ll say ‘We’ll take tonight off and get two (points) in Florida tomorrow.”

I didn't see the whole press conference, but one Lightning fan mentioned:

“The style of game we’re going to see from him is something I’m really intrigued about,” Eric DuBose, a 4-year season ticket holder said of Melrose. “It sounds like more of an up-tempo style that we’re used to playing, but on top of that we’re going to turn ourselves into a hard-hitting defensive team with a run-and-gun system. It’s exciting.”

Right. "Run and gun". Know what that reminds me of? The Maple Leafs. That style of play isn't the winning way in today's NHL. Last time I checked, the 2 teams in the Finals were very responsible defensively. Are the Lightning going to try win games 5-4? I know this type of hockey is exciting, and sure, I miss the 80's style of hockey, but it doesn't work when most of the other teams don't play that way. Hey Barry, this isn't Los Angeles in 1993 anymore! The game has evolved since then!
Jeez, new Bolts goalie Mark Smith may be seeing a lot of rubber this coming season. This will be a massive change from what he was seeing in defensive Dallas.
There's no doubt the superstar players will like his style of coaching as well. But will it win? Stay tuned I guess. The Bolts are bolstering their attack lines. It seems they have contracts set for both Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone. 2 great acquisitions. Oh yeah, they have Prospal back as well.
Fine and dandy, but check out their defence core. There are rumors out there that Tampa is trying to shop Dan Boyle, further depleting their D.

**UPDATE**
I guess you can add Brian Rolston to that list of forwards in Tampa now! Yeesh! Thanks for the tip, GZ Expat.

T Tags: Lightning Barry+Melrose+Steve+Stamkos+greet+fans Lightning+sign+Roberts+and+Malone

Blue Jackets close to signing Ryan Malone? Wild and Canucks in mix **UPDATE** Malone sets the record straight

The Columbus Dispatch's sources are saying that the Jackets are trying to make a trade to the Penguins for the negotiating rights to Malone, who will become a UFA July 1.
The paper's sources are also saying that Minnesota and Vancouver are in the running. Malone in Vancouver? I'm in!

**UPDATE**

The Jackets story is apparently untrue. Malone told WTAE TV in Pittsburgh that

"It's UFA for sure."

As for the Columbus rumor, Malone said:

"If Columbus was smart they wouldn't make the trade"

Wow. End of story. Malone will take the highest bid after July 1. Those are his intentions. Malone also stated that Pittsburgh "never made him a real offer."
After a 27-goal 51 point season in 77 games and a good playoff run playing with the likes of Crosby, what is Malone's fair value? Surely his numbers will drop and someone is going to overpay this guy.

T Tags: Ryan+Malone+to+Blue+Jackets Ryan+Malone+to+Canucks trade

Canucks-Wild Preview: A night of new faces

New Canuck Matt Pettinger will play on the Canucks' "2nd line" tonight with Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler. I hope he can bring more to the table than Cooke did.
So that will put Naslund with the Sedins and Pyatt with Raymond and Shannon.
Jeff Cowan will sit our as he is serving a 1 game suspension for his high hit on Detroit's Dave Meech on Saturday.
The Canucks recalled Rick Rypien from Manitoba yesterday, and sent Luc Bourdon back down. Rypien will replace Byron Ritchie, who will not play tonight because of back pain.
The Avalanche will have Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei in their lineup tonight. That's a pretty good duo right there. Strong and mean. Both guys can make huge hits. According to Canucks.com, Peter Forsberg is in Vancouver right now and will address the media at 5:30 PST today. I hope he doesn't play tonight. He's probably going to wait a couple of games.
The new Avs beat the Flames in OT last night, putting them in 9th spot and only 2 points behind us. Tonight's game is crucial for both sides, so expect a playoff-like atmosphere at the Garage.
The following weeks are going to be intense in the West. Hell, tonight is intense. You watch the Canucks play and watch the out-of-town scoreboard closely, praying for the teams around you to lose.
Are the additions of Foote, Salei and Forsberg going to put the Avs in a playoff spot? Is the Theodore-Budaj combo consistent enough to help the Avalanche streak?
What the hell is going on in Minnesota? 12 goals against and 4 goals scored in their current 4 game slump and a fall from the Northwest Division lead. Unreal.
As you can see from the current standings below, the Canucks have 2 games in hand on the trailing Predators and Avalanche. We'll have to win those, sez Captain Obvious.
I say we beat the Avs 4-3 in a shootout tonight. It's going to be close. The Canucks are riding high on a 4 game winning streak and look poised.
Vancouver has played Colorado 4 times this season and has won 2 and lost 2. The Avs have won the last 2 against us. Time for change.

