The Wheel of Justice is Back

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Apr 132012
 

For his hit on Kyle Clifford, Byron Bitz was suspended by Brendan Shanahan for the next 2 playoff games. No issues here. Like I said yesterday, it wasn’t necessarily malicious, but it was still a dangerous hit on a player in a vulnerable position.

Now compare that to Shea Weber’s *ahem* play on Henrik Zetterberg:

For grabbing Zetterberg’s head and slamming it into the glass a la Blake Griffin, Weber was issued a $2,500 fine.

I have three words to describe this: What. A. Joke.

Late last season, the NHL swore to take steps to eliminate head shots. To underscore the point, they suspended Aaron Rome for an unprecedented 4 Stanley Cup Finals games – the equivalent of 48 regular season by Sheriff Shanny’s own calculations. In the preseason, they suspended players for 5, 7, 8 games.

All those seem like faded memories now.

Watch the video again.

Weber makes no play on the puck. He doesn’t throw a check. He doesn’t even to pretend to. He goes straight for Zetterberg’s head, grabs it and smashes it against the glass hard enough that Z’s helmet cracked.

In this era of supposed heightened awareness on concussions and player safety, this merited a mere $2,500 fine, which Weber will pay off by about the 2 minute mark of tonight’s game.

What. A. Joke.

Shooting From the Hip with @JasonMcBurney and @MattBInYYC: Will the Canucks score on the PP again?

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Apr 132012
 

[Every week, Clayton Imoo talks hockey with a CHB follower and fellow fan. If you're interested in being featured in "Shooting from the Hip", send us a tweet at @canuckshockey or @CanuckClay.]

Canucks fan, Jason McBurney

Jason

For the playoffs, we’ll be tweaking things slightly to feature two different fans.  We’ll ask them a few Canucks-related questions and I’ll be offering my two cents as well.  Thus, you get three opinions for the price of one.  What a deal!

We start things off with Jason McBurney (@JasonMcBurney) and Matthew Brosseau (@MattBInYYC).

Jason is a cautiously optimistic Canucks fan whose favorite player was once Harold Druken. Born and raised in Richmond, Jason studied business and marketing at UBC, and is currently working for a non-profit company that recruits doctors to this lovely province. All you really need to know about Jason is that his first words were “Shoot left Nathan”.  He was born in 1988.

Canucks fan, Matthew Brosseau

Matthew

Matthew is 22 years old and lives in Calgary.  He jumped ship to team Canucks during his first season working at the the Saddledome as a host in 2008-09.  However he’s no bandwagoner, and just like Chris (@schneidz), he wears his Canucks love on his arm with his 13 tattoo.  His main sports passion lies with the National Lacrosse League’s Calgary Roughnecks and he hasn’t missed a Canucks game in Calgary for the last two seasons.

1.  Will the Canucks ever score on the power play again?

Clay:  They will, but it might take a couple of games or so (obviously I hope they score tonight in Game 2).  They need more movement and less predictability.  They also need to encourage Henrik to shoot the puck more instead of forcing tough passes.  And don’t get me started on the drop pass through the neutral zone.

Jason:  I am confident the Canucks will turn it around on the power play. Don’t get me wrong, they are not going to post the 20% success rate they posted in the regular season because Jonathan Quick is too darn good, but they will start to see some results. The only time during Game 1 that the Canucks showed any urgency was when they were on the power play with six minutes left. Although they failed to capitalize, I was ecstatic to see such effort. I hate the expression, but LA just wanted Game 1 more, special teams included.

You know who the Canucks need on the power play? Harold Druken.

Matthew:  Of course they will. While the power play has been a bit to be desired lately, I’d rather they struggle through a Game 1 and the last few games of the regular season than crash through a later round or a later game in the same round. They’ve also faced some tough goaltending performances. It might just take one little push/one little spark to trigger an avalanche.  Our power play wasn’t THAT bad the entire season, right?

2.  You’re Alain Vigneault: what’s the single most important change you make for Game 2?

Clay:  Get back to playing Canucks hockey:  fast skating, good puck possession and offense from the defence.  Granted, it’s easier said than done and LA is a good team.  And tell Kesler to quit with the theatrical dives.

Jason:  I’m Alain Vigneault? Well then Charles Wang must be the owner of the Canucks and Garth Snow the GM, because I would be a terrible coach. I would be relying on my gut instincts all the time, and Vigneault is an outstanding coach because he uses reason, stats, and experimentation (though some would argue he’s just a mad man). But I digress.

Vigneault needs to stress discipline. I am no proponent to the theory that the Canucks lost in the Finals last year because they were not tough enough. Contrary to this line of thought, I think they got to the Finals because they didn’t take undisciplined penalties, particularly after the whistles. Game 1 was a bit of an anomaly in that there were back-to-back delay of game penalties on top of a terrible call on Kesler for getting Quick’s jersey a little damp. Take away the bad calls and bad rules, and the Canucks might have walked away with a completely undeserved win.

