Canucks 3 Oilers 2
As expected both team came out stomachs full of turkey and were a little slow. The first period for the Canucks was pretty boring minus a few good saves for Schneider and a lucky bounce. Schneider had a puck tipped right behind him, however it squirted out the other side keeping the game 0-0.
During the first intermission it seemed like both teams were reminded they were playing hockey again the speed of the game picked up.
There were a lot of positives in the game, including consistent domination by the Canucks first line. The Twins and Burrows are picking up their game of late and tonight was another night to see why they are such a great line. The line spent most of their time in the Edmonton zone, cycling the puck down low, they created a lot of chances. They didn't get any points till late, but they carried the play. In the end they got the one that mattered. What a shift it was over a minute of dominance ended by finding the open player at the point, Bieksa, for the shot and the win.
Like I talked about in the pre game blog, Kesler should have been able to use his speed and size to have a good game. He was able to set up Tambellini on the Canucks first goal and he was creating offense while still playing a solid checking game. Tambellini was also able to use his speed to come down the wing and finish in style going shelf again. His shot is very pure and possibly the purest shot we've seen since Naslund.
The third line is starting to show a little consistency, if they can continue doing this they add to a Canucks team that is already starting to look very strong.
Another solid overall effort by the defense giving up only 21 shots. Tonight they were led by Kevin Bieksa from the point. It's been a long time coming but tonight was one of his best games in a while. Bieksa's biggest problem in my opinion is his breakout pass. Tonight he was going tape to tape and it made him look much better than he normally does. He always got in on the scoring tonight with the late goal. It was a good hard shot that made it around the screen and into the net for the win. Good job by him to pick his game up lately. If he can take it up he will make for an interesting decision for MG when Salo makes it back.
Good job by Schneider tonight in the surprise start. With Luongo's baby coming anytime, Schneider could be looking at another start against Philly, a game that will be huge for the Canucks. Hopefully he can stay ready and focused.
Even though the Canucks won I noticed a few things I didn't like. One thing in particular I noticed might be the end of Volpatti's stint with the team. The fourth line for the Canucks needs to be a line that when used sparingly they can be relied upon to play smart hockey. They cannot afford to have mind blanks and miss an obvious assignment in their own zone. Volpatti did that tonight and it cost the Canucks a goal. Glass made a risky-ish play up the middle to Volpatti and he couldn't move the puck out of the zone. I don't blame Glass for the play, however off the glass and out might have been a better choice. Where the play went wrong was Volpatti turning the puck over than losing his check. If you watch the highlight Volpatti gives up the puck to O'Marra and watches as O'Marra makes the cross ice pass. O'Marra goes to the net, but in the mean time Volpatti just floats back. O'Marra gets the bounce and in it goes as Volpatti waves at his stick aimlessly at the goal scorer. This kind of mistake is one that will cause AV to not trust his fourth line (the line got one more shift for the rest of the game). Av does not put up with things like this and I expect to see Desbiens or another fourth liner get a shot soon. It is possible because of all the cap hoops the Canucks need to jump that they keep Volpatti up till Raymond can come back and then Hansen will move back to the fourth line, but watch for Volpatti's minutes to be very limited in the near future.
All in all a big two points for the team. We are 1 point back of Detroit for the Conference lead and we have a game in hand. The team is coming together and looks good in front of whoever is in goal. It's nice to have a backup in Schneider the team clearly trusts. 5-0-2 for him this year and he'll be busy in the next few weeks. Hopefully the team can keep it rolling in front of him and Luongo.
Check in soon for the Philly game. More previews to come.
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