Canucks @ Stars SNET-P, TEAM 1040, 5:00PM
Happy New Years everyone.
Tonight's game will be an important game in the standings for the Canucks, with games in hand they can start putting points between them and the Stars for 2nd place in the NHL. It's also an important game if we want to keep pace with the Wings.
They had a big win the other night and they can't have a let down tonight against the Stars. The Stars are coming off a game last night and if the Canuck's can jump on them early they should be able to create a lead. There's really no excuse for not coming out on fire tonight against what should be a tired Stars team.
The Canuck's have played a great team game in front of Schneider this year and they will have to do that again tonight. Defensive game comes first with a strong counter punch. If they can do that this year we have to believe Schneider will continue his solid play in goal. As a side note, congrats to Luongo and his wife on having a baby boy. It's nice this year that he doesn't have to rush back into a game like he had to do in previous years. What a luxury having Schneider on the team has been this year.
Look to the PK and PP to lead the Canuck's tonight.
Kesler will keep his point scoring streak going. He matches up very well against either Richards or Ribero for the Stars and his game as of late is pretty much unstoppable.
Time to enjoy the 3rd period of the World Jrs. game tonight.
Enjoy the game and your New Years parties, be safe and have fun.
Check the twitter for the Post game update @bmah03
Comment Below.
It's good to hear from all of you who are reading makes me want to keep writing.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Canucks Vs Flyers Post Game
Canucks 6 Flyers 2
I wasn't able to watch a lot of this game so I will keep this short before I post a pre game for tonight's game.
Good job by the third line on staying consistent and getting the first goal for the Canuck's. Typically the first goal in the NHL is an important one when it comes to the win loss column so getting that goal is a big plus for this line. I know Samuelsson had a terrible give-away on the Briere goal, but in general the line has been playing a good team game of late.
The SSB line played a great game with a combined 6 points. This is something the line will need to continue to do in big games. But I said big players need to show up in big games and they did.
The Sedin's along with Kesler brought the PP back into the game again. And like I mentioned in the pre game, "shoot the puck". It worked with Kesler in front for a pretty tip. Kesler has the size and stick skills to sit in front of the net and get goals that way. It should be something they use more often.
Speaking of Kesler, him along with his sidekick Tambellini are playing like one of the best 2nd lines in the league. Kesler had three points and Tambellini was there to clean up Kesler's miss for his hat trick. They both extended their point streaks.
Luongo also showed up and played very well against a good team. He had some big saves at key times earlier in the game.
If this was a preview of the cup finals I like how the Canucks played. More games played this way will lead to a lot of W's.
Pre Game for the Dallas game coming right up. Check back soon.
Follow the twitter for updates @bmah03
I wasn't able to watch a lot of this game so I will keep this short before I post a pre game for tonight's game.
Good job by the third line on staying consistent and getting the first goal for the Canuck's. Typically the first goal in the NHL is an important one when it comes to the win loss column so getting that goal is a big plus for this line. I know Samuelsson had a terrible give-away on the Briere goal, but in general the line has been playing a good team game of late.
The SSB line played a great game with a combined 6 points. This is something the line will need to continue to do in big games. But I said big players need to show up in big games and they did.
The Sedin's along with Kesler brought the PP back into the game again. And like I mentioned in the pre game, "shoot the puck". It worked with Kesler in front for a pretty tip. Kesler has the size and stick skills to sit in front of the net and get goals that way. It should be something they use more often.
Speaking of Kesler, him along with his sidekick Tambellini are playing like one of the best 2nd lines in the league. Kesler had three points and Tambellini was there to clean up Kesler's miss for his hat trick. They both extended their point streaks.
Luongo also showed up and played very well against a good team. He had some big saves at key times earlier in the game.
If this was a preview of the cup finals I like how the Canucks played. More games played this way will lead to a lot of W's.
Pre Game for the Dallas game coming right up. Check back soon.
Follow the twitter for updates @bmah03
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Canucks Vs Flyers Pre Game
Canucks VS. Flyers, TSN, TEAM 1040, 7pm PST
Could this be the Stanley Cup Final preview? Philly is probably the best team in the East and the Canucks could be the best team in the West. Tonight Philly is missing their best player and the Canucks will need to take advantage of that. Even though Philly is missing Pronger their defense is still top 10 in the NHL.
With Pronger out of the line up the twins should have a lot more open ice. Along with Burrows they will need to use this ice to produce points in an important game for the team. Big time players need to show up in big time games.
The second line will need to continue playing at the level they are playing at. Both Kessler and Tambellini have point streaks going that would be nice if they could continue tonight. Not sure of Raymond’s status but I am hearing that he will take the pre-game skate. If he is good to go Hansen should slot into the fourth line and Volpatti will come out. Raymond should be in game shape with his legs as long as his hands don’t let him down he should be able to stay on the second line.
The third line has been picking up their play lately and it would be nice to see them staying consistent. For the first time in a while the other team has a third line that is comparable to the Canucks. They can’t afford to loose the third line battle tonight, so playing strong defensively will be important.
Like I said in last games post game I think Volpatti has lost his job. If Raymond can’t go Volpatti tonight, the fourth line will have to play a strong game without allowing any goals if they want to see any ice time.
Canucks second ranked power play will have to be a difference maker tonight. Because the Flyers biggest weakness is in goal a key to the power play will be lots of shooting with traffic in front. Like my Grandpa likes to say “SHOOT THE PUCK!”
Assuming there is no baby Luongo coming Luongo will be starting. Because these teams are so similar Canucks biggest advantage could be in goal. It would be nice to see the defense along with Luongo putting up a shut down performance tonight against the powerful team.
These two teams are built very similarly to go deep into the playoffs. Tonight should be a good measuring stick for both teams. Both teams have three lines who can bring offence, solid overall defense and good goal tending. Tonight’s game should have a playoff atmosphere and will be very fun to watch. Enjoy the game.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment below.
Thanks to my family for a great Christmas. Back to work tonight.
Thanks to my Girlfriend for typing while I drive the Island Highway.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Canucks Vs Oilers Post Game
Canucks 3 Oilers 2
As expected both team came out stomachs full of turkey and were a little slow. The first period for the Canucks was pretty boring minus a few good saves for Schneider and a lucky bounce. Schneider had a puck tipped right behind him, however it squirted out the other side keeping the game 0-0.
During the first intermission it seemed like both teams were reminded they were playing hockey again the speed of the game picked up.
There were a lot of positives in the game, including consistent domination by the Canucks first line. The Twins and Burrows are picking up their game of late and tonight was another night to see why they are such a great line. The line spent most of their time in the Edmonton zone, cycling the puck down low, they created a lot of chances. They didn't get any points till late, but they carried the play. In the end they got the one that mattered. What a shift it was over a minute of dominance ended by finding the open player at the point, Bieksa, for the shot and the win.
Like I talked about in the pre game blog, Kesler should have been able to use his speed and size to have a good game. He was able to set up Tambellini on the Canucks first goal and he was creating offense while still playing a solid checking game. Tambellini was also able to use his speed to come down the wing and finish in style going shelf again. His shot is very pure and possibly the purest shot we've seen since Naslund.
The third line is starting to show a little consistency, if they can continue doing this they add to a Canucks team that is already starting to look very strong.
Another solid overall effort by the defense giving up only 21 shots. Tonight they were led by Kevin Bieksa from the point. It's been a long time coming but tonight was one of his best games in a while. Bieksa's biggest problem in my opinion is his breakout pass. Tonight he was going tape to tape and it made him look much better than he normally does. He always got in on the scoring tonight with the late goal. It was a good hard shot that made it around the screen and into the net for the win. Good job by him to pick his game up lately. If he can take it up he will make for an interesting decision for MG when Salo makes it back.
Good job by Schneider tonight in the surprise start. With Luongo's baby coming anytime, Schneider could be looking at another start against Philly, a game that will be huge for the Canucks. Hopefully he can stay ready and focused.
Even though the Canucks won I noticed a few things I didn't like. One thing in particular I noticed might be the end of Volpatti's stint with the team. The fourth line for the Canucks needs to be a line that when used sparingly they can be relied upon to play smart hockey. They cannot afford to have mind blanks and miss an obvious assignment in their own zone. Volpatti did that tonight and it cost the Canucks a goal. Glass made a risky-ish play up the middle to Volpatti and he couldn't move the puck out of the zone. I don't blame Glass for the play, however off the glass and out might have been a better choice. Where the play went wrong was Volpatti turning the puck over than losing his check. If you watch the highlight Volpatti gives up the puck to O'Marra and watches as O'Marra makes the cross ice pass. O'Marra goes to the net, but in the mean time Volpatti just floats back. O'Marra gets the bounce and in it goes as Volpatti waves at his stick aimlessly at the goal scorer. This kind of mistake is one that will cause AV to not trust his fourth line (the line got one more shift for the rest of the game). Av does not put up with things like this and I expect to see Desbiens or another fourth liner get a shot soon. It is possible because of all the cap hoops the Canucks need to jump that they keep Volpatti up till Raymond can come back and then Hansen will move back to the fourth line, but watch for Volpatti's minutes to be very limited in the near future.
All in all a big two points for the team. We are 1 point back of Detroit for the Conference lead and we have a game in hand. The team is coming together and looks good in front of whoever is in goal. It's nice to have a backup in Schneider the team clearly trusts. 5-0-2 for him this year and he'll be busy in the next few weeks. Hopefully the team can keep it rolling in front of him and Luongo.
Check in soon for the Philly game. More previews to come.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment below.
As expected both team came out stomachs full of turkey and were a little slow. The first period for the Canucks was pretty boring minus a few good saves for Schneider and a lucky bounce. Schneider had a puck tipped right behind him, however it squirted out the other side keeping the game 0-0.
During the first intermission it seemed like both teams were reminded they were playing hockey again the speed of the game picked up.
There were a lot of positives in the game, including consistent domination by the Canucks first line. The Twins and Burrows are picking up their game of late and tonight was another night to see why they are such a great line. The line spent most of their time in the Edmonton zone, cycling the puck down low, they created a lot of chances. They didn't get any points till late, but they carried the play. In the end they got the one that mattered. What a shift it was over a minute of dominance ended by finding the open player at the point, Bieksa, for the shot and the win.
Like I talked about in the pre game blog, Kesler should have been able to use his speed and size to have a good game. He was able to set up Tambellini on the Canucks first goal and he was creating offense while still playing a solid checking game. Tambellini was also able to use his speed to come down the wing and finish in style going shelf again. His shot is very pure and possibly the purest shot we've seen since Naslund.
The third line is starting to show a little consistency, if they can continue doing this they add to a Canucks team that is already starting to look very strong.
Another solid overall effort by the defense giving up only 21 shots. Tonight they were led by Kevin Bieksa from the point. It's been a long time coming but tonight was one of his best games in a while. Bieksa's biggest problem in my opinion is his breakout pass. Tonight he was going tape to tape and it made him look much better than he normally does. He always got in on the scoring tonight with the late goal. It was a good hard shot that made it around the screen and into the net for the win. Good job by him to pick his game up lately. If he can take it up he will make for an interesting decision for MG when Salo makes it back.
Good job by Schneider tonight in the surprise start. With Luongo's baby coming anytime, Schneider could be looking at another start against Philly, a game that will be huge for the Canucks. Hopefully he can stay ready and focused.
Even though the Canucks won I noticed a few things I didn't like. One thing in particular I noticed might be the end of Volpatti's stint with the team. The fourth line for the Canucks needs to be a line that when used sparingly they can be relied upon to play smart hockey. They cannot afford to have mind blanks and miss an obvious assignment in their own zone. Volpatti did that tonight and it cost the Canucks a goal. Glass made a risky-ish play up the middle to Volpatti and he couldn't move the puck out of the zone. I don't blame Glass for the play, however off the glass and out might have been a better choice. Where the play went wrong was Volpatti turning the puck over than losing his check. If you watch the highlight Volpatti gives up the puck to O'Marra and watches as O'Marra makes the cross ice pass. O'Marra goes to the net, but in the mean time Volpatti just floats back. O'Marra gets the bounce and in it goes as Volpatti waves at his stick aimlessly at the goal scorer. This kind of mistake is one that will cause AV to not trust his fourth line (the line got one more shift for the rest of the game). Av does not put up with things like this and I expect to see Desbiens or another fourth liner get a shot soon. It is possible because of all the cap hoops the Canucks need to jump that they keep Volpatti up till Raymond can come back and then Hansen will move back to the fourth line, but watch for Volpatti's minutes to be very limited in the near future.
All in all a big two points for the team. We are 1 point back of Detroit for the Conference lead and we have a game in hand. The team is coming together and looks good in front of whoever is in goal. It's nice to have a backup in Schneider the team clearly trusts. 5-0-2 for him this year and he'll be busy in the next few weeks. Hopefully the team can keep it rolling in front of him and Luongo.
Check in soon for the Philly game. More previews to come.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment below.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Canucks Vs Oilers Pre Game
Canucks Vs Oilers, SNET-P, TEAM 1040, 6:00 PST.
Well I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I am still doing family things so I will keep this short before I need to run. What a day for sports today. Patriots, World Jrs. and Canucks, that's a great present on it's own.
Tonights game is an important one because it's in the division but it will be a tough game for the team to play. Everyone knows the Oiler's are a young and fast team so Vancouver can't afford to come out with a little Christmas hangover. If the team is a little slow early tonight it will be a tough game for them to play. If they come out like they did in CBJ it will be game over before Edmonton realizes Christmas is over.
Luongo spent the Christmas break in Florida with his wife and they are expecting a baby any time now. Because of this Cory Schneider will start back to back games. This is a bit of a surprise and if you take a look at my "Luongo Rest Plan" post you will see the upcoming weeks we'll probably be seeing a lot of Mr. Schneider. AV said "It's his time to play" so here you go everyone who wants more of Schneider. Nice to see we have a goalie who can give Lu a break when he needs it. Good luck to Luongo on the birth of his new baby and good luck tonight to Schneider in goal.
This is a team that Kesler has the ability to take the game over against and if he is playing like he has been recently he will do that. His speed matches well with the Oilers but where the Oilers lack Kesler has size and grit that will go unmatched.
If Kesler can't get it done the team will need another night of magic from the Twins. Against the Blue Jackets their passes were tape to tape, no look, behind the back, unbelievable plays. They looked like the Globe Trotters at times. Burrows' game is picking up against (thanks Kesler) and the Canuck's look very dangerous on offence.
Solid team game tonight will get the W anything less and the fans should be disappointed. It won't take a lot to beat Edmonton just play hard and make the right plays the puck will find it's way in.
