Canucks stretch run starts on road
March 9th, 2008 by thewordbirdCanucks stretch run starts on the road
In the current situation the Canucks find themselves in at this crucial point of the year, they have found the resolve it will take to push the playoff envelope. With that in mind, the variety of tests coming up will force the coaching staff and players alike to focus on execution.
Vancouver has reeled off 6 wins in their last 10 games (6-2-2) and head out on the road for a games- Monday against Los Angeles, Wednesday in Anaheim and Thursday in Phoenix before meeting the Stars in Dallas for a tilt on Hockey Night in Canada.
The Kings are the clear pushovers of the lot, yet the Canucks have allowed Los Angeles to score 4 goals in each game and have handed every point to the Kings (0-3). Anaheim has hit their stride after the returns of Niedermayer and Selanne, though ex-Canuck Todd Bertuzzi has turned in another quiet season. The loss of Corey Perry has got to hurt the Ducks, though they have called up young American winger, Bobby Ryan. Vancouver may be aided by the fact that the Canucks play the Ducks the night after a young Phoenix team will test the defending Stanley Cup Champions and then head to Glendale to take on those same Coyotes. Phoenix and Vancouver will clash for the third time this season, with the road team registering the win by one goal margins in both previous meetings.
The Canucks must be elated by the recent stream of offensive production that has helped them win games. The defense can take a bow on that front, as rookie Alexander Edler has shown poise beyond his years and they are making remarkable first passes, helping the quicker of the Vancouver forwards. Mason Raymond, Ryan Kesler and Alexandre Burrows’ topical scoring and back-checking from forwards such as Markus Naslund and Taylor Pyatt are aiding the Canucks at gaining the offensive zone in a much more dangerous fashion. The surprise start by Mattias Ohlund was certainly a morale booster and the returns of Sami Salo, Willie Mitchell and Kevin Bieksa from injuries has the team in a favourable position to solidify a playoff position. They may also challenge the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames for the North West Division lead and the third seed in the Western Conference.
On Hockey Night in Canada this past Saturday, the Canucks were faced with a young and brash team in GM Place, the St. Louis Blues. The teams have come to odds in the playoffs before, with mean spirited affairs and nail-biting action. Barrett Jackman, Jamal Mayers and Eric Brewer were with the Blues then, though this is a much changed team since John Davidson took over the maligned Blues. He has added speed and skill and has real assets in place to be a Central Division contender in the future. The young players such as David Perron, Eric Johnson, Hannu Toivonen and David Backes will have had the year to glean the finer points of the game from the likes of Paul Kariya, Keith Tkachuk, Jay McKee and the less-noticeable attributes of Ryan Johnson (his shot-blocking and penalty-killing is superb). St. Louis was over-matched on this night.
Vancouver secured Roberto Luongo’s third straight 30-win season with the win over the Blues. The Canucks blew a first period 2 man advantage, but the ensuing play saw Ohlund’s point shot get through and deflect past Manny Legace, off Jeff Woywitka’s left skate. The production and resurrection of Brad Boyes continued, when he pulled St. Louis even 1-1, on a pass from Tkachuk. As the second began, the Blues’ intensive forecheck seemed to have Vancouver on its heels. Boyes hit a high post after clearly beating Luongo, but moments later, Ryan Kesler saw an opportunity to ramp the crowd up. Kesler charged at tough defenseman Barrett Jackman and was rightfully challenged on it. Jackman plays a smart game and was probably a bit surprised by the actions and by the way Kesler was able to stand up to him. Initially, the Blues fed off of the energy, with Perron and Boyes creating chances and Eric Johnson taking a good look at his opportunity. Byron Ritchie started a drive for Vancouver that got the Sedin twins interested. However, St. Louis scored on a pass by Boyes that careened off of a defenseman’s skate, though it was intended for Jay McClement.
The Canucks responded. Burrows received a pass from Pyatt in his zone. Mason Raymond breaks in on a partial breakaway just after that, drawing a penalty. He had some good chemistry with his captain. The speed of the game was noticeable at this point, as both teams fed off of a great crowd. Pyatt was really good in his own zone and was a presence in front of Legace as well.
St. Louis is a well-coached penalty-killing team, owning the 7th best PK in the league. Vancouver can score on the power-play, but the Blues were clogging the lanes effectively, most notably, Ryan Johnson with quite a few blocked shots. Time and again, Edler, Bieksa, Daniel Sedin and Salo had to use another option when patrolling the point. But they did manage to get through. Ryan Shannon was good down low for the Canucks, mostly working with the twins on the power-play. Naslund should be afforded more time with the man advantage it would seem.
As the game wore on, Andy McDonald, Boyes, and Perron got chances for the Blues and yet Luongo was solid in net. Tkachuk managed to get position on Edler while driving to the net, bowling into Luongo in a scary moment for the fans. Vancouver was driven by a forecheck and transition game. Kesler and Burrows flushed the puck out of the corner and fed Brad Isbister who neatly scored upstairs for the game-winner. Jackman foiled the shooters on two other attempts at the empty cage, but finally Henrik Sedin tallied a long shot for the final score, 4-2.
March 10th, 2008
Robin Keith Thompson
