CHB Countdown: Top 5 Sedin Line Combinations

 Blog  14 Responses »
Nov 202013
 

The Sedins and Alex Burrows celebrate a goal against the Anaheim Ducks.

Photo credit: canucks.com

Glen Sather once proclaimed that a “fire hydrant could score 50 goals playing with Wayne Gretzky”, alluding to how The Great One made everyone around him better. Many would say the same about the Sedin Twins who seem to boost the stats of any player lucky enough to find themself flanked by the ginger duo. Simply put, these guys are just easy to play with.

That being said, the Canucks recent slump has forced John Tortorella to try different line combinations to spark the dried up offense. In the past week we’ve seen Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen join the top line to no avail. This isn’t the first time different players have been assigned to the top line, with some combinations lasting years while others dwindle after a few games. Everyone seems to have an idea of what kind of player would complement the Sedins best, but history has shown us it is not always the obvious choice.

Here are the top 5 greatest Sedin line combinations:

5) Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Taylor Pyatt: This line, featured prominently in the 2006-2007 season, showcased Taylor Pyatt’s size and strength. Pyatt scored 23 goals and 37 points (both career highs) and helped the Canucks cruise to 48 wins and a division title. Here he provides a strong net presence while the Sedins do their thing.

4) Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Ryan Kesler: The most recently formed line on this list, the “Beastmodo” line is the sexiest on paper but simply has not been together long enough to be placed any higher. Dominant at times, with two accomplished trigger men in Daniel and Kes’, teams have struggled to match the firepower of this first line. Surely, we will see this line together again under the Torts’ regime.

3) Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Trent Klatt: Not the most offensive linemate the Sedins have ever had, Klatt provided a veteran presence for the twins in the first few years of their professional career. The dominance of the “west coast express” line during this period allowed the Sedins to develop at their own pace and Klatt kept them at an even keel, while providing offence at a steady rate.

2) Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Anson Carter: This combination only lasted a year but was wildly successful with Anson Carter leading the team with 33 goals. This year marked the coming out of the Sedins as the core offensive players and leaders on the team.  Carter’s ability to crash the net aided the Sedins’ cycling ability well.

1) Daniel Sedin-Henrik Sedin-Alex Burrows: The longest tenured player on the Sedin line and with good reason, Alex Burrows has spent the majority of the last 5 years playing with the twins. A tremendous reader of the game, Alex has gained the instinctual movement and know-how that the Sedins seemed to be born with. Burrows has become one of the more reliable goal-scorers on the Canuck squad and his presence on the top line has elevated the Twins stats as well with the two of them winning back to back Art-Ross trophies with Burrows at their side.

Canucks vs Panthers Game Day Preview: Goals Please

 Blog  2 Responses »
Nov 192013
 
Torts "Hey Kes, I'm going for all you can eat after this, wanna come?" Hansen "I never get invited anywhere cool...."

Torts: “Hey Kes, I’m going for all you can eat after this, wanna come?”
Hansen: “I never get invited anywhere cool….”

 

The Florida Panthers are in town tonight to face our bent but not broken Vancouver Canucks. It’s the first of two meetings between the two teams, who meet again in March but under the Floridian sun.

It’s been 3 years since the Canucks and the Panthers last played against each other. The Canucks beat the Panthers 2-1 in October 2010. Since then, Obama’s been re-elected, John Tortorella’s been hired, Roberto Luongo lost his starting goaltender job to Cory Schneider, Schneider got traded to the New Jersey Devils, and I’ve grown 2 inches.

The Canucks could use a little pick me up, having lost their last 4 games (0-3-1). They may still be a little bitter too after that controversial disallowed goal on Sunday against the Dallas Stars cost them a point.

If we were looking for positives, the Canucks’ offence has outshot their opponents in 3 of their last 4 games. However, finding the back of the net has been a struggle as they’ve scored exactly 1 goal in each of their last 4 games. Overall, the Canucks are averaging 32.5 shots per game, 3rd in the NHL, disproving the theory that if you keep shooting at the net one is bound to go in.

The Panthers are 2-8-1 on the road. They won their season opener in Dallas, but then lost 9 consecutive road games before winning their most recent outing last Saturday in Colorado. They beat the Avalanche 4-1 and got goals from 4 different players.

