In this last TGATT of the season, we recap the Canucks’ final game of the season – a 4-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Are you disappointed? Mad? Sad? Glad?
I’m so upset that I’m eating a salad #TGATT
— Elmee Baterina (@elmeebaterina) May 8, 2013
Some people drink to drown their sorrows, some eat salad. D’fferent strokes, I suppose.
The Vancouver Canucks are down three games to zero to the San Jose Sharks in their first-round NHL playoff match-up. As they try to stave off elimination in this must-win game, I turned to my kids for their predictions.
Sean and Kayla are optimistic that the Canucks will still make this a competitive series, and they pulled out every sports cliche possible in expressing their optimism.
Meanwhile, Jacob took a more cynical approach as he worked in a few cliches and a bunch of thought-provoking questions regarding the Canucks’ future.
Photo credit: Christian Petersen via NHL.com
So the Vancouver Canucks have lost the pivotal game two and the must-win game three. Looking ahead to a pivotal must-win game four, there are a few Things That Make Me Go Hmmm.
The Goalie Conundrum
Well, wouldn’t you know it? We’re possibly one game away from the end of the season and the story that became a story at this time last year is still a story. Whether you agree with management’s (GM and coach) handling of the situation or not, you can’t deny that it’s been the number one story with the team this year. So much so that people are talking more about the goaltending then they are about the team’s primary reason for being pushed to the brink of elimination: their inability to create enough good scoring chances.
Facing elimination, the Canucks need to start the goaltender that gives the skaters the most confidence that they can win the game. And without a shadow of a doubt, that goaltender is Roberto Luongo. He was solid in the first two games of the season before Schneider’s shaky return to the line-up. Go back to Luongo and hope that the team plays lights-out in front of them. And who knows, a strong playoff showing (even in defeat) wouldn’t hurt his trade value. That is, if the Canucks are still trying to trade him.
Flipping the Switch
Many people have asked me over the last week, “What’s wrong with the Canucks?” After lamenting the team’s scoring woes and my desire to see Keith Ballard in the line-up, I always say that it’s not as simple as just looking at the Vancouver Canucks. You need to look at the San Jose Sharks as well.
It was ludicrous to think that the Canucks would simply “flip a switch” in the three days between the end of the regular season and the first playoff game and be back to a dominating team that would steamroll the competition. This logic is mostly flawed because it doesn’t account for the team lining up across from the Canucks.
San Jose is a good team. They have strong depth at forward, a solid (if non-descript) defense, and a strong goalie. Also, they are well-coached and have strong special teams. So Canucks fans can talk about flipping a switch all they want. Just remember that San Jose has a switch too – and it seems to be working very well.
Staving Off Elimination
Get ready to hear the word “stave” dozens of times over the next couple of days. While the Canucks look to stave off elimination, I wonder why more people don’t use the word more in every day conversation. I think it’s a cool word…and it shouldn’t be reserved just for sports playoffs. After all, there are so many other ways you might use it:
Looking ahead to game four on Tuesday night in San Jose, I simply wasn’t interested in any of the post-game quotes from AV and the players – especially the clichéd ones. All I care about is the Canucks laying it all out on the ice as they try to stave off elimination. Then perhaps they’ll have a chance to play in another pivotal must-win game on Thursday night.
In the 7th episode of CHB TV, Clay, Chris, Ed, our special guest, Shanel Pratap from Global TV, and myself break down the Canucks/Sharks playoff series.
(Note: This episode was taped on Sunday, April 29th, prior to Roberto Luongo being named tonight’s starter. So yeah…)
On paper, the Vancouver Canucks probably couldn’t have drawn a better match-up in these first round of the NHL playoffs than the San Jose Sharks.
Or maybe put it another way, at least they don’t have to play a 7-game series against a bigger, more physical St. Louis Blues team.
The Canucks and the Sharks resemble each other in many ways. Both teams have veteran-laden rosters that have experienced a lot of regular season success. But also, save for an extended run or two, both teams have a history of crashing and burning in the postseason.
Since the 2004 lockout, the Canucks have put together 5-100 point seasons and have won 6 playoff rounds. Ditto the Sharks, but they won 1 more playoff round (7) than the Canucks. Of course, both teams met in the Western Conference Finals in 2011. And of course, following that, both teams also flamed out in the first round of the playoffs last year.
With an aging core, a lot of pundits predict that whichever team loses this series will be forced to undergo major changes in the offseason. But then again, with a decreasing salary cap, maybe both will be forced to make changes anyway.
Why the Canucks will win
Except for Chris Tanev, who is expected back sometime in the middle of this round, and David Booth, the Canucks are finally healthy, and what a healthy roster can do to improve how this team looks can’t be understated.
Now, coach Alain Vigneault can roll out 3 potentially potent scoring lines consisting of Sedin-Sedin-Burrows, Higgins-Kesler-Kassian, Raymond-Roy-Hansen. Or, if he wants to load up the top-6, he can roll out Sedin-Sedin-Burrows, Higgins-Roy-Kesler, and roll out a checking line of Raymond-Lapierre-Hansen. Either of these combinations match up well against the Sharks.
On defense, the group of Hamhuis, Garrison, Bieksa and Edler, is deeper than the group of Boyle, Vlasic, Stuart and Irwin.
We’ve seen what a healthy Canucks lineup can do, evidenced by a complete effort against the Chicago Blackhawks just last week. The only question is whether or not they will be motivated enough to do so for the next 2 months.