Game Time: 7:00 PST
TV: TSN (High Def)

Pettinger-Linden image is from Canucks.com.




T Tags: Canucks Avalanche Preview Forsberg Foote Salei Pettinger

Canucks continue their roll over the Wild

Sure, I called this game to a T, but it doesn't matter. What really matters is that the Canucks are playing with a vengeance and are giving us sure signs that this team will make the playoffs. When Belanger scored the go ahead goal for Minnesota there was panic in CanuckLand I'm sure. But the Canucks kept pressing and once again tied the game in Naslundian fashion on the power play, only to set up a 3-way Swede play in OT to bury the Wild.
To me, right now, after the bloodbath in Edmonton, I'm not suprised the Canucks are winning again. They are showing no signs of quitting and really haven't shown that even in their losing skid. These guys believe in eachother and it's very evident on the ice.
It's comforting to know that when the Sedins show up on the scoreboard, we tend to win. It's not comforting to realize that when teams shut these guys down, we lose.
That's all I got to say about that. Nonis needs to acquire some help with secondary scoring, or the current bunch behind the Sedins needs to provide secondary scoring more often.
Speaking of....good to see Cooke bag one. It's about fucking time, Cookie.

Don't look now, but the Canucks are moving up the Western Conference standings. Ooo yeah! Dig it! 7th spot muthafuckas!

Bottom line though, does any part of this game compare to the comeback by Montreal over the Rangers tonight? Not a damned chance. That's just sick. Not many teams win after being down 5-0.

GAME SUMMARY

HIGHLIGHTS

T Tags: Canucks Wild Review

Canucks steal a point in a Wild one

The glass is either half empty or half full. That is what I'm left deciding after tonight's insane shootout loss to the Wild. On one hand, Willie Mitchell returned and played super, regardless of Gaborik deking him out and scoring. Mitchell does so many good little "big" things out there and it's great to have him back.
I was talking pregame about how the Canucks needed more bounces to go their way, and they did. It's just that Minnesota had the same bounes as well. Pucks were going in the net off legs, skates, sticks, the back of Luongo's cabbage...etc. Crazy.
I didn't think Luongo was completely into this game. He looked out of position often. His performance in the shootout costed us the extra point. Yes, I am putting the heat on Louie for that. He looked like he had forgotten everything Ian Clark had taught him, especially in the shootout. He looked like the Luongo in October 2006 when he first came here. And the Wild made him look stupid for it, repeatedly. Every shooter froze him with a fake and had a wide open net to shoot at to Luongo's left. Only Gaborik flubbed his shot, but would have beaten him on the same side.
More negatives: the Sedins and Naslund. Sorry kids, but flashy little dangly moves and plays don't work against rough-nosed teams that kick the shit out of ya. All 3 were in the minus category tonight and were a disappointment. It's just too bad that sometimes I feel like we have $13 million tied up in 3 Swedes who have the heart of a potato sack. They should almost become soccer players.
Guys like Mitchell, Edler, Shannon, Kesler, Isbister, Burrows really came through tonight. You had to love Burrows fighting Rolston for his hit on Mitchell. That's commraderie. That sparked the team to come back. Great stuff. Alex Edler has the poise of a seasoned vet. I wish he would have got the hatty tonight.
The Canucks team looks to be headed in the right direction now. At least they are still in the playoff race, as both the Avs and Preds lost tonight. Perfect.
The Wild, however, are already playoff-ready. This team is simply awesome. It looks like a team that will go deep in the playoffs. They have guts, skill, speed, goaltending and discipline.

T Tags: CanucksWildReviewLuongo suckyEdler is god

Good news on the horizon as the Wild invade GM Place tonight

The Western Conference drama continues tonight as the Canucks really have to win and the Avalanche and Predators have to lose. The worst case scenario tonight is a Canucks loss, the Avs and Preds win, and Vancouver is 3 points out of a playoff spot and 7 points out of first in the Northwest behind the Wild.
Vancouver's next 6 games are crucial. 4 of them are against division rivals (2 against the Wild, 1 against the Oilers and 1 against the Avalanche) one is against the Predators, and 1 against Detroit. A continuing losing skid now and we can kiss the playoffs goodbye, or start doing the mathematics more seriously.
But we do have home-ice advantage. 4 of the next 6 games are at home.
Willie Mitchell may return tonight.

