Canucks Wagonwatch: Game 53 vs Predators

Throughout the season, the Canucks Wagonwatch series will track how much room is on the team’s bandwagon. In addition, it will also track the completely separate Luongo wagon.

The Predators were 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. Typically, games played against the Predators are defensive minded, and methodically played. However, the last time the Canucks played the Preds back in Vancouver, they lost 6-5 to their sabretoothed Nashvillian foes – almost as many goals as their entire Round 2 playoff series. #SlightExaggeration

Canucks Bandwagon: 70% full

The Canucks jumped out to a 3-1 lead after one period, but were outshot in the opening frame 16-11, and outshot in the game 40-31. I honestly don’t remember the last time the Canucks played a second period (was it January 7 against the Bruins?), let alone a full game, and tonight was no exception, as they were outscored 2-0, and outshot 12-6 in the middle frame.

Luongo Bandwagon: 80% full

Luongo saved the game tonight. Let’s be serious. Alright, maybe he wanted the 3-3 goal back, where it looked like he kicked the puck in with the inside of his right pad. And maybe also the 1-1 goal, where he got a piece of it, but not quite enough to stop it. But make no mistake – the desperation high-toe save in the 3rd, that save in overtime – those were game savers. Yes, even the effort in the shootout. It’s a new year – it’s a new Luongo. And a new Luongo wagon.

Canucks “Slump” Reaches 7-1-2 in Last 10. Wait, what?

The play of the goaltenders in the last stretch of the schedule has been outstanding. In their last 4 games, the Canucks have given up 168 shots, yet they’ve only given up 10 goals. It is on the back of the goalies that the Canucks have somehow been winning games. Truthfully, the Canucks should not have won the game versus the Blackhawks, they were lucky to make it to OT versus the Red Wings, they played about 10 minutes of hockey against the Avalanche, and looked to be outworked tonight in Nashville. Yet somehow, the Canucks have a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games. Not bad for a slump, but there’s danger ahead if the Canucks feel they can win by playing 20-25 minutes a game.

 

Just Another Regular Game Or Not: Canucks vs Hawks

Just Another Regular Game .. Or Not (JARGON) is a new feature to this blog. These posts will feature the best (and worst) of the regular season performances by the Canucks, in anticipation of the playoffs.

Cory Schneider Arrested for Larceny, Canucks Defeat Hawks 3-2 at Rogers Arena.

Alright Schneider wasn’t arrested, but I’m certain there’s an outstanding warrant in the Blackhawks locker room. Both goaltenders tonight were quite good, but Schneider’s volume of work, and degree of difficulty was slightly higher throughout the game.

These two teams are among the Western Conference elite, and the rivalry is intense. The Canucks and the Hawks seem to get up for each other, motivation shouldn’t have been an issue. I expected there to be a chippy, physical game. Instead, the Canucks did not have a single power play, and the Hawks had just 2 of their own, at least one of which was a questionable call.

This game featured a few memorable hits from Alexander Edler (chosen as the game’s 3rd star), and one hip check from Keith Ballard, who played a solid game. That hip check cost him 2 minutes for clipping, which seemed like a blown call. Burrows received 2 minutes for boarding, although from my vantage point Kruger didn’t appear to hit the boards at all. That was all for penalties. The usual “make up call” didn’t happen in the 3rd period, so the Canucks vaunted power play was 0-for-0.

How the Canucks won, and How the Hawks lost

The answer to both of these questions is Cory Schneider. Odd-man rush, left to right, right to left, it didn’t matter. Schneider stopped almost everything fired his way, making 37 saves on 39 shots.  The Blackhawks could have been up by at least 2 or 3 goals after the 2nd period. And then there was this save, which drew a standing ovation from the crowd at Rogers Arena.

