Let's start off this blog with what I wanted to happen with the deadline for the Canucks. I think I had made it pretty clear that what I wanted Gillis to go out and get was forward depth. What the Canucks had lined up as forwards for the playoff run before the deadline looked as follows:
Daniel Henrik Burrows
Raymond Kesler Samuelsson
Torres Malhotra Hansen
Glass Hodgson Oreskovich
Tambellini
I know a lot of people weren't comfortable with having Hodgson as the fourth line center for the playoffs. I was on the other side of the fence with that one and thought that we would be ok with him in that position. I did however really think we needed to upgrade with a 2nd/3rd line forward.
What Gillis ended up doing was even better. Not only did he get players that should be great for the playoffs he managed to add a lot more than anyone thought possible with the cap. According to capgeek.com the Canucks have roughly $950 in cap space. Not $950,000. $950, less than one thousand.
The trades Gillis pulled off were:
To Van:
Chris Higgins
To Fla:
Evan Oberg
2013 3rd rd pick
To Van:
Maxim Lapierre
MacGregor
To Ana:
Joel Perrault
2012 3rd rd pick
I'll start with the Higgins deal. I absolutely love this trade. Higgins can play on any of the bottom three lines and he will more than likely slot in on the 3rd line with the like of Malhotra and Torres. Higgins brings a very good 5 on 5 point total to the Canucks and has the ability to put up points and get streaky. He is also reliable in his own zone. In 07-08 he scored 27 goals, 12 of those were on the PP. He hasn't really been very good since that season but he also hasn't played on a very good team. He won't be relied upon to be a top scorer with the Canucks just a productive guy who doesn't cost them anything. In this roll I think he will thrive. I expect him to be a difference maker with Torres on this line. Evan Oberg was fairly far down the Canucks defensive depth chart and the 3rd round pick is something that I am willing to give up. What this deal also does for the team is it allows either Hansen or Torres to drop to the fourth line. Either one of those guys are very skilled 4th line guys.
The Lapierre deal I have mixed feelings about. If he tries to do things he can't do and takes bad penalties he won't see much ice time. However if he becomes the player that he can be this could be a huge pick up for the playoffs. AV knows this player very well and used him in a checking roll as a Junior. I expect AV to sit him down and explain to him the "Canucks way", if he buys I will be thrilled. He brings speed, grit and the ability to agitate ala Alex Burrows back in the day. I am thrilled with the way the trade played out. Gillis worked a deal that is very beneficial to the Canucks and the Moose. Joel Perrault has been a very effective player for the Moose and would have been a big loss for them, however the way Gillis worked out the trade Perrault will be staying in Manitoba on loan from the Ducks. He also picked up a prospect that has some grit in MacGregor.
Gillis definitely worked his magic today. Along with Laurence Gilman they worked the cap like geniuses and picked up two great depth guys. They didn't give up much in terms of assets either.
The Canucks forward lineup will probably looks like the following come playoff time.
Daniel Henrik Burrows
Raymond Kesler Samelsson
Higgins Malhotra Torres
Glass Lapierre Hansen
I like the looks of this lineup on paper but I am more excited to see it on the ice. Lapierre will be in tomorrow and Higgins in a week or so. Looking forward to it. Brings on the playoffs.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Canucks Vs Bruins Pre Game
Canucks Vs Bruins, SNET-P, CBC, TEAM 1040, 7:00PM PST
It's very possible this could be a preview of the Stanley Cup Finals this season. The Bruins have made some moves to bolster their lineup and it should be fun to see what they bring against the NHL leading Canucks.
Obviously when a goalie has never lost against a team it's a big deal. It's an even bigger deal when he has never been scored on. Ok so it's only been two games but that's still 120 minutes of shutout hockey. Tim Thomas clearly feels comfortable playing the Canucks so the biggest key tonight will be to make him feel uncomfortable.
Cue Ryan Kesler. Kesler has done a great job of creating a terrible matchup in front of the net. He has cause goalies to look like they are wearing a blindfold with the number 17 on it as he stands in front of them. That will be a big factor tonight for Kesler. Also look for guys like Burrows and Torres to be driving the net really hard tonight.
The Twins had an outright awful game last night and they still both hit the score sheet. Tonight they will need to play a lot better as they will be matched up with Big Chara. Clearly playing against a big physical player the Twins will need to use their smarts to work around him.
Raymond had a game that was a hundred times better than lately. He had a ton of shots and got at least one crossbar. His game is slowly coming around again and tonight I am hoping he really breaks his funk. As long as he keeps shooting from good spots on the ice he will start getting some bounces.
The defense is starting to get better but they still have a problem. Aaron Rome looks horrid. He is making Tanev look bad too. He needs to get back to making his game very simple by playing physical hockey and making easy break out passes or doing off the glass and out. He should be focused on nothing more than that right now.
In goal we have our own star tonight, Roberto Luongo. He's been very hot at home lately with only one regulation loss at home in his last 15 games. This game could turn into a goalie battle and I like Luongo's chances coming off a little bit of rest.
Trade deadline is Monday and the Canucks are clearly looking to add to the bottom of the roster. The bottom six in my opinion could use a winger because I don't think Oreskovich is the best option for playoff time. Hodgson is fine and I think he will be the guy. The fourth line has been good lately and I think they will get a bit of time tonight. They will need to really stay physical and keep the pucks in the Bruins zone.
Should be a good game. Hope everyone enjoys it. My recording is set and I'll watch the game later tonight as I will be at the Salmon Kings game.
Twitter me @bmah03 Lots of tweeting when I am watching the game. And I will be Tweeting about the trade deadline for sure.
Comment Below.
P.S. Don Cherry just said that Luongo is a great puck handler... he also called him "Lugongo". Lol love that guy.
It's very possible this could be a preview of the Stanley Cup Finals this season. The Bruins have made some moves to bolster their lineup and it should be fun to see what they bring against the NHL leading Canucks.
Obviously when a goalie has never lost against a team it's a big deal. It's an even bigger deal when he has never been scored on. Ok so it's only been two games but that's still 120 minutes of shutout hockey. Tim Thomas clearly feels comfortable playing the Canucks so the biggest key tonight will be to make him feel uncomfortable.
Cue Ryan Kesler. Kesler has done a great job of creating a terrible matchup in front of the net. He has cause goalies to look like they are wearing a blindfold with the number 17 on it as he stands in front of them. That will be a big factor tonight for Kesler. Also look for guys like Burrows and Torres to be driving the net really hard tonight.
The Twins had an outright awful game last night and they still both hit the score sheet. Tonight they will need to play a lot better as they will be matched up with Big Chara. Clearly playing against a big physical player the Twins will need to use their smarts to work around him.
Raymond had a game that was a hundred times better than lately. He had a ton of shots and got at least one crossbar. His game is slowly coming around again and tonight I am hoping he really breaks his funk. As long as he keeps shooting from good spots on the ice he will start getting some bounces.
The defense is starting to get better but they still have a problem. Aaron Rome looks horrid. He is making Tanev look bad too. He needs to get back to making his game very simple by playing physical hockey and making easy break out passes or doing off the glass and out. He should be focused on nothing more than that right now.
In goal we have our own star tonight, Roberto Luongo. He's been very hot at home lately with only one regulation loss at home in his last 15 games. This game could turn into a goalie battle and I like Luongo's chances coming off a little bit of rest.
Trade deadline is Monday and the Canucks are clearly looking to add to the bottom of the roster. The bottom six in my opinion could use a winger because I don't think Oreskovich is the best option for playoff time. Hodgson is fine and I think he will be the guy. The fourth line has been good lately and I think they will get a bit of time tonight. They will need to really stay physical and keep the pucks in the Bruins zone.
Should be a good game. Hope everyone enjoys it. My recording is set and I'll watch the game later tonight as I will be at the Salmon Kings game.
Twitter me @bmah03 Lots of tweeting when I am watching the game. And I will be Tweeting about the trade deadline for sure.
Comment Below.
P.S. Don Cherry just said that Luongo is a great puck handler... he also called him "Lugongo". Lol love that guy.
Canucks Vs Blues Post Game
Canucks 3 Blues 2
Well I hope everyone liked my intermission thoughts from the last blog. Like I said in that blog, those thoughts are a lot more emotional than normal because I don't sit back and think about the game. This blog will be what happens when I have time to think about the game and not wish I was playing.
Let's be honest the Twins did not have a good game. Bad penalties and no passing. They are still tops in the league in points so lets give them a break. One regular season game off is not that big of a deal and the team still won.
Why did the team win? Hard work.
Hard work, starting with Schneider in goal. The team was clearly lead by their goalie, he made big saves early when the start wasn't really great again and then he saved the game when the Blues started getting hot in the 2nd. It's great to have a goalie like Schneider this season backing up Luongo and I am very excited to see him keep getting games this year and increasing his value for when the team eventually trades him.
Hard work by the bottom six players. Torres was getting hits all over the ice. I mentioned this in the last blog during the game. His hits were great and really sparked the team. Malhotra and Hansen are running around creating good chances and playing good D. The fourth line with Hodgson in the lineup will need to be tweaked come deadline, however I do not think it needs to be Hodgson. Hodgson brings an element to the fourth line that the team has never had. He is reliable in his own end and creative offensively. His play creates room for Glass and Oreskovich. Oreskovich however is the guy I think will be sent back down to the Moose with another bottom six guy joining the wing. Glass had a great game with a good early fight and a nice pass on Salo's goal.
Hard work by the defense. Guys like Hamhuis and Ballard working hard to get back into shape and Sami Salo getting back to his normal big shot and good defensive play.
It's pretty obvious this team has the skill to win any game, but they still need to bring HARD WORK every night. They will win lots of games when the bottom six guys are big contributors.
Check in soon for Pre game.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment Below.
Well I hope everyone liked my intermission thoughts from the last blog. Like I said in that blog, those thoughts are a lot more emotional than normal because I don't sit back and think about the game. This blog will be what happens when I have time to think about the game and not wish I was playing.
Let's be honest the Twins did not have a good game. Bad penalties and no passing. They are still tops in the league in points so lets give them a break. One regular season game off is not that big of a deal and the team still won.
Why did the team win? Hard work.
Hard work, starting with Schneider in goal. The team was clearly lead by their goalie, he made big saves early when the start wasn't really great again and then he saved the game when the Blues started getting hot in the 2nd. It's great to have a goalie like Schneider this season backing up Luongo and I am very excited to see him keep getting games this year and increasing his value for when the team eventually trades him.
Hard work by the bottom six players. Torres was getting hits all over the ice. I mentioned this in the last blog during the game. His hits were great and really sparked the team. Malhotra and Hansen are running around creating good chances and playing good D. The fourth line with Hodgson in the lineup will need to be tweaked come deadline, however I do not think it needs to be Hodgson. Hodgson brings an element to the fourth line that the team has never had. He is reliable in his own end and creative offensively. His play creates room for Glass and Oreskovich. Oreskovich however is the guy I think will be sent back down to the Moose with another bottom six guy joining the wing. Glass had a great game with a good early fight and a nice pass on Salo's goal.
Hard work by the defense. Guys like Hamhuis and Ballard working hard to get back into shape and Sami Salo getting back to his normal big shot and good defensive play.
It's pretty obvious this team has the skill to win any game, but they still need to bring HARD WORK every night. They will win lots of games when the bottom six guys are big contributors.
Check in soon for Pre game.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment Below.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Canucks Vs Blues In Game
Canucks Vs Blues End of 1st. Van 2 Stl. 0
Here we go this is something new thought it would be fun to share my thoughts of the game as the game is going. Might see a bit more emotional thoughts then thought out one this way.
First things first I am sticking with my guns that the Canucks need a bottom six physical forward at the deadline, NOT a center. What I have seen from Hodgson when he is in the lineup as the fourth line guy is the line plays the majority of their time in the opponents end. If AV puts this line out in the playoffs they really need to only not get scored on. If they bring physical hockey with some scoring chances that's a bonus. I am not comfortable with Oreskovich for the playoffs though. The way I see it is, Cody will have the rest of the season to get comfortable and learn the game as a fourth liner. He will be effective in the position and can learn the NHL game with some serious cup run experience. Ryan Kesler started as the fourth line guy and he has developed into a great center why can't Hodgson take the same path. It's the same thing that Detroit does with their prospects. You start at the bottom and work your way up. Another winger will give Av the options to create some great lines in the bottom six. Any mixture of the following would be effective in the playoffs.
_____ Malholtra Hansen
Torres Hodgson Glass
or
Torres Maltholtra _____
Glass Hodgson Hansen
or
Torres Malholtra Hansen
Glass Hodgson _____
Other than that I would like to see if possible Okposo in a Canucks uniform to replace Raymond.
Speaking of Raymond, he looks a little better tonight. What I've seen from him lately is he is using his speed to take space away from himself not create space. What I mean by that is he is driving straight into the defense not forcing them back. He needs to use his speed to the outside and if he isn't going around the guy stop hard and make a pass to the trailer. This will create so much more room for him because he'll always have the D on their heels. His speed is an asset he needs to use it.