"The last little while, watching how the team was doing was tough. It gave me a little kick in the ass. For me, I don't have individual goals -- I just want to get to the Stanley Cup. And to get to the Stanley Cup you have to make the playoffs. If we don't get there, we have no chance."

Thanks, captain obvious.
Mitchell's return is going to be huge.

Kevin Bieksa's return nears. From Canucks.com:

Kevin Bieksa (lacerated calf muscle) took the day off yesterday but is said to be progressing ahead of schedule. He is expected to skate again today. He could make a comeback to the Canucks’ lineup before the end of the month.

Sometimes I forget that we even had Bieksallent on our roster. That's how long he's been gone.

PROGNOSIS

We saw the bounces start going the Canucks' way against the Hawks last game. Hopefully that trend continues and the Canucks work consistently hard tonight. There's no time for screwing around. I'm trying to avoid cliche's, because like Jason Botchford said in his piece in the Province, it's the time of the year for cliche's in Vancouver.

I'm going to pick the Nucks to win tonight, 2-1. That will be back-to-back wins for the first time in a raccoon's age (January 8th), sparking an even-larger streak of wins. Or, at least, more wins more often.

T Tags: Canucks
Wild
Preview
Mitchell+returns
Bieksa+skating

Can the Canucks get back on track tonight against the Wild?

The Canucks' free-fall down the Western Conference standings continues, as we are now in 8th spot with several teams below us breathing down our necks. Ah yes, tense times. Thanks, Bettman. Actually I really like that so many teams are this competitive in both conferences. It's fun to watch, even though it is at our expense at the moment.
First of all, let's check into Markus Naslund's salary situation and what is being said by him about it. Personally, I do not believe he is earning his $6 million dollars at this point, and I'm sure that anyone over the age of 14 can realize that. Naslund, according to the Vancouver Province disagrees.

"Yeah, it does bother me," Naslund said. "It's easy to be negative and find things that are wrong instead of understanding the whole picture. If you haven't been a part of a team ... I think it's difficult for people to understand.
I want to deserve what I earn. But if you look at my whole career, I don't feel guilty about my salary now because there were a lot of years where ... [I could have] made a lot more money."

Oh yeah? And what years were those?
Naslund almost redeems himself in my eyes when after the aforementioned, he stated he would consider a paycut:

"If the situation is right, yeah, I could see myself doing that," Naslund said. "I've always said my decision is based on how I feel and how I think I'm doing. I'm not going to play just for the sake of playing and collecting money. I have to feel I can contribute and look myself in the mirror and feel that I'm helping the team.
I haven't thought about playing somewhere else. You should never say never, but to me, Vancouver is my team. It's going to come down to sitting down with the family and deciding what the big picture looks like after this season is done."

I say the words "almost redeems himself" because I think that the above statement is frankly full of shit. If Vancouver management decides Naslund is worth less and Naslund and especially his agent disagree.......bye-bye Naslund. Screw loyalty and integrity.

Whoa, I got sidetracked. Back to the Wild and Canucks..
We have beaten them 2 out of 3 times, outscoring them 11-6. The Wild have won 3 of their last 5, beating Phoenix, Chicago and Detroit and losing to the Ducks and Flames in their last 2 games. The Nuckleheads are slumping, having lost 4 of their last 5. Out of those 5 games, only 1 team was currently in playoff position, the other 4 were NOT, as you can see in my left sidebar.
Face it, we suck against sucky teams. I don't know if we just don't mentally prepare for the weaker guys or what, but it really chaps my ass.
Minnesota is a formidable opponent and an enemy of ours. So I would look for a great effort from Vancouver tonight (yes I'm sticking my neck out) and the Canucks pulling out a 3-1 win.

End of story. I'm not going to analyze this team now. They'll break out of this slump eventually is my guess. They overcame a slow start to the season so.....stay positive, Canucks fans.

T Tags: Canucks Wild Preview Slump Naslund+pay+cut salary

Wild 2 Canucks 1

I think this game can be summed up pretty quickly, using very few words.

