Canucks Beat Caps 4-2, Improve to 5-3

The Vancouver Canucks are quickly becoming quite the Jekyll and Hyde hockey team as they returned home to hand the Washington Capitals a 4-2 beating only days after looking like a bottom-feeder against the much younger and quicker Colorado Avalanche on Friday night in Denver. 

After a scoreless first period that saw Caps goalie Justin Peters stand on his head and make some marvellous saves on the fresher-looking, harder working team, Washington got on the board early in the second frame when Marcus Johansson wired a wrist-shot passed Ryan Miller to put the Caps up 1-0. A defensive miscue by the pairing of Luca Sbisa and Yannick Weber allowed Johansson to get open in the slot and bury a shot passed the helpless Vancouver goalie.

The Canucks kept up the pressure after that opening tally though, as they scored 3 goals in a 1:47 span late in the second period to take a commanding 3-1 lead before giving up another Washington goal before the end of the frame.

Vancouver held on to the 3-2 lead for much of the third before Radim Vrbata potted an empty-netter on the power play with just over a minute left in the game to seal the win and get the Canucks off to a good start on their 3 game home stand. Henrik Sedin, Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa scored the other goals for Vancouver while Liam O'Brien scored his first career NHL goal on the Capitals second marker.

Watch game highlights and check the full stats here.

Unlike last weekend when Steven Stamkos lit them up, Alex Ovechkin was surprisingly quiet as Vancouver held last year's goal scoring champ to only 2 shots and limited his opportunities. It was a rare off-night for the Eastern Conference superstar that Canucks fans only get to see once a year.

 

The Canucks are back at it Tuesday when they host the only winless team left in the NHL; the Carolina Hurricanes.

Follow Canuck City on twitter @CanuckCityBlog for live game updates, analysis and observations.

Canucks Get Off to Awful Start, Lose 6-3 to Dallas

Summary:

Despite firing 46 shots on net, it was a night to forget for most members of the Canucks as the Dallas Stars trounced Vancouver 6-3 Tuesday night in Texas. 

Trailing 3-0 after one frame, Dallas scored twice just over a minute into the second period to make it 5-0, forcing the Canucks to pull starter Ryan Miller from the game. It wasn't really his fault though, as the first goal bounced in off of a back-checking Alex Burrows into his own net, another one awkwardly ricocheting off Miller's stick, then blocker and in the net and lastly another strange bounce off of a Canuck defender, then off Erik Cole passed Miller.

It couldn't be classified as "just one of those nights" though, as the overall effort and game plan wasn't there off the bat. Vancouver didn't show any gumption (to steal Darren Pang's vocabulary), any desire or any fight until it was too late. 

Sure, they could take some consolation in coming back to make it close(ish), but really, there's no excuse to the poor start. I was hoping to at least see some fight - literally - and at least see someone who seemed pissed to be getting clocked, but I don't remember even a big hit or a pick-me-up shift from anyone.

The Sedin line was good once again, but they continue to try to be too flashy and make too many cute passes as opposed to shooting the damn puck. At one point in the 2nd period, Henrik came down on a 2 on 1 with his brother and everyone this side of Arkansas knew he was passing it to his bro, including the Stars defenceman who batted the pass away and ended any chance at scoring.

The 2nd line, or really in the Canucks case their first 3rd line, was downright awful and were on the ice for all 3 of Dallas' first period goals. Nick Bonino, Alex Burrows and Chris Higgins all finished the night -3. 

Kevin Bieksa was -4 and played his usual careless defence. Chris Tanev was not his typical self as he struggled defensively all night as well.

Eddie Lack came in and played solidly, allowing only 1 goal on 15 shots, while Miller let in 5 goals on 13 shots in just over 20 minutes action. Miller's GAA rose to 3.20 and his save % dropped to 88.4.

View the game highlights and full stats here.

Conclusion:

Vancouver is simply a very average hockey team in my opinion. Their 3-0 start to the season is skewed based on their opponents; the lowly Oilers twice and the Flames. With back to back losses to quality teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning and now the Dallas Stars, are we seeing how we match up to the rest of the league? Or is this simply a team having some early season struggles as it tries to gel and get used to a new coach, new system and new teammates? I suppose only time will tell, but I for one am not optimistic about a team with only one scoring line, two 3rd lines and a 4th line. Toss in a defence corps that is prone to breakdowns, malfunctions and costly turnovers and an aging goalie who is past the prime of his career and you have the blueprint for a long, long season. 