Matthew:  Do I dare say the unspeakable? I assume we’ll have Daniel back by Friday, so that’s that taken care of. I say stick with what’s been working and continue the rotation of Luongo and Schneider. It’s worked pretty well, and has kept both of them in game condition.  You can’t know if you don’t give both of them a shot.  So, while it’s a slippery slope, I’d like to see Schneider get the start for Game 2.  And please don’t start trolling my Twitter; I’m not a Luongo hater.

Also, I’d maybe experiment with the power play but in a safe way (if that’s possible).

3.  How worried are you that the Canucks don’t make it out of the first round?

Jason:  I’ll be embarrassingly honest with you. I was a bit of an emotional wreck after Game 1. The same question kept on crossing my mind: “What if Penner walks out of Vancouver with a 2-0 lead and a bottle of maple syrup?!” I think the reason I was so distraught was because we were spoiled in the playoffs last year. The Canucks won the first game of every series, and maintained a lead right up until The Day of the Riot. Like every Canucks fan, I overreacted.

Despite the Canucks lackluster play and abundance of penalties, they were only three minutes away from taking Game 1 to overtime. I’ve seen Columbus play better than the Canucks played last night. COLUMBUS. If you just jumped on the bandwagon, you should know that the Columbus Blue Jackets are the NHL’s equivalent to the former Vancouver Grizzlies. The only difference is that Bryzgalov is scared of Grizzlies.

The Canucks will bounce back. Don’t go burning your counterfeit Canucks jerseys with an upside down shoulder patch just yet. Turn that shoulder patch around, and enjoy Game 2.

Matthew:  Not at all.  While a weak power play and a parade to the penalty box don’t do us any good, I feel like we still stand as good as chance as any.  It’s one game.  It takes four wins to make it out of Round 1. The Kings got lucky in Game 1.  I sincerely hope a fire has been lit in the Canucks and we come out guns-a-blazing.  Besides, if we don’t, I may just have to not answer my phone/Facebook/Twitter for a week as I’m pretty sure my friends who are Flames fans turned Kings “fans” won’t let me live it down.

Clay:  I’m not too concerned…yet.  Although they were never behind in a series last year, the Canucks learned a lot from their experience and they certainly don’t seem ruffled or fazed by one loss.  I’m still going to stick with my prediction of Canucks in 6.

However, everything changes if Daniel misses more action.  It’s obvious that the Canucks need him as his absence has a trickle-down effect throughout the lineup.

The Canucks need to win for another important reason: an opportunity to do more Clay’s Canucks Commentaries, featuring Jason.

Fourth Line Follies

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Apr 122012
 

One of the luxuries the Canucks were supposed to enjoy this season was having a fourth line who could actually play. A fourth line coach Alain Vigneault could trust and deploy in almost any situation. In fact, when comparing this version of the team to last year’s, most point to the depth of their lineup and improved quality of their bottom-six.

When you consider that the Canucks’ fourth line consisted of the likes of Tanner Glass, Victor Oreskovich and Alex Bolduc last year, it’s not much of a stretch to think that Manny Malhotra, Byron Bitz and Zack Kassian represents an improvement. It’s a big line, one that likes to hit and play with a bit of skill.

After one game however, you can say it also lacks some discipline.

Yes, the fourth line stood out in last night’s 4-2 Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Unfortunately, they stood out for all the wrong reasons.

During a forgettable second period, Zack Kassian took an ill-advised charging penalty and Byron Bitz received a boarding major and game misconduct for this:

Both were a part of the Canucks’ penalty parade in the first 40 minutes of the game, in which the team was shorthanded for more than 30% of the time (12:36) and gave the Kings 8 powerplay opportunities. As a result, the Kings scored 2 powerplay goals, including 1 during Bitz’s major penalty.

Further, Bitz could face supplemental discipline for his hit on Kyle Clifford. True, it was a fast play and Clifford turned his back to him. Nor do I think there was any malicious intent on Bitz’s part. That said, it was also a dangerous hit on a vulnerable player. Almost the same hit we chastised Clifford for when he hit Chris Tanev from behind last year.

By the end of the game, Kassian had logged 5:36 minutes of ice-time in 10 shifts and Bitz’s night was done after 4 shifts and 2:51 minutes of ice-time – these are lower ice-times than Glass, Oreskovich and Bolduc averaged last year.

Maybe both were excited, maybe both were nervous. After all, for Kassian, it was his first career NHL playoff game, and for Bitz, it was his first since he last suited in the playoffs for Boston in 2009.

No one expects the fourth line to be difference makers. At the same time however, they need to be dependable in the limited minutes they play. They can’t put the team shorthanded as much as they did last night. Simply put, they need to be better and they need to play smarter.

