Vancouver Canucks

[ridinryan44]

Man, it's been like waiting for x-mas, now that the 82 game warm up is over.

A sleeper D-man I could see breaking out is Ballard, though I'll take his shot blocking prowess over scoring with the depth Vancouver has on the blue line.

Go Canucks Go!

Possibly, yea. He'll have to get the even strength points if he wants any as it will take an injury or two for him to see any PP time.

[MoreCanadianTeams]

Possibly, yea. He'll have to get the even strength points if he wants any as it will take an injury or two for him to see any PP time.

Agreed. I know it's a stretch, but he's looked really solid lately. I like the points that you & bOndon made on Bolland/Manny, very true IMHO. It will be interesting when the bowling ball also known as Raffi comes back, even more hitting!

Edit: And how about Edler! Wow! Talk about a dominant performance and just 3 games in from his return after 2 months off.

[bondon]

Let's just hope Ballard doesn't try more of those dipsy-doodles in his own end...lol that scared the heck out of me last night when he almost coughed up the puck trying to get fancy.

I gotta be honest though, the thing that stood out to me the most last night was how the bottom 6 stepped up in a big way. All 6 of them were playing with tremendous amounts of energy, Hansen is so fast and I was glad to see him win the unsung hero award at the last Canucks home game. Non-Canuck fans don't know him at all and kind of regard him as a scrub-type player but what he brings is important.
Oreskovich was another guy that stood out to me, doing exactly what the 4th line is supposed to do, put some pressure on and make some bonecrushing hits. Hodgson played great, came so close to scoring his first playoff goal in his first playoff game. Lapierre looked great out there too, Raymond was playing hard and fast. Glass was throwing hits and taking them to make plays.

Everyone who talks Canucks typically talks about the top 6 (for good reason), but I can't say enough about that bottom 6 the way they stepped up last night. I hope they can keep this up for the rest of the playoffs.

PS: On a side note, I love how Hamhuis gave Kane a facewash at the end of the game when Kane slashed him. No more goons on the Hawks to protect this little runt anymore and I can't wait until Torres decks him. I know he's a good talent but he pisses me off beyond belief with his attitude.

Edit: Just thought I'd include this article that was written a few days ago, really got me pumped for the series to start http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Wi...871/story.html

[ridinryan44]

What a game last night! Vancouver came out roaring and absolutely dominated the first period. I don't know who it was that laid a hit on Campbell behind the Hawk's net early on, but it led to Campbell playing like a little ***** for the rest of the game, anytime he went to the puck along the boards. Scared to get hit. Another note on Campbell, on the positive side, is there a better skater in the NHL? Man, is it ever fun to watch him. So smooth and incredibly agile on his skates.

The fourth line combined for 15 hits and were all over the ice. As mentioned above, the energy they brought was infectious. The Hawk's took over the second period and numerous chances. The third was more even, a real back-and-forth game. The Hawk's hit about 4 posts and were stuffed by Luongo all game. Lu had a brilliant stop on Campbell (I think in the first) where he came across the crease and managed to get a skate blade on the puck and not knock it into his own net. Lu was brilliant.

Janik Hansen could be the unsung hero for Van if he continues his play. Never gives up, doesn't shy away from any physical play, and has the speed and hands to score a goal here and there. Without Manny, the third line needs to step up big time.

Hodgson was also outstanding in limited minutes. Could have had two goals, one on a beautiful give-and-go which he almost re-directed through Crawford. His skating was much better than I was used to seeing.

Even though the Hawks missed some opportunities and hit some posts, Mikael Samuelsson also hit two posts and Maxime Lapierre missed an open backhand. While posts are close, they aren't goals, and I think any goalie will tell you that they are happy enough to force the shooter to the outside enough to hit the post, and it's as good as any save.


Look forward to game two in Van, and if they win it, I'll call Vancouver in 5. If they lose, Vancouver in 7.

[ridinryan44]

Wow. What a game, and what a victory. Vancouver's top players really stepped up and everybody played their role. A couple of Vancouver errors led to Chicago's last two goals, but I'll take rare errors over strong Chicago play. Edler had a strange turnover in his own zone to lead to the Stalberg goal, and Luongo let out an un-characteristic rebound that led to Ben Smith's second goal (yea, who?). Edler, was absolutely incredible once again. He had a statement hit on Kane right at the beginning of the game and it took the same toll on Kane that it did on Campbell at the beginning of the first game. Kane was shying away from hits on the board for the rest of the game and it really affected his play. Tides have turned in terms of physicality, and looks to be the one of the biggest reasons why Vancouver has been controlling the first two games. Things don't look good for Chicago. I think they come out hard in game three in Chicago, winning it, but then falling to Vancouver in the following two games to bow out in 5.