Love seeing the D getting healthy. They are confident and jumping into the rush tonight, looks good.
Tanner Glass you are a great team guy, great for Vancouver and you are having a heck of a game. He needs a goal for the Gordie Howe hat trick and he's already had quite a few chances. Let's see how much time the fourth line gets tonight.
Mr. Schneider you did a good job in the first ten minutes. Made some key saves early. You will be very successful if you do that in front of this Canucks team.
More to come after the 2nd.
End of 2nd Van 2 Stl. 2
Ouch, that period hurt.
Trying to keep this thing positive. The fourth line has played good. Yes they got scored on, it wasn't really the forwards fault. They've only got one shift after the goal that lasted a whole 18 seconds. This line is not the reason this team isn't playing good. PLAY THEM AV!
The physicality Torres is bringing tonight is awesome. He has at least three really solid hits. If he plays like that I can't wait for playoffs.
If Raymond keeps shooting it's bound to go in, can't say I'm happy with him yet. But he's improving.
That's about it for positive from that period.
Holy awful Aaron Rome. He's been by far my least favorite Canuck all season and it's not just cause of tonight. He isn't doing what made him valuable last season. Last year he was physical and made a smart pass. Kept it really simple and was effective. This season, bad passing, bad turnovers, lack of physical play. He needs to pick his game up big time because he's making rookie Tanev look bad. On the 2nd goal it was his turnover and him floating to cause a screen that gave the Blues that goal.
The twins have had one good shift in both period. Other than that they've looked pretty bad being stuck in their own zone quite a bit. They need to pick up up in the third.
Daniel's slashing penalty was a horrid call, but the team needs to realize that and pick up their game to not let it hurt them. They didn't do that and haven't recovered since. Need more mental toughness.
Confidence wise this team needs a big third period and a W. Maybe tonight can be used as message sending time. We'll see who AV has out on the ice in the third. I know who I'd want out there.
More chatter after the game. Lots of twitter talk going on @bmah03
Here we go this is something new thought it would be fun to share my thoughts of the game as the game is going. Might see a bit more emotional thoughts then thought out one this way.
First things first I am sticking with my guns that the Canucks need a bottom six physical forward at the deadline, NOT a center. What I have seen from Hodgson when he is in the lineup as the fourth line guy is the line plays the majority of their time in the opponents end. If AV puts this line out in the playoffs they really need to only not get scored on. If they bring physical hockey with some scoring chances that's a bonus. I am not comfortable with Oreskovich for the playoffs though. The way I see it is, Cody will have the rest of the season to get comfortable and learn the game as a fourth liner. He will be effective in the position and can learn the NHL game with some serious cup run experience. Ryan Kesler started as the fourth line guy and he has developed into a great center why can't Hodgson take the same path. It's the same thing that Detroit does with their prospects. You start at the bottom and work your way up. Another winger will give Av the options to create some great lines in the bottom six. Any mixture of the following would be effective in the playoffs.
_____ Malholtra Hansen
Torres Hodgson Glass
or
Torres Maltholtra _____
Glass Hodgson Hansen
or
Torres Malholtra Hansen
Glass Hodgson _____
Other than that I would like to see if possible Okposo in a Canucks uniform to replace Raymond.
Speaking of Raymond, he looks a little better tonight. What I've seen from him lately is he is using his speed to take space away from himself not create space. What I mean by that is he is driving straight into the defense not forcing them back. He needs to use his speed to the outside and if he isn't going around the guy stop hard and make a pass to the trailer. This will create so much more room for him because he'll always have the D on their heels. His speed is an asset he needs to use it.
Love seeing the D getting healthy. They are confident and jumping into the rush tonight, looks good.
Tanner Glass you are a great team guy, great for Vancouver and you are having a heck of a game. He needs a goal for the Gordie Howe hat trick and he's already had quite a few chances. Let's see how much time the fourth line gets tonight.
Mr. Schneider you did a good job in the first ten minutes. Made some key saves early. You will be very successful if you do that in front of this Canucks team.
More to come after the 2nd.
End of 2nd Van 2 Stl. 2
Ouch, that period hurt.
Trying to keep this thing positive. The fourth line has played good. Yes they got scored on, it wasn't really the forwards fault. They've only got one shift after the goal that lasted a whole 18 seconds. This line is not the reason this team isn't playing good. PLAY THEM AV!
The physicality Torres is bringing tonight is awesome. He has at least three really solid hits. If he plays like that I can't wait for playoffs.
If Raymond keeps shooting it's bound to go in, can't say I'm happy with him yet. But he's improving.
That's about it for positive from that period.
Holy awful Aaron Rome. He's been by far my least favorite Canuck all season and it's not just cause of tonight. He isn't doing what made him valuable last season. Last year he was physical and made a smart pass. Kept it really simple and was effective. This season, bad passing, bad turnovers, lack of physical play. He needs to pick his game up big time because he's making rookie Tanev look bad. On the 2nd goal it was his turnover and him floating to cause a screen that gave the Blues that goal.
The twins have had one good shift in both period. Other than that they've looked pretty bad being stuck in their own zone quite a bit. They need to pick up up in the third.
Daniel's slashing penalty was a horrid call, but the team needs to realize that and pick up their game to not let it hurt them. They didn't do that and haven't recovered since. Need more mental toughness.
Confidence wise this team needs a big third period and a W. Maybe tonight can be used as message sending time. We'll see who AV has out on the ice in the third. I know who I'd want out there.
More chatter after the game. Lots of twitter talk going on @bmah03
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Canucks vs Canadiens Pre Game
Canucks Vs Canadiens, SNET-P, TEAM 1040, 7:00PM
Lots going on in Canucks land recently. There's trade talks, recalls and healthy players. Starting today off with the really good news that both Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard will be back in the lineup. This is the kind of news fans of Canucks aren't very used hearing as we have all become accustomed to hearing that another dman is out. It will be good to see both these guys get back into the lineup and it looks as though they will both be in the top four. Hamhuis with Salo and Ballard with Ehrhoff. They will both need to focus on getting their games back up to game speed fast as the Habs bring a bunch of quick forwards with their lineup.
Montreal is coming off a very hyped game the other day in Calgary. The outdoor game seemed like it was a pretty big success for everyone but the Habs. I'm sure they will be frustrated and bring a pretty good effort against the best team in the NHL tonight. I think if they were playing any other team in the league they would have a let down game tonight. That's a lot of hype for one regular season game I would think it would be hard to get geared up for the next one however it is the Canucks. Getting up for the best team in the league is never really hard. Expect Montreal to want to revenge their 4-0 loss tonight.
Daniel Sedin is currently in first in the NHL in points with Henrik close behind in 3rd. Stamkos (in 2nd) has a game in hand on the Twins and doesn't play again till Wed. Not that the Twins care who is winning the scoring race, it would be nice to see them build a bit of a lead tonight. Last time the Canucks played the Habs the Habs managed to shut down the SSB line. I think they only registered a couple of shot. That simply can't happen tonight. The Canadiens blue line has a ton of injuries and this line needs to be able to use this to their advantage. I expect them to have another good game after a big night against the Stars the other day.
The Kesler unit will not have as big of an advantage as they are used to tonight as the Habs are a pretty fast group of forwards. They will need to use their size and smarts to create plays tonight. They didn't seem to be a big factor against the Stars which surprised me as I am expect Raymond to snap out of his slump. Tonight let's hope that Kesler and Sammy can help Raymond out a bit and get him on the score sheet.
The third line of Malholtra, Torres and Hansen has been 100x better as of late. I've said it all along they don't need to be scoring on a consistent basis but they need to always, ALWAYS be physical. Along with Hansen, Torres has brought his hitting back to the team. When he is running around like a train making big hits and getting off good shots he is extremely effective. It's what I've expected out of him since the singing and what I think people will be very excited about come playoff time. Malholtra can continue to be very effective by winning faceoffs and killing penalties. They all have the ability to hit the score sheet and should be able to beat most NHL third lines. Tonight is no different they need to be a factor either on the score sheet or in the physicality department.
Guess who's back, that's right, everyone's favorite Cody Hodgson is back tonight. He'll be centering a fourth line of Glass and Oreskovich. This is a great chance for Hodgson as he is clearly the lead contender for the fourth line center position in the playoffs. I have been very happy with Hodgson's performance as the fourth line center so far this season. In the five games he's played the line has spent the majority of their time in the offensive zone. For a line that is supposed to make sure the other team doesn't score against them that is a great place for them to be. It's hard to get scored on when you're in their zone. In the next couple of games Gillis and AV will be able to decide is Coho is the right options. If he is I expect them to add a 3rd/4th line winger at the deadline. Oreskovich is not the option and I think they want to have Tambellini as a top six forward spare in case of an injury. This line tonight will be big on the dump and chase. Look for Glass and Hodgson to create a few chances together as they've looked pretty good when paired up. Hodgson will also get to use his creativity on the PP. I haven't liked what I've seen of him there so far but that's because for some reason he's been asked to stand in front of the net. To me he's a skilled guy and should be running the play from the half boards. He has great vision and can make almost any pass. If they give him a chance there tonight expect the 2nd PP to look much better.
Luongo gets the start in goal tonight and he will sporting the new mask we've all been waiting to see. I really like the looks of it. Check it out for sure.
Should be a fun night in the NHL there is a ton of games and I'm really looking forward to them.
Canucks and Habs is always a great game to watdh. Can't wait till puck drop!
Enjoy.
Go Canucks Go
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment Below.
Lots going on in Canucks land recently. There's trade talks, recalls and healthy players. Starting today off with the really good news that both Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard will be back in the lineup. This is the kind of news fans of Canucks aren't very used hearing as we have all become accustomed to hearing that another dman is out. It will be good to see both these guys get back into the lineup and it looks as though they will both be in the top four. Hamhuis with Salo and Ballard with Ehrhoff. They will both need to focus on getting their games back up to game speed fast as the Habs bring a bunch of quick forwards with their lineup.
Montreal is coming off a very hyped game the other day in Calgary. The outdoor game seemed like it was a pretty big success for everyone but the Habs. I'm sure they will be frustrated and bring a pretty good effort against the best team in the NHL tonight. I think if they were playing any other team in the league they would have a let down game tonight. That's a lot of hype for one regular season game I would think it would be hard to get geared up for the next one however it is the Canucks. Getting up for the best team in the league is never really hard. Expect Montreal to want to revenge their 4-0 loss tonight.
Daniel Sedin is currently in first in the NHL in points with Henrik close behind in 3rd. Stamkos (in 2nd) has a game in hand on the Twins and doesn't play again till Wed. Not that the Twins care who is winning the scoring race, it would be nice to see them build a bit of a lead tonight. Last time the Canucks played the Habs the Habs managed to shut down the SSB line. I think they only registered a couple of shot. That simply can't happen tonight. The Canadiens blue line has a ton of injuries and this line needs to be able to use this to their advantage. I expect them to have another good game after a big night against the Stars the other day.
The Kesler unit will not have as big of an advantage as they are used to tonight as the Habs are a pretty fast group of forwards. They will need to use their size and smarts to create plays tonight. They didn't seem to be a big factor against the Stars which surprised me as I am expect Raymond to snap out of his slump. Tonight let's hope that Kesler and Sammy can help Raymond out a bit and get him on the score sheet.
The third line of Malholtra, Torres and Hansen has been 100x better as of late. I've said it all along they don't need to be scoring on a consistent basis but they need to always, ALWAYS be physical. Along with Hansen, Torres has brought his hitting back to the team. When he is running around like a train making big hits and getting off good shots he is extremely effective. It's what I've expected out of him since the singing and what I think people will be very excited about come playoff time. Malholtra can continue to be very effective by winning faceoffs and killing penalties. They all have the ability to hit the score sheet and should be able to beat most NHL third lines. Tonight is no different they need to be a factor either on the score sheet or in the physicality department.
Guess who's back, that's right, everyone's favorite Cody Hodgson is back tonight. He'll be centering a fourth line of Glass and Oreskovich. This is a great chance for Hodgson as he is clearly the lead contender for the fourth line center position in the playoffs. I have been very happy with Hodgson's performance as the fourth line center so far this season. In the five games he's played the line has spent the majority of their time in the offensive zone. For a line that is supposed to make sure the other team doesn't score against them that is a great place for them to be. It's hard to get scored on when you're in their zone. In the next couple of games Gillis and AV will be able to decide is Coho is the right options. If he is I expect them to add a 3rd/4th line winger at the deadline. Oreskovich is not the option and I think they want to have Tambellini as a top six forward spare in case of an injury. This line tonight will be big on the dump and chase. Look for Glass and Hodgson to create a few chances together as they've looked pretty good when paired up. Hodgson will also get to use his creativity on the PP. I haven't liked what I've seen of him there so far but that's because for some reason he's been asked to stand in front of the net. To me he's a skilled guy and should be running the play from the half boards. He has great vision and can make almost any pass. If they give him a chance there tonight expect the 2nd PP to look much better.
