COVERING ALL THINGS CANUCKS HOCKEY - ONE STANLEY CUP DEFEAT AT A TIME.
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The Vancouver Canucks appeared to control the game early against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena but couldn’t put away their division rivals until the fifth round of the shootout on Tuesday.
Oilers at Canucks 7:00 PST on Sportsnet Pacific and Team 1040
The Flying Five; five thoughts or story lines heading into tonight’s game for you to wrap your head around.
I. Ryker’s Return
Ryan Kesler rebounded strongly against the San Jose Sharks over the weekend breaking a three-game pointless streak with an outstanding individual effort on Saturday. While Kesler couldn’t find a way to reach his teammates on his scoring play against the Sharks, the second line center played like a man possessed in his last game against San Jose. Kesler will have his hands full again tonight as the two-way forward attempts to go Selke on the Oilers once again. Not a single Edmonton forward currently holds a positive plus/minus rating over the course of the season so far.
II. Oilers Struggling
The Edmonton Oilers enter Rogers Arena tonight following a tight-checking 2-1 victory over those same San Jose Sharks last night in Edmonton. Taylor Hall and the Oilers will have to find their feet for the second night in a row on Tuesday after struggling to secure two points against San Jose. After a low scoring affair at home the Oilers are hoping to break past Kesler and the Canucks’ two-way game to get through to Roberto Luongo. Edmonton has scored two goals or less in their last eight games.
III. Salo Back, Tanev in Transit
Chris Tanev made the most of his short time up with the Canucks but has been sent back down to Chicago after Sami Salo’s rapid recovery from a concussion. Salo of course was notoriously knocked out by Boston Bruins’ forward Brad Marchand earlier this month and makes his return to the lineup following an impressive performance in the Canucks’ skills competition over the weekend. Salo won the hardest shot competition with a 102.7 mile per hour slap shot that couldn’t be beat by his teammates. While Salo returned to the ice with his teammates for the Canucks’ skills competition, I don’t understand the rush to return the fragile Fin to the lineup. Does it really make sense for Salo to slap a couple pucks around and risk returning to the infirmary all for just one game before the All-Star break? Chris Tanev and I don’t think so.
IV. Luongo Vs. Khabibulin
Goaltender Devan Dubnyk stopped 44 of 45 shots last night in Edmonton but is expected to sit behind the Bulin Wall tonight in Vancouver. Khabibulin will have to stand tall tonight as his team struggles to find their scoring touch heading into the All-Star break. The Canucks have tallied 11 goals through three games with the Oilers so far this season and will be looking to continue the high-scoring trend again tonight at Rogers Arena. Roberto Luongo will make his fifth consecutive start in front of Cory Schneider in the final game before the All-Star break gives both goaltenders a week off.
V. Mindcheck.ca
Kevin Bieksa and Rick Rypien developed a special relationship during Rypien’s time with the Vancouver Canucks. While Rypien’s battle with depression ended tragically, the fight for others to overcome their struggles lives on through the words and actions of Rypien’s friends and teammates. The Vancouver Canucks announced the creation of Mindcheck.ca on Monday, a website designed for BC youth and young adults to recognize symptoms and better understand the challenges of mental illness.
“Rick was a big believer of following your dreams and not letting anything get in his way.”
Especially 6’7” tall defenceman.
So be sure to like, share, click, and most importantly TALK about Mindeck.ca at some point today with your friends. The assist won’t go on any score sheet, but goals scored in the battle with mental illness count for much more than any puck put home tonight at Rogers Arena.
Projected Score: Canucks Trounce Troubled Oilers 5-1.
27-21, 1 bang on.
For instant stats, links, news, notes and all the Canucks hockey you can handle, follow The Flying V on Twitter @FlyingVHockey or keep up to date with the Kevin Vanstone on Twitter @FlyingVLyf.
Many jokes regarding Tim Thomas were made on Monday following his no-show at the White House. All areas of the hockey community spoke out over the internet and the memes ran wild. But nothing tweeted regarding Thomas and his political opinions compared to his feature in a gallery of NHL Photoshop gold discovered late Monday night.
Thomas, a few teammates actually present at the White House were featured in one of several brilliant images posted to Reddit Hockey by user benjamagnus on Monday. According to the imgur.com host gallery the images can all be credited to WHL forward Taylor Vause who plays for the Swift Current Broncos.
