Game 18 – Cory In the House

Last night was a typical example of the Canucks coming up short in front of their goaltender. However, the difference this time was it wasn’t infront of who you would have expected. In the Canucks 2-1 loss to the stars last night, Cory Schneider got his first start of the season and he did not disappoint. Last year’s AHL player of the year had his audition with the Canucks after his stint last year was below par, and his pre-season was less than stellar, and he shone brightly. He turned away 22 shots in the first period and gave the Canucks every chance to win.

The Canucks last night fell into the trap of Marty Turco. The Canucks offense has thrived off of excellent forechecking this year, and the problem with playing Dallas is that Turco shuts down your forecheck by playing almost every puck that enters the trapezoid. The Canucks got help on Raymond’s 7th goal of the season as Raymond is slowly coming into his own, but fell short after they waited until the 3rd period to find their legs and start skating.

The Canucks fall to 3-6 on the road, and in a game where Kesler, Samuelsson, and Henrik Sedin failed to find the score sheet, the Canucks let down Cory Schneider who for the first time in his career proved he is capable of playing at the NHL level. Cory made good on his chance and the Canucks failed to capitalize on his outstanding performance. The Canucks now 1-1 on their current 5 game road trip next face the St. Louis Blues who they swept out of the first round of the playoffs last year. There is rumour that Luongo or Hansen could be back in the lineup as early as next Tuesday. Word has it that Daniel Sedin has been flown out to join the team on this road trip which means we also might see him reunited with his brother sometime in the next three games.