Luongo gets the start in goal tonight and he will sporting the new mask we've all been waiting to see. I really like the looks of it. Check it out for sure.
Should be a fun night in the NHL there is a ton of games and I'm really looking forward to them.
Canucks and Habs is always a great game to watdh. Can't wait till puck drop!
Enjoy.
Go Canucks Go
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment Below.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Canucks Vs Stars
Canucks Vs Stars, CBC, TEAM 1040, 7:00PM PST
Starting off today with some good news on the injury front. According to Jason Botchford, Hamhuis passed all his baseline tests/concussion protocol. He has said he is good to go tonight but it looks like the team will keep him out against the Stars and he will play on Tuesday. Never a bad thing to give him an extra day off. Ballard is also getting very close to coming back. I would assume the team will split up their returns so I expect to see Hamhuis Tuesday and Ballard Thursday.
Tonights game is against the Stars and it should be a good game. Clearly the stars are struggling lately going a mere 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. They have dropped to 6th in the West, however, they are tied with 9th place Calgary in points. The Stars will be desperate for a win tonight and will try to take advantage of the Canucks young defence.
Everyone knows that the Canucks are extremely thing at defence so I will start today talking about the forwards. The forwards absolutely need to win the game tonight. They need to come back and help out the D but when they get a chance to attack the puck needs to stay in the offensive zone for a prolonged period of time.
Starting with the SSB line. The Twins haven't looked good lately and by their standards seem to be slumping of late. Yes I know Daniel scored on the PP last night but 5 on 5 they haven't looked very good. It'll be up to them tonight to control the flow of the game and start putting up some points 5 on 5.
The Canucks second line has at times this season looked as though they are a number one line. They have a 33 goal scorer in Kesler on the line, good for 2nd in the NHL. They have a a red hot Mikael Samuelsson who has 13 points in 9 games this month. They also have Raymond. He hasn't been as hot as the other two but he's been decent. He needs to step up his game right now down the stretch and into the playoffs. I expect him to have a good game tonight against the Stars. This line will be key tonight. Watch for them to come out tonight using their speed and skill to put points up on the board.
The third line has been getting a lot of talk lately and it's not really good talk. Malholtra had a good game recently but there has been no consistency. Hansen has been good all year but he needs help. Torres has been lacking a lot of what he brought at the beginning of the season. He needs to bring his physical grit to the game. Tonight against the Stars Torres can try to take Steve Ott off Kesler and the Twins. I would count that as an effective game for Torres. Hard hits and the odd goal are what he was brought in to do and he needs to start that back up. Torres can be a difference maker and it would be nice to start seeing him bring that to each game.
The fourth line has been an issue for me lately. Since Oreskovich has been called up they have been getting trapped in their own zone much more than they had been. I would like to see them have the ability to get the puck in the offensive zone and use their size to get in on the forecheck.
As for the defence they need to keep it simple. Starting with their leader Ehrhoff. He had a rough game the other night and to me it seemed like he was trying to do way to much. He can be a top two D man in the NHL but to do this he needs to do what he's best at. Play alright defence while doing a great job at pushing the puck up to the forwards and joining the rush. There is no reason he should stick to this part of his game. I know there are a ton of injuries and he's trying to make up for everyone, he simply can't do that. He's not a defensive player and he won't succeed trying to be. Rome, Salo and the young guys just need to keep their games simple. Salo is starting to look really good to me and I am really excited to see him in the playoffs this year. He can be a difference maker and I expect him to be as much.
There's been a ton of trades lately, including some blockbuster trades. I don't expect the Canucks to be involved in a huge trade however I do think they will do something. I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I have decided that my biggest wish for a trade is a third line winger. I know we do not have a ton of cap room but I think Gillis has the ability to add a player who can fit this position on the team. This is something that most fans haven't been asking for but I will explain why I want this. The line up currently looks like this:
Daniel Hank Burrows
Raymond Kesler Samuelsson
Torres Malholtra Hansen
Tambellini Glass Oreskovich
What a third line winger would let us do is move some players around. I would also like to see Cody Hodgson in the playoffs. If we are able to acquire someone who can play third line wing it will give us a lot of options for the bottom six. My playoff lineup would look as follows:
Dan Hank Burrows
Raymond Kesler Samuelsson
_______ Malholtra Hansen
Torres Hodgson Glass
Malholtra and Hodgson could be switch up depending on what offense is needed. All four wingers could play together in any spot. Whoever was brought in to play on the third line would preferably be a veteran guy who has a bit more offensive skill than Torres. He doesn't need to necessarily be big, or extremely physical. My reason for having Hodgson on the fourth line is when he was there the fourth line was able to play their shifts in the offensive zone. It's hard to get scored on from there. He can also take a spot on the 2nd line PP.
The trade deadline is awfully exciting but it's game day. Time for the leaders of this team to step up and get the team back on track.
Should be a good game tonight. Hope you all enjoy.
Go Canucks Go.
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Starting off today with some good news on the injury front. According to Jason Botchford, Hamhuis passed all his baseline tests/concussion protocol. He has said he is good to go tonight but it looks like the team will keep him out against the Stars and he will play on Tuesday. Never a bad thing to give him an extra day off. Ballard is also getting very close to coming back. I would assume the team will split up their returns so I expect to see Hamhuis Tuesday and Ballard Thursday.
Tonights game is against the Stars and it should be a good game. Clearly the stars are struggling lately going a mere 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. They have dropped to 6th in the West, however, they are tied with 9th place Calgary in points. The Stars will be desperate for a win tonight and will try to take advantage of the Canucks young defence.
Everyone knows that the Canucks are extremely thing at defence so I will start today talking about the forwards. The forwards absolutely need to win the game tonight. They need to come back and help out the D but when they get a chance to attack the puck needs to stay in the offensive zone for a prolonged period of time.
Starting with the SSB line. The Twins haven't looked good lately and by their standards seem to be slumping of late. Yes I know Daniel scored on the PP last night but 5 on 5 they haven't looked very good. It'll be up to them tonight to control the flow of the game and start putting up some points 5 on 5.
The Canucks second line has at times this season looked as though they are a number one line. They have a 33 goal scorer in Kesler on the line, good for 2nd in the NHL. They have a a red hot Mikael Samuelsson who has 13 points in 9 games this month. They also have Raymond. He hasn't been as hot as the other two but he's been decent. He needs to step up his game right now down the stretch and into the playoffs. I expect him to have a good game tonight against the Stars. This line will be key tonight. Watch for them to come out tonight using their speed and skill to put points up on the board.
The third line has been getting a lot of talk lately and it's not really good talk. Malholtra had a good game recently but there has been no consistency. Hansen has been good all year but he needs help. Torres has been lacking a lot of what he brought at the beginning of the season. He needs to bring his physical grit to the game. Tonight against the Stars Torres can try to take Steve Ott off Kesler and the Twins. I would count that as an effective game for Torres. Hard hits and the odd goal are what he was brought in to do and he needs to start that back up. Torres can be a difference maker and it would be nice to start seeing him bring that to each game.
The fourth line has been an issue for me lately. Since Oreskovich has been called up they have been getting trapped in their own zone much more than they had been. I would like to see them have the ability to get the puck in the offensive zone and use their size to get in on the forecheck.
As for the defence they need to keep it simple. Starting with their leader Ehrhoff. He had a rough game the other night and to me it seemed like he was trying to do way to much. He can be a top two D man in the NHL but to do this he needs to do what he's best at. Play alright defence while doing a great job at pushing the puck up to the forwards and joining the rush. There is no reason he should stick to this part of his game. I know there are a ton of injuries and he's trying to make up for everyone, he simply can't do that. He's not a defensive player and he won't succeed trying to be. Rome, Salo and the young guys just need to keep their games simple. Salo is starting to look really good to me and I am really excited to see him in the playoffs this year. He can be a difference maker and I expect him to be as much.
There's been a ton of trades lately, including some blockbuster trades. I don't expect the Canucks to be involved in a huge trade however I do think they will do something. I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I have decided that my biggest wish for a trade is a third line winger. I know we do not have a ton of cap room but I think Gillis has the ability to add a player who can fit this position on the team. This is something that most fans haven't been asking for but I will explain why I want this. The line up currently looks like this:
Daniel Hank Burrows
Raymond Kesler Samuelsson
Torres Malholtra Hansen
Tambellini Glass Oreskovich
What a third line winger would let us do is move some players around. I would also like to see Cody Hodgson in the playoffs. If we are able to acquire someone who can play third line wing it will give us a lot of options for the bottom six. My playoff lineup would look as follows:
Dan Hank Burrows
Raymond Kesler Samuelsson
_______ Malholtra Hansen
Torres Hodgson Glass
Malholtra and Hodgson could be switch up depending on what offense is needed. All four wingers could play together in any spot. Whoever was brought in to play on the third line would preferably be a veteran guy who has a bit more offensive skill than Torres. He doesn't need to necessarily be big, or extremely physical. My reason for having Hodgson on the fourth line is when he was there the fourth line was able to play their shifts in the offensive zone. It's hard to get scored on from there. He can also take a spot on the 2nd line PP.
The trade deadline is awfully exciting but it's game day. Time for the leaders of this team to step up and get the team back on track.
Should be a good game tonight. Hope you all enjoy.
Go Canucks Go.
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Thursday, February 17, 2011
Canucks @ Predators Pre game
Canucks @ Predators, SNET-P, TEAM 1040, 5:00PM PST
With all the moves Gillis made in the off season to solidify the defense it's a good thing he also focused on depth. Edler, Hamhuis, Ballard, Alberts, Sweatt and now Bieksa are all down to injury. That defense is as good as more than half the NHL. Although it is not 100% confirmed what is wrong with Bieksa it looks as though he has a fractured foot and will be out roughly three weeks. In the long run it's not that bad of a thing and we will get to see a prospect get some ice time with the big club. The only issue is the timing. The injury will force Tanev (a rookie up due to injuries) to play top four minutes. Here's the good news, as I said when the injury happened it looks like Hamhuis will be back skating very soon (maybe even today). What that means is he is on track with the concussion process and should be back sometime next week. I wouldn't be shocked if he was back on the weekend either. Ballard is also recovering much faster than expected and it is being reported he should play next week. With all the injuries the Canucks have had they are lucky that they are not really season ending injuries. Their players will slowly get back into the lineup and we could have one awesome defense going into the playoffs.
As for tonight it'll be Ehrhoff, Salo, Rome, Tanev, Sauve and recently called up Oberg. Good thing for Oberg is he has seen the big show before. He should know what to expect tonight and will hopefully play a calm game. Tanev is being forced into a top four role, he will need to keep bringing his calm demeanor to the ice and lead the rookies tonight.
Obviously for tonight's game the Canucks are extremely short on the back end. However the forwards are healthy. All four lines will need to step up to take pressure off the defense and Luongo.
The Twins have looked a bit tired in the last couple games. Tonight they really need to step it up and bring their A game. Nashville likes to play a stifling defensive game so it will be up the the Twins and Burrows to create good chances and finish their chances. I used to harp a lot on the SSB +/-, tonight is one of those nights. They need to have a good +/- for the team to get a W tonight.
Samuelsson has been playing great, Kesler is Kesler and Raymond seems to be slowly turning his game around. This line will need to play a big role tonight and have a solid game at both ends of the ice.
Malholtra broke out a little bit the other night and it would be great to see him continue putting up the odd point or two. His goal was directly related to him going to the net and he needs to keep doing that. His faceoffs are great, but the third line needs to produce. With Malholtra getting on the score sheet Torres seemed to wake up the other night. He was playing good physical hockey. If he isn't scoring he really needs to bring this element to the team.
The fourth line can't afford to make mistakes tonight because the defense won't be able to back them up as much as normal.
Luongo will not get as much support from tonights mashed together defense he is used to. He will need to step up his game and have a #1 star type performance tonight.
I'm really loving all this trade talk recently. I will try to jump in tomorrow with some of my feelings on trades. And what the Canucks should do.
Follow my twitter @bmah03
Comment Below.
With all the moves Gillis made in the off season to solidify the defense it's a good thing he also focused on depth. Edler, Hamhuis, Ballard, Alberts, Sweatt and now Bieksa are all down to injury. That defense is as good as more than half the NHL. Although it is not 100% confirmed what is wrong with Bieksa it looks as though he has a fractured foot and will be out roughly three weeks. In the long run it's not that bad of a thing and we will get to see a prospect get some ice time with the big club. The only issue is the timing. The injury will force Tanev (a rookie up due to injuries) to play top four minutes. Here's the good news, as I said when the injury happened it looks like Hamhuis will be back skating very soon (maybe even today). What that means is he is on track with the concussion process and should be back sometime next week. I wouldn't be shocked if he was back on the weekend either. Ballard is also recovering much faster than expected and it is being reported he should play next week. With all the injuries the Canucks have had they are lucky that they are not really season ending injuries. Their players will slowly get back into the lineup and we could have one awesome defense going into the playoffs.