“I botched it behind the net,” said Schneider, who had help from defenseman Alex Edler as he scrambled back to his crease where he flopped as Morrison shot. “I just remember reaching as far as I could and the puck hit me. I was more upset with myself than happy about the save.” – via Yahoo Sports

#Coho4Calder train keeps rolling

Remember you heard it here first. Cody Hodgson was named as one of the 3 stars in this game, and perhaps this wasn’t as memorable a game as his effort in Boston, but there was the goal he scored to tie the game in the 3rd period to eventually send the game to overtime.

It seems that Hodgson likes to score goals when they matter the most, which usually translates into massive fan support in Canucks Nation. Does this kid ever score a bad goal? This goal was another beauty, with the #HoneyBadger giving the puck to a lonely Hodgson at the Hawks blueline. Hodgson, walks right in, he dekes, he shoots, he scores! #SoundedWayBetterInMyHead

#WizardousSedinery finds a way in OT

With thanks to @PassittoBulis – the Sedin’s play in overtime is exactly the reason the hashtag was created. The twins appear to have the puck on a string. Henrik to Daniel.

Tonight’s game, the Blackhawks probably deserved a better fate – they seemed to carry the play and the scoring chances were there, but they couldn’t take advantage of enough of those opportunities to secure the win. I almost feel bad for the Hawks fans on my twitter timeline .. but we’ll take the 2 points.

Canucks Wagonwatch: Game 33 vs Wild

Throughout the season, the Canucks Wagonwatch series will track how much room is on the team’s bandwagon. In addition, it will also track the completely separate Luongo wagon.

The Wild played the first half of a back-to-back set tonight, playing in Calgary tomorrow night. The Wild started off with a strong first period, but were down 1-0 after one period after they gave up late goal to the Canucks power play. It wasn’t a typical Canucks power play goal, as it came off a rush and was scored by Henrik Sedin. The 2nd period saw the Canucks score 2 more. The Canucks 3rd goal was particularly nice – Sedin to Sedin to Burrows.
Canucks Bandwagon: 85% full

After Saturday’s big win in Toronto, I expected the Canucks to come out a little flat – the road trip hangover effect – but was pleasantly surprised to see them put in a good effort. The Sedins were particularly effective – beautiful passing tonight – for 6 points between the twins. John Shorthouse and John Garrett indicated that it would be tough to pick the 3 Stars for the game – Luongo, and the Sedins seemed about right from a statistics point of view, but many other Canucks looked pretty good tonight.

Luongo Bandwagon: 70% full

Luongo was full credit for the win and the shutout tonight – holding his team in the game early in the 1st period, as the Canucks were outshot in the opening frame. After the Canucks scored at the end of the first, the Wild were not able to generate much pressure, or many scoring chances. No such thing as an easy shutout, and Luongo did well to maintain his focus. Maybe the haters will say he looked awkward in the 1st. Or that he shouldn’t have looked over his shoulder in the 3rd. Not much to complain about in this one, as Luongo made it look easy. Very good positionally, and very economical movement. Another 3 shutouts in a row, and who knows, maybe the wagon will be at capacity. Or maybe not.

What the Honey Badger wants, the Honey Badger gets

It is more than a mere rumour that the Canucks have animal nicknames for each of their players (reference: Pass It To Bulis). Jannik Hansen is known as the Honey Badger. Tonight the Honey Badger scored his 11th goal of the season; his previous season high was 9 – done twice. Hansen is looking more like a player that can provide some serious secondary scoring, along with speed and good physical play. At this pace he will have between 20 and 30 goals.

Hansen is given the Honey Badger moniker because he plays with a tenacious and fearless style. If you watch this video, and if you’ve seen Hansen play, you will understand it.

Canucks Wagonwatch: Game 26 vs Flames

Throughout the season, the Canucks Wagonwatch series will track how much room is on the team’s bandwagon. In addition, it will also track the completely separate Luongo wagon.

The Flames were on the second game of a back-to-back set, defeating Edmonton last night. The Flames lit the lamp for a 1-0 lead after one period, but their effort dimmed in the 2nd period, and the Canucks extinguished them from there. The Canucks roared back with five unanswered goals to win 5-1.