Body Checks by V: Bobby Lu Was Good; Alex Edler Was Meh

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Apr 122012
 
Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks

Photo credit: canucks.nhl.com

A brief look back at the good, the bad and the ugly from Game 1, Round 1 of the Canucks-Kings series.

The Good:  Bobby Lu Tried to Win It for You.

If there are still Luongo-haters out there after tonight’s game, even I think you’re crazy. I’m an undeniable Schneider-supporter and although I’m not a Luongo-hater, I am a Luongo-realist. And realistically tonight, the man was a God. He couldn’t have done more to keep the Canucks in this game. He deserved to win this game. I’m confident that if the Canucks play the same way in Game 2 that they did tonight, Lu will also be the only thing that keeps the game from being 18-2. I’m also positive that Luongo can’t keep this up forever so the rest of the team better shake off the playoff cobwebs and get it done.

The Bad: No Love for Lapierre.

Did Maxim Lapierre steal Vigneault’s chewing gum or something equally worthy of punishment between the end of the regular season and this game? Because it sure seems like the coach has an issue with him. Previous to tonight’s game, Lapierre was on the first line with Henrik Sedin. He was scoring and pulling off a multi-point games. So why did AV drop him from that line? Why was Lappy’s ice time also diminished? He finished last night’s game at 11 minutes when in past games he averaged over 12.5 minutes? Not to be deterred by his apparent demotion, he helped David Booth crush Drew Doughty in the opening minutes of the game and assisted on Edler’s second period goal. Can’t help but wonder what more he could have done with a little more time and Hank by his side.

The Ugly:  The Hot and Cold that is Alex Edler.

When I look back on Alex Edler’s regular season play, the lyrics to Katy Perry’s Hot n Cold run through my head. He’s been up and down all year and tonight was no different. In the first period Edler took a delay of game penalty. In the second he came back with a much-needed goal, tying the game. Then in the third, Edler’s clearing attempt landed directly in Mike Richard’s chest, ultimately giving the Kings their third goal of the night. To be fair, Edler wasn’t the only sloppy player – not by a long shot – but he was the sloppiest defencemen. And we can’t afford defensive mistakes when our offense is acting like scoring goals is so 2011.

Out of Town Notebook: Western Conference Quarterfinals Playoff Preview

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Apr 112012
 
Todd Bertuzzi of the Detroit Red Wings and Shea Weber of Nashville Predators do battle

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (8)

Season Series: Vancouver (2-1-1)

It was an anti-climactic season for the Canucks, who despite injuries to Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin and an up-and-down season from the blueline still found a way to win the President’s Trophy as the league’s best team. A big reason for the success was in net, as Vancouver’s tandem of Roberto Luongo (2.41 goals against) and Cory Schneider (.937 save percentage) put the Canucks near the top of the NHL’s goaltending ranks. In fact, after the All-Star Game only Phoenix and St. Louis had a better save percentage than Vancouver’s .930. Ironically, this Canucks team enters this post-season with many of the same questions it had last post-season. Is there enough secondary scoring on the team? (Not if David Booth and Mason Raymond remain MIA.) Is the defense deep enough? (Probably if Dan Hamhuis can continue his terrific campaign.) Can Luongo “win the big one”? (Probably, but if not Vancouver has the best back-up in the league.) It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out this time around.

This is not how the Los Angeles Kings season was supposed to go. Armed with Mike Richards, the Kings looked like a team that would vie for home-ice advantage and not scrape into the playoffs. Low scoring teams are usually cannon fodder once the post-season begins, and the Kings look primed to fulfill that destiny. Offense has been the sore point all season – only Minnesota scored fewer in the regular season, and a coaching change (from Terry Murray to Darryl Sutter) didn’t really help much. Drew Doughty, Richards, Dustin “Pancake” Penner, Simon Gagne and Jarrett Stoll all struggled to score. Jeff Carter, added at the deadline, offered hope scoring at a 30-goal pace before hurting his foot. Now he’s a question mark as the post-season starts. Nonetheless, there were some bright spots for the Kings. Goalie Jonathan Quick’s 1.95 goals against average, .929 save percentage and 10 shutouts effectively saved L.A.’s season. Anze Kopitar took another step towards becoming the best player in the Western Conference, scoring 76 points and playing a strong two-way game. No team gave up fewer shots-per-game after the All-Star Game than the Kings (24.8).

Key Player, Vancouver: Daniel Sedin

Daniel Sedin is one of the best snipers in the game, and together with brother Henrik gives the Canucks an elite first line. The longer he sits in the first round waiting to recover from his concussion, the better it is for the Kings, who desperately need to win a few 1-0, 2-1 games to pull off a series upset.

Key Player, Los Angeles: Drew Doughty

Doughty’s performance this season has been arguably worse than his disappointing 2010-11 season. Talent-wise though he remains one of the few defencemen in the league capable of dominating play at both ends of the ice. With Daniel Sedin out, it’s one less offensive Canuck player the Kings have to keep in check. If Doughty can keep Henrik Sedin at bay and jump-start L.A.’s powerplay, he could turn a short series on paper into a long one.

