Vancouver Canucks

[ridinryan44]

God I hope the PP goes lights-out... just to dissuade Vigneault from persisting with Samuelsson back there.

I'm also hoping for a solid 10 games of Kesler/Hodgson/Higgins to build some chemistry on that line, it holds the promise of (very) good things.

Incidentally, last season nobody with more that 4 games played had a worse save percentage than Luongo has now (at .860 some how he isn't even the worst starter in the league)... he's been bad this year. (by comparison Schneider is at .940)

But the issue I have is the goals that he gives up... particularly his penchant for softies when the game is close. I wouldn't worry about fans getting into his head though, I'm more worried about him getting out of his own head first.

No kidding, eh? Thing is, while I hate Samuelsson on the PP, it actually looked pretty damn good last game. Lundy was the difference. I would way rather see Edler/Salo on the first unit and Bieksa/Hamhuis on the second. No need for Sammy on the point - at all.

[ridinryan44]

Golden quote from Luongo today - the new Bieksa

Roberto Luongo debuts new mask tonight. "It's a couple of weeks late, like my game. Hopefully it all comes together tonight" – TSN

[ridinryan44]

The facade that Roberto Luongo has put on lately is tough to watch, especially knowing that he isn't a bad goaltender. Where has the goaltender from the 2007 playoffs gone to? His spectacular performance in head-to-head battle against Marty Turco, including a 76-shot, quadruple-overtime win, in the first round was nothing short of amazing. Luongo has consistently been a Vezina threat as well as tops in the league for wins. Long-gone (or so it seems) are the shutouts and the feeling that nothing could beat him. I remember when a two-on-one would come down the ice and I knew, almost for certain, that Luongo was going to stop the puck. I felt safe, comfortable and most importantly, confident - something I'm sure the players iced in front of him felt as well. It showed in their play.

There are many theories as to why Luongo's play has faltered. Everything from having his baby, to lack of mental toughness, being over-coached and occasionally the idea that he has his long term contract and no longer cares enough to put in the effort it takes to play at the elite level we expect him to. Each theory could be accurate on it's own or as each making a contribution to the decline in his play. The skill is still there, the desire is still there and the ability to turn things around is definitely there; the hard part is pin-pointing the problem and fixing it.

If you asked me (you didn't but I'm gonna tell you anyways) there is one glaring change that has preceded Luongo's decline. His name is Ian Clark and he was Luongo's goalie coach back from his Florida days up until 2010, when he was replaced by Rolie Melanson. Clark is knowing throughout the goaltending world as an excellent coach with a long history and resume. Performance Goaltending had this to say about Clark:

"At Performance Goaltending we've widely adopted the teachings of Ian Clarke, goalie coach for the Vancouver Canucks and one of the brightest minds in the game. Ian has contributed greatly to the technical training and understanding of the goaltending position. "We've used Ian's training guidelines for many years and personally tested them to ensure they are sensible. We've found his system to be effective and suitable for almost any goalie looking to play a modern style. His success at the NHL and International level speaks for itself." Even Hockey Canada uses Ian's ideas and drills in their Goaltending Skills Manual, something we also use as a guide for age specific ideas and progress indicators.

Using Ian's materials forces one to critically examine the most important elements of the game, right down to the details many goalies rarely consider. We appreciate the depth of analysis Ian brings to the table yet we recognize that not every goalie will be interested in fully digesting this information. "It's our job to simplify the key concepts and deliver them in a manner consistent with the goalies we are training."

Clark is the founder and President of the Goaltender Development Institute which forced him into the role of part-time goaltending coach, rather than full-time. This led to the eventual breakup between he and the team. Luongo, under Clark, played a much different game compared to now. He played a game of pure confidence. He played way out in front of his net, cutting down the angles and playing percentages. If one got by him it was either a great shot, an unfortunate rebound or the "fault" of his defenseman failing the assignment that he was given. His play was like that of Tim Thomas which worked in shutting Vancouver down in the Stanley Cup finals. No matter how you looked at it Luongo minimized the chances of a puck getting by him.

Today, Luongo no longer plays out high in front of his net. Interestingly enough he doesn't play deep in his net either. Rolie Melanson does employ a style that sees Luongo playing deeper in his net than before instead of challenging the shooter, but Lou never appears to be positionally consistent. I, honestly, don't know where Luongo plays positionally, and I don't think he does either. Luongo is so deep inside of his head, whether it's being over-coached or not coached the right way, he isn't conveying any sort of specific playing style and his lack of consistent success has affected his confidence in a major way. The addition of poor fan support and the fact that no one wants to be the scape goat for a losing team only makes things worse. I feel for Luongo when the boo's rain down, but at the same time Luongo is paid like an elite player and he needs to perform like one.

If it's making another goalie coach change, taking a step back and re-forming his strategy or starting from scratch, Luongo needs to make some sort of major change. If Ian Clark weren't currently working with the Columbus Blue Jackets (full-time believe it or not) than I would say do whatever they can to get him back. Things aren't working out for Luongo or his fans, and his head and play are suffering. Something has to give.

[ridinryan44]

I usually wait 'til the end of the game to comment, but Vancouver has come out of the gates HARD.

-1 for 2 on the PP and it looks fantastic. Edler has so far continued his stellar play and is getting more and more comfortable as the QB replacement for Erhoff. His heads up puck-on-net play also resulted in Daryl Weise's first NHL goal. Two assists on the night for Edler...and it's early.

-Salo is looking SO much better than Samuelsson on the PP. I hope to god he sticks there. Since I don't believe in God it probably won't happen.

-Didn't see the goal on Luongo so if anybody could tell me how it looked I would really appreciate it.

-Vancouver had a goal waved off but they are all over Nashville. The goal did get reviewed, and there was no distinct kicking motion by any means, but Sturm did "drag" the puck in with his skate and technically there was no kicking motion. I do agree, though, on no goal...it was all footwork.

-As I type that Higgins and Hodgson go in on a two on one and Higgins attempts a pass across that rebounds right back to him off the defender which he immediately buries into the net. Rinne had no chance as he was mid-movement across the crease to stop Hodgson. NICE!

[ridinryan44]

Easy game to review tonight as it was all Canucks, all game. Nashville was needing a strong effort after a less than stellar one the game before. Nashville only managed to put just over 20 shots on net and Luongo looked refreshingly good tonight. There is still the issue of rebound control but for the most part he was confident and even handled the puck well.

-The PP ended up only 2/8 but looked strong. Edler has so far continued his stellar play and is getting more and more comfortable as the QB replacement for Erhoff, though he was really pushed by Salo tonight. His heads up puck-on-net play also resulted in Daryl Weise's first NHL goal. Two assists on the night for Edler...and it's early. If he could only hit the net with some consistency...

-Again, the PP will be tops in the league. Magic knows no boundaries.

-Salo is looking SO much better than Samuelsson on the PP. I hope to god he sticks there. Since I don't believe in God it probably won't happen.

-Vancouver had a goal waved off but they are all over Nashville. The goal did get reviewed, and there was no distinct kicking motion by any means, but Sturm did "drag" the puck in with his skate and technically there was no kicking motion. I do agree, though, on no goal...it was all footwork. Sturm continued to look rusty, had a couple chances but couldn't finish them.

-Lot's of two-on-one rushes tonight. Higgins was able to convert on a rush with Hodgson.

-Kesler looks like he's played all season and never had surgery. He threw a quick puck on net off of a beauty D. Sedin saucer pass to put Van up 5-1.

-Jannik Hansen's nose thanked Kesler for the goal as it we Weber's four minute double-minor, crushing Hansen into the boards, that allowed Van to convert on the 5-on-3.

-The Sedin's continue their hot play, combining for two goals and three assists.

-Dale Weise scored his first NHL goal, a nifty tip off an Edler shot towards the net.