Canucks Bandwagon: 80% full

After Friday’s disappointing defensive game against the Predators, it was nice to see the Canucks put together a good effort. They gave up only a few good scoring chances. On the offensive side they had a good cycling game and solid forecheck that took advantage of the Flames tired legs. On David Booth’s goal, Chris Higgins stole the puck on the corner boards, and Booth took over on a wraparound from there – a testament to both the Canucks work ethic, and the Flames fatigue.

Luongo Bandwagon: 50% full

Let’s get it out of the way – the one goal that Luongo let in was a softie – it looked to sneak in between his pad and the post, or deflect off his left pad and in. From there, he was lights out, shutting the door the rest of the way. Luongo stopped 21 of 22 shots and looked pretty solid in his first start since his mysterious “Upper Body Injury But Not a Concussion”. The fickle fans of Vancouver might have a problem with the one goal, but can’t argue with the win.

Mason Raymond comeback complete

Mason Raymond made his return to the Canucks lineup tonight, playing his first game since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. He looked to be fast out there, contributing an assist on Jannik Hansen’s goal, and diving for a Cody Hodgson pass in the slot. I enjoyed watching that line skate – Hodgson’s skills with Hansen and Raymond’s speed. Hope Raymond can keep it up and get his scoring touch back.

These Are Not The Droid Goaltenders You Are Looking…

Tonight Cory Schneider makes his sixth consecutive start in the pipes for the Vancouver Canucks, despite Roberto Luongo being pronounced healthy for the last few games.

Is there a goalie controversy here? The Canucks coaches and management would have us believe that there is no controversy, but as Canucks fans tend to do, we make our own drama and decide what is controversial or not.

Here are a few thoughts on Canucks goaltending and where this is all going.

There is a goalie controversy.

Despite what the coaches and goaltenders themselves will tell you, this is a controversy. Luongo should be the number one goaltender, and should have started as soon as he was healthy. This is what starting goalies are supposed to do. All the coaches and goalies talk about being supportive of each other is just covering up what’s really going on. Schneider is staking a claim to Luongo’s spot in the crease.

There is no goalie controversy.

How can you not continue to play a guy that had two shutouts in a row? He’s winning games – the Canucks maybe shouldn’t have beaten Ottawa, if not for Schneider that night. So let him keep playing. Coach Vigneault is just rolling with the hot hand, which happens to be Schneider. Once Schneider loses, Luongo will likely resume his work as number one and regain his spot in the crease. Schneider will then go back to being the NHL’s best backup, to one of the NHL’s best starting goalies.

Luongo’s Upper Body Injury is more serious than originally thought.

Is it possible that Luongo is sitting because he’s not 100%? Maybe. In Luongo’s last start (a 4-1 win versus the New York Islanders), he took a shot off the helmet. Schneider started stretching in the tunnel, but Luongo managed to finish the game. Luongo hasn’t seen action since. He didn’t dress for a couple games, and has been practicing, but sitting as backup since.

The Canucks are showcasing Schneider for trade bait.

Schneider has been playing very well since a 5-1 loss to Chicago. The whole team has been playing better, but there’s no such thing as an easy shutout anymore, and Schneider posted two in a row. First he shut out the Avalanche. Two days later, he shut out the Coyotes. The very next night, he stopped 43-of-45 shots on the second half of a back to back, willing the Canucks to a win in San Jose. There are a number of teams in the NHL that could use a starting goalie of Schneider’s calibre (two of which Schneider shut out on the last road trip). No better way to increase trade value of a young goaltender than to play him more.

Is any of this real?

@transcendwebs: My opinion that #Canucks ride the hot hand (Schneider) til he loses. Also my opinion that Luongo is still the man. #LonelyTweet

 

I believe the Canucks will do whatever it takes to win. Right now Schneider is winning, Coach Vigneault doesn’t want to mess with a winning formula, so Schneider keeps playing. Call it a goaltending controversy or not, tandem or not, it doesn’t matter.

This isn’t the controversy you’re looking for, so long as the Canucks keep winning.