Who to Watch

Defenseman Brian Campbell leads the Panthers with 12 points, while forward Brad Boyes leads them with 7 goals, 1 of which was scored on Saturday against the Avs. Campbell, Scottie Upshall and Tom Gilbert all had multi-point games against the Avs.

Dale Weise is expected to return to the Canucks line up after missing 10 games with a knee injury. If anything, Weise on the 4th line provides the team with a physical presence.

Who’s Out

Jordan Schroeder (ankle) remains the lone Canuck on injured reserve. He’s not expected back until late December at the earliest.

For the Panthers, former Canuck Ed Jovanovski has a hip injury and is on injured reserve, and Scott Gomez is questionable for tonight with a groin injury (day-to-day).

The Game According to Twitter: Canucks 1 vs. Stars 2

 Blog, TGATT  No Responses »
Nov 182013
 

There are times when we wonder if the officials hold some sort of bias against the Canucks. Or, like last night in the Canucks’ 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, when a couple of questionable calls changed the complexion of the game, one nullifying a game-tying goal, we wonder if they’re just that incompetent.

Read more #TGATT goodness past the jump.

CHB’s Top 10 Reasons Why Henrik Sedin’s Goal Was Waved Off

 Blog, CHB Top 10  No Responses »
Nov 182013
 
So tell us how you really feel, John.

So tell us how you really feel, John.

The most popular topic stemming from last night’s 2-1 Dallas Stars victory over the Vancouver Canucks was the apparent Henrik Sedin power play goal that was called off early in the second period.  The official reason referee Rob Martell waved the goal off was because he felt that Daniel Sedin had made illegal contact with Stars’ goalie Kari Lehtonen just prior to Henrik’s shot.

Obviously, the goal could have been a huge momentum-changer, as it would have evened the score at 1-1 in a game that the Canucks were controlling the play.

Needless to say, Twitter exploded with conspiracy theories and charges of bias against the Canucks.  I was one beneficiary of this Twitter rage as my picture of “Angry Torts” (as above) had me trending atop the Trendsmap rankings for Vancouver for a short while.

CHB represent!

CHB represent!

I can safely say that this was the first time and likely the only time I will ever be trending in ANYTHING.  But I digress.

Thanks once again to you – the awesome people on Twitter – I have compiled yet another top 10 list.

Here are the Top 10 Reasons Why Henrik Sedin’s Goal Was Waved Off.

HM:  “Just to piss us off.” – submitted by @KevinBye1

HM:  “It was an action out of habit, as the refs all assume the Canucks can’t score.” – submitted by @A_L_ai

10:  “Ref made a human mistake but sh!tty rules allow that to happen with no recourse by team.” – submitted by @THECooop

9:  “Refs thought they were UFC judges.” – submitted by @greynotegroup

8:   “Coin came up heads.” – submitted by @skitzo12

7:   “The Henrik goal was waved off because the refs wanted to make the early bird special at the buffet. OT would have made them late.” – submitted by @HabsLions

6:  “Gary Bettman pressed the ‘Screw the Canucks’ button at NHL headquarters and activated the implant in the ref’s head.” – submitted by @b_cmack

5:  “Staches got in the way – too many participants for Movember.” – submitted by @elmeebaterina

4:  “Henrik farted in Lehtonen’s face. Heard that could give a guy pink eye.” – submitted by @cbaldwin74

3:  “One of them went to the Roxy last time they were in town. #herpesareforever” – submitted by @jennafabulous

2:   “The ref got confused that Henrik shot the puck. Thought it was an illegal move for him.” – submitted by @jasonclowers24

1:  “Ref didn’t want Henrik passing Don Lever on the all-time goal scoring list.” – submitted by @Steve_May

 

 

Game Day Preview Canucks vs. Stars: The Return of the Honey Badger

 Blog  No Responses »
Nov 172013
 

142153805_std
(source: nhl.com)

Vancouver Canucks (11-7-3)
Dallas Stars (10-7-2)

The Vancouver Canucks are looking to end their 3-game winless streak (0-2-1) tonight against the Dallas Stars. The Stars are 2-1-0 in their last 3 games, and also have won their last 5 games away from American Airlines Center.