Merry Christmas Holidays everyone!
Time to go watch Jrs.!
Well I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I am still doing family things so I will keep this short before I need to run. What a day for sports today. Patriots, World Jrs. and Canucks, that's a great present on it's own.
Tonights game is an important one because it's in the division but it will be a tough game for the team to play. Everyone knows the Oiler's are a young and fast team so Vancouver can't afford to come out with a little Christmas hangover. If the team is a little slow early tonight it will be a tough game for them to play. If they come out like they did in CBJ it will be game over before Edmonton realizes Christmas is over.
Luongo spent the Christmas break in Florida with his wife and they are expecting a baby any time now. Because of this Cory Schneider will start back to back games. This is a bit of a surprise and if you take a look at my "Luongo Rest Plan" post you will see the upcoming weeks we'll probably be seeing a lot of Mr. Schneider. AV said "It's his time to play" so here you go everyone who wants more of Schneider. Nice to see we have a goalie who can give Lu a break when he needs it. Good luck to Luongo on the birth of his new baby and good luck tonight to Schneider in goal.
This is a team that Kesler has the ability to take the game over against and if he is playing like he has been recently he will do that. His speed matches well with the Oilers but where the Oilers lack Kesler has size and grit that will go unmatched.
If Kesler can't get it done the team will need another night of magic from the Twins. Against the Blue Jackets their passes were tape to tape, no look, behind the back, unbelievable plays. They looked like the Globe Trotters at times. Burrows' game is picking up against (thanks Kesler) and the Canuck's look very dangerous on offence.
Solid team game tonight will get the W anything less and the fans should be disappointed. It won't take a lot to beat Edmonton just play hard and make the right plays the puck will find it's way in.
Merry Christmas Holidays everyone!
Time to go watch Jrs.!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Canucks Vs Blue Jackets Post Game
Canucks 7 Blue Jackets 3
Don't let the score fool you, the game wasn't even as close as it says. Yes that's not a typo 7-3 seemed close for how dominating of a performance the Canucks had in the first two periods last night. They were already eating Christmas dinner in the mind come the third period the rest of the game was hard to watch, even for a die hard fan like me.
When I saw this road trip I thought to myself that 3 or 4 points would be a very successful trip going into the break. The Blue's, Wings and Blue Jackets are three hard working gritty teams you can always expect good games from. Add on to that it was 3 games in 4 night leading into the Christmas break where everyone wants to be home with their families, I wasn't expecting much from the team. They proved me wrong, taking 5 of a possible 6 points. What a performance it was.
Usually a team coming into the second game of a back to back will start off slow, especially after a draining, hard fought game like the one against the wings. Not so last night, the Canuck's came out with an intent to earn two points and not let a disappointing game from the night before deter them from finishing the road trip with a W. It took roughly twelve, TWELVE, minutes for Cory Schneider to face a shot from CBJ in the first period. The shots were something like 15-0 in the first at one point in time. It was good to see the team come out that fast, and even without scoring right away, keep their confidence up and finally start popping them in.
The Twins, what a night, can you play any better than they did last night? Tape to tape passes all over the ice. Burrows is coming around starting to find the front of the net crashing for dirty goals. The first one was a great job by Burrows to follow the play to the front of the net and get open for Henrik. If you're open he'll find you, you just need to tap it in. Burrows needs to keep doing this. Henrik Sedin, the passes he was making last night showed why he is the top assist guy in the NHL. He simply has vision no one can match. The pass he made on the 2nd goal by Ehrhoff was brilliant. Daniel had a great game as well and his assist was very pretty behind the back to Henrik wide open in front. I doubt the Twins will be able to dominate that much in the playoffs but the determination they showed to take over a game is something I'd like to see on a regular basis.
Kesler, he picked his team up on his shoulders and carried them to the level they are playing at right now. The talk he had with MG and AV in the off season has helped his game tremendously. He's leading by example the the rest of the team is forced to play hard, gritty hockey or they simply look like they aren't trying next to him. If he can play this way in the playoffs teams will have a tough time deciding between checking the 1st or 2nd line.
It's too bad Torres can't play his old teams every night, Edmonton and Columbus have witness he's streakyness now. Hopefully he will gain some confidence when he's driving the net looking for deflections and putting the body on defenseman on the forecheck. Of all players on the Canuck's if Kesler can wear off on Torres it will go a long way in making the third line a dangerous one for the team to play against.
With such a dominating performance I still have something that I wasn't very impressed with and that was the fourth line. Obviously in a game like this the fourth lines ice time will increase dramatically. They even had 3 shifts on the 4:00 PP in the 3rd. Glass had 13:12TOI, 2:06 on the PP. Bolduc was 11:22TOI with 2:13PP and Volpatti played 12:20 with 2:00 on the PP. Now if I was this line I would have been out to prove myself as a solid option as a fourth liner. The Canucks have been auditioning 4th liners the whole season and you would think they could have taken advantage of this opportunity to maybe solidify their spots on the team. I didn't see this at all. I saw weak dump ins and a lack of forecheck in the offensive zone. Bad defensive zone coverage while getting pinned in their own zone. I know the game was out of reach but as a fourth line I would still be working as hard as I could. On the PP all they were doing was dumping the puck with 1 man forechecking. It was ugly.
Schneider was good early and didn't have much of a team in front of him late. He's 4-0-2 in his starts. You cannot argue that he is doing his job this year. He's a star in the making in my opinion, very calm goalie who looks huge in goal. Great chip for MG to play with.
Found this online. It's awesome to see Christmas and Canucks mix! Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CuJfZVDEHj0
Merry Christmas, it was great seeing everyone out last night.
I will post on boxing day. Enjoy the celebrations tonight and tomorrow.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment bellow.
Don't let the score fool you, the game wasn't even as close as it says. Yes that's not a typo 7-3 seemed close for how dominating of a performance the Canucks had in the first two periods last night. They were already eating Christmas dinner in the mind come the third period the rest of the game was hard to watch, even for a die hard fan like me.
When I saw this road trip I thought to myself that 3 or 4 points would be a very successful trip going into the break. The Blue's, Wings and Blue Jackets are three hard working gritty teams you can always expect good games from. Add on to that it was 3 games in 4 night leading into the Christmas break where everyone wants to be home with their families, I wasn't expecting much from the team. They proved me wrong, taking 5 of a possible 6 points. What a performance it was.
Usually a team coming into the second game of a back to back will start off slow, especially after a draining, hard fought game like the one against the wings. Not so last night, the Canuck's came out with an intent to earn two points and not let a disappointing game from the night before deter them from finishing the road trip with a W. It took roughly twelve, TWELVE, minutes for Cory Schneider to face a shot from CBJ in the first period. The shots were something like 15-0 in the first at one point in time. It was good to see the team come out that fast, and even without scoring right away, keep their confidence up and finally start popping them in.
The Twins, what a night, can you play any better than they did last night? Tape to tape passes all over the ice. Burrows is coming around starting to find the front of the net crashing for dirty goals. The first one was a great job by Burrows to follow the play to the front of the net and get open for Henrik. If you're open he'll find you, you just need to tap it in. Burrows needs to keep doing this. Henrik Sedin, the passes he was making last night showed why he is the top assist guy in the NHL. He simply has vision no one can match. The pass he made on the 2nd goal by Ehrhoff was brilliant. Daniel had a great game as well and his assist was very pretty behind the back to Henrik wide open in front. I doubt the Twins will be able to dominate that much in the playoffs but the determination they showed to take over a game is something I'd like to see on a regular basis.
Kesler, he picked his team up on his shoulders and carried them to the level they are playing at right now. The talk he had with MG and AV in the off season has helped his game tremendously. He's leading by example the the rest of the team is forced to play hard, gritty hockey or they simply look like they aren't trying next to him. If he can play this way in the playoffs teams will have a tough time deciding between checking the 1st or 2nd line.
It's too bad Torres can't play his old teams every night, Edmonton and Columbus have witness he's streakyness now. Hopefully he will gain some confidence when he's driving the net looking for deflections and putting the body on defenseman on the forecheck. Of all players on the Canuck's if Kesler can wear off on Torres it will go a long way in making the third line a dangerous one for the team to play against.
With such a dominating performance I still have something that I wasn't very impressed with and that was the fourth line. Obviously in a game like this the fourth lines ice time will increase dramatically. They even had 3 shifts on the 4:00 PP in the 3rd. Glass had 13:12TOI, 2:06 on the PP. Bolduc was 11:22TOI with 2:13PP and Volpatti played 12:20 with 2:00 on the PP. Now if I was this line I would have been out to prove myself as a solid option as a fourth liner. The Canucks have been auditioning 4th liners the whole season and you would think they could have taken advantage of this opportunity to maybe solidify their spots on the team. I didn't see this at all. I saw weak dump ins and a lack of forecheck in the offensive zone. Bad defensive zone coverage while getting pinned in their own zone. I know the game was out of reach but as a fourth line I would still be working as hard as I could. On the PP all they were doing was dumping the puck with 1 man forechecking. It was ugly.
Schneider was good early and didn't have much of a team in front of him late. He's 4-0-2 in his starts. You cannot argue that he is doing his job this year. He's a star in the making in my opinion, very calm goalie who looks huge in goal. Great chip for MG to play with.
Found this online. It's awesome to see Christmas and Canucks mix! Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CuJfZVDEHj0
Merry Christmas, it was great seeing everyone out last night.
I will post on boxing day. Enjoy the celebrations tonight and tomorrow.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment bellow.
Canucks Vs Detroit Post Game
Canucks 4 Detroit 5 (OT)
The Christmas season has taken over my life with traveling and family, blogging was becoming a bit time consuming. Last night I got out back in my home town and everyone I was talking to was telling me that I was games behind on my blog... Needless to say it was pretty cool to here from all you who read and I will try to keep up.
Just a little note on the Detroit game because there was so much talk about how bad Luongo is.
Yes Luongo played had some bad goals and probably lost the two points and an important win for the team. The team played great and one of their leaders let them down. There's no way around it Luongo has to play better in big games like that and he knows it. The thing you have to keep in mind before jumping off the bandwagon is Luongo has been playing like a leader of this team in Decemeber. He has been one of the best goalies in the NHL right up with M. A-F. He is still 7-1-1 in December. He has made saves in recent games that have outright saved points for the Canucks. The St. Louis game, I think it was Backes, was robbed by Luongo late in the third that kept the score 2-1. Minutes later Tambellini scored and the game was over. In the Leafs game Luongo did the same thing.
All I'm saying is the "BENCH LUONGO, FIRE AV, PLAY SCHNEIDER AS THE #1" talk is silly and should be looked at as flat out ridiculous.
When the playoffs come around no one will remember this game against the Wings, they will remember how he performs in the playoffs. We need the goalie who can save the day when it counts, the goalie that played against the Leafs and Blues. If we get that Luongo come playoff time this team will win.
Luongo knows he needs to be this type of goalie and that he let the team down against the Wings. It's one game. He needs to move on as a player and we need to move on as fans.
Go Canucks.
Twitter @bmah03
The Christmas season has taken over my life with traveling and family, blogging was becoming a bit time consuming. Last night I got out back in my home town and everyone I was talking to was telling me that I was games behind on my blog... Needless to say it was pretty cool to here from all you who read and I will try to keep up.
Just a little note on the Detroit game because there was so much talk about how bad Luongo is.
Yes Luongo played had some bad goals and probably lost the two points and an important win for the team. The team played great and one of their leaders let them down. There's no way around it Luongo has to play better in big games like that and he knows it. The thing you have to keep in mind before jumping off the bandwagon is Luongo has been playing like a leader of this team in Decemeber. He has been one of the best goalies in the NHL right up with M. A-F. He is still 7-1-1 in December. He has made saves in recent games that have outright saved points for the Canucks. The St. Louis game, I think it was Backes, was robbed by Luongo late in the third that kept the score 2-1. Minutes later Tambellini scored and the game was over. In the Leafs game Luongo did the same thing.
All I'm saying is the "BENCH LUONGO, FIRE AV, PLAY SCHNEIDER AS THE #1" talk is silly and should be looked at as flat out ridiculous.
When the playoffs come around no one will remember this game against the Wings, they will remember how he performs in the playoffs. We need the goalie who can save the day when it counts, the goalie that played against the Leafs and Blues. If we get that Luongo come playoff time this team will win.
Luongo knows he needs to be this type of goalie and that he let the team down against the Wings. It's one game. He needs to move on as a player and we need to move on as fans.
Go Canucks.
Twitter @bmah03
Monday, December 20, 2010
Canucks @ Blues Pre Game
Canucks @ Blues, SNET-P, Team 1040, 5:00PM PST
Wow what a night for sports, as I am typing this the world jrs. team is stepping on the ice for their first pre-tournament game against Switzerland. Such a great tournament to enjoy with the family over Christmas break. Can't wait for the excitement of this years tournament in Buffalo. Canada is coming in for the first time in a long time as an underdog for the gold medal. It will take a great team effort to get the top spot this year and this game against Switzerland will have to be the start of the guys coming together as a team.
I can't help but think that the Blues team tonight with all their injuries will attempt to play a similar game to team Canada. A gritty effort is all you can expect from the Blues with solid goal tending from Halak.The Blues have injuries to a lot of top players and the Canucks need to take advantage of a wounded team tonight.
The Blues will get Pietrangelo back tonight coming off an upper body injury. Look for the Canucks to get in and lay the body on him early get him off his game. He's a solid defender and testing his ability to come off the injury early will be good for the Canucks.
The hype of the Canucks is starting to pick back up with the play of Luongo. Tsn has now made the Canucks #1 in the power rankings (to high in my opinion) and they still have guys like Raymond and Salo coming off injury to add to their lineup. This might be a problem for a team that always seems to have an issue with expectations and looking past teams the should be. There is a possibility of a great battle with the Wings this week that could set up a race for top spot in the West for the rest of the season but the team cannot look past a gritty Blues team.
The team will need to be lead by their stars tonight on the road, Kesler, the Twins, and Luongo will need to have strong games with the whole team playing a boring road game to get the W. The team is hot their goalie is hot and if they play their game they should run over the Blues with a goal or two per period. They should be able to keep the Blue's shots to the outside and dominate down low.
Everything leads to the Canucks getting the two points tonight, however we all know what happens when we expect that. Other than the against the Leafs the Canucks seem to always have problems with teams they should beat. Tonight is another test to prove what they did against the Leafs was the real Canucks against weaker teams.
Two points back of Colorado again tonight's two points are huge in the standing. Canucks have to keep winning and I expect they do so tonight.
Post game tomorrow, twitter me @bmah03 to find out when.
Comment below.