 

Canucks Wagonwatch: Game 18 vs Islanders

Throughout the season, the Canucks Wagonwatch series will track how much room is on the team’s bandwagon. In addition, it will also track the completely separate Luongo wagon.

Sure, it was the Islanders, but on occasion the Canucks have been known to have the roadtrip hangover in their first game back on home ice. Additionally, the Canucks have occasionally overlooked a team like the Islanders, instead putting their focus on the next game (which happens to be against the hated Chicago Blackhawks). Tonight the Canucks were full value for a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders.

Canucks Bandwagon: 80% full

It was refreshing to see the Canucks play a full 60 minutes, and there was no 2nd period let-down tonight. The Canucks jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first on a neat backhander from Aaron Rome, and didn’t look back. The team set the tone early in each of the period by scoring quick goals to start.

Luongo Bandwagon: 40% full

The Canucks goaltender was excellent tonight, stopping 23 of 24 shots, including all 12 Islander shots in the final period. He made a number of good-looking saves, including one shot off his mask in the 3rd period, moving from left to right. Detractors of Luongo will say he had an easy night, to which I always say: He makes a tough stop look easy, with economy of movement. Roberto Luongo may never remind anyone of Dominek Hasek or Tim Thomas with their insanely acrobatic (read: floppy yet athletic) style, because Luongo’s style is all about efficiency. He made a lot of the stops look routine tonight, and also made a number of big saves in the 3rd when the Islanders turned up the heat and applied some pressure on the Canucks.

#Rome4Norris – Back in full effect

Just when you thought Aaron Rome would fade away after a game misconduct 2 days ago, he pulls off a 3 point night, scoring a goal and assisting on two others. The stats line on Rome tonight was pretty good: 1G 2A +2 1PPP. I don’t think he’ll replace Edler or Salo on the top power play unit, but you never know. Cody Hodgson joked in a post-game interview, “You get the puck to Romer and you go to the net, then you can almost start skating to the bench, because you know it’s going in with him.”

#Coho4Calder – You heard it here first

It’s clear that Cody Hodgson is feeling better after misdiagnosed back problems, and he seems to be going at full speed. He was the First Star at Rogers Arena last night, and was excellent in all phases of the game for a center. I was lucky enough to meet Cody with my kids at Rogers Arena earlier this season, and he seems like a great guy. It’s nice to see him take advantage of some real ice time this season, and even nicer to see him enjoying himself out there. Sure, he might not be as sexy of a Calder vote as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but the kid has skills. Hodgson happens to play on the Canucks, who are loaded with top end depth, and he wasn’t drafted first overall, so he doesn’t see as much of the rookie hype as The Nuge. There is no denying that Cody has great hands, and excellent hockey sense. To be continued!

Canucks Wagonwatch: Game 17 @ Ducks

Throughout the season, the Canucks Wagonwatch series will track how much room is on the team’s bandwagon. In addition, it will also track the completely separate Luongo wagon.

Tonight the Canucks lost a tough one 4-3 against the Ducks in Anaheim. Down 4-0 to start the 3rd period, the boys staged a nice comeback effort that ultimately fell short by a goal.

Canucks Bandwagon: 70% Full

The Canucks played the night before in Los Angeles, and picked up a 3-2 win. Last night they built a 3-0 lead after one period, and coasted to the 3-2 final. Tonight, they slow-played the first period, and melted down in the 2nd, allowing 4 goals. To their credit (and my surprise!), the Canucks came roaring back in the 3rd, scoring 3 goals of their own, earning a power play chance late in the game, but still lost by a goal. It was an entertaining finish and gave the fans something to cheer for – at least for the fans that hadn’t shut off their TV by then.

Luongo Bandwagon: 30% Full

Luongo didn’t necessarily play a horrible game, but allowed 4 goals on 19 shots. All 4 goals came in the 2nd period, and Luongo did not return for the 3rd. There is an old hockey adage that says the goaltender needs to be your best penalty killer; unfortunately that wasn’t the case tonight. Luongo’s wagon might have even less people, but Schneider only had to make 2 saves in the entire 3rd period as the Canucks spent the entire period pouring on the offensive pressure. The Luongo Bandwagon exodus was also tempered by the fact that he picked up a pretty good win the night before.