Vancouver will look to right the ship with back to back games starting Thursday night in St. Louis against the Blues before heading to Colorado to face the Avalanche Friday.

 

 

Canucks Beat Flames 4-2, On Pace For An 82-0 Season!

The Vancouver Canucks were victorious on opening night for the first time in 6 years after their 4-2 win in Calgary Wednesday night against the Flames.

Alex Burrows opened the scoring 11:55 into the opening frame by tipping in a Dan Hamhuis point shot on the power play to give Vancouver the 1-0 lead in what was an otherwise pretty uneventful period.

The second period was more offensive though, as early on Paul Byron beat Ryan Miller with a wrister through the five-hole on a two on one to tie the game at a goal apiece. Just over a minute later, Zack Kassian banged home an errant shot by Brad Richardson to regain the lead for the Canucks. Radim Vrbata scored his 1st as a Canuck by knocking a puck out of mid air passed the Flames new netminder Jonas Hiller. The goal was initially waved off as the referee thought Vrbata made contact with the puck above the crossbar, but after a lengthy review the play was deemed legal giving Vancouver a 3-1 advantage. The two goal lead was short-lived however, as Jiri Hudler scored after an Alex Edler turnover resulted in the chance in the slot.

In the 3rd, the Canucks were able to hold off some Calgary pressure before Henrik Sedin showed amazing strength, determination and tenacity by fighting off a couple Flames defenders and one-handing the puck into the empty-net while falling to make it 4-2 and guaranteeing the win for his team. Vancouver resumes their season Saturday at home against the Edmonton Oilers.

Forwards: 

Despite being only one game, the Sedins showed that they're ready for a comeback season after a rough year under former coach John Tortorella. Teamed with Vrbata, they spent the majority of their time in the offensive zone, generated a number of chances and the line combined for 2 goals and 4 points. Henrik's aforementioned empty-net goal was an incredible individual effort, and he proved as the captain that he's ready to lead his team by example.

The line of Richardson, Vey and Kassian was pretty effective all game. Richardson finished with 2 assists Vey with a helper and Kassian with a goal. Alex Burrows looked like the Burrows of a couple seasons ago as he was getting under his opponents skin and playing physical all game. He also scored the opening goal of the contest. He went through a 40 game goal-less streak last season so it must have been a relief to get on the board early in the year.

The 4th line of Dorsett, Matthias and Hansen were terrible all night. In limited ice time they were on the ice for both Flames goals and Hansen had a pretty ugly turnover early in the first that got him benched for a few shifts. If that line continues to struggle, look for Tom Sestito and Bo Horvat (currently injured) to get some looks.

Defence: 

Alex Edler led Vancouver in ice time despite having a rough game. He had a bad turnover that led to Calgary's second goal and made a few bad reads throughout the game and finished -2. Luca Sbisa was surprisingly efficient after a poor preseason and the rest of the defense corps were neither good or bad.

Goalie:

Ryan Miller had a solid debut making 23 saves and keeping the Canucks ahead and steering aside 9 Calgary shots in the 3rd period. He probably should have made the save on Byron's goal in the 2nd that beat him between the legs, but he did enough to preserve the victory in his first game for Vancouver.

Overall:

The Canucks did enough to win against a mediocre opponent and will have to play a better, more consistent sixty minute game in order to be successful throughout the year.

Canuck City's 3 stars:
1. Henrik Sedin
2. Alex Burrows
3. Brad Richardson

Watch the full game highlights here.

Check out the full stats and box score here.

Canuck City's Predictions; A Look Ahead At The Season To Be

With the regular season nearly upon us, and the rosters virtually set for opening night, it's time to make some early predictions; some serious and some humorous. So let's get right to it.

The Canucks will finish the regular season.....

In 9th place in the Western Conference, and 4th place in the Pacific Division behind Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose. The Canucks are in a heated race and need a win against the lowly Oilers on the final night of the regular season to sneak into 8th place and the final wildcard spot. They lay a dud and lose 4-1, ripping the hearts out of Canucks fans province wide.

