The End of the Road

For the first time this season, when you walked out of GM Place after a Canucks game there was still just a little bit of daylight left.  Unfortunately for the Vancouver Canucks, the tiny bit of light that their season may continue was extinguished at the hands of the Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

Like with any loss someone has to take the fall and while Mike Gillis and Alain Vigneault are unlikely to lose their jobs based on the Canucks second round defeat, the decisions they made may have unlitmately lead to the Canucks demise.  Of course this isn’t to wash any of the blame away from the players because at the end of the day they are the ones playing the game, but for a team with such high expectations in a rabid hockey market one can wonder if they were given the best chance to succeed.

For a coach that put his trademark all over the Canucks 2007 playoff run by switching up his line combos on a shift-to-shift basis it was remarkable how uninterested Vigneault seemed in trying someone different when the Canucks appeared to be completely overmatched and out of sync  on offense.  Even though the Canucks forwards hadn’t scored a goal since late in game four, Vigneault stuck to his lines.  It’s unexplainable as to why Mikael Samuelsson who led the first round of the playoffs in goals with seven was relegated to the third line with Kyle Wellwood and Michael Grabner.  While Wellwood had a decent individual game, the trio had next to no chemistry together.  While the offense continued to struggle, Vigneault left Pavol Demitra on the second line where he produced absolutely nothing positive.

Perhaps more proof that Vigneault was feeling the pressure and perhaps lost some faith in his team to get the job done was that fact that Demitra went from being a healthy scratch in game 4 to playing the last two games on the second line.  If that wasn’t screaming desperation enough, perhaps Vigneault’s decision to put the stone-handed Jannik Hansen on that same second line instead of Samuelsson to start game 4.  I’ve  spent a large amount of time this season criticising Samuelsson’s play but it is confusing as to why one of the team’s best goal scorers isn’t being put into a position to succeed when the team needs goals the most.

The play of Pavol Demitra was also alarmingly poor in a time when the Canucks needed him the most.  With Alex Edler injured, Vigneault insurance plan involved using Demitra at the point and like he was prone to do during the regular season, coughed up the puck trying to be too cute and shut the door on the Canucks season as the Hawks went up 3-0.  It will also likely be a defining image for Canucks fans on a disappointing tenure in Canucks jersey.  The disappointment of Demitra’s play will weigh heavily on General Manager Mike Gillis who made Demitra his first big and highest paid free agent signing, locking him in for two years and eight million dollars in 2007.  Previously Dave Nonis got the boot for not making enough big moves and only re-signing current players on the roster.  At this point it seems as if Gillis’ best moves to date are re-signing core players like the Sedins as well as Ryan Kesler.  His additions to the team have been with very mixed results.  Time will tell if Gillis’ commitment to strong drafting pays off.

The Canucks undermanned and overplayed defence will also be a sore spot on Gillis’ resume.  When it was clear at the deadline that Willie Mitchell wasn’t going to be playing a role in the Canucks playoff drive and with no depth in the minor league, Gillis when out and got a bottom pairing defenseman in Andrew Alberts.  There will be those that say that Gillis did the best with what he had to work with, but every concern that fans had with the defence came to life against the Chicago Blackhawks as the guys who were pushed out of their rolls and comfort zones due to injuries to players like Mitchell, Salo and Edler could not compete with the speed and skill of the ‘Hawks top players.

There were times when players such as Alberts and O’Brien were undisciplined and careless, but considering their skill level and where they should be on the depth chart, there wasn’t much more that could have been asked of them.  Christian Ehrhoff appears to be a steal in the trade category for Gillis and while his free agent signings have been questionable he can take that deal with the cap shredding Sharks to the bank.

That, of course, brings us to Kevin Bieksa.  It was quite a week for Bieksa who went from zero in game 4 to hero in game 5 and back to zero in game 6.  It was Bieksa who somehow overskated the puck on the Blackhawks second goal and it also Bieksa who made terrible misread on Patrick Kane’s 4-1 goal that killed any hope of a Canucks comeback.  With Edler injured and Salo at less than one hundred percent, the Canucks really needed Bieksa to step up his game but instead he turned in a dud.  Perhaps injuries have set him back but for a guy who looked like he was going to turn into a star in the NHL, Bieksa is grossly overpaid at 3.5 million.  I’m sure the Canucks would be happy to move that salary out to anyone that would take him.

It won’t go down as one of the memorable games and instead the Canucks and their fans will get another summer to wonder what went wrong, but at least we got to chant “balls of steel” in the first period.

A Few Thoughts on the Canucks and Blackhawks

The Canucks and Blackhawks do not like each other.

“He shoots. Grabner scores!  The first NHL goal for Michael Grabner and the Canucks have tied the game.”

“Samulsson shoots.  Scores!  Mikael Samuelsson!  And Vancouver leads!”

