One of the great things about having a cell phone that has apps is the ability to listen to the radio all over the world. Thanks to that ability, I've been spending some time at work listening to the TEAM1040, Vancouver's sports station, and I'm having a blast. Being a fan of a team that makes it's home about 1,300 miles north of my home, can make it kind of difficult for me to have my finger on the pulse of the fan base that I am so closely a part of. Listening to local Vancouver sports talk takes that 1,300 mile barrier away, and it's so awesome.
Of course, it's not all enjoyable. The day after a 2-3 loss to a Montreal Canadiens team that seemed to have snuck up on us all, the local Vancouver sports media is spending all their time washing Carey Price's balls. Now, I may have to plead a little bit of ignorance here. While I've been a fan of a Canadian team since February of 1994, I still may not completely understand the intense love that Canadians have for their homegrown stars. Canadian athletes are like superheroes up there, especially the ones that leave to make a name for themselves, but always stay true to their roots. Most Canuck fans who have lived in BC for their entire life can name practically every NHL'er to ever come out of the province. It's amazing. I admire it, really. However, when everyone and their mother gets all gushy over the effort of Carey Price less than 24 hours after he beats our team, I kind of get a little miffed.
Comments like, "Carey Price is a story I'll never get tired of," or "I thought he'd vanish when Halak emerged in the playoffs, but he stayed strong, and he deserves everything he gets," or "Carey Price is more loved than every other NHL'er in BC, outside of Canucks players." Instead of exploring what went wrong for the 'Nucks last night, or why Alain Vigneault played the game without a fourth line, we're sitting around chatting like teenage girls about the Habs keeper just because he grew up in Anahim Lake, BC, his father flew him by "bush plane" to all of his games and practices, and he's greatly admired by the Native community in BC because his mother is the former chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation. Alright, alright, I get it. He's a great guy, and a great BC guy at that, but we're Canucks fans, can we focus on our team?
The last time Price came to BC, the 'Nucks tagged him for seven goals, he ended up getting pulled, and he punched a hole in the clubhouse wall (did he have to pay for that?). This time, we decided to try not taking shots and see how that worked out. Not very well. In the first 10 minutes of play, the Habs outshot the Canucks 14-1. And it kind of worked for them. Desharnais scored on a breakaway 6 minutes in, Gionta pounded home a rebound 60 seconds later, and the Frenchies were up 2-0. The Canucks woke up, and decided to play late in the first. The revival cashed in on a Henrik Sedin power play goal at 3:27 of the middle frame, but 7 minutes later, Montreal got their two goal lead back on a goal from Kostitsyn. Despite a mad dash, a third period goal from Samuelsson on the power play, and 13 third period shots, Price and the Habs had us beat. The Canucks ended up dominating the shot game, 39-25, oddly enough, and Carey Price ended up dominating Roberto Luongo (95 SV% to 88 SV%). Price got the game's first star, and the love fest was underway.
The return of Dan Hamhuis (15:17) and Keith Ballard (14:41) didn't seem to bolster the defense quite enough, and Chris Tanev (-2 in 11 minutes) looked like his days away from Manitoba may be numbered. And remember how the team had told Cody Hodgson that he was being called up with a shot at proving himself over a 3 game try out? He was on the ice for 3:26, with a buck plus on the second power play unit. How is he going to prove himself with that much ice time?
And that brings us to our coaching question. Why is Alain Vigneault thinking that we should just roll with three lines when he really wants to win a game, rather than letting our fourth line take a shot? Remember why the Chicago Blackhawks always beat us in the playoffs? It's their depth, and we're not showing very much fourth line depth as of late (or, really, at all this year). The Canucks have had 12 different players come out on the fourth line this season, showing that they have little faith in the bottom group on the roster. With Hodgson getting called on to center the line, and Tanner Glass being the only stable force on the wing, many thought the fourth line would finally shine. Instead, they rode the pine for most of the game against Montreal, while Ryan Kesler was forced to play over 16 minutes. It's not going to work, especially come playoff time.
So what can the Canucks do? When you're rolling Sedin-Sedin-Burrows, Samuelsson-Kesler-Raymond, and Hansen-Malhotra-Torres, what kind of fourth line do you need? Well, you need a line that can keep the score the way it was when their shift started, and maybe chip in a lucky goal every once in a while. A line of Glass-Hodgson-Oreskovich (or Tambellini, if you prefer) may seem somewhat suspect, but with Hodgson's potential, and a smart defensive pairing to help them out, that line is a nice combination of strength and scoring. What better to get top of the line players pumped up than a goal from the fourth? Well, if you want it to happen, you're going to need to put them out on the ice. Trust them, and see what happens.
At 38-14-9, the Canucks still lead the division (+15 on Minnie/Calgary), the conference (+5 on Detroit), and the league (+1 on Philly), but with the trade deadline coming up this Monday, a whole lot of things can change. For now, we'll focus on trying to beat a 27-23-9 Blues team that has had our number all year. It's happens at the Roger tomorrow, and a win would sure be nice.
I hope the fans at the arena boo Alex Steen.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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