Wow what a night for sports, as I am typing this the world jrs. team is stepping on the ice for their first pre-tournament game against Switzerland. Such a great tournament to enjoy with the family over Christmas break. Can't wait for the excitement of this years tournament in Buffalo. Canada is coming in for the first time in a long time as an underdog for the gold medal. It will take a great team effort to get the top spot this year and this game against Switzerland will have to be the start of the guys coming together as a team.
I can't help but think that the Blues team tonight with all their injuries will attempt to play a similar game to team Canada. A gritty effort is all you can expect from the Blues with solid goal tending from Halak.The Blues have injuries to a lot of top players and the Canucks need to take advantage of a wounded team tonight.
The Blues will get Pietrangelo back tonight coming off an upper body injury. Look for the Canucks to get in and lay the body on him early get him off his game. He's a solid defender and testing his ability to come off the injury early will be good for the Canucks.
The hype of the Canucks is starting to pick back up with the play of Luongo. Tsn has now made the Canucks #1 in the power rankings (to high in my opinion) and they still have guys like Raymond and Salo coming off injury to add to their lineup. This might be a problem for a team that always seems to have an issue with expectations and looking past teams the should be. There is a possibility of a great battle with the Wings this week that could set up a race for top spot in the West for the rest of the season but the team cannot look past a gritty Blues team.
The team will need to be lead by their stars tonight on the road, Kesler, the Twins, and Luongo will need to have strong games with the whole team playing a boring road game to get the W. The team is hot their goalie is hot and if they play their game they should run over the Blues with a goal or two per period. They should be able to keep the Blue's shots to the outside and dominate down low.
Everything leads to the Canucks getting the two points tonight, however we all know what happens when we expect that. Other than the against the Leafs the Canucks seem to always have problems with teams they should beat. Tonight is another test to prove what they did against the Leafs was the real Canucks against weaker teams.
Two points back of Colorado again tonight's two points are huge in the standing. Canucks have to keep winning and I expect they do so tonight.
Post game tomorrow, twitter me @bmah03 to find out when.
Comment below.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Canucks Vs Leafs Post Game
Canucks 4 Leafs 1
Is it possible this win that the Canucks had against the Leafs could have been easier? Yes I think it could have been. The Canucks power play is ranked #2 in the league and Toronto's PK is ranked #29. You would think this would be an advantage for the Canucks however they did not use this part of their game to take charge of a close game. They went 0 for 6 on the night including a four minute gift by Versteeg in the 2nd. These are the times in a game against a bad opponent where the Canuck's can make things a lot easier on themselves and kill the other team right away.
Although I was disappointed in the PP the team did play a solid game. The SSB line got it going and the key to that line being dominant (Alex Burrows) put one in the back of the net early. This will hopefully set Burrows in the right direction as he can be a difference maker for the Canucks moving forward.
Again the 2nd line led by Ryan Kesler has been dominating teams on a regular basis. Also what can you say about Tambellini, last night he used his speed to make Luke Schenn look silly, not only did he blow by Schenn he made a smart heads up play at the same time to spot Kesler streaking who hit Hands of Stone Hansen who actually converted the easy tap in. What a pick up by MG has Tambellini been to the team this season.
Led by Malhotra (14/20) all the Canucks do is win faceoffs. As a team they went 41/63. This is huge for a puck possession team like the Canucks and has been a great key to the Canucks success.
Props to the fourth line, other than the first shift the line played fairly well in limited minutes. Bolduc doesn't have many faceoff jobs but when the fourth line has to ice the puck it is nice to have a centre that can go 3/3 in the circle. Volpatti played pretty good for a first NHL game. He wasn't afraid to jump in on the rush and throw the body around. Good to see and hopefully he can improve on this game moving forward. There were a few times I saw him a little flat footed against the boards, hopefully that is something he'll see on the tape and be able to work on.
Roberto Luongo, if you haven't seen his December stats take a look at what he's done in seven games. 7 GP 6 W 1L 1.83GAA .924SV% 1SO. That's something that will start being very scary for other teams moving forward. He had one mistake last night that cost him his shutout and I'm sure he wanted that one back. He got handcuffed by a shot from the outside that everyone including himself knows he should have had. He did make up for it though with some big saves including the early one on the 5 on 3 off Versteeg from right in front of the net. Those kind of saves are the saves that win games for teams and if Luongo can play the way he is in December come playoff time, watch out.
The defense played good in front of Luongo, it was good to see Ehrhoff back in action although he did look rusty. With this defense no player has to play more than 16 minutes/game. It's nice to spread out the minutes on the defense it keeps them all fresh. Edler and Ehrhoff played more than 5:30 on the PP, if they are going to be out that much they need to produce. The Canucks have other offensively capable dmen that can put up points who should be getting shots on the PP.
All in all good job by the Canucks for getting over the tough timing of the game (4PM start) and their apparent weakness against bad teams by finally beating a team they should easily beat.
Check in tomorrow for the Pre game for the Blues game.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment below.
Is it possible this win that the Canucks had against the Leafs could have been easier? Yes I think it could have been. The Canucks power play is ranked #2 in the league and Toronto's PK is ranked #29. You would think this would be an advantage for the Canucks however they did not use this part of their game to take charge of a close game. They went 0 for 6 on the night including a four minute gift by Versteeg in the 2nd. These are the times in a game against a bad opponent where the Canuck's can make things a lot easier on themselves and kill the other team right away.
Although I was disappointed in the PP the team did play a solid game. The SSB line got it going and the key to that line being dominant (Alex Burrows) put one in the back of the net early. This will hopefully set Burrows in the right direction as he can be a difference maker for the Canucks moving forward.
Again the 2nd line led by Ryan Kesler has been dominating teams on a regular basis. Also what can you say about Tambellini, last night he used his speed to make Luke Schenn look silly, not only did he blow by Schenn he made a smart heads up play at the same time to spot Kesler streaking who hit Hands of Stone Hansen who actually converted the easy tap in. What a pick up by MG has Tambellini been to the team this season.
Led by Malhotra (14/20) all the Canucks do is win faceoffs. As a team they went 41/63. This is huge for a puck possession team like the Canucks and has been a great key to the Canucks success.
Props to the fourth line, other than the first shift the line played fairly well in limited minutes. Bolduc doesn't have many faceoff jobs but when the fourth line has to ice the puck it is nice to have a centre that can go 3/3 in the circle. Volpatti played pretty good for a first NHL game. He wasn't afraid to jump in on the rush and throw the body around. Good to see and hopefully he can improve on this game moving forward. There were a few times I saw him a little flat footed against the boards, hopefully that is something he'll see on the tape and be able to work on.
Roberto Luongo, if you haven't seen his December stats take a look at what he's done in seven games. 7 GP 6 W 1L 1.83GAA .924SV% 1SO. That's something that will start being very scary for other teams moving forward. He had one mistake last night that cost him his shutout and I'm sure he wanted that one back. He got handcuffed by a shot from the outside that everyone including himself knows he should have had. He did make up for it though with some big saves including the early one on the 5 on 3 off Versteeg from right in front of the net. Those kind of saves are the saves that win games for teams and if Luongo can play the way he is in December come playoff time, watch out.
The defense played good in front of Luongo, it was good to see Ehrhoff back in action although he did look rusty. With this defense no player has to play more than 16 minutes/game. It's nice to spread out the minutes on the defense it keeps them all fresh. Edler and Ehrhoff played more than 5:30 on the PP, if they are going to be out that much they need to produce. The Canucks have other offensively capable dmen that can put up points who should be getting shots on the PP.
All in all good job by the Canucks for getting over the tough timing of the game (4PM start) and their apparent weakness against bad teams by finally beating a team they should easily beat.
Check in tomorrow for the Pre game for the Blues game.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment below.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Canucks Vs Leafs Pre Game
Canucks Vs Leafs CBC, NHLN-US, TEAM 1040, 4:00 PM PST
First thing I'm going to start with is a rant to the schedule makers. Why in the world does Toronto get to come out west to Vancouver and play at 4:00PM PST time? When Vancouver went to Toronto they had to start at 4:00 PM PST time as well. Now for a team that plays most of it's games at 7:00 PST this is a huge disadvantage. The team doesn't get to go through all their pre game routines and we have seen this before the Canucks typically come out flat when they aren't on their normal game times.
You can't tell me that it was for good TV scheduling, because CBC could have easily put on the Washington Vs Boston game at 4 that would have been a great game. Edmonton and Calgary got their start times, why doesn't Vancouver? As much as the team isn't voicing their opinions I'm sure this is one of the games that the Canucks would have liked to change. They have been in Vancouver for a while now and are pretty much set on their daily routine. Their only variance to the schedule of late was a short trip to Edmonton which wouldn't change much at all. I can see the NHL wanting to be fair, but this seems like an advantage to the Leafs.
Now after my rant, a little preview of the game.
The Leafs are coming off two disappointing performances in Alberta and would like to end their road trip with a positive. Last time out the Canucks won the game, but I wouldn't say they really earned it. They were almost lucky to escape with the W and they need a better performance tonight.
Last game it was Kesler who ran the show, tonight the Twins should be able to take advantage of the lackluster togetherness of the Maple Leafs. They have the ability to spin the Leafs defense into the ice and tonight they will need to show the home crowd why they are on pace for over 100 points this season. The other part of this line is Burrows and he hasn't been much of a factor recently. I know he started the year slowly coming off injury, but he's had time to get back into the flow of the game now and if he doesn't start picking up his game I could see AV going with his typical switch of Burrows and Samuelsson.
The 2nd line will need to continue jumping on Kesler's back and enjoying the ride. He's showing why he is a top Selke player in the NHL and he seems determined to turn this Canuck's team into the real contender they should be. If everyone could play with Kesler's attitude and speed every night this team would be unstoppable.
The third line is the third line, Malholtra needs to keep winning faceoffs like he has been and the rest of the line needs to stay defensively responsible. As streaky as Torres can be, it would be nice to see him get on one of his scoring streaks soon to relieve a bit of pressure off the top two lines.
The fourth line should be exciting tonight. Aaron Volpatti will have his first NHL game tonight and he has the ability to be a difference maker. Those who saw the Heat Vs Moose games in Abbotsford all raved about his forecheck and his hitting ability. The Canucks have done a great job at rotating/auditioning 4th line players this season and no one has taken the job as their own. Volpatti has the chance to do that over the Christmas time games starting with tonight. If he can play hard hitting physical hockey, all while staying defensively responsible he might be able to stick with the team opposite of Tanner Glass on the 4th line. I hope he can bring some big hits to the team and get some energy into the building early and often tonight.
The defense should get an injection of energy tonight with Ehrhoff getting back into the lineup. He is a game time decision but yesterday he said he felt good and was ready to go, I can't see AV holding him out of the game as long as he says he's good to go after the warm up. With the way the top 4 of Hamhuis, Bieksa, Edler and Ballard have been playing, I can see AV easing Ehrhoff into the game tonight with some limited minutes as the #5 playing with Alberts. He will more than likely be back on the PP unit with Edler and the Twins but maybe not as much time on the PK.
Luongo is in goal tonight and against a team like the Leafs as long as he doesn't let in any weak ones the team should easily cruise to a W. This right here is usually why the Canucks lose though and they can't think this way. The need to come out and play like Calgary did against the Leafs the other night. Push hard and dominate a game you should dominate is the goal for tonight. Anything less than two points will be a disappointment.
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First thing I'm going to start with is a rant to the schedule makers. Why in the world does Toronto get to come out west to Vancouver and play at 4:00PM PST time? When Vancouver went to Toronto they had to start at 4:00 PM PST time as well. Now for a team that plays most of it's games at 7:00 PST this is a huge disadvantage. The team doesn't get to go through all their pre game routines and we have seen this before the Canucks typically come out flat when they aren't on their normal game times.
You can't tell me that it was for good TV scheduling, because CBC could have easily put on the Washington Vs Boston game at 4 that would have been a great game. Edmonton and Calgary got their start times, why doesn't Vancouver? As much as the team isn't voicing their opinions I'm sure this is one of the games that the Canucks would have liked to change. They have been in Vancouver for a while now and are pretty much set on their daily routine. Their only variance to the schedule of late was a short trip to Edmonton which wouldn't change much at all. I can see the NHL wanting to be fair, but this seems like an advantage to the Leafs.
Now after my rant, a little preview of the game.
The Leafs are coming off two disappointing performances in Alberta and would like to end their road trip with a positive. Last time out the Canucks won the game, but I wouldn't say they really earned it. They were almost lucky to escape with the W and they need a better performance tonight.
Last game it was Kesler who ran the show, tonight the Twins should be able to take advantage of the lackluster togetherness of the Maple Leafs. They have the ability to spin the Leafs defense into the ice and tonight they will need to show the home crowd why they are on pace for over 100 points this season. The other part of this line is Burrows and he hasn't been much of a factor recently. I know he started the year slowly coming off injury, but he's had time to get back into the flow of the game now and if he doesn't start picking up his game I could see AV going with his typical switch of Burrows and Samuelsson.
The 2nd line will need to continue jumping on Kesler's back and enjoying the ride. He's showing why he is a top Selke player in the NHL and he seems determined to turn this Canuck's team into the real contender they should be. If everyone could play with Kesler's attitude and speed every night this team would be unstoppable.
The third line is the third line, Malholtra needs to keep winning faceoffs like he has been and the rest of the line needs to stay defensively responsible. As streaky as Torres can be, it would be nice to see him get on one of his scoring streaks soon to relieve a bit of pressure off the top two lines.
The fourth line should be exciting tonight. Aaron Volpatti will have his first NHL game tonight and he has the ability to be a difference maker. Those who saw the Heat Vs Moose games in Abbotsford all raved about his forecheck and his hitting ability. The Canucks have done a great job at rotating/auditioning 4th line players this season and no one has taken the job as their own. Volpatti has the chance to do that over the Christmas time games starting with tonight. If he can play hard hitting physical hockey, all while staying defensively responsible he might be able to stick with the team opposite of Tanner Glass on the 4th line. I hope he can bring some big hits to the team and get some energy into the building early and often tonight.
The defense should get an injection of energy tonight with Ehrhoff getting back into the lineup. He is a game time decision but yesterday he said he felt good and was ready to go, I can't see AV holding him out of the game as long as he says he's good to go after the warm up. With the way the top 4 of Hamhuis, Bieksa, Edler and Ballard have been playing, I can see AV easing Ehrhoff into the game tonight with some limited minutes as the #5 playing with Alberts. He will more than likely be back on the PP unit with Edler and the Twins but maybe not as much time on the PK.