As for tonight it'll be Ehrhoff, Salo, Rome, Tanev, Sauve and recently called up Oberg. Good thing for Oberg is he has seen the big show before. He should know what to expect tonight and will hopefully play a calm game. Tanev is being forced into a top four role, he will need to keep bringing his calm demeanor to the ice and lead the rookies tonight.
Obviously for tonight's game the Canucks are extremely short on the back end. However the forwards are healthy. All four lines will need to step up to take pressure off the defense and Luongo.
The Twins have looked a bit tired in the last couple games. Tonight they really need to step it up and bring their A game. Nashville likes to play a stifling defensive game so it will be up the the Twins and Burrows to create good chances and finish their chances. I used to harp a lot on the SSB +/-, tonight is one of those nights. They need to have a good +/- for the team to get a W tonight.
Samuelsson has been playing great, Kesler is Kesler and Raymond seems to be slowly turning his game around. This line will need to play a big role tonight and have a solid game at both ends of the ice.
Malholtra broke out a little bit the other night and it would be great to see him continue putting up the odd point or two. His goal was directly related to him going to the net and he needs to keep doing that. His faceoffs are great, but the third line needs to produce. With Malholtra getting on the score sheet Torres seemed to wake up the other night. He was playing good physical hockey. If he isn't scoring he really needs to bring this element to the team.
The fourth line can't afford to make mistakes tonight because the defense won't be able to back them up as much as normal.
Luongo will not get as much support from tonights mashed together defense he is used to. He will need to step up his game and have a #1 star type performance tonight.
I'm really loving all this trade talk recently. I will try to jump in tomorrow with some of my feelings on trades. And what the Canucks should do.
Follow my twitter @bmah03
Comment Below.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Canucks @ Blues Pre Game
Canucks @ Blues SNET-VAN, TEAM 1040, 5:00PM PST
Lots to talk about today as the Canucks head into St. Louis for a game tonight.
Let's start with players that are streaking. Coming into tonights game we have some players we know can get hot who are red hot. Burrows and Samuelsson are both riding eight and six game point streaks respectively. Starting with Burrows, in his eight game streak, he's been driving the net every game getting some goals from the front of the net. It's great to see he recognized what Kesler was doing and is using it to his advantage. He looks good doing it and should keep it up for more success. Burrows is slightly banged up tonight after blocking that shot last game but I expect him to play tonight. His x-ray was negative, however the team wants to be cautious and are having a CT scan today just in case. He will be a game time decision but if it's just swelling and pain, expect him in the lineup. Samuelsson has been getting some point time on the PP and the goals are going in. He's clearly got his confidence going and it's great to see. Last season in the playoffs Samuelsson got his game going and it would be great to see him carry this level of play into the playoffs this season. He is making a pretty good 1-2 shooting punch with Kesler on the second line right now.
Another player who is streaking is Roberto Luongo. He is seriously bringing back memories of Luongo of old lately and it's been really fun to watch. When he's in goal now I am back to expecting big saves from him in crucial situations. He's really limited the bad goals he was letting in at the start of the year and it's been very impressive to watch. He's really been lights out lately and it must be scary for other teams to be starring him down again.
Time to talk about the patch work defense we've got going on. Welcome back Sami Salo, we are glad you are back. He played pretty good in his first game and I'd expect to see his minute increase every game. He's typically a big minute guy and can play any roll. If we get everyone back for the playoffs AV and his coaching staff will have a plethora of Dmen to choose from in any situation. I am really excited about the depth guys who have been stepping up especially Chris Tanev. Tanev is clearly a very calm guy on the back end and if he doesn't let his early success go to his head I can see him being #7 next season with the big club. He obviously needs to keep putting in hard work but he is turning out to be a great find by MG. Alberts and Rome need to keep playing steady as they are currently being counted on in big situations. They are playing great and it's good to see. Next season Alberts will more than likely not being a Canuck but if he keeps up his big physical play he could be looking at a nice little raise for next season. Ehrhoff and Bieksa need to keep leading the defense right now but they are really playing good and it's good to see.
Lots of talk about how Grabner "got away". Let's be honest for a second. If he didn't get traded away he would have been in a battle for roster spot in the pre season. Everyone knows how he played this year in the preseason. This would have landed him with the Moose battling a lot of good offensive guys for a shot with the big club. If he made it up to the Canucks who knows if he would have got a chance to play an offensive roll. There's also the fact he's playing for a team who has zero pressure on them at all. They are basement dwellers in the NHL and are playing for fun. He's loose relaxed and playing great. Awesome to see but I highly doubt we would have seen it in a Canucks uniform. I'm more than happy for him as I did like his explosiveness with out team. The truth is we had to give up someone good to get someone good. Strong depth on defense was clearly something the front office wanted to focus on and they used Grabner as trade bait to get Ballard. Looking at the injuries we have suffered this year it is really good to see that we have the depth we do. The better question is, what was Florida thinking.
The Blues are a tough team to play against and were the last team to beat Luongo in regulation. They've been slumping lately and are starting to fall slightly out of the playoff race. Tonight would go a long way in building up their confidence if they could beat the number one team in the NHL and I expect them to come out with some fire in front of their home crowd. The Canucks will have to be sharp early and a quick goal would go a long way in quieting the arena. They will need a good team performance to beat the Blues tonight and a good road game.
I'll only catch the first period tonight, working at the Elton John concert in Victoria. Really looking forward to that tonight.
Should be a good game and I will record it to watch it tomorrow.
follow the twitter @bmah03 to find out when the post game is posted.
Comment below.
Enjoy the Game.
GO CANUCKS GO!
Lots to talk about today as the Canucks head into St. Louis for a game tonight.
Let's start with players that are streaking. Coming into tonights game we have some players we know can get hot who are red hot. Burrows and Samuelsson are both riding eight and six game point streaks respectively. Starting with Burrows, in his eight game streak, he's been driving the net every game getting some goals from the front of the net. It's great to see he recognized what Kesler was doing and is using it to his advantage. He looks good doing it and should keep it up for more success. Burrows is slightly banged up tonight after blocking that shot last game but I expect him to play tonight. His x-ray was negative, however the team wants to be cautious and are having a CT scan today just in case. He will be a game time decision but if it's just swelling and pain, expect him in the lineup. Samuelsson has been getting some point time on the PP and the goals are going in. He's clearly got his confidence going and it's great to see. Last season in the playoffs Samuelsson got his game going and it would be great to see him carry this level of play into the playoffs this season. He is making a pretty good 1-2 shooting punch with Kesler on the second line right now.
Another player who is streaking is Roberto Luongo. He is seriously bringing back memories of Luongo of old lately and it's been really fun to watch. When he's in goal now I am back to expecting big saves from him in crucial situations. He's really limited the bad goals he was letting in at the start of the year and it's been very impressive to watch. He's really been lights out lately and it must be scary for other teams to be starring him down again.
Time to talk about the patch work defense we've got going on. Welcome back Sami Salo, we are glad you are back. He played pretty good in his first game and I'd expect to see his minute increase every game. He's typically a big minute guy and can play any roll. If we get everyone back for the playoffs AV and his coaching staff will have a plethora of Dmen to choose from in any situation. I am really excited about the depth guys who have been stepping up especially Chris Tanev. Tanev is clearly a very calm guy on the back end and if he doesn't let his early success go to his head I can see him being #7 next season with the big club. He obviously needs to keep putting in hard work but he is turning out to be a great find by MG. Alberts and Rome need to keep playing steady as they are currently being counted on in big situations. They are playing great and it's good to see. Next season Alberts will more than likely not being a Canuck but if he keeps up his big physical play he could be looking at a nice little raise for next season. Ehrhoff and Bieksa need to keep leading the defense right now but they are really playing good and it's good to see.
Lots of talk about how Grabner "got away". Let's be honest for a second. If he didn't get traded away he would have been in a battle for roster spot in the pre season. Everyone knows how he played this year in the preseason. This would have landed him with the Moose battling a lot of good offensive guys for a shot with the big club. If he made it up to the Canucks who knows if he would have got a chance to play an offensive roll. There's also the fact he's playing for a team who has zero pressure on them at all. They are basement dwellers in the NHL and are playing for fun. He's loose relaxed and playing great. Awesome to see but I highly doubt we would have seen it in a Canucks uniform. I'm more than happy for him as I did like his explosiveness with out team. The truth is we had to give up someone good to get someone good. Strong depth on defense was clearly something the front office wanted to focus on and they used Grabner as trade bait to get Ballard. Looking at the injuries we have suffered this year it is really good to see that we have the depth we do. The better question is, what was Florida thinking.
The Blues are a tough team to play against and were the last team to beat Luongo in regulation. They've been slumping lately and are starting to fall slightly out of the playoff race. Tonight would go a long way in building up their confidence if they could beat the number one team in the NHL and I expect them to come out with some fire in front of their home crowd. The Canucks will have to be sharp early and a quick goal would go a long way in quieting the arena. They will need a good team performance to beat the Blues tonight and a good road game.
I'll only catch the first period tonight, working at the Elton John concert in Victoria. Really looking forward to that tonight.
Should be a good game and I will record it to watch it tomorrow.
follow the twitter @bmah03 to find out when the post game is posted.
Comment below.
Enjoy the Game.
GO CANUCKS GO!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Canucks Vs Flames Pre Game
Canucks Vs Flames, CBC, TEAM 1040, 7:00PM PST
This should be a great game tonight and having a red hot Calgary Flames team coming into Rogers arena is exactly what the Canucks need. They've been playing kind of uninspired hockey lately, but we all know that that won't happen against the Flames. Recently the Canucks have had some very dominating games against Calgary. I don't expect that tonight because of how hot the Flames have been (8-0-2 in their last 10). I still think the Canucks will bring out their "A" game.
Obviously the injuries are starting to hit the Canuck's defense pretty hard with another dman going down. Hamhuis will be out of tonight's game. From what I saw from the game I expect Hamhuis to be back after the road trip. There are a number of reasons why I am making this prediction but it's to much to type out right now. I will review the Hamhuis situation in a couple of days when I get a chance. For now we can look forward to Salo getting back in the lineup. Av was talking about how he will try to keep Salo around 20 minutes tonight. This comes as a surprise to me as 20 minutes is quite a bit for his first game back. I am very interested and excited to see him back on the ice. Salo, when healthy, can be the Canuck's best dman and can lead this defense with solid shut down ability and a good shot.
The lineup has been shifted around tonight as we will see Tambellini, Malholtra and Hansen on the third line while Torres, Glass and Oreskovich will be the fourth line. I really like the theory of the fourth line. I think come playoff time Glass will shift over to the wing when the team finds another big center. Oreskovich gets his time with the big club tonight and he will need to use his size to bring a physical game tonight. Tambellini gives the third line a shot of energy and offense. Hopefully he can get Malholtra going.
Not many players are hotter than Luongo right now. He will get the nod tonight against the Flames and I expect him to have another great game. Hopefully he can keep his new mask on the shelf again tonight.
The top two lines need to be themselves tonight. The Twins can't take the first half of the game off like they did the other night against the Ducks. If they come out how they finished that game they should be able to take control of the Flames like they have done so often recently. I expect a lot of points from the SSB line tonight along with a good +/-.
Should be a good game as an old rivalry gets newed. Enjoy the game.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment Below.
This should be a great game tonight and having a red hot Calgary Flames team coming into Rogers arena is exactly what the Canucks need. They've been playing kind of uninspired hockey lately, but we all know that that won't happen against the Flames. Recently the Canucks have had some very dominating games against Calgary. I don't expect that tonight because of how hot the Flames have been (8-0-2 in their last 10). I still think the Canucks will bring out their "A" game.
Obviously the injuries are starting to hit the Canuck's defense pretty hard with another dman going down. Hamhuis will be out of tonight's game. From what I saw from the game I expect Hamhuis to be back after the road trip. There are a number of reasons why I am making this prediction but it's to much to type out right now. I will review the Hamhuis situation in a couple of days when I get a chance. For now we can look forward to Salo getting back in the lineup. Av was talking about how he will try to keep Salo around 20 minutes tonight. This comes as a surprise to me as 20 minutes is quite a bit for his first game back. I am very interested and excited to see him back on the ice. Salo, when healthy, can be the Canuck's best dman and can lead this defense with solid shut down ability and a good shot.
The lineup has been shifted around tonight as we will see Tambellini, Malholtra and Hansen on the third line while Torres, Glass and Oreskovich will be the fourth line. I really like the theory of the fourth line. I think come playoff time Glass will shift over to the wing when the team finds another big center. Oreskovich gets his time with the big club tonight and he will need to use his size to bring a physical game tonight. Tambellini gives the third line a shot of energy and offense. Hopefully he can get Malholtra going.
Not many players are hotter than Luongo right now. He will get the nod tonight against the Flames and I expect him to have another great game. Hopefully he can keep his new mask on the shelf again tonight.