- shots: Wild 30 Canucks 20
- why? because the Canucks took too many penalties and played an uncharacteristicly undisciplined game. The Wild went 1-for-7 on the powerplay. The 2 powerplay chances the Canucks had were feeble.
- the Naslund-Sedin line looked schooled every time they tried to maintain any form of attack in the Wild's zone. The Wild flushed them out and stole the puck AND the Swedes kept being forced to turn the puck over. I'd also say they were not aggressive enough at times, and had no gel at all at other times.
- Niklas Backstrom looked bored.
- Ohlund was boo'ed all night. Haha. C'mon Minnesota, Canuck players are so likeable!
- Luongo was terrific again and got no support except from Mike Brown, who scored his first ever NHL goal, and Ryan Kesler, who showed more heart than every other Canuck player combined. Yeah, I'm a Kesler nut, so pardon the exaggeration.
I didn't mind Ohlund's play either.
-Who's that Voros guy? A goon with good hands. Yeah, he's good, and I like his emotion after he scores a goal.
- End of story. An off game. One to forget. Minny takes over the Northwest Division and they deserve that.

Post game Canucks quote of the night: Ryan Kesler.

"To put all the pressure on him is something we can't do," Ryan Kesler said of Luongod. "He's probably the best goaltender in the league, and that's something we can't take advantage of because it's going to bite us in the (rear) someday."

Hey Kes, at least YOU showed up today.

GAME STATS

BOX SCORE

HIGHLIGHTS (NHL.COM)

T Tags: Canucks Wild Review Luongo Voros

Canucks-Wild Preview

Well, it's -15 up here with a wind chill. So I'm not complaining about the game being on so early. This afternoon's game has many storylines to it.
The Canucks have owned the Wild this season so far, winning both games and outscoring the Wild 10-4 in the process. Markus Naslund has 4 goals including a hat trick in the last game.
-The Canucks are 4-14 on the powerplay against the Wild this season.
-The Wild are 2-for-7.
-The Canucks have outshot the Wild 57-42.

But the big story for tonight in snowy Minnesota isn't necessarily how much of a dickhead Boogaard is going to be. It's whether or not/how much longer Roberto Luongod can keep this shutout streak going. He is currently on a career and franchise-high 193 minutes and 56 seconds.
But Canucks.com is echoing my sentiments somewhat. Marion Gaborik is rolling right now. He has scored goals in his last 5 games spanning back to when he last played against us. Let's see if the Canucks can play disciplined hockey and how well Kesler can annoy Gabby and keep him in check.
Vancouver and Minny have the exact same record: 14-9-2, with the Canucks having the edge for top spot in the Northwest because they have scored ONE more goal than the Wild overall. Unreal. So top spot in the NW is up for grabs tonight, as the Western Conference continues to be a war. I don't think I've seen standing this close before.
You gotta think that the team is rallying around Luongo's cause here. I'm wondering if Luongo's shutout streak comes to an end early on in this one and the wheels fall off the Nucks' wagon costing them the game.
I am thinking that the Wild do just that and win this one 3-2. They are due.
I am also thinking that Roberto is off his game. Check out the clip below:




Good stuff, Louie.

Game Time: 3:00 PM Pacific
TV: Pay-per-view. Hurry up and order it before the phone lines jam up!

T Tags: Canucks Wild Preview Luongo+shutout+streak

Fedoruk claimed by the Wild

From TSN:

The Minnesota Wild have claimed tough guy Todd Fedoruk off re-entry waivers from the Dallas Stars.
The Stars and Wild will split Fedoruk's US$875,000 salary for the remainder of the season. He's an unrestricted free agent July 1.

So now it's the Wild who feel they need more size. Fedoruk now becomes a teammate with the guy who whooped him in a fight in 2006, Derek Boogaard. Word is, Fedoruk refused to play on any team that didn't have Boogaard on it. He was scared.
The Wild could use the added toughness though, right?

Josh Harding probably needs an extra bodyguard, as he suffered a concussion last night against the Canucks after a player crashed into him.