Luongo is in goal tonight and against a team like the Leafs as long as he doesn't let in any weak ones the team should easily cruise to a W. This right here is usually why the Canucks lose though and they can't think this way. The need to come out and play like Calgary did against the Leafs the other night. Push hard and dominate a game you should dominate is the goal for tonight. Anything less than two points will be a disappointment.
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Canucks Vs Blue Jackets Post Game
Canucks 3 Jackets 2 (SO)
Again another late post game review. This schedule is bugging me, not playing one game on and one game off doesn't suite me well. I wonder how the players deal with it.
The game was simply a game dominated by Ryan Kesler. Everyone on both teams were trying to keep up to him. I did say I thought the 2nd line would be very important to the Canucks success last night and well Kesler himself made me right. I thought Samuelsson had a chance to get his game back on track against CBJ and although he got an assist, I can't really say he did what I thought he would do. His assist was a lucky bounce from his own zone, not really a strong play. However it can't be JUST Kesler doing the only thing right. The rest of his line must be doing something right so a little credit goes to Samuelsson and Tambellini for jumping on Kesler's back and joining the ride. I am impressed with the physical play I see from Tambellini on a night in night out basis. He is such a small guy however he manages to use his speed to get in on the forecheck and still not take a penalty.
The twins got on the score sheet in overtime, they are possibly the scarriest 4 on 3 threat in the NHL. Although they got on the score sheet it wasn't a very dominant performance by this line.
The defense played good overall as a unit and will need to continue growing as a unit. Props to Aaron Rome who is able to step in when the Canuck's need an extra D man and play at a level that is useful to the team. You never hear that he is complaining about ice time behind the scenes and he always plays hard when he's on the ice. Great 7th guy.
Luongo had a good game, made some key saves when needed and did enough to get the W. His game has been turning around lately. Not very many weak goals in recent weeks and if he can continue to improve and become more comfortable with his new style this team will start looking very comfortable in front of him.
Again Kesler stole the show and won the game for the Canucks. The rest of the team will need to step it up in the future, but man it's great to have a player like Kesler on the 2nd line.
Twitter me @bmah03
Again another late post game review. This schedule is bugging me, not playing one game on and one game off doesn't suite me well. I wonder how the players deal with it.
The game was simply a game dominated by Ryan Kesler. Everyone on both teams were trying to keep up to him. I did say I thought the 2nd line would be very important to the Canucks success last night and well Kesler himself made me right. I thought Samuelsson had a chance to get his game back on track against CBJ and although he got an assist, I can't really say he did what I thought he would do. His assist was a lucky bounce from his own zone, not really a strong play. However it can't be JUST Kesler doing the only thing right. The rest of his line must be doing something right so a little credit goes to Samuelsson and Tambellini for jumping on Kesler's back and joining the ride. I am impressed with the physical play I see from Tambellini on a night in night out basis. He is such a small guy however he manages to use his speed to get in on the forecheck and still not take a penalty.
The twins got on the score sheet in overtime, they are possibly the scarriest 4 on 3 threat in the NHL. Although they got on the score sheet it wasn't a very dominant performance by this line.
The defense played good overall as a unit and will need to continue growing as a unit. Props to Aaron Rome who is able to step in when the Canuck's need an extra D man and play at a level that is useful to the team. You never hear that he is complaining about ice time behind the scenes and he always plays hard when he's on the ice. Great 7th guy.
Luongo had a good game, made some key saves when needed and did enough to get the W. His game has been turning around lately. Not very many weak goals in recent weeks and if he can continue to improve and become more comfortable with his new style this team will start looking very comfortable in front of him.
Again Kesler stole the show and won the game for the Canucks. The rest of the team will need to step it up in the future, but man it's great to have a player like Kesler on the 2nd line.
Twitter me @bmah03
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Canucks Vs Blue Jackets Pre Game
Canucks Vs Blue Jackets, SNET-P, Team 1040, 7:00PM
Tonight's a night when a team who has been struggling in recent weeks comes into the Canuck's home rink. Although the Jackets are struggling they cannot be taken lightly. The other night in Calgary they looked very strong (especially the top line), they looked fast, strong and dangerous. They probably should have won the game.
The key to tonight's game will be Luongo's goaltending and the teams defence.
Luongo needs a good effort. He's coming off a game where he didn't have that many shots, the chances Edmonton had were fairly good but he looked big calm and relaxed in goal. He will need another night where it looks as though the team can make a mistake and Luongo will be there to cover them up. He has the ability to be a top goalie in the NHL, he is paid that way, and if he can continue to improve on his most recent game he will can earn what he is paid.
The defence needs to be on their toes. They dealt very well with a fast Edmonton team and will need the same type of game against the Jackets.
Ballard has been improving every game and with Ehrhoff out he has stepped up and played a big top 4 roll.
On the injury front, Salo and Raymond were skating together today. It's good to see Salo back out there, his recovery seems to be coming faster than expected and he will be a huge addition once he cracks the line up and gets into game shape. Salo will be one of those additions to the team that acts like a trade deadline deal that doesn't cost anything. He will add a new element to the 2nd PP unit and is also very responsible in his own zone. The great thing about this team this year is the special teams don't really need a lot of help so he can be eased in slowly to those units.
My prediction for tonight is a good effort from the 2nd line. I'll even go as far as saying that Samuelsson will have a pretty good game tonight. Either way I see the Canuck's matching with the Nash line (power vs power or Canucks 3rd line vs Nash) I think the team has a big advantage with 2nd lines. Kesler can dominate a game but he needs his wingers to support him.
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Tonight's a night when a team who has been struggling in recent weeks comes into the Canuck's home rink. Although the Jackets are struggling they cannot be taken lightly. The other night in Calgary they looked very strong (especially the top line), they looked fast, strong and dangerous. They probably should have won the game.
The key to tonight's game will be Luongo's goaltending and the teams defence.
Luongo needs a good effort. He's coming off a game where he didn't have that many shots, the chances Edmonton had were fairly good but he looked big calm and relaxed in goal. He will need another night where it looks as though the team can make a mistake and Luongo will be there to cover them up. He has the ability to be a top goalie in the NHL, he is paid that way, and if he can continue to improve on his most recent game he will can earn what he is paid.
The defence needs to be on their toes. They dealt very well with a fast Edmonton team and will need the same type of game against the Jackets.
Ballard has been improving every game and with Ehrhoff out he has stepped up and played a big top 4 roll.
On the injury front, Salo and Raymond were skating together today. It's good to see Salo back out there, his recovery seems to be coming faster than expected and he will be a huge addition once he cracks the line up and gets into game shape. Salo will be one of those additions to the team that acts like a trade deadline deal that doesn't cost anything. He will add a new element to the 2nd PP unit and is also very responsible in his own zone. The great thing about this team this year is the special teams don't really need a lot of help so he can be eased in slowly to those units.
My prediction for tonight is a good effort from the 2nd line. I'll even go as far as saying that Samuelsson will have a pretty good game tonight. Either way I see the Canuck's matching with the Nash line (power vs power or Canucks 3rd line vs Nash) I think the team has a big advantage with 2nd lines. Kesler can dominate a game but he needs his wingers to support him.
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Canucks @ Edmonton Post Game
This is a little late so I will keep it short. What the Canucks did against the Oilers was played a game that will win games in the playoffs. Defence first with a good counter punch.
The twins were all over the ice and the SSB line ended up a combined +5.
If the team can play this way all the time they will have a very good record.
As for Luongo and his 59minute and 55 second performace. He looked really good. I looked away thinking the game was over and wasn't really sure how Eberle was allowed to walk in like that but someone needed to step up and make a play on him. Kesler owes him for the late penalty.
Kesler's been playing great but that's two games in a row with late penalties. He needs to be smart in that situation.
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The twins were all over the ice and the SSB line ended up a combined +5.
If the team can play this way all the time they will have a very good record.
As for Luongo and his 59minute and 55 second performace. He looked really good. I looked away thinking the game was over and wasn't really sure how Eberle was allowed to walk in like that but someone needed to step up and make a play on him. Kesler owes him for the late penalty.
Kesler's been playing great but that's two games in a row with late penalties. He needs to be smart in that situation.
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
Canucks @ Oilers Pre Game
Canucks @ Oilers SNET-P, Team 1040, 5:00PM
Tonight is the second game of a back to back for the Canuck's. They gave Luongo a rest last night and it will be up to him and the team to come out and play a good game against the young but very talented Oilers team. The Oilers are playing very good as of late going 5-0-1 in their last six games and should not be taken lightly. Typically the Canuck's sleep against weaker teams however this is a decent rivalry and divisional team so I doubt they are completely blank tonight. They had a good comeback last night and hopefully the goal in OT by Stamkos won't kill the momentum the Canuck's created in the third.
Starting with a quick goal will be huge tonight. There are a lot of reasons for this, first get the crowd out of the game. Rexall Place can be a loud arena and getting them out of the game early would be nice. Second, the team needs a jump start coming off the back to back. Third, the Oilers are young and might get down on themselves if they give up an early one.
The Twins haven't had a dominant game in a while. Edmonton's defense is nothing to write home about and the Twins should be able to take control of the game down low. They need to get back onto the plus side of the +/- for the Canucks to win tonight.
The rest of the team needs an overall gritty performance. If they play a good defensive game they will create turnovers against this young Oiler's team and be able to counter punch for scoring chances. Maybe Torres can get it going again against his old team.
Luongo got the night off last night so it's his time to shine and carry the team. He needs a big game for the team and tonights the perfect night.
The defense will need to stay responsible against the very fast Oilers forwards.
I said in my post game from the Lightning that if a team can get three points out of a possible four in a back to back situation they would be happy. Tonight's the night to get two and complete that situation. Look for the team to play a very passive defensive game with a strong counter punch and the Twins working their magic down low.
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Tonight is the second game of a back to back for the Canuck's. They gave Luongo a rest last night and it will be up to him and the team to come out and play a good game against the young but very talented Oilers team. The Oilers are playing very good as of late going 5-0-1 in their last six games and should not be taken lightly. Typically the Canuck's sleep against weaker teams however this is a decent rivalry and divisional team so I doubt they are completely blank tonight. They had a good comeback last night and hopefully the goal in OT by Stamkos won't kill the momentum the Canuck's created in the third.
Starting with a quick goal will be huge tonight. There are a lot of reasons for this, first get the crowd out of the game. Rexall Place can be a loud arena and getting them out of the game early would be nice. Second, the team needs a jump start coming off the back to back. Third, the Oilers are young and might get down on themselves if they give up an early one.
The Twins haven't had a dominant game in a while. Edmonton's defense is nothing to write home about and the Twins should be able to take control of the game down low. They need to get back onto the plus side of the +/- for the Canucks to win tonight.
The rest of the team needs an overall gritty performance. If they play a good defensive game they will create turnovers against this young Oiler's team and be able to counter punch for scoring chances. Maybe Torres can get it going again against his old team.
Luongo got the night off last night so it's his time to shine and carry the team. He needs a big game for the team and tonights the perfect night.
The defense will need to stay responsible against the very fast Oilers forwards.
I said in my post game from the Lightning that if a team can get three points out of a possible four in a back to back situation they would be happy. Tonight's the night to get two and complete that situation. Look for the team to play a very passive defensive game with a strong counter punch and the Twins working their magic down low.
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Canucks Vs Lightning Post Game
Canucks 4 Lightning 5 (SO)
Well what can you say about that game? It started out awesome, what a great tribute to #19. Naslund deserves all the respect he got, he did everything in Vancouver except win a cup and he provided a lot of great entertainment for the fans in Vancouver. It was great to see all the former Canucks around, Bmo, Ohlund and even Bert throwing on the Canuck's jersey one last time.
The game was a strange one, lots of weird bounces like the tip by Stamkos. However it was another game with a team coming to Vancouver after playing the night before in Edmonton. These are the types of games the Canucks need to get up for an come out guns a blazin'. They did score first but they let TB back into the game.
With the injuries the Canucks have had lately I have been stressing the fact the Twins need to be dominant and have a good +/-. Last night the SSB line was a combined -3. This cannot happen for the Canucks to win. They are the leaders of the team and in times when other lines have injuries they need to step up even more.
The Canucks PK didn't have a great game, although in fairness the 4 on 3 in OT is such a tough PK. Still they need to be flawless when the team has injuries, special teams will be a key for the Canucks. Their PP did have a good game going 2/4. If you were watching the Canucks on the PP they do their best when the D man are blasting away from the point and getting tips in front. Most of the Canucks forwards are very skilled when it comes to deflections and this needs to continue being a key to their PP. They seem way more successful shooting from the point. Once other teams start taking away the defence it will open up space for Daniel and Henrik to work the puck down low.
Cory Schneider had a rough game on the stat sheet with only a .783 SV%. However he did make some keys saves. The save to start off the game from right in front of the net was a big one to get the Canucks going. In all fairness to Schneider he hadn't played since Nov. 20th. All in all he did a pretty good job at giving the team a chance to win. Which is all you can expect in that situation. He should know he will have a chance again soon to get back out there and shouldn't hang his head at all. He's young and will go through some growing pains. He still hasn't outright lost a game this season so hopefully he can keep that going.
Ballard is once again showing why he is a top 4 D man. Yes he was on the ice when TB scored but he is playing physical good defense and recently he's been learning how the Canuck's defense plays by jumping up into the rush and getting on the score sheet. His goal wasn't pretty but it's the fact that he's up there taking the shot that's important. Sometimes they go in. This injury to Ehrhoff (hopefully not a bad one) will be a blessing in disguise if Ballard can show AV show good of a player he is.
If you have back to back games and you can get three points out of the two you should be happy. Tonight they have a chance to do that after last nights go so tonights game will decide if last nights game was a success.
Pre game blog coming up for tonights game in the next few hours (watching the Pats game right now)
Follow the twitter @bmah03 for blog updates.
leave a comment if you want an answer.
Thanks everyone.
Well what can you say about that game? It started out awesome, what a great tribute to #19. Naslund deserves all the respect he got, he did everything in Vancouver except win a cup and he provided a lot of great entertainment for the fans in Vancouver. It was great to see all the former Canucks around, Bmo, Ohlund and even Bert throwing on the Canuck's jersey one last time.
The game was a strange one, lots of weird bounces like the tip by Stamkos. However it was another game with a team coming to Vancouver after playing the night before in Edmonton. These are the types of games the Canucks need to get up for an come out guns a blazin'. They did score first but they let TB back into the game.
With the injuries the Canucks have had lately I have been stressing the fact the Twins need to be dominant and have a good +/-. Last night the SSB line was a combined -3. This cannot happen for the Canucks to win. They are the leaders of the team and in times when other lines have injuries they need to step up even more.