Why the Sharks will win
Antti Niemi may very well hold the key to a Sharks series victory. He’s been great this year, finishing the regular season with 2.16 GAA and a 0.924 save percentage. Particularly against the Canucks, he was lights out, stopping 82 of 87 shots (0.943 save percentage) in 3 San Jose wins; for those counting at home, that’s 5 goals allowed in 3 games.
Now, this is not an indictment on Cory Schneider because, statistically, Schneider was a shade better (2.11 GAA and a 0.927 save percentage). However, Niemi has much more playoff experience than Schneider does. Schneider has only appeared in 8 playoff games. The last team with a relatively inexperienced goaltender to win the Cup was the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010… with Niemi in net, who at the time had 42 NHL games under his belt and was appearing in the postseason for the first time.
If Niemi shuts the door on the Canucks’ 20th-ranked offense, the Canucks will have to rely on Schneider and hope he’s equally up to the task.
[Update]
Scratch that. It looks like Roberto Luongo is starting tonight.
Quickies
Cory Schneider played great. So did Alex Burrows, who kept the Wings on their heels all night, and Max Lapierre, who chanelled his inner Patrick Kane in the shootout, and scored the shootout winner. With their 2-1 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings last night, the Canucks clinched their spot in the 2013 NHL playoffs.
But who cares about all that? DJ Tanner and Aunt Becky were at the game.
Most exciting part of this game was seeing DJ Tanner on the jumbotron. #Canucks #TGATT
— Caylie King (@CayKing) April 21, 2013
Have mercy!
Ryan Kesler returns to the lineup and scores the game-winning goal. Cory Schneider gets his 11th straight start and records his 4th shutout in 9 games.
Ginger Brick by Ginger Brick the C-Wall continues to grow!!!! #Canucks #TGATT
— Sean Holmes-Smith (@holmes156) April 9, 2013
With the win, the Canucks are now 10 points clear of the 9th place Coyotes.
Yes, it was a good night.
(@cherry_grant is new to CHB and will be sharing with us her Canucks or NHL-themed photos, photoshops and comics.)
I believe he will.
Photo credit: AP
For GM Jay Feaster and the Calgary Flames, the NHL trade deadline resembled more of a fire sale than anything. In a span of a week, they dealt their long-time captain, Jarome Iginla, to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and their no. 1 defenseman, Jay Bouwmeester, to the St. Louis Blues. In return, the Flames received nothing more than some depth prospects, a couple of first round picks, and perhaps some hockey tape and a used water bottle. But don’t fret, Calgarians, this is all part of the rebuild, right? RIGHT?!
If Flames fans can take comfort in anything, it’s that the team has finally admitted it needs to gut its aging core and move forward. After years of denying it needed to rebuild – even Feaster admitted he should have started this process earlier – it finally made the moves to start stockpiling younger assets. And in today’s NHL, where 19 of the top 25 scorers are under 30 years old, that’s a good thing.
Of course, the Flames will experience some growing pains. Since Iginla was traded on March 27, they’ve lost all 4 games and have been outscored 20-8. Against the Edmonton Oilers on trade deadline day, they blew a 2-0 lead and ended up losing 8-2. Last night against the San Jose Sharks, they took a 1-0 into the second intermission only to let the Sharks score twice in the third period – one a couple of minutes in and the other with a couple of minutes left – en route to a 2-1 loss.
And it doesn’t get any easier for the Flames the rest of the way. 7 of their remaining 12 games are on the road, where they’ve won just 3 times all season (3-12-3). They’re a dismal 0-11-1 in their last 12 games away from the Saddledome, including 10 straight losses.
Canucks Record
20-11-6, 46 points (1st in the Northwest Division, 3rd in the Western Conference)
Season Series
The Canucks are 16 points ahead of the Flames in the standings, but the Flames did win the last meeting between the two teams. In that game, Alain Vigneault took a questionable abuse of official penalty in the third period, and while the Canucks technically killed the penalty, the Flames scored 2 seconds after it expired to break what was a 2-2 tie at that point.
Cory Schneider and company have won 4 straight games at Rogers Arena, outscoring their opponents 11-3. Schneider posted shutouts in 2 of those games.
Who’s Hot
The only things “hot” about Calgary right now are the flames coming out of their logo.
Chris Higgins has a 4-game point streak that includes scoring in 3 of those 4 games. Fresh from signing a 4-year/$10 million contract extension, he had a particularly good game on Thursday against the Oilers, and if that game is any indication, his line with Derek Roy and Jannik Hansen could be the perfect tonic to the Canucks’ scoring woes.
What’s Not
The Canucks finally connected on the powerplay on Thursday – they scored during a lengthy two-man advantage – but they still rank 28th in the NHL in powerplay efficiency (13.1%).
Likewise, their penalty kill has been better (81.7%), but ranked 15th in the league, it’s still quite average.
With just 11 games left in the season, the Canucks may want to start getting their special teams in order, especially if they want to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Quickies
There was a lot of anticipation heading into the Canucks’ matchup against the Edmonton Oilers last night. After all, a win against the high-powered – and suddenly streaking – Oilers would extend their win streak to 7 games and keep the Minnesota Wild at bay in the race for the Northwest Division title.
Good vibes, right?
Ummm… not quite.
The Canucks gave up 3 goals in 3 shots in the first 3 minutes of the game, and Taylor Hall had a hat trick before the first period was 8 minutes old, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Well that started…horribly! #TGATT
— Kiran Mehat (@Me_Hat4482) March 31, 2013
Now on to the grisly details and your reactions.