While the political intentions of the photos remain unclear, the hilarity of Vause’s Photoshop finesse and Puckhead wit are obvious throughout 12 brilliant images.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin make an appearance in a brilliant Step Brothers-inspired creation referencing the twins’ troubled past in Vancouver with a killer tagline.
Steven Stamkos, Drew Doughty, Joe Thornton, Jarome Iginla, Johan Franzen, Henrik Lundqvist, Mike Richards and Superman also make appearances.
Dive into the rest of the gallery here.
In addition to Photoshop skills that make bloggers jealous (No, seriously.) Vause has hockey skills of his own and has been putting them to good use so far this season. The forward has 24 goals and 30 assists in 47 games played for the Swift Current Broncos so far this season.
While I wish Taylor my full support in his pursuit of making the NHL, the thought of Vause becoming the digital imaging equivalent of player turned writer Justin Bourne is tantalizing.
The Vancouver Canucks worked hard to get back to their winnings ways in a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks Saturday afternoon at Rogers Arena.
While Vancouver’s effort level was consistent against the Sharks, Cody Hodgson and the Canucks benefited from a gracious bounce off the stick of Michal Handzus to lift them to victory.
Sharks at Canucks 1:00 PST on Sportsnet Pacific and Team 1040
The Flying Five; five thoughts or story lines heading into tonight’s game for you to wrap your head around.
I. California Killers
The Canucks have struggled over their last two games against California clubs and need to find their game in the fourth and final meeting of the season against the San Jose Sharks Saturday afternoon. A struggling offence has highlighted a number of recent losses versus the Pacific Division where Vancouver’s skaters were unable to find goal support for Roberto Luongo. The Canucks have managed only two goals in each of their games against the Sharks, Ducks and Kings in 2012.
II. Sharks Swimming Circles
Like the Canucks, the San Jose Sharks have been struggling under the strain of the busy mid-season NHL schedule. The Sharks are 3-2-1 over their last six games but have found a way to win in low-scoring games. San Jose has scored two goals in each of their last three wins, relying on team defence and the solid play of Antti Niemi to win games. Consistency is the key for these two teams as they race towards securing another Western Conference playoff berth.
III. Hodgson Holding Strong
Cody Hodgson has been one of the most consistent Canucks this season contributing on the score sheet while receiving little ice time from Alain Vigneault. Young Coho has four goals and four assists over his last ten games rarely receiving over 15 minutes of ice time during that stretch. Look for Hodgson to earn extra ice time as he remains resilient while teammates like Ryan Kesler struggle to score at the midpoint of the season.
IV. Luongo vs. Niemi
Roberto Luongo and Antti Niemi will backstop their two teams for the fourth and final matchup of the regular season between the Canucks and Sharks Saturday afternoon in Vancouver. Niemi was shelled in a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators earlier this week and will be looking to continue San Jose’s winning ways with a strong defensive performance in Vancouver. Like Niemi, Luongo allowed a forgettable four-goal game recently against the Anaheim Ducks but has otherwise been brilliant in the Canucks’ crease. Luongo can’t be left all alone again this afternoon opposite the talented Sharks.
V. Tanev Time
Chris Tanev has been called up by the Vancouver Canucks and is expected to skate alongside Alex Edler on Vancouver’s blue line Saturday against the Sharks. Tanev made a name for himself last season skating with Keith Ballard but is expected to bring balance to the lineup in a new role during his second season with the Canucks. Depending on how Tanev plays in his return to the lineup a looming trade deadline threatens to teach the young blueliner another lesson about life in the NHL. Tanev has matured mentally following a demotion to the AHL earlier this season and the Canucks hope he can bring that steady thinking to the ice this weekend against San Jose.
Vancouver’s last afternoon game involved an irregular amount of animosity; will Saturday’s game against the Sharks be the same?
Projected Score: 3-2 Canucks close season series in familiar fashion.
26-21, 1 bang on.
For instant stats, links, news, notes and all the Canucks hockey you can handle, follow The Flying V on Twitter @FlyingVHockey or keep up to date with the Kevin Vanstone on Twitter @FlyingVLyf.