That was the scene back on October 21^st in Chicago where the Canucks pulled off one of their many come from behind wins on the season.  It was also the fateful game where Willie Mitchell laid out Jonathan Toews as Mitchell was stepping out of the penalty box.  Toews missed several weeks with a concussion but unfortunately for Vancouver the tides have now turned and Mitchell is the one that has been sidelined with a concussion for the last several months and doesn’t appear as if he will factor into the playoffs.  Missing your top shutdown defenseman is never ideal and like many of the Vancouver Canucks, Mitchell has as many demons that he’d like to rectify as any other Canucks because it was he who couldn’t clear the puck out of the zone in the final minute of game 4 that eventually allowed Chicago to tie the game and then the series.

The Canucks would love to take the positives of their regular season win in Chicago into their second round rematch but like everyone else,  their thoughts are on redemption for eliminating the Canucks last spring.  The point was hammered home when a global tv reporter played the Blackhawks goal song for a number of Canucks players and their reaction was generally speaking “I hate that song.”

So, the question becomes, how do the Canucks win this series?  Goaltending seems to be the biggest thing that could separate the Canucks and Blackhawks on paper.  Antti Niemi had fantastic stats in the first round, but given that, Niemi doesn’t exactly ooze confidence.  He let in several questionable goals in the Nashville series and you could have argued he was the reason the Blackhawks almost lost game 5 at home.  This is Niemi’s first trip into the post season so one has to wonder about his mental toughness over an entire series where he is going to be tested in every game.  One thing is for sure and that’s that Niemi is a downgrade from Nikolai Khabibulin who helped the hawks make it to the conference finals last season.  Chicago does have an insurance policy on the bench with Huet and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him before the series is over.

At the other end of the ice it’s Roberto Luongo.  A lot could be said about Luongo going into this series and there are plenty of question marks that need to be answered.  Can he play will in Chicago?  Is Dustin Byfuglien in his head?  Will he allow any soft goals?  Is he able to keep his head in the game after one?  Can he make a big save for the Canucks on the penalty kill?  Late in the first round against Los Angeles it appeared that he hinted towards the answer to some of those questions.  Luongo had a terrible outing at the end of the regular season at the Staples Center and followed that up by getting pulled in game 3.  He was able to turn in a solid outing in game 4 and then steal the deciding game 6 for Vancouver on the road.

Byfuglien was almost a non-factor in the teams regular season meetings and after spending the last month of so on defense it will be as interesting to see if he can adjust back to forward to have an impact on the series.  The rest of the questions remain unanswered and it will be up to Luongo to answer them once the series gets going tomorrow.  It seems unlikely that the entire series will go without Luongo letting in a bad goal or letting in a goal where he thought he was interferered with.  Both instances often cause him to lose his focus and composure which we saw in the Canucks final meeting with the Hawks in March.

The always emotional Shane O`Brien will need to stay out of the penalty box.

The Blackhawks certainly have an advantage on the backend with Norris trophy candidate Duncan Keith, a healthy Brian Campbell and Brent Seabrook.  It will be important to take away time and space from such talented defenseman if the Canucks are going to have success against them.  As a result it appears that Alain Vigneault will be dressing Grabner and Jannik Hansen on the fourth line to give Vancouver a little bit more speed and options.

Vancouver has their own high end talent with Christian Ehrhoff and a resurgent Alex Edler.  Sami Salo has been reliable as well and while an injury is always possible as soon as he comes over the boards, the Finn looks poised to chip in at both ends of the ice.  Where the Canucks don’t match-up well is with their bottom three. Kevin Bieksa has the potential to play a big game and to be an important penalty killer but he must stay out of the box.  The same goes for Andrew Alberts who did just about everything you can do to get taken out of the lineup against Los Angeles.  Only injures to Aaron Rome and Nolan Baumgartner got him back in.  Speaking of those two, a mistake free game would be about as much as you can ask from either of them.

As for the forwards, well there probably isn’t much that you don’t already know.  Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and the list goes on as far as talented forwards go.  The Canucks have their own with the Sedins and Samuelsson who appears to have found his scoring touch for the moment.  The streaky scorer is on his game for now.  The Kesler vs Ladd matchup will also be one to watch.  I’m sure Kesler will be able to put it aside early in the series but when one game gets out of hand I’m sure he’ll be looking for Ladd.

It’s been a long week off, can’t wait to get this going.

Final Thoughts on First Round Series

Roberto Luongo stops Dustin Brown from in close in game 6

Much like watching Kyle Wellwood skate with the puck, the Canucks led the Kings into a false sense of security during the clinching game of the Western Conference Quarter-final.  In the Canucks case, the team fell back at what they knew best, coming from behind in the third period.  It’s not a game plan that the coach will ever attempt to draw up before the game but for whatever reason it has become a signature of the Canucks season.  Of course if you were waiting for me to finish the Wellwood analogy, watching him glide with the puck through the neutral zone only to eventually still be holding the puck in front of the opponents goal is eerie similar to the way the Canucks win games late – it’s not pretty but it works.