T Tags: Minnesota Wild+claim+Fedoruk waivers

Canucks-Wild Preview

Let's get ready to ruuuuuummmbllllle! 3 periods of fighting coming up tonight.
In the red corner: standing at 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighing a colossal 270 pounds: he is the freak, the frankenstein, the disgrace to Dutch people, the gum-flapping mindless tit, the slow-skating goon, the waste of roster space, the personality of a shit sandwich fighting champion of the NHL! Derek "Boogeyman" Boogaard.
In the blue corner: standing at 6 feet tall and weighing in at 210 pounds: he is your average Vancouver Canuck! Run away bitches! Run!
Ah, it should be a heated tilt tonight after last week's tempermental game. Boogaard was unhappy with Canuck players taking liberties with the Wilds' star players. After that game he said:

"Their so-called agitators were taking liberties," Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard said. "As soon as I stepped on the ice, they just sort of spread out and scattered to their holes almost. They don't want to come near me or talk to me.
But they think they can slash and stick and punch our skill guys. I'm not going to stand for it. Maybe I can go after, or check Naslund and those Pinky and the Brain twins."

Comical stuff from the doof. But I wouldn't put it past him.
The thing is, he's wrong and off base. Kesler was checking Gaborik closely and shadowing him and Gaborik reacted with an elbow to Kess' face. Koivu elbowed Ohlund in the chops right before Ohlund cut that useless piece of Finnish timber to the ground.
This game could get interesting. But what Canuck is going to stand up and get Fedoruked? Cowan? The newly-inserted Mike Brown? Maybe they both can double team the giant and give him a finishing move. I can see it now: A double clothesline, then Brown drapes Boogaard over his knee while Cowan climbs to the top of the boards and delivers the elbow....Demolition-style.
The NHL is going to be watching this game closely.
Our best bet is to get Cowan and Brown to drop the gloves with Boogaard individually, take some licks and then have Boogaard ejected for his 2 major fighting penalties. And they should get it done early too.
Should be a face-slapping slash-a-thon.
I say the Canucks take it 3-2. The game probably won't be that violent. Not enough goons out there.
And since I don't aspire to be a politically correct journalist: mother-fuck Boogaard. Millions of sperm and Boogaard's survived? Someone should slap his mom for even giving birth to him. I'm pretty sure his parents are apes.

Game time: 5:00 PM
TV: Canucks PPV. This one could be worth your money! (minus Gary Valk and the repeated Linden tributes.)

T Tags: Canucks Wild Preview Boogaard Pinky+and+the+Brain

Canucks-Wild thoughts / Bryzgalov

It appears that the Sportsnet's Hockey Central Panel is fucking blind. They accused Mattias Ohlund for slashing Mikko Koivu simply because Koivu took the puck from the Swede and danced around him. But they clearly missed the elbow that Koivu threw on Ohlund's face as he went by him. It doesn't justify Ohlund's actions. But I sure hope Ohlund doesn't get too long of a suspension.
Anyone else get a Bobby Clarke-Kharlamov deja-vu from that slash?

What a game though. Nothing beats seeing the Canucks destroy someone. To me it seemed it wasn't as much as the Canucks were so damned good as it was the Wild played THAT badly. Where is the Wild's defensive system lately?

Other highlights

-Ryan Kesler. He shadowed Gaborik and neutralized the bastard. Gabby was so pissed off and frustrated that he dished out a serious elbow to Kesler's face. Kesler just skated away.

-Trevor Linden gets his first goal of the year.

-Luc Bourdon gets his first ever NHL goal. The chants of "Luc" rang through GM Place. That was a feel-good moment.

-The Wild can be feisty and dirty. They are frustrated evidently. Boogaard thinks Ohlund should get 5 games. I think Boogaard should shut the fuck up and get a lobotomy. Ohlund's golf swing is being reviewed by the League right now.

-6 Canucks goals by 6 different Canucks is a thing of beauty though. And it looked even better watching it in High Definition.

-Alex Edler is getting better and better. He was huge last night. Loved that hit on Boobaby.

Canucks-Wild Highlights

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Ilya Bryzgalov signs with the Coyotes, huh. Well the Dogs were 3rd on my list for Breezie destinations. His impact in Phoenix was immediate as he and his new teammates shutout the Kings 1-0 this afternoon. Wow. Gretzky gets himself the best goalie he's had yet. Should be a lethal shot in the Coyote's arm.....if they can learn to score more.

T Tags: Canucks Wild Ohlund+slash Bryzgalov+to+Coyotes