The other biggest reason that Vancouver is managing to control the game is the TOI. Chicago's top forwards were all hovering around the 20 minute mark, while Vancouver's were 18-19. Hamuis was Vancouver's top D at 24 minutes, while Keith saw 27. Kieth was also at 27 minutes in the first game while Hammy was down around 22. Chicago's top forwards also saw about 5 minutes more than the twins. Being able to count on our depth to be responsible and not liabilities is going to play a big part in staying fresh in our run to the cup. As much as they can handle the ice time, playing so many minutes is bound to wear Chicago's big guns down.

IMPORTANT - Mikael Samuelsson was a late scratch due to "sickness." In reality it's the same injury that's been bothering him at the end of the season. Bonus to Mason Raymond owners.




My stars of the game:

Daniel Sedin - Is their a weakness to be found? Between his beauty of a snipe for his second goal and his bang-bang passing play from Henrik to Hansen for the first goal of the game, Daniel is bound to be Vancouver's MVP.

Jannik Hansen - Playoff warrior. Played his first game in the NHL (that I can remember) in a playoff game. Played his ass off. He continues to do this and is being rewarded. 2 goals in the first two games this year? Yes, please.

Alex Edler - Boom. 'Nuff said. S-T-U-D.

Jonathan Toews - Great chance in the 1st to get Chicago the early lead, but great defense and solid play by Luongo forced him to lose control. Played great all game. Is anyone surprised?


Don't forget:

Cody Hodgson - Playing far better hockey than I've ever seen thus far in the NHL. Big game player? His patience and ability to slow down the puck and control it led to Edler's big goal from the point (or was that Ben Smith's?)


Fantasy watch:

Daniel Sedin - 3
Henrik Sedin - 2
Ryan Kesler - 2
Jannik Hansen - 2
Alexandre Burrows - 1
Alexander Edler - 1
Mikael Samuelsson - 1 (injured)
Dan Hamhuis - 1
Christian Ehrhoff - 1
Kevin Bieksa - 1
Chris Higgins - 1

[ridinryan44]

Sameulsson will play tonight at the expense of COHO.
Rome is also out as Torres returns from his suspension that was worse than stomping on a foot.

Lineup:

Sedin-Sedin-Burr
Higgins-Kesler-Sameulsson
Torres-Raymond-Hansen
Glass-Lapierre-Oreskovich

[MoreCanadianTeams]

Excellent game. The Canucks got themselves in some penalty trouble in the 1st but the solid PK and a clutch performance by Lou held back the barrage so they could regain their footing in the 2nd. The story from this game unfortunately is the blind side hit on Seabrook by Torres. I love his bowling ball style of play but with the need to protect the health of players I see rule 48 being applied here.

I thought there were some good points made on both sides in the General Hockey Talk thread, Seabrook has his head down but Raffi is a freight train a rollin'. IMHO, respect for the player needs to come into play here and I see Raffi getting a couple of games at least, though I wouldn't be surprised to see him get more to set an example.

Back to the game itself, an excellent effort by both sides. Jonathan Toews was simply amazing in his effort but it wasn't enough to sink the S.S. Canuck.

3-0 series lead baby, oh yeah that feels good

[ridinryan44]

Great to see Sameualsson back last night and respond with a goal. It took about 3 swats at the puck for 3 different Canucks but it eventually went in!

Chicago is dejected. Their interviews after the game had everything written right across their faces. I said Cancuks in five but I really don't know if Chicago is going to be able to find the energy to beat a team loaded with energy right now. Should be a great game 4.

Raffi Torres didn't get suspended for a questionable hit on Seabrook last night. Looking forward to hearing the league's reasoning behind the non-suspension. I really wavered back and forth on which player was more responsible, but I thought Torres should have been suspended, at least to keep the message the same.

Great showing from all Canucks last night. Lou especially, who was my first star. Killing off that 5-on-3 was critical.

Game Stars:

Luongo - Solid all around. # key saves during the 5-on-3 and continues to frustrate Patrick Kane to know end. He stuffed on that same PP as well as making a huge glove save on a Kane backhand that could have gone up and over his glove if Kane had more room. Nothing like keeping the stars in check.

Torres - Minus the risky hit, Torres drew into a winning lineup and played his heart out. He continued to play with the same grit even after the hit and laid his body on everything he could. Great return for the bull.

Jonathan Toews - Captian can-do-it-all. Gotta feel badly for the guy who works his ass off and doesn't get the return he's looking for. Toews is doing everything he can to keep his team in the game but isn't getting a lot of help. Sharp is shooting better but he isn't able to do a whole lot else. Hossa had a couple of good take-aways, but isn't doing much to help offensively.

Christian Erhoff - Looking for a big playoff series from the soon-to-be UFA. He'll earn his paycheck, and then hopefully take a cut to stay with Vancouver. Learning to control the huge shot of his has done wanders for his offensive game.