The winning goal was hardly a thing of beauty, a one timer attempt by Mikael Samuelsson that broke his stick but still found its way over to Daniel Sedin skating along the left side.  Jonathon Quick, who struggled in the second half of the series didn’t read the play all that well and didn’t get square to the Sedin shot and let Sedin’s wrister float over his shoulder.

Alex Burrows celebrates his empty net goal.

After the game coach Terry Murray was less than thrilled with the way the final goal was surrendered.  When one reporter insisted it was a “well placed shot” Murray was quick to dismiss that notion by pointing to the fact that the intended shooter had his stick shattered.  It also seemed as if he was throwing Quick under the bus without explicitly saying so.  Quick was great in the first half of the series and certainly helped the Kings open up a two games to one lead in the series but somewhere in game four the tides changed and he went from outplaying Luongo to having more holes in him than swiss cheese.

Which brings us to Luongo.  The captain struggled after winning the gold medal in February but game-by-game in the first round he got better and better.  In game 7 he turned in one of his finest performances in recent memory that gave the Canucks the opportunity to come from behind in the second period.  With the Canucks trailing in the second period, Luongo made one of the best stop we have seen him make in a Canucks uniform.  Ryan Smyth had a wide open goal and what appeared to be a down and out Luongo.  But Luongo never gave up on the play, throwing his glove hand out in desperation and robbing Smyth and the Kings of a two goal lead.  Some might chalk the save up to luck but it was nothing of the sort.  When you watch the clip check out Luongo’s head which never takes his eyes off the puck.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing about Luongo’s resurgence in the series was the fact that he overcame whatever was preventing him from playing well at the Staples Center.  In his only start of the season in Los Angeles he allowed all eight goals in an 8-3 thumping.  Then in game 3 he was shaky and eventually pulled for Andrew Raycroft while the Canucks battled back but still lost by a goal.  In game four he grinded out a victory in a back and forth game.  It certainly wasn’t a picture perfect win for Luongo but he shifted the momentum by stopping Alexander Frolov on a breakaway in the third.  Without that save the Canucks could have easily found themselves coming home down 3-1.  It was clearly a rallying point for the Canucks as they went on to pull out another come from behind victory in the third period and of course it was a Sedin who broke the tie late in that one as well.

The importance of Luongo being able to get over whatever was in his head will be important because he faces bigger demons in Chicago where the Madhouse on Madison is his worst nightmare.  I’m sure it has been on the back of his mind for a year.  The scene of Patrick Kane putting the dagger in the Canucks with a hat trick should be plenty of motivation for the Canucks.  Luckily when Luongo gets a second chance he usually comes through.  But more on that tomorrow.

Canucks Make Changes for Game 2 and Other Playoff Thoughts

Alain Vigneault directs his troops in practice

Grabner In, Pettinger Out

A few interesting things to note as the Canucks had a day off in preparation for game two against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.  The first being that Matt Pettinger is out of the line-up and Michael Grabner is back in, but will play on the fourth line.  Considering how little the fourth line played on Thursday this is essentially still a slap in the face to Grabner who had a very strong end of the season.  While I respect the decisions that have to be make by Alain Vigneault, there is no reason to put such a dangerous weapon on the fourth line because he’s not likely to get much support from Rypien and Bernier is perhaps the slowest guy on the team.  Not exactly putting a guy in a position to succeed.  While I love the way Jannik Hansen plays, Grabner provides much more upside for a team that doesn’t use its third line in the traditional shut-down roll.  Of course with Vigneault you never know how long hes going to stick with his original lines and we could see Grabner on the scoring line by the time the first period is over.  Ideally, my top three lines would be:

Sedin-Sedin-Burrows

Samuelsson-Kesler-Grabner

Raymond-Wellwood-Demitra

On the topic of Matt Pettinger:  It was surprising enough that he was slotted into the lineup for game one.  Vigneault put him in strictly because he liked the way Pettinger killed penalties.  Considering he was on the ice for both of LA’s goals on Thursday, I think it’s safe to say hes seen his last shift for a while.

Vigneault on Andrew Alberts

Some interesting comments also came from Vigneault today regarding Andrew Alberts:

“Alberts has done exactly what we expected when we got him. He’s a depth defenseman who is physical and can move the puck”

You certainly can’t fault Albert’s physical play, but playing with raw emotion isn’t going to work all the time.  There needs to be a moment where he thinks about the situation and asks himself “is this a good time to hit this guy?”  Especially when you’re a depth defenseman, taking bad penalties is a sure-fire way to get yourself put back in the press box.  I’m not sure if Vigneault is just defending his player here but I can’t say I believe the idea that Alberts was exactly what they thought he would be when they gave up a third round pick for the guy and he’s only playing because of an injury to Aaron Rome.