Quick Decisions:

Coaching: Even. Both coaches have their critics but they tend to get maximum effort out of their roster.

Goaltending: Even. Jonathan Quick has had a Vezina-esque season playing behind a stifling defense, but the 1-2 punch of Roberto Luongo and Corey Schneider has been elite as well.

Defense: Kings. Both of these teams are loaded with two-way talent and feature strong bluelines, but the Kings under Darryl Sutter have become a suffocating group to play against.

Offense: Kings. The biggest edge in any category as long as Daniel Sedin is healthy. Otherwise it’s much closer, especially if some of the underperforming Kings find life.

Special Teams: Canucks. Los Angeles’ 17th ranked powerplay hurts them against a Canucks team that’s likely to take penalties.

Prediction: Canucks in 5

*****

St. Louis Blues (2) vs San Jose Sharks (7)

Season Series: St. Louis (4-0)

How successful was the Blues regular season? With 109 points, St. Louis had their best record in 12 years (1999-2000). This maturing team was 43-15-11 under coach Ken Hitchcock, who implemented a physical defensive system upon his arrival that pressures puck-carriers and forces turnovers. Goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott split the workload like an old-school tandem, resulting in a league best 1.78 goals against average and .932 save percentage. The 2011-12 season was also a coming out party for a couple of young Blues. Alex Pieterangelo was the team’s best offensive and defensive defenseman, earning Norris Trophy buzz and leading the blueline with 51 points. T.J. Oshie had a career-high 54-points, while David Backes led the team with 24 goals and vaulted himself into Selke Trophy consideration. Quietly, Andy McDonald returned from injury and played at almost a point-a-game pace, giving the Blues three potential scoring lines. Potential scoring lines is the key word there, as defensive responsibility remains the priority on a Hitchcock hockey team. The Blues will go as far as their offense can take them.

It seems like the San Jose Sharks have been destined to win a Stanley Cup forever. Instead, this year’s 7th place finish likely serves notice that the championship window for this group of players is closing fast. San Jose earned 41 points in its last 41 games, worst among all playoff teams. Goaltending was a big factor in the team’s poor play, as the Sharks goals against rose more than a half-goal-per-game (0.52) after the All-Star Game. San Jose’s attack was 10th in the league, but it too has suffered from some inconsistency, with key scorers Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau scoring just 4 goals each since March. Ironically, it’s the much-maligned Joe Thornton (39 points in 35 games since the All-Star break) who’s been the team’s best offensive player down the stretch. On the blueline, Dan Boyle remains the team’s biggest offensive threat, while Brent Burns has been a bit of a disappointment as the team’s #2 defenseman. Marc-Edouard Vlasic is the team’s best shutdown d-man and the only one who can skate (apologies to Douglas Murray and Colin White). This is probably it for the Sharks – their last run at a Cup before the core is altered.

Key player, St. Louis: David Backes

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Backes matched up against San Jose’s top line. His success against Joe Thornton will dictate the length of this series.

Key player, San Jose: Antti Niemi

San Jose only wins this series if Niemi can equal or surpass the goaltending performance of the Blues. The Sharks need him to get hot, fast.

Quick Decisions:

Coaching: Blues. Big advantage here for the Blues. Not only does he have a Stanley Cup ring, but Ken Hitchcock has modified his approach to communicate better with today’s modern player.

Goaltending: Blues. Not only did the Blues lead the league in all goaltending statistics, their goals against actually dropped as the season went along. Let’s not forget the last time Jaroslav Halak was in the playoffs he looked like Patrick Roy.

Defense: Blues. Both teams have solid bluelines, but St. Louis top players are committed defensively in a way San Jose’s aren’t.

Offense: Sharks. The Sharks offense was dormant most of the year but they ramped it up after Martin Havlat returned (3.1 goals per game over their last 10 games). San Jose’s top-end talent has a higher ceiling than that of the Blues.

Special Teams: Even. San Jose’s powerplay was second overall for the year and they were the only team to score at a rate higher than 10% after the All-Star Game. However, their penalty kill is a major weakness (29th in the league; 30th after the break). The Blues have a strong penalty kill (7th overall); average powerplay (17th).