Don't Forget:

Kevin Bieksa - Two points in the series and doing everything he needs to be. Loving the return to form from my one time favorite Canuck dman. Consistent effort and limited mistakes. It's going a long way.


Fantasy standpoint:

Roberto Luongo - 3 wins, 1 SO - (9 points in my pool format 2-W add 3 for SO)

Daniel Sedin - 5
Henrik Sedin - 4
Christian Ehrhoff - 3
Kevin Bieksa - 2
Ryan Kesler - 2
Mikael Samuelsson - 2
Jannik Hansen - 2
Alexander Edler - 2
Alexandre Burrows - 1
Dan Hamhuis - 1
Cody HOdgson - 1

Chris Higgins - 1

[MoreCanadianTeams]

A bit off the topic of the playoffs Ryan, but the guys on Team 1040 were talking about a potential signing from the Swedish Elite League. I started a thread in Prospects to see if anyone has any more insight:

http://www.dobberhockey.com/index.ph...d.php&t=102127

[ridinryan44]

A bit off the topic of the playoffs Ryan, but the guys on Team 1040 were talking about a potential signing from the Swedish Elite League. I started a thread in Prospects to see if anyone has any more insight:

http://www.dobberhockey.com/index.ph...d.php&t=102127

Nice! We've been lucky over on that side, so any new names are cause for excitement. Gonna have to do some research...

[ridinryan44]

UGLY loss there tonight. I didn't think Vancouver could sweep them, though it was looking more and more likely with the lack of energy from Chicago. The early goal and the two quick ones back-to-back put Vancouver on their heels, and gave Chicago the horse. It was nice to get a late PP goal (especially as an Erhoff owner in my playoff pool, up to 4 points) and end on the right note.

Game Stars:

Ryan Kesler - About time he got here. He's been incredible every game and was one of the only players who was solid and inspired the entire game. Carries the team.

Chicago Blackhawks - Inspired win. Got the crowd into it early and managed to keep it going even after Vancouver tied the game not to long after Chicago made it 1-0. Good on 'em.

Kevin Bieksa - Yea, he jumped him alright. Did Stalberg deserve it? He deserved a beating, but maybe deserved a little more warning. That's emotions for ya and a fight is a fight (is that the Van fan in me?). Bieksa kicked the livin' shit outta him. I freakin' love it when he fights.


Don't forget:

Mike Gillis - He was making sure that the Chicago fans weren't gonna enjoy it all. Some sort of an altercation (verbal) between him and some fans led to some ejections. Pays to be the big man, not the guy buying the ticket


Look forward to a two-goal win for our boys back home in Vancouver. I have men's league that night. I'm not going.

Fantasy Standpoint:

Roberto Luongo - 3 wins, 1 SO - (9 points in my pool format 2-W add 3 for SO)

Daniel Sedin - 6
Henrik Sedin - 4
Christian Ehrhoff - 4
Ryan Kesler - 3
Alexander Edler - 3
Kevin Bieksa - 2
Mikael Samuelsson - 2
Jannik Hansen - 2
Alexandre Burrows - 1
Dan Hamhuis - 1
Cody Hodgson - 1
Mason Raymond - 1
Chris Higgins - 1
Sami Salo - 1

[ridinryan44]

The Canucks have announced that they have signed 21-year old Sebastien Erixon of the SEL. He's small at 5'10, but it hasn't seemed to stop him so far. Erixon played for the U18 junior team in 07/08, as well as the U20 team in 08/09, collecting a bronze and silver respectively.

You can read some info on the Erixon signing here.

[ridinryan44]

Sounds like Cody Hodgson draws back into the lineup as he third line center, as Mason Raymond has struggled there. I like this move.

Keith Ballard is out and Aaron Rome will take his place. Lost a puck mover, but I don't mind Romes grit as the 6th man.

Sedin-Sedin-Burrows
Higgins-Kesler-Sameulsson
Raymond-Hodgson-Hansen
Glass-Lapierre-Torres

Hamhuis-Bieksa
Erhoff-Edler
Rome-Salo

4-2 win Vancouver. Let's go boys.

[2 Minutes For Bearding]

i have to say the canucks look like they need a bit of leadership. it wasnt luongo last year and its not hank this year. just so apparent they need a stevie Y or Messier to give them a solid speach. its not the coach...

[STONE.]

This is killing me!
I said before game 4 that a sweep wasn't good for the Nucks -- a long layover wouldn't have been nice for round II. Now I'm starting to wonder if round II is in the books. WTF?

Seriously, how many breakaways are they gonna give away tonight. Luongo actually made some decent saves, but was absolutely hung out to dry as well. Where's this D that GMMG built?

How many times are we gonna shoot it directly at Hjalmarsson's ankles? Where is Burrows? Why does Cody Hodgson look like our best player?

F.