This is the first of three meetings between the Canucks and Stars. The Stars won their most recent meeting by a 5-1 score back on April 18th, 2013.

Who’s Back

Jannik Hansen is expected to return to the Canucks line up after missing 10 games with a shoulder injury. At practice on Saturday, he skated on the second line with Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins, which pushed Alexandre Burrows up to the first line with the Sedins. Maybe a change to the line-up is the boost the Canucks need to end get back on the win column.

Who’s Hot

Kevin Bieksa has 4 points in the past 4 games, scoring the Canucks’ lone goal against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

For the Stars, Tyler Seguin scored 4 goals and and added an assist in the Stars last game against the Calgary Flames. Seguin is the first player for the Stars since 2007 to score 4 goals in a game.

Who’s Out

The Vancouver Canucks are still missing fowards Jordan Schroeder (ankle) and Dale Weise (lower body). Both forwards are on injured reserve.

The Dallas Stars will be playing without forward Ray Whitney (lower body), who is also on injured reserve.

The Game According to Twitter: Canucks 1 vs. Sharks 2 (OT)

 Blog, TGATT  No Responses »
Nov 152013
 

So, so close. 65 more seconds and the narratives today would have had a markedly different tone.

After beating their playoff nemesis in consecutive games, the Vancouver Canucks would’ve been touted as playoff contenders.

Roberto Luongo would’ve had his 3rd shutout of the season, and perhaps start shutting up some of his critics. (Or not. Who’re we kidding here?)

But alas, after controlling much of the game, the Canucks couldn’t finish on all but one of their scoring chances, gave up the tying goal with 65 seconds left in regulation time, took a penalty in OT, and then dropped a 2-1 decision to the San Jose Sharks.

*sigh*

Read more #TGATT goodness past the jump.

CHB’s Top 10 Hockey Heel Turns

 Blog, CHB Top 10  No Responses »
Nov 152013
 
"The Goon" wrestled in the WWE (former WWF) in 1996.

“The Goon” wrestled in the WWE (former WWF) in 1996.

I have a confession to make: I watch professional wrestling.

While I don’t follow it as closely as I used to in my teenage and young adult years (I can get through a 3-hour show on my PVR in about 15 minutes), I admit that I can still be entertained by these “sports entertainers”.

Some of the most memorable and exciting moments in wrestling take place when a hero switches allegiances and becomes a villain. Most wrestling fans know that the good guys are called “faces” and the bad guys are called “heels”; thus when a good guy becomes a bad guy it’s called a “heel turn” (I know…it sounds like a dance move).  The most effective heel turns are sudden, forceful, and surprising (I’ve included two of the most famous ones in this blog).

Thus, combining my love for hockey and my strong like (haha) for wrestling, I present to you the Top 10 Hockey Heel Turns:

10:  Slamming a teammate’s arm in the bench door.

9:  “Luongo giving Kesler a Stunner.” – submitted by @MikeVersace1

8:  “Refuse the next line change and head to the dressing room.” – submitted by @jortillan

7:   “Submarining a teammate during a 2 on 0 rush.” – submitted by @PPGoose

6:  Hitting a teammate in the head with a broadcast camera.

5:  Mats Sundin with the shootout winner in Toronto.” – submitted by @THECooop

4:  “Get a fan favourite traded, take captaincy, un-retire #11.” – submitted by @PPGoose

3:  Scoring on your own net and then pointing at the fans as they pelt you with garbage.

2:  “Hugging your teammate after a goal then throwing him through a plate of glass windows.” – submitted by @jortillan

1:  “No matter what, jersey must be pulled off to reveal another jersey.” – submitted by @jbowmancouver

How Reliable is the Canucks’ Third Line?

 #fancystats, Blog  No Responses »
Nov 142013
 

David Booth and Zack Kassian, Vancouver Canucks

Photo credit: CTV.ca

John Tortorella has lived and died by his top two lines this season with the Sedins and Ryan Kesler easily on pace to destroy their career averages in ice-time.  While this is perfectly fine for now, I can’t see the Canucks’ top six forwards being able to stay at the top of their game at the tail end of the season if Tortorella is going to continue to ride them so hard, especially when you factor in that Daniel, Henrik and Kesler are certain to be traveling to Russia to compete in the Olympics.