Prediction: Blues in 7

*****

Phoenix Coyotes (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (6)

Season Series: Phoenix (3-1)

There’s some cruel irony in the Phoenix Coyotes winning their first division title as a franchise in what is likely their last season in the desert. Much of the credit belongs to two people: coach Dave Tippett and goalie Mike Smith. Tippett’s defensive system allows the Coyotes to give up shots (only Ottawa and Carolina gave up more per game) but keep scoring chances in the middle of the ice to a minimum. It’s an approach that helped make a name for Ilya Bryzgalov and, this season, helped Mike Smith become a Vezina Trophy candidate. Not only did Smith resurrect his career, but he was practically unbeatable after the All-Star Game (.941 save percentage). It should be noted though that Tippett’s system (and, in turn, Coyotes goaltending) has failed in recent post-seasons as gifted offensive teams (namely the Detroit Red Wings) have found ways to get the puck into key scoring areas. And while this is a Phoenix team that can skate, hit and defend, scoring doesn’t come naturally (18th overall). Terrific seasons by Ray Whitney (77 points) and Radim Vrbata (35 goals) were offset by an absence of offensive flair at the centre ice position. Phoenix enters the playoffs without a single pivot having scored more than Martin Hanzel’s 34 points.

The Chicago Blackhawks overcame much on their way to a 101-point season. For starters, team goaltending has been mired in the bottom-third of the league all year. Chicago’s .899 save percentage since the All-Star Game tied with Boston for worst among playoff-bound teams. That the Blackhawks were solid defensively (9th in shots against) all year only amplifies their challenge between the pipes. The absence of Jonathan Toews also threw the team’s attack into a flux. The captain had 57 points in 59 games prior to a concussion, but taking Toews out of the lineup contributed to a 0.57 goals-per-game decrease in Chicago’s offense after the break. Viktor Stalberg has emerged (22 goals) in a supporting role, but Brendan Morrison (0 points in 11 games), Michael Frolik (5 goals in 63 games) and Andrew Brunette (12 goals) have disappointed. As a result, Chicago features a talented but extremely top-heavy attack that doesn’t go beyond its first two lines.

Key Player, Phoenix: Mike Smith

Without a dominant Mike Smith performance it’s hard to see how the Coyotes can muster enough counter-attack against Chicago’s deep blueline to win the series. The “Desert Dogs” need Smith to steal a couple of games.

Key Player, Chicago: Jonathan Toews

The captain is questionable for Game 1, and without him, Chicago is missing their leader, best two-way player and best faceoff man. Patrick Kane is a creative player but out-of-position and a defensive liability at centre (winning just 42% of his draws). With Toews in the lineup, the Blackhawks also become a much harder team to defensively match-up against. If he’s healthy, this is probably a short series.

Quick Decisions:

Coaching: Even. Quenneville has won a Cup but there’s been whispers of a lethargic season behind the bench. Meanwhile, Dave Tippett might just be the best NHL coach to not have a Stanley Cup ring.

Goaltending: Coyotes. Mike Smith had a regular season for the ages, but Corey Crawford has had playoff success before. He could surprise here.

Defense: Blackhawks. Phoenix’s forwards play a better defensive system and Oliver Ekman-Larsson has emerged as a legitimate top-line defenseman. But Chicago gets the edge given its deep blueline. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Nick Leddy, Johnny Oduya and Nik Hjalmarsson are among the best top-5s in the league.

Scoring: Blackhawks. This is a mismatch if Toews is healthy; if Toews isn’t healthy this is closer than you may expect. Phoenix’s goals per game in the second-half: 2.56. Chicago’s in the second-half without Toews? 2.59.

Special Teams: Coyotes. Chicago’s special teams are arguably the worst in the playoffs. While the Coyotes powerplay is anything but powerful, they’re a top-10 penalty-killing team.

Prediction: Blackhawks in 6

*****

Nashville Predators (4) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)

Season Series: Tied (3-3)

It’s an exciting time to be a “Smashville” hockey fan, as the Nashville Predators had their best regular season in five years. This year’s edition retained the qualities the franchise has been known for – stellar goaltending (Pekka Renne had 43 wins and 5 shutouts) and a strong blueline led by Shea Weber (19 goals) and Ryan Suter (46 points). Where this team differed from there history was on offense. This aggressive, bulldog Predators team was the highest scoring Western Conference squad after the All-Star Game, and finished 8th overall in league scoring. It was a balanced attack featuring seven players with 40-or-more points and the league’s best powerplay. The acquisition of Alex Radulov (7 points in 9 games) also gave Nashville its first legitimate top-line centre since Peter Forsberg donned the mustard orange in 2006-07. The team went 6-3 with the Russian sniper in the lineup, including an impressive 4-1 win over Detroit on March 30th. Tough, fast, and now capable at both ends of the ice, this could very well be the most talented Nashville Predators team of all-time. Their time is now.

While it may have been another 100+ point season in Detroit, the Red Wings actually had their worst regular season points-wise since 1998-99. And while the team was its usual strong self in a variety of categories (7th in goals for and goals against; 5th in shots for, 3rd in shots against), there were some cracks in the team’s foundation. Their road record was 25th in the league and is the worst among Western Conference playoff teams. Their special teams finished in the bottom-half of the league. Niklas Lidstrom had his worst point-totals since 1994-95, while Pavel Datsyuk failed to score 20-goals for the first time since his sophomore season. Dan Cleary, Tomas Holmstrom and Todd Bertuzzi failed to combine for 10 goals after the All-Star break. Still, there is a lot of talent on the roster, as demonstrated by the team’s 23-game home-winning streak. Niklas Kronwall and Ian White had strong seasons on the blueline, while Valtteri Filppula (66 points), Jiri Hudler (25 goals) and Johan Franzen (team-best 29 goals) kept the Red Wings attack potent. When healthy, Jimmy Howard proved he could carry the Red Wings if needed. 