The Canucks leading scorer will be.....

Henrik Sedin. Not a bold pick by any means, but Henrik and brother Daniel return to nearly a point a game form and rebound after a rough season under former coach John Tortorella. Henrik finishes with 14 goals, 63 assists for 77 points. Daniel isn't far behind with 73 points (28 goals, 45 assists), while linemate Radim Vrbata finishes with the most goals at 34 and totals 66 points. No other Canuck finishes with more than 50 points.

Ryan Miller finishes the year with.....

31 wins, a 2.36 GAA and 918%. Decent numbers overall and single-handedly wins his new team a handful of games. Goes through a rough stretch around Christmas in which he temporarily loses his starting job to Eddie Lack and sulks and makes some negative comments to the media who run with it, and once again there's a goalie controversy in Vancouver. It's short-lived though, as his job as backup lasts just over a week and he gets back on track and finishes off the season strong and as the team's clear number one goalie.

The Canucks most improved player will be.....

Alexander Edler. He had an abysmal season last year (along with everyone else), and has fallen out of favour with most Canucks fans, but the big Swedish defenceman rebounds with a solid year. He finishes with 13 goals and 37 assists for 50 points and limits the amount of defensive gaffes that have plagued him throughout his career. He returns to form and finishes the year as the Canucks best overall defenceman, slightly ahead of Dan Hamhuis.

The most disappointing Canuck will be.....

A tie between Zack Kassian and Alex Burrows. Kassian continues to disappoint, and aside from a few flashes of brilliance throughout the season, proves that he's likely going to be a bottom 6 forward for the rest of his career. He finishes with 13 goals and 16 assists but on the bright side, only one suspension. Unfortunately he also misses a few games due to off-ice issues as he gets arrested and charged with assaulting a patronizing fan at The Roxy. Alex Burrows is snake-bitten once again and proves that he can't score much without the Sedins. Thankfully, he is good defensively and kills penalties well so despite the disappointing offensive stats, he still has some value to the team.

The Canucks most surprising player will be.....

Linden Vey. He may not be a surprise to hardcore Canuck fans who have been watching all preseason, but he will turn some heads and make a name for himself in the NHL. He finishes third in Calder Trophy voting (rookie of the year) and finishes the season with 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points.

Slightly Humorous Bold Predictions (and maybe some wishful thinking)......

Best Moment: Daniel Sedin accidentally hits someone from behind. Henrik comes over to make sure that player is okay when that player suddenly jumps Henrik (mistaking him for Daniel). Kevin Bieksa comes out of left-field and proceeds to rag-doll the opponent before the refs jump in. Bieksa gets suspended for a game but the Sedins chip in and buy him a puppy the next day to show their appreciation. Henrik is unscathed aside from some minor bleeding from the lip, but Daniel gets him a towel from the bench and wipes the blood away for him. Minutes later Daniel scores on a one-timer from a sweet Henrik no look, behind the back pass. All is forgotten. Bieksa names the puppy Stefeter after the Sedin's two older brothers Stefan and Peter.

Biggest Win: The Canucks beat the Bruins 7-1 at home. The win itself is just another win in the standings, but we all know how sweet it is going to feel. Especially because Brad Marchand breaks his femur in 6 places when he tries to slew-foot Henrik Sedin at full-speed (remember the wishful thinking part?). This incident was a close second for 'Best Moment.'

Biggest Loss: As mentioned earlier, Vancouver has a chance to make the playoffs on the final night of the season with a win at home versus Edmonton. They play awfully and choke in their chance to 'win and you're in.'

Biggest Trade: The Canucks deal Eddie Lack at the deadline to the Buffalo Sabres for Mike Weber and a 4th round pick. Weber adds some toughness and some depth to the blueline, but ends up being terrible. Still, he's an upgrade over Luca Sbisa and plays the remainder of the regular season as the team's 6th Dman. Jacob Markstrom proves himself as an NHL-calibre goalie in the AHL and becomes the team's backup in place of Lack. Thatcher Demko, Vancouver's 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft, is GM Jim Benning's longterm plan at goalie when Miller's contract expires after the 2017 season.

Other notable items.....