I decided to take a look at just how reliable the third line has been this season and see if Tortorella is riding his top guys too hard, or if he really doesn’t have a competent third line to work with to take some pressure off the top-six.

Part of the problem with this is that the Canucks have had so many injuries that the third line hasn’t been very constant with players moving around and players like Dale Weise and Tom Sestito playing up when they obviously aren’t top-nine forwards.  For the sake of this argument I made the assumption that the Sedins, Kesler, Alex Burrows and Chris Higgins are all entrenched on the top two lines and that David Booth, Brad Richardson, Mike Santorelli, Jannik Hansen, Jordan Schroeder and Zack Kassian are all guys who are likely to see time on the third line either now or in the future

One final prelude is what I actually think the Canucks’ third line should be capable of.  It is not realistic to expect these guys to be scoring a goal a night, but what they should be able to do is eat up some minutes while keeping the puck out of their own net and hopefully driving play with a Corsi percentage of 50%. I’m sure Tortorella would appreciate a low event third line as long as more time is spent in the opponent’s end than their own, you know if he paid attention to advanced stats.

Of the guys I mentioned above, Booth, Santorelli, and Hansen are players who are great at driving possession.  At 5-on-5, the Canucks have controlled 57.4% of shot attempts with Hansen on the ice, 53.3% with Booth on the ice, and 53.5% with Santorelli on the ice. Santorelli has benefitted the most from injuries and playing with Higgins but still, he appears to be a reliable player at this point.  As we head further down the depth chart the results are less encouraging with Kassian at 48.1%, and Richardson at 42.2%, even with his 5 goals. To put that in perspective, Richardson’s Corsi is in Weise and Sestito territory.

To take it a bit further, I took a look at how each player has played when teamed up with Kassian over the last 3 seasons (since he was traded to Vancouver) to see how they performed as a unit to try to minimize the effect of playing with other players.  Why Kassian as the constant? I figured he isn’t likely to move up or down the lineup much this season as Tortorella has used him almost exclusively on the third line. There isn’t much “with you” data for some players but I included them anyway.

Zack Kassian’s With You Stats (2011-2014)
Player Time Goals CF% GF/20 GA/20

David Booth

 144:13 3 55.0 0.416 0.416

Brad Richardson

 88:32 4 44.9 1.129 0.678

Mike Santorelli

 48:45 0 53.0 0 0

Jannik Hansen

 2:46 0 40.0 0 0

Jordan Schroeder

 56:27 0 44.3 0 0.711

 

When teamed up with Kassian guys are more than less playing at the same level as they are with other players based on their Corsi percentage.  As a unit they’ve given up too many goals but in such a small sample size it’s probably not a huge concern. In an unrelated note, one thing that did surprise me was how little Hansen and Kassian have played together at 5-on-5 since “the trade”.  You’d think those two would have played more than three minutes together.

So, what does all this really mean? I think that the Canucks have a third line that is capable of eating up minutes without being a liability when you have Booth and Kassian on the ice. One of the reasons I didn’t agree with the “conditioning” assignment or scratching of Booth was that the team desperately needs him to play to take pressure off the top-six.  Yes, the Canucks would prefer he score goals at the price they’re paying him, but the team hasn’t been scored on with him on the ice this year which is pretty valuable too.  As more players return from injury, I’d feel pretty comfortable with a Booth-Santrorelli-Kassian line, and Richardson moving back down to the fourth line while being a valuable penalty killer. My hope is that Tortorella will too and allow the Sedins and Kesler to go back to around 18-21 minutes a game.

Canucks vs Sharks Game Day Preview: The Last Of The Sharks (For Now)

 Blog  No Responses »
Nov 142013
 
Exactly one week ago today the Canucks bested the Sharks in a 4-2 win, can they do it again?