Key Player, Nashville: Alex Radulov

The Predators would have beaten the Canucks last year if they had a single gamebreaker in their lineup. Now they have that gamebreaker and are going up against a Red Wings team that is similar to the Canucks in style of play. A successful series on the scoreboard from Radulov probably means the Predators win the series.

Key Player, Detroit: Jimmy Howard

This is a greying Red Wings team that may find themselves at times physically dominated by the younger, potentially hungrier, Predators. For a long time Detroit has iced teams that haven’t had to rely on goaltending to succeed. This could be the year, and the series, where that dependence is reversed.

Quick Decisions:

Coaching: Red Wings. A slight edge as both Mike Babcock and Barry Trotz are terrific coaches.

Goaltending: Predators. Pekka Renne is an elite netminder; Jimmy Howard is improving.

Defense: Predators. Both teams play well defensively, with Detroit arguably underrated in this area. It’s on the blueline where Nashville has a slight edge. Weber and Suter are the best one-two punch in the league.

Offense: Red Wings. Slight edge here as the Red Wings have greater depth among their forwards. But this is the best attack the Predators have had in quite some time.

Special Teams: Predators. The Predators have the best powerplay in the league and a top-10 penalty kill. The Red Wings have struggled in both areas.

Prediction: Predators in 5

Around the Smylosphere: Get to Know the Kings, Will Daniel Play, and Enjoy the Ride

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Apr 112012
 

While we can’t take credit for coining the term “Smylosphere” – my apologies but I can’t, for the life or me, remember who came up with it – here are some of our favorite Canucks-related links today:

  • If the above video, doesn’t get you excited for the playoffs, I don’t know what will. (Youtube via HFBoards)

  • Get to know your first round playoff opponents, the Los Angeles Kings. (Nucks Misconduct)

  • Why the Canucks will beat the Kings, using my kind of math. (Legion of Blog)

  • According to Jon Haggqvist, a writer for the Swedish newspaper, Allehanda, Daniel Sedin won’t be playing tonight. (Twitter @jonhaggqvist: 1, 2, 3, 4)

  • Zack Kassian, Keith Ballard and Jeff Carter are pretty close to returning. (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province)

  • Mason Raymond seeks redemption from a woeful regular season. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)

  • For Canucks fans, it’s Stanley Cup of bust. (Mark Spector, Sportsnet)

  • Not your typical no. 8 seed, can the Kings upset the Canucks? (Eric Duhatschek, The Globe and Mail)

  • It’s not a goaltending controversy, it’s a goaltending tandem. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)

  • An article on Vancouver businesses’ preparations for this year’s playoffs, including a quote from yours truly. (CP via CTV)

  • And finally, a great read from Thomas Drance. Relax, Canucks fans, and enjoy the ride. (Canucks Army)

Things That Make You Go Hmmm: The Difference That One Game Makes

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Apr 102012
 

[Inspired by Arsenio Hall's "Things That Make You Go Hmmm…", Clayton Imoo talks about Canucks-related things that make him go hmmm… You can follow Clay on Twitter at (@canuckclay) or on his website, Clay's Canucks Commentary.]

Vancouver Canucks

Photo credit: Yahoo! Sports

I’m excited, you’re excited, we’re all excited.  So let’s not waste any time…here are a few Things That Make Me Go Hmmm:

1.  What a difference one game makes. As the Canucks look to open their postseason against the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night, most of the non-Daniel attention is on whether or not this year’s team is better equipped than last year’s for a long playoff run.  Those arguing for this year’s squad point out a much deeper and better-balanced set of forwards, healthy defencemen, both goaltenders playing well, and overall a bigger, stronger and mentally-tougher team.

What I find interesting however is the fact that everyone (myself included) seems to want to compare this year’s team to last year’s.  That’s all fine and dandy, but all bets are off once they playoffs start.  Every run to the Stanley Cup includes so many intriguing factors:  hot and cold streaks, goaltending, special teams, injuries, and luck to name a few.  While I certainly agree that Canucks are better off from last year’s experience, there are 15 other teams that are just as hungry.  So don’t be surprised if the Canucks stumble a bit; after all it was a bit of a strange season.  After all, it would be foolish to suggest that just because one thinks that this year’s team is stronger that they should automatically make it to the Finals.

Just imagine how different this entire season would have been if the Canucks won on June 15, 2011.  I think the fans would have been quite lenient during the regular season thinking that the team would “turn it on” again in the playoffs.  Instead, this whole season was about doing everything it takes to win one more game than last year.  And it all starts tomorrow.