The top two lines need to be themselves tonight. The Twins can't take the first half of the game off like they did the other night against the Ducks. If they come out how they finished that game they should be able to take control of the Flames like they have done so often recently. I expect a lot of points from the SSB line tonight along with a good +/-.
Should be a good game as an old rivalry gets newed. Enjoy the game.
Twitter me @bmah03
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Thursday, February 10, 2011
Canucks Vs Ducks Post Game
Canucks 3 Ducks 4
Last nights game was the Canuck's first regulation loss at home in 15 games. They've clearly been playing good and have earned being the top team in the NHL. Last night however there was a few things that really concerned me.
I'll start with the obvious, more injury troubles for the Canucks defense. Dan Hamhuis going down is a big loss for not only the team but Kevin Bieksa. Hamhuis has been Bieksa's anchor and it would be very bad to see him go out for a long time. Last night it was reported that Hamhuis' wife was called in to pick him up from the arena. To me this is a good thing because him not going to the hospital should mean it wasn't a serious concussion. I could see him being out a couple games but I would say he will most likely be declared day-to-day tomorrow. As per the hit, my first reaction was that it was dirty. I will stick with that reaction but would like to explain myself a bit. I think it's dirty because Getzlaf saw that play developing and could have let up. Getzlaf is an edgy player and I think he crossed the line a bit on the hit. I do not think there should be a suspension at all, I wouldn't even consider it a suspendable hit. I do think that a roughing or boarding penalty should have been called though. Yes Hamhuis was turning his back to the play but he was doing so to make a pass, not to turn away from the hit. To make a pass in the direction he needed to go he had to turn that way, Getzlaf should have seen this and let up on his hit. The puck was gone there was no need to lay the body on him except for the point of hitting his man. Like I said, dirty for the reason he could have avoided a player being put in a dangerous position.
The second and most important thing I noticed yesterday was the lack of physical presence the Canucks have in their top nine. This to me is a huge problem because what Anaheim showed the Canuck's last night was playoff hockey. They were hitting anyone that moved and the top six forwards couldn't hold up to it. I do think the Twins will be fine, they are strong players and they have a gritty player in Burrows on the wing. However the second and third line seemed very weak to me. Kesler is fine, he will show up come playoff time and is plenty big enough. Samuelsson has seen the playoffs and knows what to bring. I really like Raymond but I am worried he will get pushed around in a physical game like he did last night. There are some guys out there who might fit on the 2nd line a little better right now and to me I really hope that Gillis will go out and get one. As Peter Tessier wrote in his blog on Hockeybuzz, Andrew Burnette could be available and he would be one of my top targets. The other is Okposo I don't know what the price will be for a top 6 big winger but to me that's what this team needs. I would give up quite a bit for Okposo because of his RFA status. If Gillis could find a way to get Okposo and Konopka from the Islanders I would be thrilled. I would be willing to move Raymond + Any prospect not named Hodgson, Schroeder and Connauton. Yes I would even include Tanev although I'd like to keep him if we could. Any draft pick is available as long as the right player is coming back that we can sign long term. A line up that looks like the following would be much better and stronger in the playoffs.
Daniel Hank Burrows
Samuelsson Kesler Okposo
Hansen Malholtra Hodgson
Torres Konopka Glass
I know that's a stretch to get Okposo, but you get the idea. We need to get bigger. Also notice that I moved Torres down to the fourth line. He can be a difference maker physically and get streaky offensively but the slump he is in right now he needs to be moved to the fourth line and keep his game simple. That fourth line will not make many mistakes and will be strong and really annoying to play against. I'm not a cap wizard but I think the Canucks can find a way to make this work with the injuries they have right now.
Finally the last thing that I didn't like about this game is something I've already touched on. The third line really needs to step it up. Two veteran guys on this team in Malholtra and Torres are really struggling. Even when they have clear lanes to the net the are taking weak shots hitting the goalies in the chest. They need to keep it simple and start driving to the net and getting some ugly goals.
Wasn't Schneider's best game but it wasn't his fault at all. I'd like to see him get a few more W's the team owes him a few.
Once the team woke up they played alright, but there's no excuse for not playing 60 minutes no matter what.
Good job by Daniel working his way back into striking distance of Stamkos for the scoring race. It's Daniel's to win right now with Crosby out he will need to step up another level along with his brother down the stretch run. Should be fun to watch.
Calgary on Saturday. Pregame will probably be up tomorrow with a Hamhuis
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Last nights game was the Canuck's first regulation loss at home in 15 games. They've clearly been playing good and have earned being the top team in the NHL. Last night however there was a few things that really concerned me.
I'll start with the obvious, more injury troubles for the Canucks defense. Dan Hamhuis going down is a big loss for not only the team but Kevin Bieksa. Hamhuis has been Bieksa's anchor and it would be very bad to see him go out for a long time. Last night it was reported that Hamhuis' wife was called in to pick him up from the arena. To me this is a good thing because him not going to the hospital should mean it wasn't a serious concussion. I could see him being out a couple games but I would say he will most likely be declared day-to-day tomorrow. As per the hit, my first reaction was that it was dirty. I will stick with that reaction but would like to explain myself a bit. I think it's dirty because Getzlaf saw that play developing and could have let up. Getzlaf is an edgy player and I think he crossed the line a bit on the hit. I do not think there should be a suspension at all, I wouldn't even consider it a suspendable hit. I do think that a roughing or boarding penalty should have been called though. Yes Hamhuis was turning his back to the play but he was doing so to make a pass, not to turn away from the hit. To make a pass in the direction he needed to go he had to turn that way, Getzlaf should have seen this and let up on his hit. The puck was gone there was no need to lay the body on him except for the point of hitting his man. Like I said, dirty for the reason he could have avoided a player being put in a dangerous position.
The second and most important thing I noticed yesterday was the lack of physical presence the Canucks have in their top nine. This to me is a huge problem because what Anaheim showed the Canuck's last night was playoff hockey. They were hitting anyone that moved and the top six forwards couldn't hold up to it. I do think the Twins will be fine, they are strong players and they have a gritty player in Burrows on the wing. However the second and third line seemed very weak to me. Kesler is fine, he will show up come playoff time and is plenty big enough. Samuelsson has seen the playoffs and knows what to bring. I really like Raymond but I am worried he will get pushed around in a physical game like he did last night. There are some guys out there who might fit on the 2nd line a little better right now and to me I really hope that Gillis will go out and get one. As Peter Tessier wrote in his blog on Hockeybuzz, Andrew Burnette could be available and he would be one of my top targets. The other is Okposo I don't know what the price will be for a top 6 big winger but to me that's what this team needs. I would give up quite a bit for Okposo because of his RFA status. If Gillis could find a way to get Okposo and Konopka from the Islanders I would be thrilled. I would be willing to move Raymond + Any prospect not named Hodgson, Schroeder and Connauton. Yes I would even include Tanev although I'd like to keep him if we could. Any draft pick is available as long as the right player is coming back that we can sign long term. A line up that looks like the following would be much better and stronger in the playoffs.
Daniel Hank Burrows
Samuelsson Kesler Okposo
Hansen Malholtra Hodgson
Torres Konopka Glass
I know that's a stretch to get Okposo, but you get the idea. We need to get bigger. Also notice that I moved Torres down to the fourth line. He can be a difference maker physically and get streaky offensively but the slump he is in right now he needs to be moved to the fourth line and keep his game simple. That fourth line will not make many mistakes and will be strong and really annoying to play against. I'm not a cap wizard but I think the Canucks can find a way to make this work with the injuries they have right now.
Finally the last thing that I didn't like about this game is something I've already touched on. The third line really needs to step it up. Two veteran guys on this team in Malholtra and Torres are really struggling. Even when they have clear lanes to the net the are taking weak shots hitting the goalies in the chest. They need to keep it simple and start driving to the net and getting some ugly goals.
Wasn't Schneider's best game but it wasn't his fault at all. I'd like to see him get a few more W's the team owes him a few.
Once the team woke up they played alright, but there's no excuse for not playing 60 minutes no matter what.
Good job by Daniel working his way back into striking distance of Stamkos for the scoring race. It's Daniel's to win right now with Crosby out he will need to step up another level along with his brother down the stretch run. Should be fun to watch.
Calgary on Saturday. Pregame will probably be up tomorrow with a Hamhuis
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Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Canucks Vs Ducks Pre Game
Canucks Vs Ducks, SNET-P, TEAM 1040, 7:00PM PST
The Anaheim Ducks are normally a very tough opponent for the Canucks and I don't see that being any different tonight. Canucks are getting thin on the back end and the Ducks are getting their best player back in the line up in Getzlaf.
Schneider will be getting the start tonight in goal. According to the team it was a planned start and he's not in because Luongo is feeling sick. Schneider has played well all season and is coming off a pretty good game against the Stars. He should be able to give to team a good chance to win tonight and that's what the team has come to expect from their young up and coming goaltender.
Tonight's game will be a game that the depth players need to step up. Not necessarily at regular strength, but on the PK. The Ducks have a good PP ranked 3rd in the NHL. Teemu Selanne has a power play goal in both of the games this season and to me he can be a difference maker. Guys like Malholtra and Hansen will need a strong game to keep Selanne and the other stars in check.
The Ducks went out and got themselves a defenceman today from Toronto in Beauchemin however he won't be in the line up tonight. The Twins and Kesler will need to take advantage of this and put some points on the board. Daniel has one game in hand on Stamkos for the scoring lead but he's four points back. Tonight could be a night where he moves closer in that race. I could see the Twins having a very strong game tonight.
Everyone on defense will need to step up tonight. Although I liked Rome standing up for Henrik the other night he simply can't do that in a game where he needs to be relied upon for minutes in the game. Bieksa and Hamhuis will play a lot of minutes tonight and Ehrhoff will also get a lot of time. Rome, Alberts and Tanev will need to play good solid hockey tonight for the team to get a W.
Notes on a few other things going around the NHL:
-Matt Cooke is a good player when he is playing on the edge, but when he crosses it it's disgusting. What he has done recently is simply unacceptable and shouldn't be in the game of hockey. He clearly hung a knee on Ovechkin and that hit from behind was horrible. I'm glad he got 4 games and if he does it again he should get 15-20. He's a repeat offender and it needs to stop.
-As I mentioned the trades have been started off the the Ducks and Leafs striking a deal today. I think the Leafs won this deal and I like where they are going with bringing up Aulie. He's a player I really like. Lupul is a good player but has a bad contract. I still like the deal for the Leafs.
-The Canucks will have some cap space at the deadline with all the injuries they've had. It'll be interesting to see what they get up to.
Should be a good hard fought game tonight. Enjoy it.
Follow me on Twitter @bmah03
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The Anaheim Ducks are normally a very tough opponent for the Canucks and I don't see that being any different tonight. Canucks are getting thin on the back end and the Ducks are getting their best player back in the line up in Getzlaf.
Schneider will be getting the start tonight in goal. According to the team it was a planned start and he's not in because Luongo is feeling sick. Schneider has played well all season and is coming off a pretty good game against the Stars. He should be able to give to team a good chance to win tonight and that's what the team has come to expect from their young up and coming goaltender.
Tonight's game will be a game that the depth players need to step up. Not necessarily at regular strength, but on the PK. The Ducks have a good PP ranked 3rd in the NHL. Teemu Selanne has a power play goal in both of the games this season and to me he can be a difference maker. Guys like Malholtra and Hansen will need a strong game to keep Selanne and the other stars in check.
The Ducks went out and got themselves a defenceman today from Toronto in Beauchemin however he won't be in the line up tonight. The Twins and Kesler will need to take advantage of this and put some points on the board. Daniel has one game in hand on Stamkos for the scoring lead but he's four points back. Tonight could be a night where he moves closer in that race. I could see the Twins having a very strong game tonight.
Everyone on defense will need to step up tonight. Although I liked Rome standing up for Henrik the other night he simply can't do that in a game where he needs to be relied upon for minutes in the game. Bieksa and Hamhuis will play a lot of minutes tonight and Ehrhoff will also get a lot of time. Rome, Alberts and Tanev will need to play good solid hockey tonight for the team to get a W.
Notes on a few other things going around the NHL:
-Matt Cooke is a good player when he is playing on the edge, but when he crosses it it's disgusting. What he has done recently is simply unacceptable and shouldn't be in the game of hockey. He clearly hung a knee on Ovechkin and that hit from behind was horrible. I'm glad he got 4 games and if he does it again he should get 15-20. He's a repeat offender and it needs to stop.
-As I mentioned the trades have been started off the the Ducks and Leafs striking a deal today. I think the Leafs won this deal and I like where they are going with bringing up Aulie. He's a player I really like. Lupul is a good player but has a bad contract. I still like the deal for the Leafs.
-The Canucks will have some cap space at the deadline with all the injuries they've had. It'll be interesting to see what they get up to.
Should be a good hard fought game tonight. Enjoy it.