Exactly one week ago today the Canucks bested the Sharks in a 4-2 win, can they do it again? (Credit. cbc.ca)

Last Thursday, the Canucks won 4-2 against the San Jose Sharks – their first win against the Sharks in 9 games. Let’s pause and have a moment of appreciation for that.

Alright moving on.

Tonight, both teams meet once again, for a fourth and final time this regular season, kicking off the Canucks’ 6-game homestand at Rogers Arena. Unless they meet in the postseason – knock on wood – this could be the last time we see the Sharks this season.

The winning team in their 3 previous meetings scored 4 goals in their wins.

What to Watch

After a gruelling 4 games in 6 nights road trip culminating with back-to-back losses in California, against the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, the Canucks had 3 days off to regroup and recharge. The Canucks will have rested legs and they will need them early. Last Thursday, they scored 3 of their 4 goals in the first period, and getting another early lead against San Jose certainly won’t hurt.

Who to Watch

The Sedins and Kesler were unstoppable in October with 14 goals and 18 assists, but in the last 4 games, they’ve been quiet with only 1 goal and 3 assists. Everyone goes through streaks and slumps so hopefully they snap out of this funk soon.

For the Sharks, Joe Thornton has a 5-game point streak. With a huge physical presence, the Canucks will need to battle hard to keep him under wraps.

Who’s Back

David Booth is back from his conditioning stint with the Utica Comets and playing in the AHL may have been the wake-up call he needed. Well, we hope it was anyway. He notched an assist in the Comets’ first victory of the season. And the hope now is that Booth can return and be the player we know he is capable of being, and that John Tortorella wants him to be.

Who’s Out

The Canucks still have Jannik Hansen (shoulder), Dale Weise (lower body) and Jordan Schroeder (foot) all sidelined, although Hansen practiced yesterday and will likely return when the Canucks go against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

The Sharks have some bad injuries. Ex-Canuck Raffi Torres has a knee injury that needed surgery and 3-5 months of rehab. Adam Burish (lower body) and Brent Burns (upper body) are also out. All 3 are on injured reserve.

The Canucks at the Quarter Pole

 Blog  4 Responses »
Nov 132013
 

Brad Richardson , Christopher Tanev, Jason Garrison, Mike Santorelli

Photo credit: canada.com

With 20 games now in the bag in the Vancouver Canucks’ 2013/2014 season, here are some good, some bad, and some surprises and disappointments.

It’s Torts’ team now.

It wasn’t a surprise when GM Mike Gillis decided at the end of last season to fire long-time Canucks coach, Alain Vigneault. It was, however, perhaps a bit more surprising when the guy he tapped to succeed AV’s gum-chewing, hands-off approach with a gruff, known taskmaster in John Tortorella. By the end of last season, much was made about the complacency that developed, maybe in part because of AV’s player-friendly approach, and Torts’ coaching style was as far-removed from this as possible.

He is, indeed, more vocal behind the bench – and off it, I suppose. He’s more hands-on, and we’ve seen him make in-game adjustments. He relies heavily on stars like the Sedins and Ryan Kesler, all of whom sit in the top 5 among forwards in average ice-time. He’s shown he’s willing to give more ice-time to players who are going, or sit those who aren’t. He’s not afraid to play anyone in any situation, except maybe the 4th line.

But despite this, the doom and gloom that a lot of us predicted hasn’t materialized. And in fact, we can argue that Torts has even had the desired effect on this team. For the most part, gone is the complacency and casual play. On most nights in this early season, the Canucks forecheck hard and battle hard along the boards. Regardless of the score, they play an aggressive style and keep their foot on the pedal, which has helped them overcome deficits – only 4 teams have more wins than the Canucks when trailing after the first period, and only 1 team has more wins than them when trailing after the second period.

At the Canucks’ Summer Summit, Tortorella said he wanted the Canucks to be aggressive and to be tough to play against. And 20 games in, we’re beginning to see this. It’s Torts’ team now, and it looks like the Canucks are buying what he’s selling.

The Sedins are still stars.

A few years ago, before they signed their current contracts, numerous armchair GMs wanted the Sedins gone. Believe it or not, back then, a fair number of Canucks fans were willing to trade them for a bag of pucks and then use the cap money they save to sign Olli Jokinen and Marian Gaborik. It’s unthinkable now, especially after a couple of Art Ross trophies, a Lester Pearson trophy, and some modest (by this franchise’s standards) playoff success.