2.  Don’t get upset. With the way the NHL seeds its teams for the playoffs, it’s created two very intriguing match-ups both involving the “weak sister” of the division winners.  In the West, we have the Coyotes (97 points) as the #3 seed hosting the Blackhawks (101 points).  And in the East, it’s the Panthers (94 points) hosting the Devils (102 points).  Which begs the question in each series:  Who is the favourite?

Does one go by higher seed and therefore home-ice advantage?  Or do you look at it as I see it and go with the higher point totals?  I expect both Chicago and New Jersey to win their respective series sending the two division winners packing.  And I’m not too sure anyone would consider these actual upsets.

If both the Canucks and Blackhawks win (and the Blues beat the Sharks), then we’ll have a Vancouver-Chicago match-up for the second round.  How good would that be?

3.  Spacing out the schedule. Ever since the NHL released the playoff schedule on Sunday, there has been a lot of talk about how “spread out” the first round is.  Partly due to how busy the Staples Centre (and Rogers Arena for that matter) is, there is a two-day break between games #3 and #4 and a three-day break between games #4 and #5.

While the three-day break in particular seems a tad excessive, the total potential series length of 16 days (April 11-26 inclusive) is only two days longer than last year’s opening round (April 13-26) and only one day longer than last year’s Stanley Cup Finals (June 1-15).

Factor in the same time zone and the end result should be some good hockey (or at least some rested players).  Plus an extra day to visit Disneyland.

Canucks Review and Preview: Round 1 vs the Los Angeles Kings

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Apr 092012
 

With the first round series between the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings scheduled to start on Wednesday, here is a brief look at the season series between the two teams.

In the Regular Season

The Canucks won the season series against the Kings, but just barely. They took 5 of 8 points (2-0-1 record); the Kings took 4 of 8 points (2-2-0).

November 10, 2011: Vancouver Canucks 3 @ LA Kings 2

In their first meeting of the season, the Canucks raced to a 3-goal lead in the first period. A Trevor Lewis elbowing major and Drew Doughty cross-check gave the Canucks a 5-on-3 powerplay early in the first period. On the two-man advantage, Sami Salo wired a shot from the point and beat Jonathan Quick. Then, with the team still on the powerplay, Andrew Ebbett deflected the puck off of Wille Mitchell to give them a 2-0 lead. For good measure, Aaron Rome got his 2nd goal – in just his second game of the season – which would eventually stand the game-winner.

The Kings mounted a small rally. Doughty got the Kings on the board midway through the second period with a slap shot from the side boards. And with time winding down in the third period and Quick on the Kings bench for an extra attacker, Mike Richards scored on a deflection to cut the Canucks’ lead to 3-2 and make things interesting. However, this is as close as they would come as Roberto Luongo recorded the win.

December 31, 2011: Vancouver Canucks 1 @ LA Kings 4

With 6 wins in 7 games, the Canucks had a great opportunity to end 2011 on a positive note with a New Year’s Eve meeting in LA. But after the Canucks scored an early goal, just 3 minutes into the game, they let the lead slip away and the Kings went on to score 4 unanswered goals.

Bieksa scored the lone Canucks goal, finishing off a good pass and play from Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Bieksa’s marker was in the midst of a season-high, 7-game point streak in which he had 8 points (1G-7A). From December 15 to January 7, Bieksa had 12 points (2G-10A) in 12 games.

Brad Richardson, Matt Greene, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams scored for the Kings. Kopitar’s goal came after the Canucks couldn’t capitalize on a 4-minute powerplay courtesy of a Mike Richards double-minor for high-sticking. As Richards came out of the penalty box, the Kings went 3-on-2 going the other away and Kopitar cut across the crease and backhanded the puck past Luongo.

On this night, the Canucks struggled painfully to clear the zone. And when they did, they just couldn’t generate enough sustained pressure to beat a strong Jonathan Quick.

January 17, 2012: LA Kings 3 @ Vancouver Canucks 2 (SO)

In their third meeting of the season, the Canucks and Kings traded a couple of goals each before the Kings eventually won in the shootout.

First, it was Dustin Penner who deflected a Drew Doughty shot and scored the game’s first goal. Then, Daniel Sedin scored a powerplay goal early in the second period to tie up the game. Late in the second period, while on a powerplay, Justin Williams pounced on a juicy Willie Mitchell rebound to give the Kings a 2-1 lead. David Booth then tied things up in the third period, converting on a beautiful cross-crease pass from Jannik Hansen. Mike Richards recorded the shootout winner.

March 26, 2012: LA Kings 0 @ Vancouver Canucks 1

The fourth and final meeting of the regular season may very well be the most accurate preview of the two teams’ first round playoff series.

Manny Malhotra opened the scoring just 3 minutes into the game by streaking down the left win and wristing a nice shot off the post and past Jonathan Quick. From that point on, it was a tight and low scoring affair.