Follow me on Twitter @bmah03
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Canucks Vs Senators Post Game
Canucks 4 Senators 2
Well the game went mostly as expected. The team came without much energy playing as though they thought they deserved the win without playing the game. We all know that's not how the Canucks will win games and it showed. Ottawa was out shooting the team till they finally woke up and got two goals around the midpoint of the first. Once the team picked up their game the Sens didn't look like they had a chance. Samuelsson got the 2nd off to a good start and it should have been the back breaker to the Sens however the Canucks let them back in it with some weak team play. It started off with a turnover in their own zone leading to the Foligno goal and then the 3 on 0 that was just ugly. In all fairness it was a bad bounce on the pass but when you're in that situation you have to make sure that pass goes tape to tape. The defense is changing you simply can't turn the puck over at the oppositions blue line.
Although Luongo played very sick he stuck through the game and put in another solid game extending his streak. He has been the best Canuck in many games recently and he continues to be a leader without wearing the "C" on his mask. Speaking of mask, his new one stays on the shelf for at least one more game. Neither goal was really his fault, that backhand from the slot is one I'm sure he would want back but like I said it happened on a bad turnover. On the three on one he even managed to make the first save. Hopefully he gets over the flu soon and gets right back into the game on Saturday.
The 2nd line looked very good last night, Kesler has been great all year and Samuelsson is starting to really heat up. Raymond is also starting to pick up his scoring with his line. Samuelsson's confidence is very noticeable. He's back to taking good shots when he's open and holding onto the puck when he's not. On the empty net goal he fired it from more than have the rink straight into the net. Bob Mckenzie did say he thought the Canucks would want to make a trade of Samuelsson and Raymond from last year for Samuelsson and Raymond so far this season. It seems to be working lately. I still feel as though Hodgson will get a shot at this line.
Obviously everyone saw Ballard go down with his knee bent like a pretzel. It's good to hear that nothing is torn and he will only be out roughly a month. That will give him lots of time to get back into game shape before the playoffs. Although this is a big blow to the team right now, in the long run it will be ok. Chris Tanev will get some more time with the big club and it's nice to see because he really earned it.
That's all for this game, will post a pre game for the Ducks game asap.
Follow the Twitter to find out when it's up @bmah03
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Well the game went mostly as expected. The team came without much energy playing as though they thought they deserved the win without playing the game. We all know that's not how the Canucks will win games and it showed. Ottawa was out shooting the team till they finally woke up and got two goals around the midpoint of the first. Once the team picked up their game the Sens didn't look like they had a chance. Samuelsson got the 2nd off to a good start and it should have been the back breaker to the Sens however the Canucks let them back in it with some weak team play. It started off with a turnover in their own zone leading to the Foligno goal and then the 3 on 0 that was just ugly. In all fairness it was a bad bounce on the pass but when you're in that situation you have to make sure that pass goes tape to tape. The defense is changing you simply can't turn the puck over at the oppositions blue line.
Although Luongo played very sick he stuck through the game and put in another solid game extending his streak. He has been the best Canuck in many games recently and he continues to be a leader without wearing the "C" on his mask. Speaking of mask, his new one stays on the shelf for at least one more game. Neither goal was really his fault, that backhand from the slot is one I'm sure he would want back but like I said it happened on a bad turnover. On the three on one he even managed to make the first save. Hopefully he gets over the flu soon and gets right back into the game on Saturday.
The 2nd line looked very good last night, Kesler has been great all year and Samuelsson is starting to really heat up. Raymond is also starting to pick up his scoring with his line. Samuelsson's confidence is very noticeable. He's back to taking good shots when he's open and holding onto the puck when he's not. On the empty net goal he fired it from more than have the rink straight into the net. Bob Mckenzie did say he thought the Canucks would want to make a trade of Samuelsson and Raymond from last year for Samuelsson and Raymond so far this season. It seems to be working lately. I still feel as though Hodgson will get a shot at this line.
Obviously everyone saw Ballard go down with his knee bent like a pretzel. It's good to hear that nothing is torn and he will only be out roughly a month. That will give him lots of time to get back into game shape before the playoffs. Although this is a big blow to the team right now, in the long run it will be ok. Chris Tanev will get some more time with the big club and it's nice to see because he really earned it.
That's all for this game, will post a pre game for the Ducks game asap.
Follow the Twitter to find out when it's up @bmah03
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Monday, February 7, 2011
Canucks Vs Senators
Canucks Vs Senators, SNET-P, TEAM 1040, 7:00PM
Sneaking this one in a little late as I have a soccer game to get to tonight.
If the Canucks stick to their "one game at a time" motto, this game should be two points in the bank. If they at all think that way chances are it won't be. Any team in the league can win on any given night and the same thing goes for this Ottawa team who only have 17 wins.
It should be a simple game of "just play hockey" for the Canucks tonight. Their style has been pretty evident all season long, smart hockey with good team play wins games. If they are lead by their stars with that sense of urgency this game will be over fast.
This Twins have a chance to put up some points tonight and keep Daniel Sedin at the front of the scoring race. Their line should be able to dominate tonight's game as Ottawa doesn't really have any shutdown force. They also should be able to pick apart the Sens 24th ranked PK.
Kesler will also probably want to pad his stats tonight and I would think he gets a goal tonight after not getting one against the Hawks.
Hodgson has been having good games lately and if he keeps this up I expect him to start getting some more ice time soon. If the game gets out of hand tonight expect to see Hodgson play a later roll to gain a bit more experience tonight. Although Glass has been a little sick this week he will be in tonight with Tambellini to flank Hodgson on the fourth line.
Alberts is back in which means Tanev is out. They are keeping Tanev up with the team until they decide what to do with Salo. Tanev has earned at the very least a good luck next season. I wouldn't be surprised if we see him again later in the year when things are a little more locked up either.
Luongo gets the nod tonight and wow is he ever playing great of late. It's fun to see him play without a lot of pressure and all the confidence in the world. We saw a glimpse of what he might be able to do in the playoffs the other night against Chicago and I expect him to keep that up tonight. If you haven't heard Luongo has a new mask he's been waiting to use but he has said he won't use it till his streak comes to an end. Here's to hoping we don't see the mask this season.
It's game day and I'm excited, I'll have to watch this game on the replay later tonight after I play some soccer. Like I said though, a team effort should win this game with ease. If they sleep on the Sens the bandwagon could be a little lighter tomorrow as we are running pretty heavy lately.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment Below. I will answer any questions directed my way.
Sneaking this one in a little late as I have a soccer game to get to tonight.
If the Canucks stick to their "one game at a time" motto, this game should be two points in the bank. If they at all think that way chances are it won't be. Any team in the league can win on any given night and the same thing goes for this Ottawa team who only have 17 wins.
It should be a simple game of "just play hockey" for the Canucks tonight. Their style has been pretty evident all season long, smart hockey with good team play wins games. If they are lead by their stars with that sense of urgency this game will be over fast.
This Twins have a chance to put up some points tonight and keep Daniel Sedin at the front of the scoring race. Their line should be able to dominate tonight's game as Ottawa doesn't really have any shutdown force. They also should be able to pick apart the Sens 24th ranked PK.
Kesler will also probably want to pad his stats tonight and I would think he gets a goal tonight after not getting one against the Hawks.
Hodgson has been having good games lately and if he keeps this up I expect him to start getting some more ice time soon. If the game gets out of hand tonight expect to see Hodgson play a later roll to gain a bit more experience tonight. Although Glass has been a little sick this week he will be in tonight with Tambellini to flank Hodgson on the fourth line.
Alberts is back in which means Tanev is out. They are keeping Tanev up with the team until they decide what to do with Salo. Tanev has earned at the very least a good luck next season. I wouldn't be surprised if we see him again later in the year when things are a little more locked up either.
Luongo gets the nod tonight and wow is he ever playing great of late. It's fun to see him play without a lot of pressure and all the confidence in the world. We saw a glimpse of what he might be able to do in the playoffs the other night against Chicago and I expect him to keep that up tonight. If you haven't heard Luongo has a new mask he's been waiting to use but he has said he won't use it till his streak comes to an end. Here's to hoping we don't see the mask this season.
It's game day and I'm excited, I'll have to watch this game on the replay later tonight after I play some soccer. Like I said though, a team effort should win this game with ease. If they sleep on the Sens the bandwagon could be a little lighter tomorrow as we are running pretty heavy lately.
Twitter me @bmah03
Comment Below. I will answer any questions directed my way.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Canucks Vs Hawks Post Game
Canucks 4 Hawks 3
Sorry for not having a pre game blog up, I was busy getting ready to drive back home to see the family.
Like I said I spent yesterday coming home to see the family. I heard the whole game on the radio while driving. Listening to the game on the radio brings me back to lying in bed growing up listening to the third period on the radio because I was supposed to be sleeping and wasn't allowed to watch the rest on tv.
The game was a great game and really had some playoff feeling to it. Lead by their stars the Canucks had a great team effort last night.
The biggest star last night for the Canucks was by far Roberto Luongo. The last game that he faced Chicago he shut them out, last night he was in the zone and if not for him the Canucks would not have won. Luongo has been playing lights out lately and he was just that last night. There's a lot of talk about the bounces and calls in last night game but I think that's hockey. Yes the first goal that was not allowed was a pretty weak call. But you can't tell me that didn't even out with the bounce off Boynton and the bounce off Tanev. Luongo made saves throughout the entire game that were jaw dropping. The glove save on Kopecky was a thing of beauty. He won the game for the team and deserved to be the first star last night. His game is becoming more and more similar to the great season he had when he first came over to the Nucks and if he can keep that up into the playoffs the team will be well off.
The Twins stepped up last night when the team needed them. The first 38 minutes of the game the SSB line had a ton of chances. Apparently after the game last night the teams skill coach said to Burrows he had numerous chances to score and needed to be more patient. I have to agree, Burrows seemed to be a little quick to panic last night. It's something to keep your eyes on because of how good he has been playing lately, it was a bit strange to see him miss tap ins. At the end of the second the Twins stepped up their game on the PP and brought the game back to 2-2. In the third they took the game over with a great PP set up leading to Henrik's 3-3 goal. The goal was huge because the team was clearly down after the Tanev mishap. Six minutes later off the Burrows turnover the Twins worked their magic coming into the zone on a 3 on 3. They worked a give and go and got a nice bounce for the game winner. It's great to see the twins step up in a big game like last night. Daniel is now leading the league in points while Henrik is really showing why he was named captain of the best team in the NHL.
Canucks are now NINE points ahead of the 2nd place team in the West, thing Wings. Although Detroit does have two games in hand this is a huge lead in the NHL.
An update on Sami Salo. By now you all probably know that Salo scored two goals last night with the Moose and was named the first star in their 3-2 victory. We all know Sami can score, I'm more interested in seeing how he bounces back for his second game. He'll probably sit out tonights game for the Moose and play again on Sunday. Hopefully he can keep playing at a high level and we'll see him back in the lineup very soon.
Sweatt has been sent back down to the Moose as Rome played last night and Alberts is almost back.
The team is playing great and it will be great to see them keep this up into the playoffs.
Go Canucks Go!
Twitter me @bmah03
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Sorry for not having a pre game blog up, I was busy getting ready to drive back home to see the family.
Like I said I spent yesterday coming home to see the family. I heard the whole game on the radio while driving. Listening to the game on the radio brings me back to lying in bed growing up listening to the third period on the radio because I was supposed to be sleeping and wasn't allowed to watch the rest on tv.
The game was a great game and really had some playoff feeling to it. Lead by their stars the Canucks had a great team effort last night.
The biggest star last night for the Canucks was by far Roberto Luongo. The last game that he faced Chicago he shut them out, last night he was in the zone and if not for him the Canucks would not have won. Luongo has been playing lights out lately and he was just that last night. There's a lot of talk about the bounces and calls in last night game but I think that's hockey. Yes the first goal that was not allowed was a pretty weak call. But you can't tell me that didn't even out with the bounce off Boynton and the bounce off Tanev. Luongo made saves throughout the entire game that were jaw dropping. The glove save on Kopecky was a thing of beauty. He won the game for the team and deserved to be the first star last night. His game is becoming more and more similar to the great season he had when he first came over to the Nucks and if he can keep that up into the playoffs the team will be well off.
The Twins stepped up last night when the team needed them. The first 38 minutes of the game the SSB line had a ton of chances. Apparently after the game last night the teams skill coach said to Burrows he had numerous chances to score and needed to be more patient. I have to agree, Burrows seemed to be a little quick to panic last night. It's something to keep your eyes on because of how good he has been playing lately, it was a bit strange to see him miss tap ins. At the end of the second the Twins stepped up their game on the PP and brought the game back to 2-2. In the third they took the game over with a great PP set up leading to Henrik's 3-3 goal. The goal was huge because the team was clearly down after the Tanev mishap. Six minutes later off the Burrows turnover the Twins worked their magic coming into the zone on a 3 on 3. They worked a give and go and got a nice bounce for the game winner. It's great to see the twins step up in a big game like last night. Daniel is now leading the league in points while Henrik is really showing why he was named captain of the best team in the NHL.