Or so you’d think.

This summer, there were once again rumblings from the bandwagon that the Canucks were better off to let the Sedins walk through free agency. Or trade them to a true Cup contender and kickstart a rebuild. But once again, at least through the first quarter of the season, they’re proving their doubters wrong. With 20 points (3 goals and 17 assists), Henrik Sedin sits 13th overall in NHL scoring, just 3 points back of league leader, Sidney Crosby. He’s recorded at least a point all but 4 of the 20 games he’s played. (Though 3 of those 4 games were the Canucks’ last 3 games.) Daniel isn’t far behind either. With 17 points (7 goals and 10 assists), he sits 24th overall in NHL scoring. Even at 33 years old, they’ve both taken on more responsibility, now taking a regular shift on the penalty-kill and already logging more PK time through 20 games as they have in the last 2 seasons combined.

As a famous person once said, they get knocked down, but they get up again, and they’re never gonna keep them down.

The newbies have fit in nicely.

There are some of us who probably still have the memory of signing or acquiring the likes of Marco Sturm, Samuel Pahlsson and Cam Barker fresh in our minds so it was somewhat acceptable when we looked cynically at Mike Gillis’ reset this off-season, which included signing Mike Santorelli and Brad Richardson, and picking up Ryan Stanton from waivers.

But with 3 guys who were pencilled in the Canucks’ top-9 – Jannik Hansen, Jordan Schroeder and David Booth – spending significant time out of the lineup due to injuries, the newbies have actually done quite well in their place. Santorelli, who hails from Burnaby, sits 4th in team scoring – behind just the Sedins and Kesler – with 12 points (5 goals and 7 assists). Richardson sits 6th with 5 goals, including 2 shorties, and 10 points in just 13:33 minutes of average ice-time per game (8th among Canucks forwards). And Stanton has been dependable in his 14 minutes per game in a third pairing role. Plus, Stanton has also contributed 7 points (3rd among Canucks defensemen). Santorelli, Richardson and Stanton have been pleasant surprises early this season.

The powerplay has been powerless.

There was a stretch midway through last season during which the Canucks scored 2 powerplay goals in 52 powerplay opportunities – a whopping 3.8% success rate – in 20 games. They finished the 2012/2013 season with a 15.8% success rate (22nd in the NHL), which was 4 percentage points lower than their success rate in 2011/2012 (19.8%, 4th in the NHL), which was almost 5 percentage points lower than their success rate in 2010/2011 (24.3%, 1st in the NHL).

In response, out went Newell Brown and the drop pass. Well, at least out went Newell Brown. And in comes Jason Garrison to the first PP unit. Wait, never mind, scratch that.

Despite changes in their roster and behind the bench, the Canucks’ powerplay hasn’t changed much. Okay, it has. It’s even worse now than it was last season, sputtering at a woeful 9.7% (28th in the NHL, ahead only of the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers), and having only scored 6 powerplay goals in 20 games this season.

At least the PK is okay.

With a penalty-killing rate of 89.4%, the Canucks currently have the best PK in the NHL. Not only that, they’ve also scored 3 shorthanded goals, which is tied for 2nd in the NHL. Add to this that they’ve been shorthanded longer than all but 7 teams, and you have to admit, the PK has been one of their bright spots.

Luongo’s been good, but he needs to be better.

By Roberto Luongo’s usual October standards, he actually had a good start to the season and currently sits in the top 10 in wins among all NHL goaltenders. But behind the 9 wins in 16 games – only 6 goalies have more wins than he does – are some pretty average numbers. His 0.911 overall save percentage ranks him just 26th among all NHL goaltenders. His 2.41 GAA ranks him 21st. He has a 0.910 save percentage on even-strength (51st), and a 0.914 save percentage when the Canucks are shorthanded (23rd). Lu’s been good. But if the Canucks have any hope in getting out of the tough, tough, tough Pacific Division, they need him to be better.

 Older Entries  Newer Entries
%d bloggers like this: