The answer is: Kryptonite. But why? Why did the Canucks lose 0-4 to the Minnesota Wild over the weekend? Why are they 1-2-0 against the Wild, but 10-0-0 overall against the rest of the Northwest? What is it about the Wild that stops the Canucks in their tracks?
Sunday night's version was a battle of backup goalies. Cory Schneider, known as "The Ginger Jesus" around Orca Nation (thanks to his awe inspiring hair), stepped in between the pipes and gave up a deuce in the second and the third periods. He finished with 21 of 25 kept out. Meanwhile, third stringer Anton Khudobin (a 24 year old Borat wannabe) stopped 32 of 32 Vannie shots, thanks mostly to the help of his defense. A defender pulled a puck off the goal line for him early on, and the classic Minnie trap that collapses around the goal mouth helps to keep the rebounds down. It works against the 'Nucks.
Now, the Wild don't suck. They are 22-18-5 this year. But they aren't really good, either. They have a -14 goal differential and a 23rd ranked SRS per Hockey Reference (out of 30 teams). So, what is it about Havlat, Koivu, and company that helps them keep beating the Canucks when the two teams get together? Shooting percentage.
My theory is that the Wild are somehow able to take a fewer number of shots and score a large number of goals against the Vannies. They seem to be a team that waits for the good opening or angle, rather than just jamming the net and hoping for a rebound. This weekend's 0-4 game saw the Wild take just 25 shots, and only 15 while at even strength. They finished with a 16% shooting percentage. The Canucks, obviously, finished at 0%. Back in October, the Wild beat the Canucks 6-2, so you'd expect a lot of shots, right? 24, with just 18 coming at even strength. That was a 25% shooting percentage. The Canucks finished that game at 7%.
Think I'm crazy? Minnesota is dead last in the NHL in shots taken per game, ranked 30th with 26.0 S/G. Meanwhile, they're ranked 27th in goals per game, sitting on 2.51. While that may not seem like much of a difference, the Wild's shooting percentage of 10% (rounding up) per game is fairy high up the charts (like top 3 or 4 in the league, according to my quick glance calculations). How are they able to make their shots so valuable and well timed? However they do it, it works against the Canucks.
My 29-10-6 Canucks are still the top team in the NHL. Tonight we make a quick stop at the Pepsi Center, an arena that has been very kind to us as of late. We're 8-0-1 against the Avs in our last 9 tries. Watch out for Hank, Daniel, and Raymond in this one. The Sedins have combined for 9 goals and 13 assists against Colorado in 4 games this year (and this is talked about as much as Vlad v Texas stats used to be), while Ma$e has 4 and 7 in the aforementioned 8-0-1 stretch. Also, with our recent rash of injuries (Rome, Alberts, and Bolduc), we may get a chance to see my boy Sergei Shirokov tonight, as he's been called up from Manitoba. This game just gives us so much to look forward to.
Let's get this win.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
0 comments:
Post a Comment