- Hunter Shinkaruk plays a handful of games as an injury call up and impresses in his short time. He leads the Comets in scoring and proves he's an integral part of the future.

- Much like Shinkaruk, Niklas Jensen gets some games with the big club and impresses offensively scoring 5 goals in 11 games before getting injured himself and limiting his time in the NHL.

- Nick Bonino proves he needs Getzlaf and Perry to score and has an average season finishing with 12 goals and 32 assists. Linden Vey replaces him as the 2nd line centre.

- Tom Sestito whines about ice-time and about being scratched and demands a trade 20 games into the season. Benning tries to trade him, but no team will pay even a conditional 7th for him. He ends up clearing waivers (again) and being sent to Utica. He doesn't accept his demotion and sits out the rest of the season before signing with the Tilburg Trappers of the Dutch League where he leads the league in scoring. Local Dutch league fans call him the next Dale Weise and Sestito reminds everyone that he was a big-time scorer in junior and just needed his opportunity to play 1st line minutes.

Follow writer Mike Kermode on twitter @mikekermode

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic:

1. Boston (Playoffs)

2. Montreal (Playoffs)

3. Detroit (Playoffs)

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4. Toronto 

5. Ottawa

   6. Tampa

   7. Florida

8. Buffalo

Metropolitan:

1. Pittsburgh (Playoffs)

   2. Philadelphia (Playoffs)

3. New Jersey (Playoffs)

----------------------------------------

4. Washington (Playoffs) Wildcard 1

5. NY Islanders(Playoffs) Wildcard 2

   6. NY Rangers

7. Columbus

8. Carolina

Western Conference:

Pacific:

1. Los Angeles (Playoffs)

2. Anaheim (Playoffs)

3. San Jose (Playoffs)

----------------------------------

4. Vancouver 

5. Calgary

6. Arizona

7. Edmonton

Central:

1. Chicago (Playoffs)

2. St. Louis (Playoffs)

3. Dallas (Playoffs)

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4. Minnesota (Playoffs) Wildcard 1

5. Colorado (Playoffs) Wildcard 2

6. Winnipeg

7. Nashville

Eastern Conference Playoffs:

Boston over NY Islanders in 5

Pittsburgh over Washington in 5

Montreal over Detroit in 6

New Jersey over Philadelphia in 7

Boston over Montreal in 6

Pittsburgh over New Jersey in 6

Pittsburgh over Boston in 7

Western Conference Playoffs:

Blackhawks over Avalanche in 6

Kings over Wild in 6

Stars over Blues in 7

Ducks over Sharks in 5

Blackhawks over Stars in 7

Kings over Ducks in 6

Blackhawks over Kings in 7

Stanley Cup Final:

Penguins over Blackhawks in 6

Conn Smythe: Evgeni Malkin

Art Ross: Claude Giroux

Rocket Richard: Corey Perry

Hart: Carey Price

Vezina: Carey Price

Calder: Jonathan Drouin

Norris: Drew Doughty

Adams: Lindy Ruff

Selke: Anze Kopitar

Canucks face tough questions and roster decisions before next week's regular season opener

We're exactly a week away from the start of the Canucks regular season (click here to view the Canucks 2014'15 schedule in its entirety) and there's still some roster decisions to made. With just two preseason games left, Thursday and Saturday both against the Oilers, Canucks brass will be in tough to decide which players will open the year on the 23 man roster.

* Has young prospect and 9th overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft Bo Horvat done enough to earn a roster spot? Or do they send him back to junior where he has nothing left to prove? What would be best for his development? And who's spot does he take if he does in fact make the squad?

* Same could be said for Hunter Shinkaruk, though with his AHL eligibility it's likely he starts the year in Utica for the Comets, Vancouver's farm team. Shinkaruk, the 24th overall pick in the same draft class as Horvat, has played well in the preseason and is second on the team only to Linden Vey in preseason scoring.

* Speaking of Linden Vey, where does he fit into the lineup. The quick, shifty centre who came over in a draft day deal with the L.A Kings for a 2nd round pick is expected to add some offence to an otherwise fairly futile offensive team. Will he be the 2nd or 3rd line centre? Should they shift him to the wing to play alongside newly acquired Nick Bonino?