Keys to Game Two

Matt Pettinger fights for positon with Jonathon Quick.

Looking ahead to game two, the question is what do both teams need to do to win?  For Vancouver, just doing what they did on Thursday will be important with the addition of cleaning up their penalty kill.  Roberto Luongo will be looking to continue building on his last two games where he’s looked much better than the slump he had played himself into coming off the Olympic gold.  Look for guys like Alex Edler to keep up the physical play and look to see how Alain Vigneault tries to match lines to keep the Sedins away from Wayne Simmonds.

For Los Angeles, the biggest thing may be trying to slow down the pace of the game to a level that they are more confortable playing.  It’s no mystery that the Canucks are much more skilled than them from top to bottom.  The Kings will need to find a way to slow down guys like Kyle Wellwood and Mason Raymond on the lower lines as well as keeping the puck away from the Sedins.  Easier said than done obviously but its something they will try to aim for.  Anze Kopitar will need to be more of a factor.  Kopitar had a chance to give the Kings the lead in the dying moments with Luongo swimming around on the ice but couldn’t pull the trigger.  It was all we really saw of the Kings star and more will be needed.  Jonathon Quick will also need another huge game.

Other Playoff Thoughts

The playoff games tonight got off to a smashing start as Andy Sutton laid out Jordan Leopold with an open ice hit late in the first period.   Just to add some Canucks flavour to this, it was Rick Rypien who fought and beat the 6’6 defenseman during the Hockeyville pre-season game in Terrace.  After the game Sutton was confronted by an “expert” reporter for a Pittsburgh newspaper about the apartant elbow that connected with Leopold.  It probably goes without saying that Sutton saw no elbow on the play.  While Sutton’s rant was fairly childish and bizarre because I don’t think you have to be an expert at something to make an observation, the hit was a clean one in my opinion.  Especially when you consider how tall Sutton is and that Leopold had his head down, the hit was well within the rules and I don’t feel as if he led with the elbow.  The NHL apparently agrees and Sutton, who received no penalty on the play itself, will not face discipline from the league.

In the other Western Conference series’ we were treated to high scoring shootout in Glendale and San Jose.  In fact, the Sharks were less than one minute away from going on the road down two games to none before Pavelski tied it 5-5 and Setoguchi scored his second of the game in overtime.  Detroit saved themselves a similar feat by holding off the Phoenix Coyotes 7-4.  The game itself was much closer than the score would indicate.

The Blackhawks and Predators finally got their series going on Friday and once again another road team stole away home ice advantage.  The Predators scored four times in the third for a 4-1 win.  The important thing to take from this is that of the top three seeds in the West, only Vancouver was able to win their first round opener and San Jose was so close to losing both games.  If the Canucks have been paying attention, these games should be motivation enough for them to stay focused because there is so much parity in the West specifically.

I Take It All Back, Mikael

After spending most of the season criticizing Mikael Samulsson’s inconsistent play, the Swede pretty much proved me wrong in every way possible on Thursday night.  Like most of the Canucks, I think it would be pretty difficult to find a flaw in his game during the 3-2 overtime win.  My cousin who was sitting next to me at GM Place last night shouted in my ear as Samuelsson came out for the curtain call as the game’s first star, “that’s why we got him!  That’s why we got him!”  That much was never in question but Samuelsson seems to be developing a trend for late game heroics even if his complete game isn’t always evident.  His overtime winner against the Blackhawks in last year’s Western Conference Final is likely his biggest career goal and when you break it down wasn’t so different than the one he scored last night.  A one-timer from the slot while the only glaring difference was the fact the former came off the rush.

Of course none of this would have been at all possible if Roberto Luongo hadn’t pulled the winner from Jack Johnson off the goal line just minutes earlier and if Michal Handzus had the presence of mind to actually push the puck across the line rather than celebrating before it was in.  I don’t want to say that Luongo has found his game again after one decent performance because the second goal of the game from Modin was plenty questionable, but the Canucks captain made the saves when they were needed the most and that’s always an important ingredient to playoff goaltending.  It’s something we have seen from Chris Osgood so many years prior.  He wasn’t the best goaltender but he was a winner because he was usually able to make the save when he team was desperate for it.

If we’re talking about people who stepped up their game last night, then you pretty much have to mention Alex Edler.  Last night was, without question, the most determined and physical effort we have seen from Edler in a Canucks uniform.  After the game he was drawing comparisons to Mattias Ohlund because of his timely physical play.  The hit on Drew Doughty was spectacular and if Edler had hit him just slightly more square, Doughty might have been out of the series and out of the arena on a stretcher.  Doughty doesn’t seem to be the type of kid that gets rattled and I like everything I’ve seen from him in the last few years but it will be interesting to see if he is a little hesitant to try and carry the puck through the zone again.