The Canucks PK didn't have a great game, although in fairness the 4 on 3 in OT is such a tough PK. Still they need to be flawless when the team has injuries, special teams will be a key for the Canucks. Their PP did have a good game going 2/4. If you were watching the Canucks on the PP they do their best when the D man are blasting away from the point and getting tips in front. Most of the Canucks forwards are very skilled when it comes to deflections and this needs to continue being a key to their PP. They seem way more successful shooting from the point. Once other teams start taking away the defence it will open up space for Daniel and Henrik to work the puck down low.
Cory Schneider had a rough game on the stat sheet with only a .783 SV%. However he did make some keys saves. The save to start off the game from right in front of the net was a big one to get the Canucks going. In all fairness to Schneider he hadn't played since Nov. 20th. All in all he did a pretty good job at giving the team a chance to win. Which is all you can expect in that situation. He should know he will have a chance again soon to get back out there and shouldn't hang his head at all. He's young and will go through some growing pains. He still hasn't outright lost a game this season so hopefully he can keep that going.
Ballard is once again showing why he is a top 4 D man. Yes he was on the ice when TB scored but he is playing physical good defense and recently he's been learning how the Canuck's defense plays by jumping up into the rush and getting on the score sheet. His goal wasn't pretty but it's the fact that he's up there taking the shot that's important. Sometimes they go in. This injury to Ehrhoff (hopefully not a bad one) will be a blessing in disguise if Ballard can show AV show good of a player he is.
If you have back to back games and you can get three points out of the two you should be happy. Tonight they have a chance to do that after last nights go so tonights game will decide if last nights game was a success.
Pre game blog coming up for tonights game in the next few hours (watching the Pats game right now)
Follow the twitter @bmah03 for blog updates.
leave a comment if you want an answer.
Thanks everyone.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Canucks Vs Lightning Pre Game
Canucks Vs Lighting CBC, Team1040, 7:30 PST
Along with the flu bug, injuries have once again hit the Canucks. Tonight Raymond and Ehrhoff will be out. For the Canucks these are big loses. Raymond is a top six forward and Ehrhoff plays on the top pairing, however for a team that was built for depth it is time to show that depth tonight.
Up front filling in for Raymond on the second line will be Samuelsson. Tambellini will shift over to left wing centered by Kesler and Samuelsson playing on the right side. The third line will be Torres Malholtra and Hansen. Finished off by the fourth line of Glass, Bolduc and Desbiens.
These lines are kind of mixed together however there is still the SSB line. Tonight the twins and Burrows need to have a very strong game. They need to come out and lead the team with a good strong effort while putting up points and hold TB off the score sheet. A good plus minus from this line will be a must to lead the team to a victory tonight.
The third line has seen some time together this year and also needs to play an impact roll in tonight's game. Whether it be an impact on the forecheck or on the score sheet this line needs a good game. Torres is a streaky goal scorer maybe tonight he starts a little streak.
The second line still has two really fast guys and a guy who can shoot. Kesler dominated the last game and carried the team. Hopefully his inspired play will help Samuelsson wake up. Samuelsson has the ability to be a scorer and needs to get back on pace with last season. He has a chance this week playing on the 2nd line but Hansen will be pushing him for that spot. Hopefully he realizes this and picks his game up.
On defence the pairings will be all juggled. We will see a few good things tonight for having Ehrhoff out. Ballard will finally slot into a top 4 roll. It will be nice to see him play there and get the minutes. Here's his chance to prove to AV he is ready to step up. It will also be nice for MG to see where his pairings are without one defenceman if he is considering trading one of them. Hopefully the D can hold it together tonight with a big offensive push from the opponents coming. The 6th guy will either be Alberts or Parent depending on if Alberts is over his flu. I believe that is a game time decision by the coaches.
Luongo gets the night off, and Cory Schneider will get the start. Hopefully he can get a few shots early and shake the rust because he will have to be strong tonight. I had the games mixed up for the rest night of Luongo but check out my "rest plan" anyways here. http://bmahsports.blogspot.com/2010/12/luongo-rest-plan.html
Big key will be starting a new goalless streak for Stamkos. He went six games without a goal until last night against EDM look for Kesler to be a huge shutdown factor tonight.
Big night for the Canucks they will be retiring Markus Naslund's #19. It's more than well deserved and he will always be a Canuck. Decent leader, great scorer. Imagine was his shot off the wing would do for the Canucks 2nd line right now. A sniper anywhere near his caliber is the type of player the 2nd line would like to have come playoff time.
Enjoy the game tonight. Check in for a busy day tomorrow of pre and post game talk.
Twitter me @bmah03
Leave come comments would like to hear from you guys.
Along with the flu bug, injuries have once again hit the Canucks. Tonight Raymond and Ehrhoff will be out. For the Canucks these are big loses. Raymond is a top six forward and Ehrhoff plays on the top pairing, however for a team that was built for depth it is time to show that depth tonight.
Up front filling in for Raymond on the second line will be Samuelsson. Tambellini will shift over to left wing centered by Kesler and Samuelsson playing on the right side. The third line will be Torres Malholtra and Hansen. Finished off by the fourth line of Glass, Bolduc and Desbiens.
These lines are kind of mixed together however there is still the SSB line. Tonight the twins and Burrows need to have a very strong game. They need to come out and lead the team with a good strong effort while putting up points and hold TB off the score sheet. A good plus minus from this line will be a must to lead the team to a victory tonight.
The third line has seen some time together this year and also needs to play an impact roll in tonight's game. Whether it be an impact on the forecheck or on the score sheet this line needs a good game. Torres is a streaky goal scorer maybe tonight he starts a little streak.
The second line still has two really fast guys and a guy who can shoot. Kesler dominated the last game and carried the team. Hopefully his inspired play will help Samuelsson wake up. Samuelsson has the ability to be a scorer and needs to get back on pace with last season. He has a chance this week playing on the 2nd line but Hansen will be pushing him for that spot. Hopefully he realizes this and picks his game up.
On defence the pairings will be all juggled. We will see a few good things tonight for having Ehrhoff out. Ballard will finally slot into a top 4 roll. It will be nice to see him play there and get the minutes. Here's his chance to prove to AV he is ready to step up. It will also be nice for MG to see where his pairings are without one defenceman if he is considering trading one of them. Hopefully the D can hold it together tonight with a big offensive push from the opponents coming. The 6th guy will either be Alberts or Parent depending on if Alberts is over his flu. I believe that is a game time decision by the coaches.
Luongo gets the night off, and Cory Schneider will get the start. Hopefully he can get a few shots early and shake the rust because he will have to be strong tonight. I had the games mixed up for the rest night of Luongo but check out my "rest plan" anyways here. http://bmahsports.blogspot.com/2010/12/luongo-rest-plan.html
Big key will be starting a new goalless streak for Stamkos. He went six games without a goal until last night against EDM look for Kesler to be a huge shutdown factor tonight.
Big night for the Canucks they will be retiring Markus Naslund's #19. It's more than well deserved and he will always be a Canuck. Decent leader, great scorer. Imagine was his shot off the wing would do for the Canucks 2nd line right now. A sniper anywhere near his caliber is the type of player the 2nd line would like to have come playoff time.
Enjoy the game tonight. Check in for a busy day tomorrow of pre and post game talk.
Twitter me @bmah03
Leave come comments would like to hear from you guys.
Friday, December 10, 2010
The Luongo Rest Plan
There has been a lot of talk recently that AV is not following the “get Luongo rest” plan. Recently guys like Botchford (http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/blogs/whitetowel/archive/2010/12/09/let-cory-schneider-play.aspx) and Ed Willes (http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Luongo+play+becoming+issue+Canucks+Willes/3948952/story.html#ixzz17axEm0vT) have written articles about Luongo’s play and the rest he is getting from the coach. I have decided to break down the rest of the season and give my opinion on the goalie situation.
First off before the season began AV and MG both said that they had gone through the schedule and roughly marked off the games Schneider would start. Av is now saying that the schedule has worked in a way that has allowed Luongo to start the games he has. If this is the case then we can expect Schneider to start getting more games as the season moves on. In theory this works for me. Luongo is capable of starting off with a big work load to get his game going and then ease off the peddle on the way to the playoffs. If this is the case then the way I have broken down the season will work for their plan.
All of the games I have the Canucks starting Schneider come with a reason. The following are the starts I expect Schneider to get.
Dec 12th @EDM Luongo will have played 10 starts in a row. The Game follows a back to back with T.B. and it’s a 5:00Pm start in EDM the next day. The break will give Luongo three days rest before CBJ.
Dec 23rd @CBJ Again another back to back DET to CBJ for a 4:00PM game. Lu would have had 4 games in a row and will get another three days rest for the next game against EDM.
Jan 2nd @Col The start of a five games in seven nights. The first of back to back games on the road, Schneider gets COL Luongo gets SJ. Having Luongo get this break will let him start the next three games with one day off for each.
Jan 8th @ DET The end of the five games in seven nights. Schneider comes in the end game of the back to back against DET at home on CBC. This would be Schneider first “Big game” this season. A good test and it would give Lu 3 days off before a weird road trip starting with the NYI.
Jan 13th @ NYR Back to back NYR and Wash. Lu gets the start against the CAPS he typically plays well against them.
Jan 18th @ Col Another start here will give Lu a nice set of breaks in the middle of the season to rejuvenate. It’s the last game of the road trip and will give Lu three days off before coming home for four straight and one on the road.
Feb 2nd @ Pho After five straight starts Schneider would get the start in PHO for the second game of the back to back with DAL. This game off gets Luongo two days rest before a Friday night game at home against the Hawks.
Feb 13th @ STL Another five games in a row for Luongo and a back to back to finish it off. Lu gets STL and Schneider gets the lower scoring MIN.
Feb 24th Vs STL This start is questionable because the schedule works in favour of Luongo starting seven games in a road with only the first one being on the road. However this is a good time to get Lu another rest before the big stretch run.
Mar 5th @ LAK This is the first half of a back to back with LAK and ANA. Schneider gets the nod against the tough LA team during the afternoon start (1:00PM) hopefully the team rallies behind Schneider on the road and gets up for an early game. Lu would have two days off for ANA on the Sunday evening.
March 14th VS MIN Lu plays three in a row and then gets a three game break before what could be a very important divisional game with COL.
March 27th @ CBJ Four more games for Lu and Schneider will start another strange time afternoon game. Keeping Luongo out of this game will be good because of the odd start time (2:00PM) on the road.
April 5th @ EDM From what I can gather this is sometime around when Luongo’s baby is expected. If this is the game he misses he could have four days off then come back for the last two games of the regular season to be ready for the playoffs.
All in all these breaks will work to keep Luongo fresher for the playoffs. Keep in mind this isn’t the 20-25 games the Canucks talked about having Luongo play this year. However even with an injury last year, including the Olympics, Luongo had 73 games played. The year before with a long layoff due to his groin injury he played 54 games. ’07-’08 he played 73 and ’07-’08 he played 76.
With these days off that I have mapped out Luongo will end up starting only 65 games. Schneider will end up playing 17 games. Hopefully these extra days off will give him the rest he needs to excel in the playoffs and be one of the key reasons the Canucks are successful in this year’s playoffs.
It is still be possible for the Canucks to get Luongo more rest than he has had in previous years and the upcoming schedule will lend itself to making the start of these rest games easier for Luongo with a lot of upcoming back to back games.
Do you think this is enough rest for Luongo? What other games would you like to see him take off?
Leave your comments.
Follow my Twitter @bmah03 there will be a game day post tomorrow. Come back and check it out.
Thanks for reading.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Canucks Vs Ducks Post Game
Canucks 5 Ducks 4 (SO)
Well that was ugly, but ugly is sometimes good and to me last nights game will be huge moving forward. Although the Canucks are the best team in the third period, until last night they had yet to come back and get a W when trailing in the third. Not only were they trailing 3-2 going into the third they gave up a goal to go down 4-2. Last night they fought and battled and came back. The Canucks are going to dominate their fair share of games this season and will get their points that way, but two points earned this way are the points that go a long way in winning a division.
Don't get me wrong the two points are great but the team didn't come and dominate like they should have. Anaheim is a good team but not an elite team. They usually play the Canucks tight but the Canucks need to take advantage of tired teams coming into Roger's Arena.
Last night Luongo did not have a great game, however he did make a few timely saves. He seems to not be 100% prepared for shots and needs to work on his mental game. When he is in the zone pucks simply do not get past him. When his brain wanders the puck slides past him. Even the goal Selanne scored (a very good shot) Luongo should have the ability to push off and get over on a cross ice pass that travels that far. He's a huge goalie and if in the right position should be able to take away all the net from that angle. When he's on his game that puck hits him in the shoulder.
Ryan Kesler, what can you say about him last night other than he took over the game. He put the team on his shoulders and willed them to the win. If he plays every game this way watch out. If he and the Twins can get going together in the playoffs the Canucks will have two lines that will be very hard to control. His line along side of Raymond and Tambellini look dangerous on almost every shift. Raymond's hand seem a half second slower than they were last season, but I think that will catch up again and I expect this line to continue to improve. Tambellini (the sniper) has really brought this line together, he's speed and shooting skills bring another dimension to the line. Not only is he a good shooter he has the ability to back off into the high slot and find a good shooting lane, or he can crash the net hard. Also, what a shot in the shootout. The goalie will never save a shot like that. Haven't heard any updates on Raymond, but I'm assuming he was just rattled yesterday.
The Twins were good, but I'd like to see them finish more 5 on 5. They had a lot of chances and Henrik started to shoot more which was nice to see. He made some crazy dangles and had some great chances. The line looked dangerous and if they keep playing this way they will keep putting up good numbers. Not only do the twins play good but they create so much space for the 2nd line by taking on the opponents top defensive players every night.
Hansen has been doing his job every night, when Raymond got hurt I was surprised Glass got moved up over Hansen. Not that it was a bad decision just a little surprised to see. When Hansen is on the 4th line the Canucks are full of depth.
I liked what I saw from Andersson. He seems defensively responsible, has good speed and will throw his body around. He's a good backup option on the wing for the fourth line because of his experience playing hockey. He hasn't played much in the NHL but he's played in a lot of the European leagues.
Bieksa continues to play with good aggression. If he is going to be traded I expect the team to get a good return for him. I still have an issue with his break out passes. Last night there was an instance in his own zone where he had a clear passing lane from behind the net to the winger on the left side. If he steps out two steps to his left his right handed shot makes an easy forehand pass tape to tape to the winger and they break out with speed, but he decided to whip the puck around the boards and make the winger come back to the puck. To me this is something Bieksa needs to work on and if he could figure this out he would be a lot less frustrating to watch.