#Rome4Norris Campaign Suffers Setback

Aaron Rome had made some mistakes earlier in the game, but the team was able to get out of the 1st period still in a scoreless tie. Rome took a 5-minute major for elbowing, which came with a game misconduct in the 2nd period. The Ducks scored twice on the ensuing power play, and the Canucks were forced to play the rest of the game with 5 defencemen. If Rome isn’t Shanabanned by the League for that elbow, he’ll have to score at least 2 more goals to make up for tonight’s game.

 

Canucks Wagonwatch: Game 15 @ Blackhawks

Throughout the season, the Canucks Wagonwatch series will track how much room is on the team’s bandwagon. In addition, it will also track the completely separate Luongo wagon.

Canucks Bandwagon: 70% Full

Special teams were surgical tonight. The power play converted 5 out of 6 chances, and the penalty kill was a perfect 5 for 5. The second period has been a big let-down for the Canucks this season, but they outscored the Hawks tonight 4-1 in the middle frame, and sustained a decent pace throughout the game. It was a big win in tough enemy territory, so the wagon has a few more folks on it.

Luongo Bandwagon: 50% Full

The Blackhawks first goal tied the game at 1. It really was a bad goal – Frolik beat him with a long wrist shot from 55 feet out along the boards. Deflected or not, Luongo should have had that one. After the Blackhawks first goal, I’m pretty sure the Luongo haters were calling for Schneider, and the Hawks fans were salivating hoping that Luongo would cave, however, to his credit, he settled down really nicely after that. Luongo made some solid saves when the score was 4-2, and again at the end of the 2nd period to hold a 3-goal lead heading into the intermission. Despite making 38 saves, the first goal prevented fans from climbing back onto the wagon tonight. Solid performance though.

“Familiarity Breeds Comtempt”

Tonight the Canucks posted a 6-2 win over their Western Conference rivals in Chicago. The Canucks might say that they have more contempt for Calgary, and the Hawks number one rival will likely always be the Red Wings, but it’s not hard for either team to get up for this game – they’ve met in the playoffs for the last 3 years running. Each time, the winner has gone to the Stanley Cup Final.

Tonight the Canucks looked like they finally played a game where they had more answers than questions.

 

Canucks bandwagon: Full. Luongo bandwagon: Vacancy.

Is there a more polarizing figure in Vancouver sports than Roberto Luongo?

People either vehemently defend him, or scrutinize every goal that gets by him. There is a long list of reasons people love him and hate him. Tonight, the Canucks lost 4-0 to the New York Rangers. And another chapter in Vancouver’s love-hate relationship with Luongo is written in 140chars or less on Twitter.

@farhanmohamed: I foresee a night of Luongo-hating comments, as usual. #Canucks

In case you thought tonight’s game was pretty bad, the last time the Rangers won in Vancouver, Wayne Gretzky was playing for the Rangers, and Mark Messier wore the captain’s “C” for the Canucks. Think about that for a moment. Those were dark days in Canucks history – Trevor Linden was stripped of the C and driven out of town. Goaltenders included names like Kirk McLean, Corey Hirsch, Arturs Irbe, Kevin Weekes, Felix Potvin, and Dan Cloutier.

One characteristic that is common among all of these guys – none were real winners. Don’t get me wrong – some of them won some games. However, most of these guys had a habit of letting in a soft goal, usually once per game.

In hockey, the object of the game is to score more goals than your opponent. The team that scores the most goals wins.

@kohmcradu: Remember that one time when the goalie couldn’t win the game for the entire team? Defense, anyone? #Canucks

@causticchick: Here we go again with the Luongo hate. He’s not the only one on the ice, people. You win by scoring goals. We haven’t done that. #Canucks

Despite the basic object of the game, and the Canucks not scoring any goals at all tonight, or 2 games ago in Detroit, people will continue to blame Luongo for the loss.