Edler, along with the rest of his defensive troops, were forced to step up after Andrew Alberts decided to throw a cheap shot from behind on Justin Williams.  As if there wasn’t enough reason for Alberts to be in the doghouse of Canuck fans, he went out and took a penalty that could have been disastrous.  Luckily for the Canucks, the Kings only scored once on the five minute power play and had the last minute or so negated when Doughty took a penalty of his own.  What was interesting about the Alberts penalty – and you can take this a variety of ways – was that he took a major penalty and got tossed during a game when referees were frequently letting flagrant regular season penalties go.  Most people wouldn’t agree that it was a bad call so you have to wonder just how dirty a hit you have to throw when the referees aren’t calling anything.  Just look at Henrik Sedin taking a stick through the visor – the ultimate smoking gun – and not having a penalty called on the play.  Luckily (or maybe its unluckily) Alberts will not face additional discipline from the NHL.

The Sedins both had fantastic games as well but perhaps their performance gets overlooked a bit because so many other players were clutch for Vancouver.  Henrik and Daniel both had two point nights and it was the great vision of Henrik Sedin to find find Samuelsson in the slot from behind the net.  Of course you can’t forget the pass from Henrik to a streaking Daniel to set up the top-shelf backhand midway through the second period.  It looked as if the Canucks were going to start to roll but unfortunately Andrew Alberts happened.   The Sedins have been critisized in the past for not being playoff performers but if last night is any indication they look poised for a good post-season.

The bottom line in this game was that the Canucks were the better team for most of the game and deserved to come away with the win.  If they hadn’t the Kings could have thanked Jonathon Quick, who was spectacular.  The Canucks have a great opportunity on Saturday night to take a major grip on the series before going on the road, which will be incredibly important for a team that struggled quite a bit on the road after the post-Olympic trip.

Canucks Starting to Roll on the Road

Balanced scoring was the name of the game for the Canucks tonight as they managed to play a full sixty minutes on the road – an unusual sight – and defeat the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 at the Joe.  Ryan Kesler used the momentum from his strong Olympic play to pace the Canucks with two goals.  Daniel and Henrik Sedin each recorded three assists to break out their slump and Kyle Wellwood appears to have found his touch, at least for the time being by registering a goal for the second consecutive game.

One of the biggest concerns for the Canucks going into the trade deadline was whether they would have enough secondary scoring behind the top two lines.  If Kyle Wellwood is going to consistently play at the level he has in the last two games then it appears that the Canucks have little to worry about.  Not only did Wellwood tally a goal but Mikael Samuelsson added one of his own in the second period to essentially put the game out of reach for the Red Wings.

A major problem facing the Canucks during their road trip was the fact that they had given up the first goal in almost every single game.  The team has been nicknamed the “Cardiac Canucks” over the last stretch because they seem to wait until they’re behind by a goal or two before they start to get into the game.  Tonight they didn’t have that problem as Kesler was able to give the Canucks the lead as he slid a puck past Jimmy Howard at the 3:34 marks of the first.  Kesler was able to beat Dan Cleary off the wing and make a power move to the net.  Kesler also scored the last Canucks goal of the game after drawing a Kronwall penalty and tipping the pick through Chris Osgood who had essentially come in for mop up duty.

Roberto Luongo played relatively well in his first game back from the Olympics, however, the first Detroit goal by Jason Williams was probably one he would like to have back, or at least have another shot at.  After Zetterberg dominated the Canucks down low in the corner he was able to fire a pass to about the top of the circle to Williams who one timed a snap shot past the outstretched leg of Luongo.  Luongo never really got set to the shot and was playing incredibly deep in his net.  Credit to Williams for taking a quick shot but I’m sure Roberto would liked to have played it much more aggressively.

One probably can’t say enough good things about Alex Burrows this year and the way he was able to tip in the second goal and answer right back after the Red Wings had tied the game was definitely key.  Burrows was able to tip Daniel Sedin’s low shot just under the crossbar and beat Howard who had next to no chance on the play.  At that point it really looked like the Sedins got their game going and they were able to finish the game with three assists each.

After the Red Wings were able to tie the game, Wellwood managed to deliver in a clutch situation for the second game in a row.  Aaron Rome fired him a perfect stretch pass and Wellwood beat Howard just under the crossbar.  Sami Salo was next to score on a relatively weak shot from the point but the goaltender never saw it and his night was over.  The shoot first mentality of Samuelsson paid off late in the period as he stretched Vancouver’s lead to 5-2 with a shot near the side boards that Osgood wasn’t prepared for.  Perhaps Osgood was screened on the play but it seemed like a typical regular season Osgood goal that should have been stopped but for whatever reason he wasn’t prepared for.