All in all the team wasn't great, Luongo didn't have a good game, but when push came to shove they jumped on a leader (Kesler) and scrapped their way back into the game. Luongo showed up in the shootout and hopefully this changes his mindset in this setting. They need to be able to finish off teams they should beat with a little more ease but they still got two points and that's what matters. Time to regroup and focus on back to back games on the weekend.
Check in tomorrow I will be writing my opinion on Luongo and Schneider's roll and the amount of games they will play throughout the year.
Moose update: Cody Hodgson
Follow the twitter @bmah03
Comment bellow.
Well that was ugly, but ugly is sometimes good and to me last nights game will be huge moving forward. Although the Canucks are the best team in the third period, until last night they had yet to come back and get a W when trailing in the third. Not only were they trailing 3-2 going into the third they gave up a goal to go down 4-2. Last night they fought and battled and came back. The Canucks are going to dominate their fair share of games this season and will get their points that way, but two points earned this way are the points that go a long way in winning a division.
Don't get me wrong the two points are great but the team didn't come and dominate like they should have. Anaheim is a good team but not an elite team. They usually play the Canucks tight but the Canucks need to take advantage of tired teams coming into Roger's Arena.
Last night Luongo did not have a great game, however he did make a few timely saves. He seems to not be 100% prepared for shots and needs to work on his mental game. When he is in the zone pucks simply do not get past him. When his brain wanders the puck slides past him. Even the goal Selanne scored (a very good shot) Luongo should have the ability to push off and get over on a cross ice pass that travels that far. He's a huge goalie and if in the right position should be able to take away all the net from that angle. When he's on his game that puck hits him in the shoulder.
Ryan Kesler, what can you say about him last night other than he took over the game. He put the team on his shoulders and willed them to the win. If he plays every game this way watch out. If he and the Twins can get going together in the playoffs the Canucks will have two lines that will be very hard to control. His line along side of Raymond and Tambellini look dangerous on almost every shift. Raymond's hand seem a half second slower than they were last season, but I think that will catch up again and I expect this line to continue to improve. Tambellini (the sniper) has really brought this line together, he's speed and shooting skills bring another dimension to the line. Not only is he a good shooter he has the ability to back off into the high slot and find a good shooting lane, or he can crash the net hard. Also, what a shot in the shootout. The goalie will never save a shot like that. Haven't heard any updates on Raymond, but I'm assuming he was just rattled yesterday.
The Twins were good, but I'd like to see them finish more 5 on 5. They had a lot of chances and Henrik started to shoot more which was nice to see. He made some crazy dangles and had some great chances. The line looked dangerous and if they keep playing this way they will keep putting up good numbers. Not only do the twins play good but they create so much space for the 2nd line by taking on the opponents top defensive players every night.
Hansen has been doing his job every night, when Raymond got hurt I was surprised Glass got moved up over Hansen. Not that it was a bad decision just a little surprised to see. When Hansen is on the 4th line the Canucks are full of depth.
I liked what I saw from Andersson. He seems defensively responsible, has good speed and will throw his body around. He's a good backup option on the wing for the fourth line because of his experience playing hockey. He hasn't played much in the NHL but he's played in a lot of the European leagues.
Bieksa continues to play with good aggression. If he is going to be traded I expect the team to get a good return for him. I still have an issue with his break out passes. Last night there was an instance in his own zone where he had a clear passing lane from behind the net to the winger on the left side. If he steps out two steps to his left his right handed shot makes an easy forehand pass tape to tape to the winger and they break out with speed, but he decided to whip the puck around the boards and make the winger come back to the puck. To me this is something Bieksa needs to work on and if he could figure this out he would be a lot less frustrating to watch.
All in all the team wasn't great, Luongo didn't have a good game, but when push came to shove they jumped on a leader (Kesler) and scrapped their way back into the game. Luongo showed up in the shootout and hopefully this changes his mindset in this setting. They need to be able to finish off teams they should beat with a little more ease but they still got two points and that's what matters. Time to regroup and focus on back to back games on the weekend.
Check in tomorrow I will be writing my opinion on Luongo and Schneider's roll and the amount of games they will play throughout the year.
Moose update: Cody Hodgson
Follow the twitter @bmah03
Comment bellow.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Canucks Vs Ducks Pre Game
Canucks Vs Ducks, SNET-P, Team1040, 7:00 PM PST
Wednesday nights game need to simply be a statement game. The Canucks had a rough showing last time out against the Blues and it was clear that no one on the ice really showed up besides maybe Kesler and Ballard. It looked as though the team saw a Blue's team who had just came back from playing Edmonton the night before and expected an easy victory to make it five in a row. The game against the Ducks will be an important one for the team as a whole to make sure no one loses to much confidence from the Blues loss.
The Ducks are always a tricky team to play against, they have a very strong top line that can take over a game at any time. The Canucks will have to have a solid all around effort no matter who is matched up against that line. Where the team should excel is taking advantage of the Anaheim defence. The Canucks have a very strong top 6 and should be able to exploit the young Duck's D.
Look for the Twins to have a bounce back game as they were pretty much ineffective in the last game. Anaheim's D will be tired coming off the game against Edmonton and the Twins should be able to grind away with their cycle game down low. Look for them to hit the score sheet and have a good +/-.
Another thing for the Twins will be the PP they need to get that going again as last game it didn't look very good. Keep it simple, run the PP they are capable and get their shots on the goal. The Canucks have the advantage again on special teams. Anaheim's PK is ranked 19th and the number two PP in the league needs to take advantage of their chances and get back to number one.
Not sure the exact line combinations for the Canucks 2nd and third line but if I were coaching I would put the Raymond, Kesler, Tambellini back together. They had a good chemistry going and their speed together is very scary for the opposition. Hansen can slot in for Samuelsson on the 3rd line where he started the year and has some chemistry with Torres and Hansen. Although not 100% sure of who will line up where, it is obvious the Canucks need secondary scoring from these two lines.
In on the fourth line tomorrow will be both Bolduc and Andersson lined up with Glass. Bolduc will be returning to the centre position. Not that Perrault was playing bad, but he wasn't really taking advantage of his chance in the big leagues. He's been sent back down and the Canucks have given Andersson (the other player they acquired in the O'Brien trade with Nash) a chance to show what he can do in the NHL. According to people who saw the Moose vs Heat games in Abbotsford, Andersson stood out using his size and speed well. That is what he'll have to do if he wants to stick with the Canucks. The Ducks are a chippy team and the Canucks forth line will need to do a good job at countering their aggressiveness and creating good energy for the top three lines.
The defence seems to be gelling as of late. Ballard seems to be wanting to force AV to move him into the top 4 and that's exactly what we will need out of him. His shot blocking skill are tremendous and he's starting to gain confidence. Again I am expecting him to get onto the score sheet against the Ducks.
Luongo will more than likely be looking at a night off this weekend in the back to back games so tonight he needs to come out and play how he's been playing recently. Stay square to the shooter and challenge when the time is right. The Ducks have some very good shooters and Luongo will need to be on his game.
My prediction for the game tonight is that the team will come out full of energy. They were bag skated on Monday and I doubt they want to do that again on Thursday.
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Wednesday nights game need to simply be a statement game. The Canucks had a rough showing last time out against the Blues and it was clear that no one on the ice really showed up besides maybe Kesler and Ballard. It looked as though the team saw a Blue's team who had just came back from playing Edmonton the night before and expected an easy victory to make it five in a row. The game against the Ducks will be an important one for the team as a whole to make sure no one loses to much confidence from the Blues loss.
The Ducks are always a tricky team to play against, they have a very strong top line that can take over a game at any time. The Canucks will have to have a solid all around effort no matter who is matched up against that line. Where the team should excel is taking advantage of the Anaheim defence. The Canucks have a very strong top 6 and should be able to exploit the young Duck's D.
Look for the Twins to have a bounce back game as they were pretty much ineffective in the last game. Anaheim's D will be tired coming off the game against Edmonton and the Twins should be able to grind away with their cycle game down low. Look for them to hit the score sheet and have a good +/-.
Another thing for the Twins will be the PP they need to get that going again as last game it didn't look very good. Keep it simple, run the PP they are capable and get their shots on the goal. The Canucks have the advantage again on special teams. Anaheim's PK is ranked 19th and the number two PP in the league needs to take advantage of their chances and get back to number one.
Not sure the exact line combinations for the Canucks 2nd and third line but if I were coaching I would put the Raymond, Kesler, Tambellini back together. They had a good chemistry going and their speed together is very scary for the opposition. Hansen can slot in for Samuelsson on the 3rd line where he started the year and has some chemistry with Torres and Hansen. Although not 100% sure of who will line up where, it is obvious the Canucks need secondary scoring from these two lines.
In on the fourth line tomorrow will be both Bolduc and Andersson lined up with Glass. Bolduc will be returning to the centre position. Not that Perrault was playing bad, but he wasn't really taking advantage of his chance in the big leagues. He's been sent back down and the Canucks have given Andersson (the other player they acquired in the O'Brien trade with Nash) a chance to show what he can do in the NHL. According to people who saw the Moose vs Heat games in Abbotsford, Andersson stood out using his size and speed well. That is what he'll have to do if he wants to stick with the Canucks. The Ducks are a chippy team and the Canucks forth line will need to do a good job at countering their aggressiveness and creating good energy for the top three lines.
The defence seems to be gelling as of late. Ballard seems to be wanting to force AV to move him into the top 4 and that's exactly what we will need out of him. His shot blocking skill are tremendous and he's starting to gain confidence. Again I am expecting him to get onto the score sheet against the Ducks.
Luongo will more than likely be looking at a night off this weekend in the back to back games so tonight he needs to come out and play how he's been playing recently. Stay square to the shooter and challenge when the time is right. The Ducks have some very good shooters and Luongo will need to be on his game.
My prediction for the game tonight is that the team will come out full of energy. They were bag skated on Monday and I doubt they want to do that again on Thursday.
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Sunday, December 5, 2010
Canucks Vs Blues Post Game
Canucks 2 Blues 3
The third goal and the game winner by Steen was a clear example of how the Canucks played tonight. It was a bit of a scrambled draw and Steen just beat Ehrhoff to the puck who seemed flat footed on the play. Steen walked out front and beat Luongo on the backhand.
Raymond and Alberts missed the game with sicknesses. More than likely the same flu that's been going through the team. Both their replacement were decent, Hansen used his speed well although he still needs to have his hands catch up to his feet ala Raymond two years ago. Rome played good for a 6th D man, he had a a few solid hits and ended up a plus one.
Positives:
The Canucks started out decent with good puck possession and most of the time spent in the other end for the first few shifts.
Hansen did a good job after being moved up due to Raymond being out. He had a goal and used his speed well to create some other chances and a good forecheck. The Canucks don't lose a lot of speed when Hansen is in for Raymond, although they do lose the finishing touch Raymond has.
As I talked about in the Pre Game Ballard's game is starting to turn around. He started off the game with a good hit on Coliacavo and followed that up with a fight. Because he's been playing better of late I expected his confidence to lead to him getting on the score sheet and tonight he did. He ended with 1 assist and +2. Look for Ballard to keep pushing forward and eventually moving into the top 4 with the team.
Luongo played decent tonight. Had some good saves and showed good rebound control on when the team was on the PK. There's a weird schedule coming up, the Canucks only play 5 times in the next 14 days however I can see Luongo getting one of those games off. More than likely one of the back to backs on the weekend.
Credit Luongo and the PK unit for another good game short handed. They held the blues 0/5 on the PP tonight.
Malholtra again dominated the faceoff going 77% at the dot. 86% in the defensive zone. This will be huge come playoff time.
On the Canucks 2nd goal Bieksa did a good job at just getting the puck on net with Kesler driving hard and creating a good screen. Shows what the Canucks needed to be doing all game.
Negatives:
In a game where the Canucks looked really slow and tired there was a lot of negatives.
I've been stressing this a lot in recent pre game talks that the SSB line needs to be positive for the Canucks to win. They ended up a combined -3 tonight. A game like that from this line is not going to produce many wins for the team and they will need to bounce back next game.
The Canucks PP is typically lead by the Twins and like I said they had a bad game. So did the rest of the team. The Canucks top PP in the league went 0/5 tonight and at least three of those came at critical times of the game. First was the two PPs at the end of the 1st and 2nd periods. Both times the games were tied with not much time left in the period. A goal at either of those times would have been game changing. They also got a chance down 3-2 in the third to tie it up and they couldn't even get a shot on goal. The Canucks need a better effort from this unit on a regular basis.
For a team who is the best goal scoring team in the third period the Canucks put out quite the lack luster performance tonight with only 7 shots in the third.
All in all the Canucks came out with no legs tonight. They had a good effort on the PK and Luongo tried to hold the team in there tonight but it wasn't enough. Losing a guy from the top 6 forward decreases the depth of the team by quite a bit and I would expect if there was a longer injury to someone in the top six the team would call someone up with more offensive ability than Bolduc. The PP needs to play better and so do the Twins.
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The third goal and the game winner by Steen was a clear example of how the Canucks played tonight. It was a bit of a scrambled draw and Steen just beat Ehrhoff to the puck who seemed flat footed on the play. Steen walked out front and beat Luongo on the backhand.
Raymond and Alberts missed the game with sicknesses. More than likely the same flu that's been going through the team. Both their replacement were decent, Hansen used his speed well although he still needs to have his hands catch up to his feet ala Raymond two years ago. Rome played good for a 6th D man, he had a a few solid hits and ended up a plus one.
Positives:
The Canucks started out decent with good puck possession and most of the time spent in the other end for the first few shifts.
Hansen did a good job after being moved up due to Raymond being out. He had a goal and used his speed well to create some other chances and a good forecheck. The Canucks don't lose a lot of speed when Hansen is in for Raymond, although they do lose the finishing touch Raymond has.
As I talked about in the Pre Game Ballard's game is starting to turn around. He started off the game with a good hit on Coliacavo and followed that up with a fight. Because he's been playing better of late I expected his confidence to lead to him getting on the score sheet and tonight he did. He ended with 1 assist and +2. Look for Ballard to keep pushing forward and eventually moving into the top 4 with the team.
Luongo played decent tonight. Had some good saves and showed good rebound control on when the team was on the PK. There's a weird schedule coming up, the Canucks only play 5 times in the next 14 days however I can see Luongo getting one of those games off. More than likely one of the back to backs on the weekend.
Credit Luongo and the PK unit for another good game short handed. They held the blues 0/5 on the PP tonight.