The Canucks in particular went into a defensive shell the rest of the night. They mustered a mere 25 shots on Quick with 13 of them coming in the third period. Roberto Luongo was huge, stopping all 38 Kings shots.

Who’s Hot: Canucks

Before Daniel suffered a concussion in March, Henrik was struggling and had just 4 assists during a stretch of 12 games. However, since then, Captain Hank has stepped up and finished with 11 points (1G-10A) in his last 8 games. Just as important, he has stated that he is feeling more confident and wants the puck more.

With 81 points (14G-67A) in 82 games, Henrik led the Canucks and all Western Conference skaters in the regular season. Especially with Daniel’s status unknown (though he did skate in practice this morning), it’s no secret his production will be critical to the team’s success during this playoff run.

Who’s Not: Canucks

After surgery in the off-season, Ryan Kesler, last year’s 41-goal scorer and Selke Trophy winner finished the 2011/2012 regular season with 22 goals and 49 points in 77 games – a far cry from his 73 points last season and 75 points the season before that – including a woeful 2 assists in his last 12 games.

There seems to be little doubt among the Canucks faithful that Kes will find his beast mode once post-season play begins.

Here’s hoping.

Who’s Hot: Kings

It’s hard to imagine where the Kings would be without Jonathan Quick’s play this season. Once thought to be expendable because of the play of Jonathan Bernier – sound familiar, Canucks fans? – Quick should be a Vezina candidate and is easily the the Kings’ MVP.

Quite simply, Quick has been a rock in net for LA. He has a 35-21-13 record, a league-high 10 shutouts, a 0.929 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.95. He doesn’t give up much during each game so taking advantage of offensive opportunities will be key for the Canucks. He’s managed to earn the Kings at least a point in 10 of his last 12 starts, going 8-2-2 to finish off the season.

Who’s Not: Kings

Dustin Penner has been a huge disappointment for the Kings this season. His 17 points (7G-10A) in 65 games are his worst season totals, not including his 2005/2006 season in which he 7 points in 19 games. In his last 23 games, Pancakes has just 4 points (2G-2A).

Canucks vs. Kings: The Quick and Dirty

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Apr 092012
 

Was it the matchup you expected? Was it the matchup you wanted?

The Vancouver Canucks claimed their second consecutive President’s Trophy on Saturday night, a feat that few teams in recent memory can lay claim to. They also found out who their first round playoff opponent will be: the Los Angeles Kings.

A quick and dirty look at what to expect when the puck drops on Wednesday night:

Regular Season History: 3-2 win (November 16th), 4-1 loss (December 31st), 3-2 shootout loss (January 17th), 1-0 win (March 26th).

Aside from that one bizarre game on New Year’s Eve, you can expect a lot of 2-1 and 3-2 games in the next two weeks. The Vancouver Canucks have played defensively stingy as of late and the Los Angeles Kings have played the same way all season long.

Los Angeles this year: The Kings were supposed to be contenders from the get-go, but their early struggles in October cost Terry Murray his job. For a team that had problems scoring goals, their decision to hire Darryl Sutter only made even more heads turn. Sutter, a defensive specialist, has ushered in an era where goals are hard to come by against the Kings, and Jonathan Quick has reigned supreme. In fact, had it not been for Quick and his ten shutouts, the Los Angeles Kings would flat out not qualified for the postseason. He’s been their most valuable player, bar none.

Vancouver this year: It’s a remarkable story that the Vancouver Canucks, who for stretches throughout the season looked unorganized and disinterested, still managed to steal the President’s Trophy out from underneath St. Louis and New York’s noses. They did it with both Sedins coming in at less than a point-per-game, Ryan Kesler on a mended hip, and a constant distraction with a ‘goalie controversy’ in net. Going into the postseason, the powerplay is a concern — the Canucks started 2012 with the best powerplay in the league and sagged to sixth by the time the regular season ended.

The Canucks will win if: They find some cracks in Jonathan Quick’s armour. The Kings live and die by how he plays. Much like the Nashville series of 2011, the Canucks will be going up against a team with a couple deadly forwards, a pretty strong blueline, and an elite-level goaltender. But the Canucks proved that great goaltending can only go so far. If the Canucks depth at forward makes a return, this series will be relatively short.

The Canucks will lose if: Ryan Kesler doesn’t show up and Daniel Sedin suffers a setback. Those two players are two of the team’s top three forwards, and if Kesler can’t find an extra gear, there is no second line. The powerplay must also find a way to come alive; it’s been stagnant over the last two months and in a series which has all the makings of a defensive war, the powerplay becomes that much more important.

X-Factors: For Los Angeles, Dustin Penner and Drew Doughty have underachieved all season and will need to provide secondary scoring for a team that finished 29th in league scoring. For Vancouver, David Booth and Mason Raymond both need to make contributions on the scoresheet.

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