A day after I ripped the defence for their work in Columbus, the blue line came up pretty big for the Canucks tonight.  Aaron Rome was a threat on offense all night as he made multiple stretch passes that led to breakaways.  Rome may have been the best defender of the game and finished a solid +3.  Christian Ehrhoff also had a strong game adding an assist of his own and an identical +3 rating.  Ehrhoff is now sitting 8^th in the league with a +26 on the season.

At the Trade Deadline

I thought at the deadline the Canucks might be serious players for a top four or even top two defenseman but due to cap issues that never really materialized.  There was also thought that the Canucks might add another depth forward.  At the end of the day, Mike Gillis added another depth defenseman with Andrew Alberts.  Gillis also dealt Mattieu Schneider to the Phoenix Coyotes for Sean Zimmerman and a 6^th round pick.  Anything in return for Schneider should be considered a win since he was never going to play another game with the team.  Yan Stastny rounds out the additions by Mike Gillis as he was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Pierre-Cedric Labrie.  The move is clearly one for the Manitoba Moose as Stastny will report to the AHL.  Labrie is likely most remembered by Canucks fans for him numerous fights during the pre-season.

Andrew Alberts gets into a scrap during his time in Boston

The reputation on Alberts is that he is a big, tough and hard hitting defenseman with a huge mean streak.  The good news is that Alberts led the Carolina Hurricanes in plus-minus with a +6 rating this season.  Not bad for a player on a team that is all kinds of terrible.  Alberts also has 178 hits this season, which is significantly more than the next closest on the team (Glass-139).  If you’re interested in his offensive output, he has 2 goals and 8 assists in 62 games so far this season but as you probably guessed, that isn’t really his game.  He may not shutdown guys like Willie Mitchell but he should help play a similar game until Mitchell gets healthy, if he ever does.  At the very least he’ll be an upgrade over Nolan Baumgartner and hopefully over Brad Lukowich as well since Lukowich has been sent to the Moose.  Alberts is  signed through next year for a cap hit of 1.03 million.

Now the part about Alberts game that concerns me is that he could be considered a biger and stronger version of Shane O’Brien.  That potentially means double the bonehead penalties which is trouble for a team that isn’t great at killing them.  He is also not that great at handling the puck which could cause problems as far as getting it from the backend and up to the forwards.  In number five or six role where his minutes are limited I’d be much happier with the move but if he plays anymore then that it becomes a massive concern.

*Credit to CanuckHD on youtube for the videos

Kyle Wellwood Was the Game’s First Star

Yes, seriously.  Wellwood had one of his best games of the season for the Canucks and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.  Whether the Sedins were having an Olympic hangover or just didn’t have it tonight, the Canucks best players were on the second and third lines.  The so called Olympic hangover didn’t affect Pavol Demitra as he also had one of his most determined efforts of the season.

In the first period, Nolan Baumgartner’s shot bounced off the end boards and Wellwood made a slick pass out to Burrows in front of the net.  Burrows was able to snap the puck under Steve Mason before the goaltender was able to locate the puck and square up to it.  The pass was the kind of play that you make when you’re playing with confidence.  Hopefully it’s a sign that Wellwood is starting to round into form but obviously you can’t put too much stock into one game.

Of course, Wellwood also tied the game in the third period on a heads up play by Mason Raymond.  Grant Clitsome made a terrible pass up the middle that Raymond picked off and slid over to Wellwood who was standing alone at the side of the net.  The only thing  worse than the play by Clitsome might actually be being named Clitsome.

Other thoughts:

• Andrew Raycroft played very well for the last two periods of the game.  It seems to be pretty common for Raycroft to struggle early and then find his rhythm after letting in a goal or two.  The problem is that when you spot a team a goal or two early in the game all the time it makes things difficult when you’re always coming from behind.
• The defence looked slow and got caught flatfooted far too often.  Having Shane O’Brien, Nolan Baumgartner and Aaron Rome all on the same blue line is starting to catch up to the Canucks.  If a team like Columbus is exposing your back end then I hate to wonder what a good team is going to do to them.  They held together fairly well during the pre-Olympic games but the Canucks definitely need some help there.
• Speaking of Shane O’Brien: holy shit would he please stop taking stupid penalties.  Not only was the penalty he took on the delayed icing stupid but dangerous as well.  He has to have some sort of realization that when he’s beat on some plays he doesn’t necessarily have to take a penalty every time.  He is allowed to make actual hockey plays to correct the problem.  The unsportsmanlike penalty at the end of the second period was also retarded.  The Canucks were under enough pressure as it was and he takes a penalty after the whistle and gives Columbus the intermission to come up with a plan to score on fresh ice.  Luckily for him the Blue Jackets didn’t score.  If Vigneault had better options I’d like to hope he would have benched O’Brien.
• With Willie Mitchell still out indefinitely, the Canucks will have to seriously consider trading for a top defenseman before the noon deadline tomorrow.  I don’t really like to speculate too much about trade rumours but they definitely need to find someone in case Mitchell doesn’t return at all.
• There is good news on the injury front as Kevin Bieksa is due to return anytime now.  I doubt he’ll play tomorrow against Detroit because if he can do that then he probably could have played tonight, but Bieksa says that he will be back before the end of the road trip.  Great news for the Canucks.
• Christian Ehrhoff continues to have a fantastic season for the Canucks.  His stats aren’t quite as spectacular as they were when he had Mitchell and Bieksa going against the other team’s top line but its hard to even think about where this team would be without him.  After being one of the best players on Germany during the Olympics he came back to the NHL to score the OT winner for the Vancouver.