Malholtra again dominated the faceoff going 77% at the dot. 86% in the defensive zone. This will be huge come playoff time.
On the Canucks 2nd goal Bieksa did a good job at just getting the puck on net with Kesler driving hard and creating a good screen. Shows what the Canucks needed to be doing all game.
Negatives:
In a game where the Canucks looked really slow and tired there was a lot of negatives.
I've been stressing this a lot in recent pre game talks that the SSB line needs to be positive for the Canucks to win. They ended up a combined -3 tonight. A game like that from this line is not going to produce many wins for the team and they will need to bounce back next game.
The Canucks PP is typically lead by the Twins and like I said they had a bad game. So did the rest of the team. The Canucks top PP in the league went 0/5 tonight and at least three of those came at critical times of the game. First was the two PPs at the end of the 1st and 2nd periods. Both times the games were tied with not much time left in the period. A goal at either of those times would have been game changing. They also got a chance down 3-2 in the third to tie it up and they couldn't even get a shot on goal. The Canucks need a better effort from this unit on a regular basis.
For a team who is the best goal scoring team in the third period the Canucks put out quite the lack luster performance tonight with only 7 shots in the third.
All in all the Canucks came out with no legs tonight. They had a good effort on the PK and Luongo tried to hold the team in there tonight but it wasn't enough. Losing a guy from the top 6 forward decreases the depth of the team by quite a bit and I would expect if there was a longer injury to someone in the top six the team would call someone up with more offensive ability than Bolduc. The PP needs to play better and so do the Twins.
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Canucks Vs Blues Pre Game
Canucks Vs Blues SNET-P, Team 1040, 6:00 PST
Tonight the Canucks will be back at home facing the St. Louis Blues. The Blues started off the season hot lead by Halak who might have been ever hotter than the team. They've lost some key players to injury and have dropped to 12th in the standings because of that. This Blues team is still a Western Conference team that is only 3 points behind the 3rd place Canucks in the standings meaning the Canucks cannot take a night off.
The Canucks have all the confidence in the world and are starting to look like a very strong deep team. They need to own the game tonight on home ice start to finish playing the same 60 minute game they've brought in their last four games.
When Jeff Tambellini has been in the lineup for the Canucks the team is 9-0-1. Do I think that is solely because of Tambellini's play? No. The team has looked good with Tambellini on the 2nd line because it allows players to slide down. With Tambellini in the line up Samuelsson plays third line and Hansen plays fourth line. This creates great depth for the team. The first three lines can rotate all game with the fourth line eating up a lot more valuable minutes without losing much team wise. Twelve different Canucks have scored in the last four games for the Canucks and this has to be directly related to the depth the lineup has right now.
There was a lot of complaining about possibly overpaying for Malholtra in the off season. His play has proved that he is worth everything he is getting. Last game against Chicago, a team the Canucks typically struggle against, Malholtra went 15/20 in the faceoff circle and an even better 10/13 in his own zone. Not only has he been stellar in the faceoff circle, he is leading the third line that is playing with a lot of grit right now.
The defence has been looking much better as of late. Similar to the forwards, depth has been the key to the Canucks success. Having Ballard and Alberts as your 5th/6th pairing is amazing in today's NHL. Edler and Ehrhoff have been playing solid, Bieksa and Hamhuis have looked good together, combined with the solid pairing of Alberts and Ballard the team has great overall defence. In the last game Ballard had 7 blocked shots. That's part of his game he does very well and needs to keep doing to gain confidence. It's a little stat you won't notice much but pay attention to it tonight if he's getting in the way of shots he's probably playing well.
Talking about Canucks depth at D, I saw a little more of Yann Sauve last night. Even though the Salmon Kings lost all three games against Stockton, Sauve is a big, strong hard hitting D man that the Canucks could use in the future.
All in all the Canucks will need another team performance tonight. They need to come out early and use their speed against a Blues team that had a hard fought game last night against Edmonton. The second line's speed will be huge tonight and a good performance from the top line in the +/- again lead to a W. Ballard is starting to play better and I could see him chipping in on the score sheet tonight. Not sure if it'll be Halak or not tonight, he played last night in Edmonton. Canucks need to drive the net against either goalie tonight and have lots of traffic in front.
UPDATE: a quick update. Raymond is sick, Canucks have made a quick recall to the Moose. Hopefully Bolduc makes it to the game in time. Hansen will move to the 2nd line and Bolduc (if he makes the game) will be on the fourth line. If Bolduc doesn't make it Rome will play forward on the fourth line. This chances my pre game post a bit. Expect the Twins to step up even more tonight and have an even bigger game.
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Tonight the Canucks will be back at home facing the St. Louis Blues. The Blues started off the season hot lead by Halak who might have been ever hotter than the team. They've lost some key players to injury and have dropped to 12th in the standings because of that. This Blues team is still a Western Conference team that is only 3 points behind the 3rd place Canucks in the standings meaning the Canucks cannot take a night off.
The Canucks have all the confidence in the world and are starting to look like a very strong deep team. They need to own the game tonight on home ice start to finish playing the same 60 minute game they've brought in their last four games.
When Jeff Tambellini has been in the lineup for the Canucks the team is 9-0-1. Do I think that is solely because of Tambellini's play? No. The team has looked good with Tambellini on the 2nd line because it allows players to slide down. With Tambellini in the line up Samuelsson plays third line and Hansen plays fourth line. This creates great depth for the team. The first three lines can rotate all game with the fourth line eating up a lot more valuable minutes without losing much team wise. Twelve different Canucks have scored in the last four games for the Canucks and this has to be directly related to the depth the lineup has right now.
There was a lot of complaining about possibly overpaying for Malholtra in the off season. His play has proved that he is worth everything he is getting. Last game against Chicago, a team the Canucks typically struggle against, Malholtra went 15/20 in the faceoff circle and an even better 10/13 in his own zone. Not only has he been stellar in the faceoff circle, he is leading the third line that is playing with a lot of grit right now.
The defence has been looking much better as of late. Similar to the forwards, depth has been the key to the Canucks success. Having Ballard and Alberts as your 5th/6th pairing is amazing in today's NHL. Edler and Ehrhoff have been playing solid, Bieksa and Hamhuis have looked good together, combined with the solid pairing of Alberts and Ballard the team has great overall defence. In the last game Ballard had 7 blocked shots. That's part of his game he does very well and needs to keep doing to gain confidence. It's a little stat you won't notice much but pay attention to it tonight if he's getting in the way of shots he's probably playing well.
Talking about Canucks depth at D, I saw a little more of Yann Sauve last night. Even though the Salmon Kings lost all three games against Stockton, Sauve is a big, strong hard hitting D man that the Canucks could use in the future.
All in all the Canucks will need another team performance tonight. They need to come out early and use their speed against a Blues team that had a hard fought game last night against Edmonton. The second line's speed will be huge tonight and a good performance from the top line in the +/- again lead to a W. Ballard is starting to play better and I could see him chipping in on the score sheet tonight. Not sure if it'll be Halak or not tonight, he played last night in Edmonton. Canucks need to drive the net against either goalie tonight and have lots of traffic in front.
UPDATE: a quick update. Raymond is sick, Canucks have made a quick recall to the Moose. Hopefully Bolduc makes it to the game in time. Hansen will move to the 2nd line and Bolduc (if he makes the game) will be on the fourth line. If Bolduc doesn't make it Rome will play forward on the fourth line. This chances my pre game post a bit. Expect the Twins to step up even more tonight and have an even bigger game.
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Saturday, December 4, 2010
Canucks @ Blackhawks Post Game
In recent times the Canucks games have been won by a good team effort. Last night was definitely a good team game however they had an extra element added to the game. Luongo played stellar. Sure he was a bit lucky but you earn your luck and last night he did that. Posting a shutout with 32 saves was quite the game against the team who everyone was saying had Luongo's number. Along with the last three wins this would should have the Canucks beaming with confidence. As long as they don't let it go to their head this series of games could be the turning point of the Canucks season.
Two huge saves by Luongo in the second to keep the game 0-0. One on the Shark break away and one on Kane 2-1. Chicago was the faster team at that point in the game and Luongo kept the team in it. This was the Luongo we used to see and if he gets back to form watch out. He made key saves throughout the entire game and really earned the shut out. The save with his toe on the PP at the beginning of the third was a game saver.
Good job by Glass and the fourth line to get the team on the board in the 2nd. A gritty performance from those guys was important last night. A good centre ice turnover by Perrault set up the shift. They got the puck in deep and got an ugly goal. Hansen with the tip on a shot from Hamhuis from the point set up the rebound that Glass jumped all over. I noticed Perrault in the first get in deep and lay a good hit on the Hawks defence. This was important in wearing the Hawks D down for third.
As I said in the pre game the winner of the special teams battle would win this game. Credit the PK and Luongo to holding the Hawks to no goals in four chances. The PP went 1/5 which was good enough to win this game. The PP goal came at a perfect time, up 1-0 early in the third that 2-0 goal was pretty much game over.
Again the top line was +3 combined. This time it was Henrik getting the last goal. It was the 3-0 goal and the last nail in the coffin for the Hawks. This is something that a few games ago I talked about saying that although the Twins were putting up a lot of points there +/- wasn't as good as it needed to be. Since I said that they've had + games every game. This is huge for the team when they are lead by their top line the Canucks will win a lot.
All in all this was a great game for the Canucks that should build a lot of confidence for future meetings between these two teams. If the Canucks meet the Hawks in the playoffs, this is close to the kind of game they need to play. They need to work on having a few less great scoring chances against and have a little bit better of a forecheck going. But with Luongo playing this way I like their chances moving forward.
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Two huge saves by Luongo in the second to keep the game 0-0. One on the Shark break away and one on Kane 2-1. Chicago was the faster team at that point in the game and Luongo kept the team in it. This was the Luongo we used to see and if he gets back to form watch out. He made key saves throughout the entire game and really earned the shut out. The save with his toe on the PP at the beginning of the third was a game saver.
Good job by Glass and the fourth line to get the team on the board in the 2nd. A gritty performance from those guys was important last night. A good centre ice turnover by Perrault set up the shift. They got the puck in deep and got an ugly goal. Hansen with the tip on a shot from Hamhuis from the point set up the rebound that Glass jumped all over. I noticed Perrault in the first get in deep and lay a good hit on the Hawks defence. This was important in wearing the Hawks D down for third.
As I said in the pre game the winner of the special teams battle would win this game. Credit the PK and Luongo to holding the Hawks to no goals in four chances. The PP went 1/5 which was good enough to win this game. The PP goal came at a perfect time, up 1-0 early in the third that 2-0 goal was pretty much game over.
Because of Chicago's good defence I thought it would be important for the defence to get in on the offence. Hamhuis had an assist on the first goal and Ehrhoff had the PP goal. Getting more production from the point is huge against top end teams.
Again the top line was +3 combined. This time it was Henrik getting the last goal. It was the 3-0 goal and the last nail in the coffin for the Hawks. This is something that a few games ago I talked about saying that although the Twins were putting up a lot of points there +/- wasn't as good as it needed to be. Since I said that they've had + games every game. This is huge for the team when they are lead by their top line the Canucks will win a lot.
All in all this was a great game for the Canucks that should build a lot of confidence for future meetings between these two teams. If the Canucks meet the Hawks in the playoffs, this is close to the kind of game they need to play. They need to work on having a few less great scoring chances against and have a little bit better of a forecheck going. But with Luongo playing this way I like their chances moving forward.
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Friday, December 3, 2010
Canucks @ Blackhawks Pre Game
Vancouver @ Chicago TSN, Team 1040, 5:30 PST
Canucks are coming off three impressive wins against good Western Conference teams. Now they face their biggest rival in recent time and for team sake need a win. Tonight's game could set the team up to play the rest of the season with a ton of confidence. Beating the Hawks will be one of the last big regular season hurdle the Canucks will have this year. Even though the team is flowing with confidence and everyone seems to be clicking as a unit tonight's game will be no easy victory. The Hawks are also coming in with a three game winning streak and have been playing well as of late.
Luongo gets the nod in goal tonight and for me it was the only option. I know lots of fans were calling for Schneider but that situation seems like a lose lose one to me. If they were to start Schneider and he won starting Luongo against Chicago wouldn't be much of an option anymore really handcuffing the team come playoff time. He could also lose bad and that wouldn't be very good for his confidence. Luongo's job tonight is not to win the game for the team but not to lose the game. He's been doing exactly this in the last three games and if he continues this a win is very possible. The team is playing great in front of him and he needs to be the guy on the team who can keep things calm in the defensive zone.
In my opinion the Chicago defence is the only defence the Canucks don't match up tremendously well against. The Sedin line faces the very skilled and smart pairing for Keith and Seabrook. They are able to stop the down low cycling with good positioning and can get back to the net with their speed. The Kesler line's speed is dramatically decreased playing against the smooth skating Campbell. He's able to get back in his own zone quickly and move the puck right back out. Boynton and Cullimore aren't slouches in their own zone either.
What the forwards will need to do is continuously dump the puck in deep and force the defence to become tired throughout the game. A big game from the two gritty lines will come in huge tonight. If they can use the forecheck the Canucks have had going in recent games they will be able to wear down the Hawks allowing the Twins to create some open ice.
The Canucks on defence need to be solid all around. Av needs to do a better job tonight of getting the right lines on the ice at the right time. Alberts and Ballard will be playing together again and as good as they've been playing recently it will be dangerous to have their lack of speed matched up against the Stalberg Toews Kane line tonight. Because the forwards will have a tough time getting goals tonight a goal from the point would be really helpful tonight. Look for Edler to keep up his scoring pace of the season and get in on the act tonight.
This years Canucks team brings something a little different to this matchup. Their Special Teams are one of the best in the league. Their PP is first firing at 26.4% and their PK is third at 87.4%. Keeping this trend going will be a huge boost for tonight's game. They have the advantage in both areas as the Hawks PK is only 24th in the league however their PP is ranked 5th right behind the Canucks. The winner of the Special teams battle will win the game.
A win tonight will not only be good for the standings but huge for the team.
A small side note I forgot to mention the other day. Yann Sauve is playing in Victoria for the Salmon Kings, wow is he a big shut down guy. He could look very good in a Canucks uniform in a few years. I'll be there again tonight hopefully I can get another look at his game.
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Canucks are coming off three impressive wins against good Western Conference teams. Now they face their biggest rival in recent time and for team sake need a win. Tonight's game could set the team up to play the rest of the season with a ton of confidence. Beating the Hawks will be one of the last big regular season hurdle the Canucks will have this year. Even though the team is flowing with confidence and everyone seems to be clicking as a unit tonight's game will be no easy victory. The Hawks are also coming in with a three game winning streak and have been playing well as of late.
