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Vancouver Canucks Game Review: UPDATE - EDLER SUSPENDED 3 GAMES

October 11, 2013, 12:48 PM ET [320 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Thursday October 10 San Jose 4 - Vancouver 1



After conjuring up unlikely overtime wins in their last two games, the Vancouver Canucks ran out of magic as they fell 4-1 to the San Jose Sharks for the second consecutive Thursday.

For a game between divisional rivals that could have been seen as a measuring stick, the contest was a surprisingly listless affair. There wasn't much intensity—the most unique thing about the game may have been the massive number of hybrid icing calls against both sides.

The Sharks seemed to let down a bit after their big 9-2 home win over the New York Rangers on Thursday. They were playing their first road game of the year and were beating Vancouver for the ninth consecutive game that counts—we'll ignore those two preseason games.

The Canucks had an opportunity to make amends for a poor showing at their season-opener last week but lacked grit right from the opening puck drop. Coach John Tortorella called a time out just 4:34 into the game to try to wake up his team but his motivational speech didn't have much impact on this night.

Yes, the Sharks are a better team than Vancouver has faced in recent games, which makes it tougher for the Canucks to operate. Are they already showing signs of fatigue? Torts has leaned hard on his top players in the early going.

Once again, the fourth line barely made the stats sheet. Tom Sestito was the high-minute man with 5:35 over 9 shifts, and the group was on the ice for the Sharks' first goal. Tortorella put Weber, Dalpe and Sestito out for a supposedly 'safe' shift right after San Jose's first power play of the night, but Todd McLellan answered right back with Thornton, Burns and Hertl. Less than 45 seconds after the end of the power play, Marc-Edouard Vlasic got San Jose on the board and the game's outcome was basically sealed. "I guessed wrong," Torts admitted in the postgame press conference about allowing the mismatch.

Mike Santorelli was the bright spot for the Canucks once again, potting his fourth of the season on a line with the Sedins. He also did time on the power play and penalty kill. With Torts riding the hot hand, Santorelli logged more minutes than any Canuck other than Roberto Luongo—even more than the defensemen. He finished the night with 23:42.

Good value for his $550,000 salary. How long can he keep it up?

Zack Kassian will return to the lineup from his suspension on Saturday, so that does give Tortortella one more NHL capable body to work with.

The loss gives the Canucks a 3-2-0 record through five games and puts them in a second-place tie with Anaheim and Calgary in the Pacific Division.

Shots on Goal: Vancouver 26 - San Jose 29

Blocked Shots: Vancouver 15 - San Jose 13

Penalty Minutes: Vancouver 6 - San Jose 2

Hits: Vancouver 22 - San Jose 18


Quick Hits:

- UPDATED: Alex Edler has been suspended for three games for his hit on Tomas Hertl on Thursday. As the second period wound down, he collided with Hertl near the benches. It didn't appear that Edler deliberately targeted Hertl's head, but his helmet popped off and Hertl initially looked a bit disoriented. He did return and take a regular shift in the third period. Edler wasn't penalized on the play but is a repeat offender: he was suspended for two games last season after a collision with Phoenix goalie Mike Smith when it was determined that he didn't attempt to minimize the contact.

Here's the video explanation of Edler's suspension from the Department of Player Safety.



- Speaking of Hertl, he didn't score but he was a factor on Thursday. Playing on a big first line with Joe Thornton and Brent Burns, Hertl was a noticeable presence around the Vancouver net. He finished the night with three shots on goal in 16:37 of ice time and was a plus-1.

- Joe Thornton's comments about Hertl and how he'd react if he scored four goals have been covered to death already, so I won't get into that. I will point out that Thornton was announced as part of the pregame celebration of the 25 millionth fan at Rogers Arena, but didn't participate. That seemed to me to be a small protest after feeling betrayed by the media in the locker room. Yes, there were a bunch of reporters around when he made his comment, but it wasn't exactly 'news.' I'm sure winning was the best revenge for Thornton, who finished with two assists and was a plus-2.

The Canucks finish off their opening homestand against Montreal on Saturday night. I'll be back tomorrow morning with a preview of that game.

I'm working on another Bleacher Report story, which will post later today. Follow me on Twitter @pool88 for all my hockey links.

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend!
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