Canucks are now NINE points ahead of the 2nd place team in the West, thing Wings. Although Detroit does have two games in hand this is a huge lead in the NHL.
An update on Sami Salo. By now you all probably know that Salo scored two goals last night with the Moose and was named the first star in their 3-2 victory. We all know Sami can score, I'm more interested in seeing how he bounces back for his second game. He'll probably sit out tonights game for the Moose and play again on Sunday. Hopefully he can keep playing at a high level and we'll see him back in the lineup very soon.
Sweatt has been sent back down to the Moose as Rome played last night and Alberts is almost back.
The team is playing great and it will be great to see them keep this up into the playoffs.
Go Canucks Go!
Twitter me @bmah03
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Thursday, February 3, 2011
Canucks @ Coyotes Post Game
Canucks 6 Coyotes 0
All in all that was pretty much spot on to what I expected last night. The Coyotes came out early in the first with a good three minutes of pressure. Luongo was able to shut the door on their chances and Burrows countered with an early goal for the Canucks. They held on a bit for the rest of the period but were able to score an early one in the 2nd when Hansen got his sixth of the year just over a minute into the period. After that the Coyotes pretty much laid down. They didn't have much effort in their game and they couldn't stop what the Canucks were bringing at them.
Credit has to be given to Luongo who is 13-0-5 in his last 18 games. He definitely had some timely saves last night and highlight kick saves to go with those. Luongo's confidence is oozing out of him right now and it's great to see. Props to him and Rollie Melanson for their hard work they have put into Luongo's game this season. It's clearly paying off at this point in the year. His movements look natural now and less like he is thinking about them like he was at the start of the year. It's great to see and a lot of fun to watch, "LUUUUUUU".
Being able to roll four lines against a team like Phoenix is something that will be very useful come playoffs. It's the same thing that Chicago has been able to do against the Canucks the last two years. When the fourth line can eat up a good amount of minutes from a game in the opponents offensive zone you have a good chance of winning. The fourth line last night of Hodgson, Tambellini and Glass did a good job at that. This line is a different fourth line to most teams because they are very skilled. All three players bring different elements to the line that compliment each other very well. Tambellini brings speed and scoring, Glass brings size and grit while the rookie Hodgson brings skills and a great two way game. Hodgson's first goal of his career last night was a beauty. He showed great patients to get a shot away that went in. It was an important goal last night because the third goal in a 2-0 game is very important. 2-1 or 3-0 are a big difference and has been a bit of a problem this year for the Canucks. I like what I see from this line so far it will be nice to see what they can do on home ice Friday against the Hawks.
The SSB line has done a great job at leading the Canucks this year and they did it again last night getting the team on the board early. I talked about it in the pre game that the rest of the team needs to start driving the net ala Kesler and they will find some more goals. Burrows looked like a Kesler clone on his goal standing right in front of the net and getting a nice deflection to start the game off nicely. The line kind of tailed off in production after the first goal but they saw limited ice time after the 3rd goal as the team put it in cruise control.
The 2nd line is starting to pick up pace again obviously led by Kesler who scored two very nice goals last night. Don't look now but Samuelsson and Raymond are both starting to hit the score sheet a bit more. It would be nice to see them pick up their game and turn it around for the stretch run and playoffs. Raymond's goal was well deserved. He used his speed to cause the turnover and went straight to the net. See what I mean about driving the net. Good goal.
The defense needs to get their props as well. Starting with Dan Hamhuis, 24+ minutes last night and a plus-4 rating. What a job the two rookies are doing. Tanev and Sweatt have shown the depth the Canucks have in the organization. Last night Sweatt jumping up and reading the play on the Hansen goal was very nice. He had a good low hard shot that caused the rebound in front for Hansen to put away. He also played more than 16 minutes last night. To me Tanev looks very smooth. He has a big frame that will be able to add some weight but that's not what impresses me. His ability to hold on to the puck for the extra second it takes to make a good tape to tape pass is very nice for a rookie in the NHL. Take a look next game when he gets the puck in his own zone and watch where it goes from there. He was also a +2 playing over 15 minutes.
On the injury front there is some good news. Sami Salo has been sent down to Manitoba on a max 14-day rehab stint with the Moose. He will play his first game on Friday, take Saturday off and play again Sunday. If all is good with Salo we should be seeing him back in the near future. Rome and Alberts are close as well which will mean decision time for MG and AV with the rookies. I expect Sweatt to go back to the Moose for sure while Tanev might get an extra game or two. Eventually I think they both go down with the experience they have gained and a handshake from the coaches. They will be right in the mix for roster spots next season.
Chicago on Friday will be a good test. 3rd game in 4 nights the team will have to step it up. Check it tomorrow or Friday for that blog.
Follow me on twitter for the update @bmah03
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All in all that was pretty much spot on to what I expected last night. The Coyotes came out early in the first with a good three minutes of pressure. Luongo was able to shut the door on their chances and Burrows countered with an early goal for the Canucks. They held on a bit for the rest of the period but were able to score an early one in the 2nd when Hansen got his sixth of the year just over a minute into the period. After that the Coyotes pretty much laid down. They didn't have much effort in their game and they couldn't stop what the Canucks were bringing at them.
Credit has to be given to Luongo who is 13-0-5 in his last 18 games. He definitely had some timely saves last night and highlight kick saves to go with those. Luongo's confidence is oozing out of him right now and it's great to see. Props to him and Rollie Melanson for their hard work they have put into Luongo's game this season. It's clearly paying off at this point in the year. His movements look natural now and less like he is thinking about them like he was at the start of the year. It's great to see and a lot of fun to watch, "LUUUUUUU".
Being able to roll four lines against a team like Phoenix is something that will be very useful come playoffs. It's the same thing that Chicago has been able to do against the Canucks the last two years. When the fourth line can eat up a good amount of minutes from a game in the opponents offensive zone you have a good chance of winning. The fourth line last night of Hodgson, Tambellini and Glass did a good job at that. This line is a different fourth line to most teams because they are very skilled. All three players bring different elements to the line that compliment each other very well. Tambellini brings speed and scoring, Glass brings size and grit while the rookie Hodgson brings skills and a great two way game. Hodgson's first goal of his career last night was a beauty. He showed great patients to get a shot away that went in. It was an important goal last night because the third goal in a 2-0 game is very important. 2-1 or 3-0 are a big difference and has been a bit of a problem this year for the Canucks. I like what I see from this line so far it will be nice to see what they can do on home ice Friday against the Hawks.
The SSB line has done a great job at leading the Canucks this year and they did it again last night getting the team on the board early. I talked about it in the pre game that the rest of the team needs to start driving the net ala Kesler and they will find some more goals. Burrows looked like a Kesler clone on his goal standing right in front of the net and getting a nice deflection to start the game off nicely. The line kind of tailed off in production after the first goal but they saw limited ice time after the 3rd goal as the team put it in cruise control.
The 2nd line is starting to pick up pace again obviously led by Kesler who scored two very nice goals last night. Don't look now but Samuelsson and Raymond are both starting to hit the score sheet a bit more. It would be nice to see them pick up their game and turn it around for the stretch run and playoffs. Raymond's goal was well deserved. He used his speed to cause the turnover and went straight to the net. See what I mean about driving the net. Good goal.
The defense needs to get their props as well. Starting with Dan Hamhuis, 24+ minutes last night and a plus-4 rating. What a job the two rookies are doing. Tanev and Sweatt have shown the depth the Canucks have in the organization. Last night Sweatt jumping up and reading the play on the Hansen goal was very nice. He had a good low hard shot that caused the rebound in front for Hansen to put away. He also played more than 16 minutes last night. To me Tanev looks very smooth. He has a big frame that will be able to add some weight but that's not what impresses me. His ability to hold on to the puck for the extra second it takes to make a good tape to tape pass is very nice for a rookie in the NHL. Take a look next game when he gets the puck in his own zone and watch where it goes from there. He was also a +2 playing over 15 minutes.
On the injury front there is some good news. Sami Salo has been sent down to Manitoba on a max 14-day rehab stint with the Moose. He will play his first game on Friday, take Saturday off and play again Sunday. If all is good with Salo we should be seeing him back in the near future. Rome and Alberts are close as well which will mean decision time for MG and AV with the rookies. I expect Sweatt to go back to the Moose for sure while Tanev might get an extra game or two. Eventually I think they both go down with the experience they have gained and a handshake from the coaches. They will be right in the mix for roster spots next season.
Chicago on Friday will be a good test. 3rd game in 4 nights the team will have to step it up. Check it tomorrow or Friday for that blog.
Follow me on twitter for the update @bmah03
Comment below!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Canucks @ Coyotes Pre Game
Canucks @ Coyotes SNET-P, TEAM 1040, 6:30 PM
The second game of a back to back is never very easy but it'll be a big win for the Canucks if they can get it tonight.
First things first is Luongo, he's been turning in star performances for months now and he hasn't lost a game in regulation since Dec. 5th. Of those 17 games Luongo has allowed two goals or less in 12 of them. Those kind of numbers are the numbers that will win playoff series. He will need to be on top of his game tonight as most of the team played last night. They will be slightly tired and Phoenix isn't a team you can sleep on.
Phoenix did play last night as well, against San Jose. They blew a 3-0 lead and should be upset about that, so I would expect them to come out with a bit of a jump. If the Canucks can handle the first 10 minutes and maybe pot in a couple goals I would expect Phoenix to go away fairly quietly. If they let Phoenix get out to a good start watch out. They are a team you don't want to be messing around with because they will silently kill you.
The defense has a chance to help out again on the offensive side of the game tonight. Lead by Ehrhoff who has seven points in his last eight games. He's stepping up his offensive game with Edler out and will continue to get a ton of chances on the PP.
Speaking of special teams, the Canucks have been very good of late. They won last nights game with the special teams and it would be a big bonus to get the same effort tonight. The Twins have been great on the PP all season and like I said in my Dallas post game thread, if they can use the points effectively they will be able to open up down low for them to use their creative play making. The 2nd unit will start getting use to each other more and more each game and Hodgson should be able to bring more skill to this unit. Expect them to look more dangerous if they get a chance tonight.
Tonight's fourth line is very interesting. They should be able to get a decent amount of ice time being in the 2nd game of a back to back. AV should be comfortable using the fourth line tonight with Hodgson centering Glass and Tambellini. This line brings a new element to the Canucks fourth line because Hodgson has a scoring minded winger to create with. Glass will be there to crash the boards and create turnovers and if he can do that the other two have the chance to put one in. I wouldn't be shocked tonight to see this line hit the score sheet tonight.
Again the team has a lot of rookies in the lineup and they will need to keep playing with great poise. Tanev is leading the way and playing big time minutes but Sweatt and Hodgson will also need to play strong games tonight.
Should be a good game tonight. I'll be working at the Salmon Kings game tonight so I won't watch this Canucks game till I watch the recorded version tonight.
Twitter me @bmah03
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The second game of a back to back is never very easy but it'll be a big win for the Canucks if they can get it tonight.
First things first is Luongo, he's been turning in star performances for months now and he hasn't lost a game in regulation since Dec. 5th. Of those 17 games Luongo has allowed two goals or less in 12 of them. Those kind of numbers are the numbers that will win playoff series. He will need to be on top of his game tonight as most of the team played last night. They will be slightly tired and Phoenix isn't a team you can sleep on.
Phoenix did play last night as well, against San Jose. They blew a 3-0 lead and should be upset about that, so I would expect them to come out with a bit of a jump. If the Canucks can handle the first 10 minutes and maybe pot in a couple goals I would expect Phoenix to go away fairly quietly. If they let Phoenix get out to a good start watch out. They are a team you don't want to be messing around with because they will silently kill you.
The defense has a chance to help out again on the offensive side of the game tonight. Lead by Ehrhoff who has seven points in his last eight games. He's stepping up his offensive game with Edler out and will continue to get a ton of chances on the PP.
Speaking of special teams, the Canucks have been very good of late. They won last nights game with the special teams and it would be a big bonus to get the same effort tonight. The Twins have been great on the PP all season and like I said in my Dallas post game thread, if they can use the points effectively they will be able to open up down low for them to use their creative play making. The 2nd unit will start getting use to each other more and more each game and Hodgson should be able to bring more skill to this unit. Expect them to look more dangerous if they get a chance tonight.
Tonight's fourth line is very interesting. They should be able to get a decent amount of ice time being in the 2nd game of a back to back. AV should be comfortable using the fourth line tonight with Hodgson centering Glass and Tambellini. This line brings a new element to the Canucks fourth line because Hodgson has a scoring minded winger to create with. Glass will be there to crash the boards and create turnovers and if he can do that the other two have the chance to put one in. I wouldn't be shocked tonight to see this line hit the score sheet tonight.