* Can Zack Kassian finally make the jump to the effective power forward that everyone expected he'd become? Or is he slated for a bottom 6 role again this year.

* Can Luca Sbisa step in and be a solid 6th defenceman? He certainly hasn't shown he can this preseason as he's been awful. So will Yannick Weber be the 6th guy? Or can Frankie Corrado step up and be that guy right away or does he need some more sesoning in the AHL?

* Can Ryan Miller survive the goalie graveyard that Vancouver has become and return to form as one of the league's best goalies? Will he be able to singlehandedly win the Canucks some games when they inevitably lay a dud?

These are just some of the questions that I have heading into the season, and some of the questions management will have to answer within a short week. One last question....is anyone else excited for the puck to drop? I sure am!

Despite Lofty Expectations, Canucks Face Elimination; Down 3-0 To Kings

It wasn't suppose to be this way.

The Presidents' Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks were expected to roll through the eighth ranked Los Angeles Kings with relative ease en route to another Stanley Cup Final appearance.

Alex Edler, arguably the Canucks' best defenseman, wasn't expected to be the worst player on the ice through the first three games. He has been. By a Kilometer.

Dustin Brown, the Kings' young American captain, wasn't expected to be the best forward in the series. He has been. By a mile.

Roberto Luongo wasn't expected to play amazingly well. He had been. That was until he was benched in favour of Vancouver's uber-competent backup goalie Cory Schneider. Did anyone expect that considering how well Luongo was playing?

The Canucks were not expected to lose all three of the series' opening games. They have.

The only thing that has gone as expected is the play of L.A's Vezina Trophy Candidate Jonathan Quick, however, I'm not sure anyone expected that he would play quite THIS well.

But things don't always go as expected.

The Kings have taken a 3-0 stranglehold in the Western Conference Quaterfinal and will now have an opportunity to sweep the Canucks on home ice Wednesday night. Who expected that?

Now, the series is not over - the fourth win is apparently the hardest to achieve in a series - but the Canucks are all but done. The thought of Jonathan Quick losing four straight games right now is unimaginable. Sadly, so is the thought of Vancouver playing a full 60 minutes of desperate hockey and having the discipline to stay out of the penalty box. Also unimaginable is the Canucks inability to right their struggling powerplay. My beer league team, the Bowen Island Cruisers, may have a better chance of scoring on the powerplay than Vancouver right now. We are in division six and most of us haven't played more than minor hockey - yes, it's that bad.

Expectations are one thing, but delivering on expectation is another. Let's look at some of the other factors leading to the Canucks seemingly insurmountable series deficit.

Vancouver coasted through most of the regular season, often seeming bored after playing so deep into the playoffs last season. They were rarely on top of their game, and despite winning eight of their last nine regular season contests, they were playing some of their poorest hockey heading into the post season. Los Angeles, on the other hand, have been playing for their playoff lives for the last half of the season, which has essentially been playoff hockey. The level of desperation and commitment they've played with lately is far superior to that of the Canucks, and that has shown early in this series.

I personally expected the Canucks to lose in game one. I suspected that the Kings would continue to play at the level they had played in the final weeks of the regular season, and it would catch the Canucks off-guard. But I expected Vancouver to use it as a wake up call and be prepared for game two.

But, as you know, things don't always go as expected.

The Canucks never turned it up a notch and they got caught up in the antics and the after-the-whistle bullcrap that makes them the most hated team in the NHL. They've lacked leadership, maturity and confidence. I didn't expect that.

Sure, the injury to Daniel Sedin is a huge loss. But it shouldn't be the difference between a first round loss and a first round win.

Who would step up in Daniel's absence? How would a former coach of the year manage his lineup to maximize their abilities? These are questions I expected to be able to answer after the first three games of the series.

Well, things don't always go as expected and I don't have those answers. No one does because they haven't happened.

Vancouver now has the unenviable task of coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win the series. It's happened only three times in NHL history, so it's extrememly unlikely.

No one expects the Canucks to come back and win this series.

But you know what they say about expectations.....

Kings Capitalize On Canucks Lack Of Discipline, Take 1-0 Series Lead

The Vancouver Canucks and the Los Angeles Kings took two completely different paths en route to their first round Stanley Cup Playoff matchup.