One of the biggest reasons I love hockey is because it is an ultimate team game. There are rare individuals that can dominate a shift, but when hockey is played as a team – a unit of players with a common goal – that is when hockey is the greatest. The team that plays together has a synergistic effect, and wins games.

In hockey, it is rarely one player that loses a game for a team, and so the performance of a hockey club should be assessed with an eye to the team – not to just one player.

One of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, Patrick Roy once said, “For goaltenders everything is playing between your ears.   If you can believe it, you can do it.  If you’re not confident when you start, it makes a difference.“

@DanielKhatkar: I think if this city showed a little support for #1 his mind would be in a completely different place

@AY604: You know how you build confidence in a goalie, you give him the Bronx cheer at home! Good work #Canuck fans!

@korvan: We had one of the best goalies in the league when we got Luongo, now we have a basket case. I wonder what caused that? #Canucks

Even Patrick Roy tells us that confidence is an important characteristic in a goalie. When Luongo was traded to Vancouver, he was lauded as one of Canada’s greatest goaltenders. Drafted by the Islanders, traded to the Panthers, he was stuck on horrible teams, but got to play for his country in the World Hockey Championships. Luongo coming to the Canucks was supposed to be a marriage made in Hockey Heaven.

What happened?

In September 2009, the Canucks signed Luongo to a 12-year contract extension worth $64 million. With salary comes expectations.

@TheFalconer: I think the entire team got deked out of their jock straps on that one. But we’ll just blame Luongo, it’s easier.

Many fans in Vancouver believe that Luongo is one of the highest paid players in the NHL. In fact, he is the 62nd highest paid player in the NHL, in terms of salary cap hit, at $5.3 million. This puts Luongo right behind James Wisniewski and Phil Kessel, and slightly ahead of Corry Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.  He has the 7th highest cap hit this year among goaltenders, just behind Mikka Kiprusoff and Ilya Bryzgalov.

The expectations on Luongo are likely not realistic. No one player will bring about a dynasty of championships, despite what the haters will have you believe. And to win games, the team has to  score goals – this is hockey at it’s most basic.

So this brings about the burning question: 

@wilsons618: Why is it everyone loves McLean when he hasn’t won us anything, but hates Luongo, who’s probably the best goalie that the #Canucks have had?

The answer is somewhere between expectations and results. With McLean (admittedly, my favourite Canucks goaltender of all time), expectations were low. He was a good goaltender, but he was not supposed to carry the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final. The Canucks in 1993-94 were the 7th seed in the Western Conference. They were underdogs in each of their series, and should not have made it out of the first round. Yet they defeated the Flames, Stars and Leafs on an unlikely run to face the Rangers in the final. The Canucks that year shouldn’t have pushed the series to 7 games, but they did against a heavily favoured Rangers team. And they left it all out on the ice, and came within a goalpost of a Stanley Cup.

With Luongo, expectations were high to begin with, and higher every year since. Win games. Sign a long term contract extension. Make the goaltender the captain of the team. Win games by shutout. Take the C away to relieve the pressure. Start him in less games to get him rest. Change the goaltending coach, change his style. Win playoff series. Win more playoff series. Win the Stanley Cup – is there anything else?

Is this a tweet from the future?

@PabloP74: I see a ‘Roy’ situation in Vancouver where Lu gets hung out to dry then demands a trade only to win Stanley cup with new team! #ProfoundLoss

It’s possible. It happened with Roy – widely viewed around the NHL as one of the great goaltenders in the game, he won Stanley Cups, multiple Vezina and Jennings trophies, and even two Conn Smythe trophies, but it still wasn’t enough for Montreal fans, who gave him the Bronx cheer in a lopsided 11-1 game during the 1995-96 season.

It was a different situation and in a different era, but Roy demanded a trade and was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche. That very season, Roy helped the Avalanche win their first Stanley Cup.

For all the October Luongo-haters out there – see you back on the wagon in November! And be careful what you wish for!