The trade deadline might be getting all of the attention tomorrow morning but the Canucks won’t have too much time to worry about who is going where or who might be joining them.  The team will travel to Detroit to play the second half of a back-to-back.  Normally a team won’t be faulted with playing poorly on the back end of a back-to-back but with much of the team having the Olympic break off I can’t imagine that will be a legitimate excuse.  Roberto Luongo will be back in goal.

*Credit to CanucksHD for the videos

Canucks Finally Score First

Jannik Hansen celebrates after scoring shorthanded

Scoring the first goal of the game.  What a concept.  For the first time in a long time, the Canucks were able to score the first goal of the game and as a result they were able to control it for long periods of time.  Florida is a team that isn’t going to beat you by scoring goals in bunches and will look to get leads and sit on them.  Think of the Minnesota Wild for the last decade or so.  When the Canucks jumped ahead they were able to force the Panthers away from what they generally like to do and on the road it becomes even more important to score the first goal.  Tonight was a perfect example as the Canucks were able to get a lead, sit on it a bit by leaning on their goaltender and when the opportunity presented itself, pad the lead.

The top line finally broke out of their slump and opened the scoring early in the second period.  Burrows scored one of his signature tip ins off a pass from Henrik Sedin.  It was Sedin’s first point in five games after falling behind Alex Ovechkin in the NHL scoring race.  The line wasn’t too dangerous the rest of the way but at least they were finally able to get back on the scoresheet and the Canucks won.  The Sedin twins are always much better performers at home but it was time for them to make a big impact on the road with this trip not even half over yet.

Roberto Luongo appears to be back on his game after sitting one out.  It’s looking more and more like fatigue was the reason his play dropped off a little bit.  I think he’s made a strong push to be the top goaltender for Canada next week and that’s not just the Canucks fan in me.  Brodeur has struggled down the stretch and Fleury isn’t really a candidate to start any games.

It’s also great that the Canucks are finally getting some consistent secondary scoring.  Hansen had a nice snipe shorthanded.  It was a goal that the Canucks really needed because they had spent quite a bit of time in their own zone killing penalties towards the end of the second.  Ryan Kesler is finally starting to score on the road (see a trend yet) which will be so important come April.  He has disappeared away from home at times this year but his goal to make it 3-0 gave the Canucks more than they needed.

Ryan Kesler scored late to make it 3-0 Vancouver

Now for the bad parts, the Canucks spent far too long in the penalty box tonight and some of the penalties were far too careless.  I realize Shane O’Brien is playing out of his class right now with all the injuries but he has to find a way to cut down on the penalties.  There is really no reason to reach around a guy with your free hand when you know the referees  are going to call it every time.  For my daily rip on Samuelsson, his slashing penalty was simply undisciplined and selfish when the Canucks had a great opportunity to take an early lead.  The referees were all over everything tonight and its pointless to try and get a way taking shots at people.

The bottom line is the Canucks won 3-0 and it was a solid effort all around even though there are plenty of things that need to be worked on if the Canucks are going to be a consistent and good team on the road.  We’ll get to see if they can keep it going tomorrow night against Columbus.  Playing back-to-back is never easy but they should be up to the task considering the Blue Jackets are not that great of a team.  The game is being broadcast on PPV and I’d love to see how terrible the ratings are when you factor in that the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics starts about the same time as the third period.

Olympic Torch Relay comes to North Vancouver

It was a very awesome day in Deep Cove today as the Olympic Torch Relay made it through the neighborhood.  People lined the street roughly an hour before the torch came through and after it left Cates Park at 10:36am, it made its way down Dollarton Highway were I was waiting to snap my pictures.  After the cops drove down the street as an escort, promotional vehicles were the first to drive by.  RBC and Coca Cola had people dancing on trucks and giving away free stuff.  I was able to get a few Torch Relay bottles of Coke and Coke Zero.  Luckily, I staked out a sport that was right next to the hand off and was able to get some pretty good pictures.  My mom actually talked to the parents of the kid and needless to say they were pretty excited about what was to come.  Like before, be sure to click on the link for bigger pictures.

It might have been raining but these guys where feeling good.

The Coca-Cola truck armed with free stuff

A very patriotic vehicle

An Olympic car telling us the torch is getting close!

The RBC promo car complete with dancing people

Day 104. Just 2 to go!

It was Coke's turn to do their thing.

More Coke

The torch runner waiting to receive the flame

Here comes the flame

A shot of the women who ran from Cates Park to Deep Cove Road.

The exchange!

The kid is ready for his 5 minutes of glory

But first he poses for a few pictures

A new guy runs up Mount Seymour Parkway

I Feel Very Olympic Today

Well it was really yesterday, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use that quote.  On Sunday afternoon it appeared as if the Penguins had the Capitals in the bag and I could use the time before the Super Bowl started to check out the progress in Vancouver for the Olympics.  Well, clearly I made the wrong choice as the Capitals came back and there wasn’t as much to see downtown as I thought there would be.  But for those interested here are a few pictures that I thought were worth enough to post and will also give you an idea of what to expect next week.  For those people reading that have not been to Vancouver you might be interested in seeing what some of the venues look like from the outside and from afar.  Click on any picture for a larger view!

Like a true tourist I hopped on the Seabus in North Vancouver around 10:30.  As you can see by the sign I made it with just 5 minutes to spare.  I then hopped on the Skytrain and took it down to the BC Place/GM Place stopping hoping to see some cool stuff on the outside of the buildings.

Taking public transit like a loser

Yay! I made it.

I then made my way down Beatty Street towards BC Place and then came back towards GM Place, or “Canada Hockey Place” as its known during the Olympics.

The Cops have all roads near venues blocked off.

How often can you stand in the middle of Georgia and not get killed?

When you get to the event areas you’ll meet these tents where you’re likely to get an anal probe.  If you’re part of the Olympic family then you can wave goodbye to the rest of us suckers and go though your own special entrance while the rest of us continue to wait.

The Olympic Family entrance at BC Place Stadium

The way in for the rest of us

I’m also including a few pictures of BC Place for no other reason than because I took them.  Yay for ugly cement buildings.  Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint too many people who have traveled long distances to see the opening or closing ceremony.

It is what it is

BC Place from Georgia

Next I headed next door to GM Place trying to get a good view of something.  Instead I was just met by a bunch of fences.  What suprised me was that there is still traces of Canucks type things on the building.  I’m wondering if they’ll take those down by Friday.

The side of GM Place from along the Georgia Viaduct

There is still a trace of the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place

Expo Blvd decked out in Olympic designs outside GM Place

A good shot of the security check point outside GM Place. Complete with bag scanner like at the airport

Next I decided to head up Dunsmuir before walking up to Georgia and to Pacific Centre.  Live City is apparently a place for entertainment and creating a lasting impression with family orientated entertainment.  I assume its a good place for families to go spend money when they can’t get into something like the Molson Canadian Hockey House.

Side view of Live City Vancouver from Georgia

Front entrance of Live City

Next I kept on traveling up Georgia.  The further up you go, the more people there were.  I saw a couple waving an Australian flag as well as two women in Russia tracksuits.  I considered taking their picture but I thought that that might be a little too weird.  Nonetheless, here are some pictures from along Georgia.

Hey look, it's the renovated CBC building

Canada Post has the Olympic Fever

As does a new hotel going in at Georgia and Howe

I still don't know how the Olympic lane is different than a regular HOV lane

At “The Bay” at Pacific Centre there were A LOT of people inside buying the latest Canada Olympic gear.  I was going to actually buy something but I didn`t have 15 minutes to stand in the lineup to pay.  The VISA advertisements on The Bay building has been up for about a year but they’re still pretty cool and worth posting.

A few great Canadian moments

A few more

We were made for this!

Is there anything more Canadian than The Hudson's Bay Company?...

...Well maybe this picture of CPR trains that I took is.

Some good looking people

On Granville street there was some sort of Cultural Olympiad thing going on.  I’m not sure exactly what the point of it was but I look pictures anyway.

The money shot down Granville?

You typical totem poles at the Cultural Olympiad.

I have no idea what's going on here

Japan and Hole in the Wall invades Canada.

Next up was the final stop in my short trip downtown.  Naturally I had to get a shot of the countdown clock at the Art Gallery like everyone else

What`s a day at the Vancouver Art Gallery without some sort of protest?

All these people wanted to see the time tick down on the start of the games

We`re almost there!

Now it was back to the Seabus to pickup my car and head to a Super Bowl party. While waiting for the Seabus one comes to realize that London really wants you to come visit them.  Only 2 and a half years until they get to host the Summer Games!

Visit London for the 2012 Summer Games!