-Vancouver to continues to put a ton of pucks on net out-shooting Nashville by a 38-26 margin. Salo led with six SOG though Edler should have, putting 4 on net and missing 26 others.

-Bieksa, Salo and Edler led the team in ice-time, Bieksa came in just under 24 mins.


Three Stars:

1.Daryl Weise/Max Lapierre - First NHL goal for Weise, gotta give it to him! Lapierre deserves respect after coming out hard and leading the charge. Lappy also put in a good round with Colin Wilson. Two fights this season already for Lapierre... so strange, he's spent more time fighting than he has yapping.

2.Roberto Luongo's mask - I'd like to get a look inside that thing...

3.Sami Salo - Does he miss hockey, knowing he may retire at the end of the season, so much that he's completely rejuvenated? I haven't seen this much jump in a jackrabbit and he's being rewarded for his great play at both ends of the ice. I'd say more but I don't want to jinx anything.

Great game for the first home win of the season!

[ridinryan44]

Great stat that can't be missed - Henrik Sedin moves past Stan Smyl for third all time with 675 points! Only Naslund and Linden to catch. (733, 756)

Daniel just behind with 661.

[bondon]

Man I was really hoping that Salo would start the year on the #1 unit with Edler...was so disappointed to see Samuelsson start there (sigh).

I noticed though, looked like they were experimenting with a new four forwards PP unit up front. They had Burrows Kesler Sedin Sedin out there with Salo for a decent amount of time with Burrows taking Kesler's spot in front and Daniel on one of the points with Salo. Looked pretty cool lol, wonder if they plan on trying it out again on Saturday.

[ridinryan44]

Man I was really hoping that Salo would start the year on the #1 unit with Edler...was so disappointed to see Samuelsson start there (sigh).

I noticed though, looked like they were experimenting with a new four forwards PP unit up front. They had Burrows Kesler Sedin Sedin out there with Salo for a decent amount of time with Burrows taking Kesler's spot in front and Daniel on one of the points with Salo. Looked pretty cool lol, wonder if they plan on trying it out again on Saturday.

Yea, I saw that too. Then Edler was right back out there on the next PP with the first unit. Be interesting to see if they experiment with that again.

[potatoetree]

Man I was really hoping that Salo would start the year on the #1 unit with Edler...was so disappointed to see Samuelsson start there (sigh).

I noticed though, looked like they were experimenting with a new four forwards PP unit up front. They had Burrows Kesler Sedin Sedin out there with Salo for a decent amount of time with Burrows taking Kesler's spot in front and Daniel on one of the points with Salo. Looked pretty cool lol, wonder if they plan on trying it out again on Saturday.

maybe they want to utilize kesler's awesome wrister again?

[STONE.]

Great stat that can't be missed - Henrik Sedin moves past Stan Smyl for third all time with 675 points! Only Naslund and Linden to catch. (733, 756)

Daniel just behind with 661.

Wow. He could potentially catch both this year!

[ridinryan44]

According to Dan Murphy, Cory Schneider is starting tomorrow

[ridinryan44]

Samuelson and sturm have been traded to fLA for booth, reinprecht and a third.

[ridinryan44]

Turris will be a Canuck.

Why?
Gillis is the type to take advantage of situations. PHO has one of those. Don't know of I like it but it just makes too much sense. I don't know of we need another center but with Malhotra really only good for F/O since coming back from his eye injury, depth is always a good thing. It just makes too much sense.

[ridinryan44]

I would LOVE to see a certain mister goncharov in our system too. PHO has the young D. We could use his physicality and size. My loins are tingling with the potential. Just have this feeling something is gonna happen with PHO. Can't see it being doan.

[STONE.]

I would LOVE to see a certain mister goncharov in our system too. PHO has the young D. We could use his physicality and size. My loins are tingling with the potential. Just have this feeling something is gonna happen with PHO. Can't see it being doan.

Pure speculation, or are there rumblings of this?

I'd like to see Turris in a Nucks uniform. Goncharov would be a nice pickup too.
Think Schneider will be part of what's shipped out?