One team had been playing for their playoff lives for the last month of the regular season while the other had been coasting through the regular season with ease, just waiting to finally play a meaningful game.

On Wednesday night, it was pretty obvious which team was which as the Vancouver Canucks were still in cruise control and were completely dominated by a much better, more intense and more prepared Kings team by a score of 4-2. (Watch highlights here)

The Canucks opened the scoring just 4:17 into the game when Alex Burrows wired home a wristshot passed Jonathan Quick, who was slowly recovering from a bump by Ryan Kesler. Quick appeared to embellish the bump a bit and was a little out of position by the time Burrows ripped it by him.

The goal came after Roberto Luongo made a number of gorgeous stops to start the first period and keep the reeling Kings off the board.

Then midway through the frame, a parade began -not the parade Canucks fans have been planning for a few months already - but a parade to the penalty box. With Kesler already in the sin bin for a questionable unsportmanlike conduct call (he sprayed Quick with snow, something that usually goes uncalled about 2-3 times a game), Chris Higgins inadvertantly shot the puck over the glass and into the stands for a delay of game penalty resulting in a Kings 5-3 powerplay. Just 10 seconds into the two-man advantage, Mike Richards caught Luongo cheating towards the far-side of the crease and slid a hard low shot passed the Canucks goalie to tie the game at one.

Then just a minute later, with Higgins still in the box, Alex Edler swatted a puck out of mid-air and into the crowd for yet another delay of game call, and consequently another Los Angeles 5-3 powerplay. Luckily Vancouver were able to kill that one off. Despite another penalty by Sami Salo late in the period, the Canucks were able to keep the game tied heading into the second stanza.

It was more of the same in the second period as Vancouver was shorthanded for almost half of the whole period. Byron Bitz took a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for hitting from behind when he caught Kings forward Kyle Clifford in the numbers. Clifford left the game and didn't return with an obvious head injury.

Former Canuck and B.C bred Willie Mitchell launched a slapshot from the point that saw its way passed a screened Luongo and into the back of the net. Then, with only 8 seconds remaining in the frame, Alex Edler's wristshot from the point deflected off of an L.A player's stick and beat a fooled Quick to tie the game at two heading into the final frame.

In the 3rd, the Canucks were unable to generate any offense on their two powerplays and were generally outplayed by the Kings who were able to get the go-ahead-goal with under four minutes left in the game when Alex Edler's turnover allowed Dustin Penner to bang home a shot that took a generous bounce off of Jeff Carter's skate and right to a wide-open Penner at the side of the net. Dustin Brown potted an empty-netter with 18 seconds left to seal the win for L.A.

My take: An all-around poor effort by Vancouver save for Roberto Luongo who made 35 stops and kept the Canucks in it throughout the game.

Hopefully an eye-opening game as Vancouver has to realize now that they need to step up their effort now that the playoffs have begun.

The Canucks 4th line of Byron Bitz, Manny Malhotra and Zack Kassian were awful all night. They iced the puck on every shift they played, allowing the Kings to get a favourable matchup when they were on the ice. Then of course Bitz's bone-headed hit from behind resulted in a 5 minute L.A powerplay that ended with another Kings powrplay goal. Expect Bitz to be suspended for at least one game.

Vancouver's powerplay continued to look stale as they hardly generated any chances and had a tough time even gaining the zone.

Despite his two assists, Ryan Kesler needs to get his game together. He was too busy diving around the ice and getting caught up in antics which resulted in him focussing
more on other things than trying to score.

Alex Edler had a shockingly poor game. His play in the defensive zone was horrendous, and as mentioned, his ugly turnover late in the third period resulted directly to the Kings game-winning goal.

Aaron Rome reminds me of defensemen that I play mens league with....everytime he gets the puck he freaks out and shoots it off the boards and out.

It's certainly not time to panic just yet, but Vancouver didn't give their fans much to be happy about. They will undoubtedly have to play more disciplined in order to win a game, and they will need to right their struggling powerplay. Goal scoring has been an issue of late, and will likely continue to be as they've struggled to score since the trade deadline.

Look for a much better effort on Friday as last night's game was a reality check.

Prediction for Friday's game: Canucks 2 - Kings 1.