Again the team has a lot of rookies in the lineup and they will need to keep playing with great poise. Tanev is leading the way and playing big time minutes but Sweatt and Hodgson will also need to play strong games tonight.
Should be a good game tonight. I'll be working at the Salmon Kings game tonight so I won't watch this Canucks game till I watch the recorded version tonight.
Twitter me @bmah03
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Canucks @ Stars Post Game
Canucks 4 Stars 1
Another strong performance by the whole team, something that seems to be a trend to this years Canucks team. When they win big they win as a team.
Everyone's eyes were on Cody Hodgson and in my opinion he did exactly what he was supposed to do. The role of the fourth line needs to be keeping the puck in the offensive zone on a consistent basis and not giving up any chances to the other team. That is exactly what the fourth line did last night. They spent most of the time in Dallas' zone and were able to throw a few hits. Even Hodgson got in a few good forechecking hits. On the PP he was typically going hard to the net where he had one really strong chance that Lehtonen had to make a very good save on. It's good to see Hodgson willing to head to the net, the second PP unit clearly needs an upgrade and he has a chance to be that player. I'd like to see him set up a bit more on the half-boards and use his passing skills to create on the PP but if he's going to the net I don't mind that much. The one thing I didn't like from his game was his lack strength in the faceoff circle 2/9 is not very good and he'll need to improve there. Other than the faceoffs I thought his first game was very successful. If he continues to play solid consistent games I think he'll get a shot on the 2nd line.
Good to see the special teams step up when needed. The PP was doing a great job of getting shots through from the point. I think the PP works best when they use the point to spread the opponents PK out giving the Twins room to work down low. The penalty kill did a good job but they had a reasonable amount of help from Schneider. Schneider's play on the PK was very solid. He was moving nicely from post to post and reacting to the play very nicely keeping the PK at an effective level. The one thing I didn't like seeing was their lack of effort on the clearing attempts. Numerous time I caught myself yelling at the tv "common" or "get that out", against a team with a more lethal PP they could have cost themselves a few more goals by not clearing the puck properly. The short handed goal was a bonus and a great play set up by Hansen.
Ryan Kesler, what can you say about him, he's in third place in the NHL in goals scored. That's something no one can say they expected this season. Not only is he third in the league but he's one up on Daniel Sedin. What a season he is putting together and if the team should be learning one thing from him it's that a lot of his goals are coming from the dirty spots in front of the net.
Schneider did a great job giving Luongo a break and letting him take on Phoenix well rested. It was good to see the team get Schneider a few goals this game after giving him zero goals in his last two starts. He seems to be owning Dallas and who knows what will happen come playoff time but if the two teams meet I wouldn't be shocked if Luongo was to falter that AV would turn to Schneider. I've never realised till this season what a luxury it is to have a capable backup goalie who can play against any team in the NHL. Luongo is still the #1 and will be this whole season but Schneider will push him all year.
Great team game and a good W but it won't be a successful trip without more points. The team earned top spot in the NHL again last night and it would be great to keep that going.
Follow me on Twitter @bmah03 for update of pregame coming up.
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Another strong performance by the whole team, something that seems to be a trend to this years Canucks team. When they win big they win as a team.
Everyone's eyes were on Cody Hodgson and in my opinion he did exactly what he was supposed to do. The role of the fourth line needs to be keeping the puck in the offensive zone on a consistent basis and not giving up any chances to the other team. That is exactly what the fourth line did last night. They spent most of the time in Dallas' zone and were able to throw a few hits. Even Hodgson got in a few good forechecking hits. On the PP he was typically going hard to the net where he had one really strong chance that Lehtonen had to make a very good save on. It's good to see Hodgson willing to head to the net, the second PP unit clearly needs an upgrade and he has a chance to be that player. I'd like to see him set up a bit more on the half-boards and use his passing skills to create on the PP but if he's going to the net I don't mind that much. The one thing I didn't like from his game was his lack strength in the faceoff circle 2/9 is not very good and he'll need to improve there. Other than the faceoffs I thought his first game was very successful. If he continues to play solid consistent games I think he'll get a shot on the 2nd line.
Good to see the special teams step up when needed. The PP was doing a great job of getting shots through from the point. I think the PP works best when they use the point to spread the opponents PK out giving the Twins room to work down low. The penalty kill did a good job but they had a reasonable amount of help from Schneider. Schneider's play on the PK was very solid. He was moving nicely from post to post and reacting to the play very nicely keeping the PK at an effective level. The one thing I didn't like seeing was their lack of effort on the clearing attempts. Numerous time I caught myself yelling at the tv "common" or "get that out", against a team with a more lethal PP they could have cost themselves a few more goals by not clearing the puck properly. The short handed goal was a bonus and a great play set up by Hansen.
Ryan Kesler, what can you say about him, he's in third place in the NHL in goals scored. That's something no one can say they expected this season. Not only is he third in the league but he's one up on Daniel Sedin. What a season he is putting together and if the team should be learning one thing from him it's that a lot of his goals are coming from the dirty spots in front of the net.
Schneider did a great job giving Luongo a break and letting him take on Phoenix well rested. It was good to see the team get Schneider a few goals this game after giving him zero goals in his last two starts. He seems to be owning Dallas and who knows what will happen come playoff time but if the two teams meet I wouldn't be shocked if Luongo was to falter that AV would turn to Schneider. I've never realised till this season what a luxury it is to have a capable backup goalie who can play against any team in the NHL. Luongo is still the #1 and will be this whole season but Schneider will push him all year.
Great team game and a good W but it won't be a successful trip without more points. The team earned top spot in the NHL again last night and it would be great to keep that going.
Follow me on Twitter @bmah03 for update of pregame coming up.
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Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Canucks @ Stars Pre Game
Canucks @ Stars, SNET-P, TEAM 1040, 5:30PM
Recently the Canucks and Dallas have met twice in the last month, once in Dallas and once in Vancouver. The scores were 4-1 and 7-1 respectively. I think most of us can agree that Schneider stole the first game in Dallas. He played incredible and along with the PP was the only reasons the team was able to win that game. He made 44 saves on 45 shots for a .978 SV%. The second game in Vancouver was a little different as the whole team showed up to blow out the Stars. Luongo played good but the team steam rolled the Stars.
Tonight Schneider gets another go at the Stars in Dallas. The team will look for him to bounce back from losses in his last two starts. His last two starts haven't really been that bad. The team in front of him has really let him down, they have scored a whopping zero goals against both the Wild and the Rangers. The game against the Rangers Schneider did everything he could to keep him team in it losing 1-0. He's still been having a very strong season this year and I expect him to have another good game in Dallas tonight.
Obviously everyone wants to talk Cody Hodgson for this game, in my opinion I don't think he'll be a difference maker tonight. It's his first NHL game and there is a ton of pressure on him that the team is trying to get rid of. They are easing him in on the road as the fourth line centre. He will have the opportunity to work his way up to the 2nd line this season if he plays well but there is no expectations from the team.
According to Mike Halford and Jason Brough of the Province Hodgson has all the pressure in the world on him tonight. Their article is pretty much a joke in my opinion and I am shocked that they could even watch hockey but check it out here. http://www.theprovince.com/sports/pressure+right+Hodgson+prove+himself/4200973/story.html
They are saying that Hodgson is getting old (at 21) and it was obvious to everyone that at 21 Kesler and the Sedin's were on their way to "superstardom". Are you joking me? At age 21 Kesler had 10 goals and 13 assist for 23 points, even at age 23 Kesler had 21 goals 16 assists for 37 points. Most Canucks fans were saying that the Canucks missed in the draft on Mike Richards who was picked one pick later than Kesler in the '03 draft. Richards at age 23 had 28 goals 47 assists for 75 points. "Superstardom" is a word I still wouldn't associate with Kesler. He's a star in the NHL but he's still not a "superstar". There are very few "superstars" in most sports. "Superstar" is a word I would give to the current NHL MVP, Henrik Sedin. At age 21, Henrik was thought to have potential to become a star with his brother Daniel, which is why they were drafted so high. However they didn't prove their potential for years. From age 24-25 Henrik jumped from a 42 point season to a 75 point season. My point is that these two writers saying that "If Hodgson can't make a significant impact tonight against the Stars while skating on a line with Tanner Glass then Mike Gillis needs to start exploring trade options because enough is enough." is a complete joke. As fans we need to take the approach the team is taking, ease Hodgson in and let him develop. He's still very young and has the ability to be a great player in the NHL. He will probably get some time on the 2nd PP unit tonight which is where we should see his creativity. He will add an element to that unit that is missing right now and could make Canucks already dangerous PP even more lethal. Only time will tell with Hodgson, be patient.
The rest of the offense has been a bit inconsistant recently and it would be nice to see everyone start pitching in. The Twins are the Twins and will get points most games, however the 2nd and 3rd lines need to start pitching in. The one game against the Stars has been a bit of an exception of late where everyone was getting on the score sheet. We will need to see more of that tonight and throughout the rest of the year.
We all know about the depth the Canucks had going into this season, tonight it will be tested with the injuries to Edler, Salo, Rome and Alberts. Tanev and Sweatt will be back in the lineup tonight and will have to continue to just keep things simple. The top four guys will need to step up including Ballard who will be playing a lot more minutes than he has been playing this season.
The team should be well rested coming off the All-Star break and if they can jump on Dallas early they have a chance at another blow out.
Go Canucks Go.
Twitter me @bmah03
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Recently the Canucks and Dallas have met twice in the last month, once in Dallas and once in Vancouver. The scores were 4-1 and 7-1 respectively. I think most of us can agree that Schneider stole the first game in Dallas. He played incredible and along with the PP was the only reasons the team was able to win that game. He made 44 saves on 45 shots for a .978 SV%. The second game in Vancouver was a little different as the whole team showed up to blow out the Stars. Luongo played good but the team steam rolled the Stars.
Tonight Schneider gets another go at the Stars in Dallas. The team will look for him to bounce back from losses in his last two starts. His last two starts haven't really been that bad. The team in front of him has really let him down, they have scored a whopping zero goals against both the Wild and the Rangers. The game against the Rangers Schneider did everything he could to keep him team in it losing 1-0. He's still been having a very strong season this year and I expect him to have another good game in Dallas tonight.
Obviously everyone wants to talk Cody Hodgson for this game, in my opinion I don't think he'll be a difference maker tonight. It's his first NHL game and there is a ton of pressure on him that the team is trying to get rid of. They are easing him in on the road as the fourth line centre. He will have the opportunity to work his way up to the 2nd line this season if he plays well but there is no expectations from the team.
According to Mike Halford and Jason Brough of the Province Hodgson has all the pressure in the world on him tonight. Their article is pretty much a joke in my opinion and I am shocked that they could even watch hockey but check it out here. http://www.theprovince.com/sports/pressure+right+Hodgson+prove+himself/4200973/story.html
They are saying that Hodgson is getting old (at 21) and it was obvious to everyone that at 21 Kesler and the Sedin's were on their way to "superstardom". Are you joking me? At age 21 Kesler had 10 goals and 13 assist for 23 points, even at age 23 Kesler had 21 goals 16 assists for 37 points. Most Canucks fans were saying that the Canucks missed in the draft on Mike Richards who was picked one pick later than Kesler in the '03 draft. Richards at age 23 had 28 goals 47 assists for 75 points. "Superstardom" is a word I still wouldn't associate with Kesler. He's a star in the NHL but he's still not a "superstar". There are very few "superstars" in most sports. "Superstar" is a word I would give to the current NHL MVP, Henrik Sedin. At age 21, Henrik was thought to have potential to become a star with his brother Daniel, which is why they were drafted so high. However they didn't prove their potential for years. From age 24-25 Henrik jumped from a 42 point season to a 75 point season. My point is that these two writers saying that "If Hodgson can't make a significant impact tonight against the Stars while skating on a line with Tanner Glass then Mike Gillis needs to start exploring trade options because enough is enough." is a complete joke. As fans we need to take the approach the team is taking, ease Hodgson in and let him develop. He's still very young and has the ability to be a great player in the NHL. He will probably get some time on the 2nd PP unit tonight which is where we should see his creativity. He will add an element to that unit that is missing right now and could make Canucks already dangerous PP even more lethal. Only time will tell with Hodgson, be patient.
The rest of the offense has been a bit inconsistant recently and it would be nice to see everyone start pitching in. The Twins are the Twins and will get points most games, however the 2nd and 3rd lines need to start pitching in. The one game against the Stars has been a bit of an exception of late where everyone was getting on the score sheet. We will need to see more of that tonight and throughout the rest of the year.
We all know about the depth the Canucks had going into this season, tonight it will be tested with the injuries to Edler, Salo, Rome and Alberts. Tanev and Sweatt will be back in the lineup tonight and will have to continue to just keep things simple. The top four guys will need to step up including Ballard who will be playing a lot more minutes than he has been playing this season.
The team should be well rested coming off the All-Star break and if they can jump on Dallas early they have a chance at another blow out.
Go Canucks Go.
Twitter me @bmah03
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