Luongo gets the nod in goal tonight and for me it was the only option. I know lots of fans were calling for Schneider but that situation seems like a lose lose one to me. If they were to start Schneider and he won starting Luongo against Chicago wouldn't be much of an option anymore really handcuffing the team come playoff time. He could also lose bad and that wouldn't be very good for his confidence. Luongo's job tonight is not to win the game for the team but not to lose the game. He's been doing exactly this in the last three games and if he continues this a win is very possible. The team is playing great in front of him and he needs to be the guy on the team who can keep things calm in the defensive zone.
In my opinion the Chicago defence is the only defence the Canucks don't match up tremendously well against. The Sedin line faces the very skilled and smart pairing for Keith and Seabrook. They are able to stop the down low cycling with good positioning and can get back to the net with their speed. The Kesler line's speed is dramatically decreased playing against the smooth skating Campbell. He's able to get back in his own zone quickly and move the puck right back out. Boynton and Cullimore aren't slouches in their own zone either.
What the forwards will need to do is continuously dump the puck in deep and force the defence to become tired throughout the game. A big game from the two gritty lines will come in huge tonight. If they can use the forecheck the Canucks have had going in recent games they will be able to wear down the Hawks allowing the Twins to create some open ice.
The Canucks on defence need to be solid all around. Av needs to do a better job tonight of getting the right lines on the ice at the right time. Alberts and Ballard will be playing together again and as good as they've been playing recently it will be dangerous to have their lack of speed matched up against the Stalberg Toews Kane line tonight. Because the forwards will have a tough time getting goals tonight a goal from the point would be really helpful tonight. Look for Edler to keep up his scoring pace of the season and get in on the act tonight.
This years Canucks team brings something a little different to this matchup. Their Special Teams are one of the best in the league. Their PP is first firing at 26.4% and their PK is third at 87.4%. Keeping this trend going will be a huge boost for tonight's game. They have the advantage in both areas as the Hawks PK is only 24th in the league however their PP is ranked 5th right behind the Canucks. The winner of the Special teams battle will win the game.
A win tonight will not only be good for the standings but huge for the team.
A small side note I forgot to mention the other day. Yann Sauve is playing in Victoria for the Salmon Kings, wow is he a big shut down guy. He could look very good in a Canucks uniform in a few years. I'll be there again tonight hopefully I can get another look at his game.
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Thursday, December 2, 2010
Canucks @ Flames Post Game
Canucks 7 Calgary 2
In my pre game blog for this match up I said that Raymond would be amped up for last nights game and would have his wheels going. I expected that line to use their speed to be effective and score a goal. Well even that was an understatement.I also mentioned they needed to be good in their own zone playing against Iginla. Between the three players on that line they had 8 points and were a combined +4. Mason Raymond lead the way scoring the hat trick with 3 goals and 1 assist.
Positives:
I had said it would be important for the team to get off to a good start coming off the four day break and Raymond did that on his first shift. Two minutes in Raymond used his speed down low to cut behind the net and used his little fade away move coming around the net he likes to use. He was trying to set up Tambellini in front but got a nice bounce off the defenders leg and in it went.
The next goal was a great use of speed to get in on the forecheck by Tambellini. He beat Giordano into the corner for the puck and created the turnover. The puck swung around to the point for Edler to take a shot, the rebound came out front to Tambellini in the high slot and he buried it. If you have been watching Tambellini lately he does a great job of sliding into the high slot for shots, it's a great attribute for a goal scorer.
Canuck's third goal was an important one. They had already had three power play chances in the first without scoring and were only up 2-1 at this point early in the 2nd. A nice cross ice pass by Edler to Henrik for the one timer caused a rebound that Kesler made a great hustle play to get the puck to Daniel who had a pretty easy tap in to make the game 3-1. That's 7 goals for Daniel on the PP and 600 points for Henrik in his career.
Again after letting Calgary back into the game at 3-2 the Canucks handed Calgary a PP to start the third. However Raymond was there to use his incredible speed to break away on the PK and score a pretty goal on the backhand. Kipper had no chance with that move and the speed Raymond was coming in with.
That seemed to be the end of Calgary and they shut down. A turn over by Henrik in at centre ice and a nice pass to Burrows lead to a two on one. Burrows caught Kipper guessing and finished with a nice shot. Burrows has three goals in three games and looks like he's coming on. This is huge news for the Canucks to get their top scorer from last year back.
Raymond's hat trick goal was kind of ugly but it counted. Torres with a nice screen in front and Raymond just put the puck on net. Hopefully a goal like this will keep him shooting more often.
The last goal can be blamed on Kipper who decided it would be a good idea to take a shot at Tambellini who was streaking to the net. This lapse in concentration made for an easy tap in to an open net on a rebound by Hamhuis who jumped in from the point.
Luongo, he played good and had some key saves in my opinion. He needs to keep playing this way every game. No bad goals and a few key saves and this team will win a lot of games. As long as Luongo isn't the reason this team is losing he's doing his job in goal. The first goal was a tip that you can't expect your goal to save from that angle and the 2nd goal was unlucky. He was in position for the first shot but Tanguay fanned his 2nd chance he put it off Luongo's back and in. The Flames PP was 0/3 and Luongo needs some credit for that.
The Negatives:
For a win of these proportions I still saw some things I was really unhappy with. Starting with the first goal for Calgary. On the road the visiting team has to put their line on the ice first. AV has three guys to chose from who have very good faceoff percentages (Kes, Hank, Malholtra). Yet in a 2-0 game where you know if the Flames score they are back in the game you put out your forth line? I don't understand this move at all. The Flames could have used any line they wanted with the last change. They ended up winning the draw which lead to puck possession and the tip in goal. To me this is a huge mismanagement of your lineup.
Although the PP ended up 3/8, the five minute PP at the 2nd needed a goal in it. The game could have been 4-2 at that point in time and would have made for a lot less stressful beginning to the third.
Overall:
A big win for the Canuck's putting them back into first in the NW division and 2nd in the West with a game in hand on Colorado. They used their speed to get off to a fast start and keep their momentum going that they've been creating over the last couple games. Raymond lead the way the rest of the team followed. It's good to see the team getting their game together and everyone chipping in on the scoreboard. Another team win for the Canucks against a rival team.
Friday is another rival in Chicago. Check in soon for the pre game for that game.
Leave some comments I'll answer them.
Thanks for reading.
In my pre game blog for this match up I said that Raymond would be amped up for last nights game and would have his wheels going. I expected that line to use their speed to be effective and score a goal. Well even that was an understatement.I also mentioned they needed to be good in their own zone playing against Iginla. Between the three players on that line they had 8 points and were a combined +4. Mason Raymond lead the way scoring the hat trick with 3 goals and 1 assist.
Positives:
I had said it would be important for the team to get off to a good start coming off the four day break and Raymond did that on his first shift. Two minutes in Raymond used his speed down low to cut behind the net and used his little fade away move coming around the net he likes to use. He was trying to set up Tambellini in front but got a nice bounce off the defenders leg and in it went.
The next goal was a great use of speed to get in on the forecheck by Tambellini. He beat Giordano into the corner for the puck and created the turnover. The puck swung around to the point for Edler to take a shot, the rebound came out front to Tambellini in the high slot and he buried it. If you have been watching Tambellini lately he does a great job of sliding into the high slot for shots, it's a great attribute for a goal scorer.
Canuck's third goal was an important one. They had already had three power play chances in the first without scoring and were only up 2-1 at this point early in the 2nd. A nice cross ice pass by Edler to Henrik for the one timer caused a rebound that Kesler made a great hustle play to get the puck to Daniel who had a pretty easy tap in to make the game 3-1. That's 7 goals for Daniel on the PP and 600 points for Henrik in his career.
Again after letting Calgary back into the game at 3-2 the Canucks handed Calgary a PP to start the third. However Raymond was there to use his incredible speed to break away on the PK and score a pretty goal on the backhand. Kipper had no chance with that move and the speed Raymond was coming in with.
That seemed to be the end of Calgary and they shut down. A turn over by Henrik in at centre ice and a nice pass to Burrows lead to a two on one. Burrows caught Kipper guessing and finished with a nice shot. Burrows has three goals in three games and looks like he's coming on. This is huge news for the Canucks to get their top scorer from last year back.
Raymond's hat trick goal was kind of ugly but it counted. Torres with a nice screen in front and Raymond just put the puck on net. Hopefully a goal like this will keep him shooting more often.
The last goal can be blamed on Kipper who decided it would be a good idea to take a shot at Tambellini who was streaking to the net. This lapse in concentration made for an easy tap in to an open net on a rebound by Hamhuis who jumped in from the point.
Luongo, he played good and had some key saves in my opinion. He needs to keep playing this way every game. No bad goals and a few key saves and this team will win a lot of games. As long as Luongo isn't the reason this team is losing he's doing his job in goal. The first goal was a tip that you can't expect your goal to save from that angle and the 2nd goal was unlucky. He was in position for the first shot but Tanguay fanned his 2nd chance he put it off Luongo's back and in. The Flames PP was 0/3 and Luongo needs some credit for that.
The Negatives:
For a win of these proportions I still saw some things I was really unhappy with. Starting with the first goal for Calgary. On the road the visiting team has to put their line on the ice first. AV has three guys to chose from who have very good faceoff percentages (Kes, Hank, Malholtra). Yet in a 2-0 game where you know if the Flames score they are back in the game you put out your forth line? I don't understand this move at all. The Flames could have used any line they wanted with the last change. They ended up winning the draw which lead to puck possession and the tip in goal. To me this is a huge mismanagement of your lineup.
Although the PP ended up 3/8, the five minute PP at the 2nd needed a goal in it. The game could have been 4-2 at that point in time and would have made for a lot less stressful beginning to the third.
Overall:
A big win for the Canuck's putting them back into first in the NW division and 2nd in the West with a game in hand on Colorado. They used their speed to get off to a fast start and keep their momentum going that they've been creating over the last couple games. Raymond lead the way the rest of the team followed. It's good to see the team getting their game together and everyone chipping in on the scoreboard. Another team win for the Canucks against a rival team.
Friday is another rival in Chicago. Check in soon for the pre game for that game.
Leave some comments I'll answer them.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Canucks @ Flames Pre Game
Canucks @ Calgary 6:30pm TSN and Team1040
A team coming off an extended break will typically come out slow to start their first game back. Luckily for the Canucks they will be forced to come out strong as they are playing a divisional foe. Last time these two teams met (last season) Calgary was pounded 7-3 in the game that finished off Henrik Sedin's Heart and Art Ross trophy winning season. Calgary will look to come out fast and dominated physically in their home arena and that should wake the Canucks up. If it doesn't they will have issues tonight.
Because of the long break, four days, the key point for the Canucks as a team will be to regain the momentum they had created in the previous two games. An early goal will go a long way in leading the Canucks to a win.
The team will again (as always) need a strong performance from the SSB line and as I've been saying recently a good +/- from this line will lead to W's.
Last time Vancouver was in Calgary Raymond had a hat-trick playing in his hometown. Look for him to be amped up for tonight's game and have his wheels going. The Raymond, Kesler, Tambellini line has looked good since being put together and I expect them to use their speed to create a goal tonight. They will also likely see time against the top unit and will need to be solid in their own zone as well.
This game will be chippy and the third line of Torres, Malholtra and Samuelsson will need to bring some grit tonight.
The same thing goes for the fourth line. Glass and Hansen need to be skating hard and crashing the boards. This line could create a tired defence for the Twins to work against come the 3rd period. Bolduc has been sent back down to Manitoba on a conditioning stint so Perrault should know his game will be numbered if he doesn't have a couple strong games. Faceoffs are important for him and this line as they are better used forechecking than in their own zone.
As for the defence as a whole, Iginla needs to be shut down. He's been playing well of late, and along with Kiprusoff, leading the Flames. All three pairings will see time against the Flames top line and they will need to be sound defensively to keep them under control.
Along with the defence, Luongo will need to out play Kipper. He's had two strong games recently and needs a third tonight.
The Canucks could put a lot of distance between themselves and the Flames in the standings tonight by putting them 7 points back and holding two games in hand. They also have to use one of their two games in hand on Colorado to take over the divisional lead again.
Enjoy the game tonight. I will again be watching it recorded as I will be at the Salmon Kings Game.
Follow my twitter @bmah03 so you know when new posts are up.
Leave a comment I'd love to answer them for you.
GO CANUCKS GO.
A team coming off an extended break will typically come out slow to start their first game back. Luckily for the Canucks they will be forced to come out strong as they are playing a divisional foe. Last time these two teams met (last season) Calgary was pounded 7-3 in the game that finished off Henrik Sedin's Heart and Art Ross trophy winning season. Calgary will look to come out fast and dominated physically in their home arena and that should wake the Canucks up. If it doesn't they will have issues tonight.
Because of the long break, four days, the key point for the Canucks as a team will be to regain the momentum they had created in the previous two games. An early goal will go a long way in leading the Canucks to a win.
The team will again (as always) need a strong performance from the SSB line and as I've been saying recently a good +/- from this line will lead to W's.
Last time Vancouver was in Calgary Raymond had a hat-trick playing in his hometown. Look for him to be amped up for tonight's game and have his wheels going. The Raymond, Kesler, Tambellini line has looked good since being put together and I expect them to use their speed to create a goal tonight. They will also likely see time against the top unit and will need to be solid in their own zone as well.
This game will be chippy and the third line of Torres, Malholtra and Samuelsson will need to bring some grit tonight.
The same thing goes for the fourth line. Glass and Hansen need to be skating hard and crashing the boards. This line could create a tired defence for the Twins to work against come the 3rd period. Bolduc has been sent back down to Manitoba on a conditioning stint so Perrault should know his game will be numbered if he doesn't have a couple strong games. Faceoffs are important for him and this line as they are better used forechecking than in their own zone.
As for the defence as a whole, Iginla needs to be shut down. He's been playing well of late, and along with Kiprusoff, leading the Flames. All three pairings will see time against the Flames top line and they will need to be sound defensively to keep them under control.
Along with the defence, Luongo will need to out play Kipper. He's had two strong games recently and needs a third tonight.
The Canucks could put a lot of distance between themselves and the Flames in the standings tonight by putting them 7 points back and holding two games in hand. They also have to use one of their two games in hand on Colorado to take over the divisional lead again.
Enjoy the game tonight. I will again be watching it recorded as I will be at the Salmon Kings Game.
Follow my twitter @bmah03 so you know when new posts are up.
Leave a comment I'd love to answer them for you.
GO CANUCKS GO.
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