Monday October 28 Vancouver Canucks 3 - Washington Capitals 2
The Vancouver Canucks avoided their traditional letdown after a road trip when they came from behind to defeat the Washington Capitals 3-2 for their fourth straight win on Monday night at Rogers Arena.
Top billing went to the NHL's leading goal-scorer Alexander Ovechkin, making a rare appearance on the west coast. Early on, it looked like he'd make a big impression as he was awarded a penalty shot just 1:19 into the game, but Roberto Luongo stopped him easily on a weak effort. In the end, he was held off the scoresheet, finishing with three shots on goal. He was also a minus-2, on the ice for Vancouver's tying and winning goals.
Once again, it was the Canucks' top line of Daniel and Henrik Sedin that made the difference. Zack Kassian opened the scoring for the Canucks with a good-looking wrist shot off the rush but when Vancouver fell behind in the third period, it took just over three minutes for the big boys to reclaim the lead, which they wouldn't relinquish.
It wasn't a great effort overall for Washington, who finished the game outshot by a margin of 41-19. But Vancouver did enough to bag another two points and move into second place in the Pacific Division.
Game Impressions:
- The Canucks' overall style is more sharply focused than it was before the road trip. The defense is much more organized and players are now collapsing effectively in front of Roberto Luongo when needed. It's not so much about getting into the shooting lanes, but more like building a fortress around the net when the pressure becomes intense.
- Mike Santorelli was a buzz-saw on Monday night. He played nearly 20 minutes, including on the power play and the penalty kill, and was noticeable in all situations.
- Seeing Jeremy Welsh live for the first time, he looked pretty good. At 6'3" and 210 pounds, he used his big body well and went 5-1 in the faceoff circle.
- With the way that Tortorella is deploying his players, the depth issue wasn't really apparent during the game. The twins and Ryan Kesler played big minutes, and Kesler was flying. One moment that caught my eye came during the third period. The line came in for an offensive chance, but lost the puck. Rather than immediately getting back defensively, Mr. Selke Trophy crashed the boards behind the net in an effort to strip the puck from the Washington player before they could start a rush of their own. As a winger, Kesler has the freedom to make those choices and looks like he's loving life right now.
- Still nothing from Vancouver's power play. There were some overlapping penalties, but the Canucks went 0-for-6, though they did have good zone time and get some shots. The penalty killers were perfect against Washington's fifth-ranked power play.
- Alex Burrows was steady but not especially prominent in his return to the lineup. He played nearly 16 minutes, primarily on the second line with Santorelli and Higgins and on the power play.
Buzzing Around:
- The Detroit Red Wings are already in town. They haven't played since Saturday, so they'll be well-rested ahead of Wednesday's game.
- Tony Gallagher of
The Province reports that the Sedins' agent, J.P. Barry, is in town and met with Mike Gillis on Monday to continue work on the twins' contract extension. He also had dinner with Mike Santorelli after the game. The way they're playing right now, all three of those players are getting more expensive by the minute.
Grading the Forwards
Fourteen games into the season, the Canucks have already used 17 forwards. Continuing on from yesterday's look at the defense and goaltenders, here are my early grades for the forwards, who are listed in order of point production.
Henrik Sedin: 3-14-17 plus-8
The captain is playing his best hockey since his Hart Trophy season in 2009-10. Henrik's producing at more than a point a game, showing great leadership and making his linemates better. He's tied for second in league scoring with Steven Stamkos and relishing his role under John Tortorella. The only thing that prevents him from getting an A+ is the lousy power play.
Grade: A
Daniel Sedin: 5-9-14 plus-5
Daniel got off to a slow start, but has benefitted from the formation of the "Super Line" just as much as Ryan Kesler has. He's second only to Kesler in shots among the forwards, and is showing a new wrinkle in his offense with slap-shot goals in the last two games. After some early experimentation with the twins playing apart, once again they're showing that they do their best work together.
Grade: A-
Ryan Kesler: 8-3-11 minus-1
If he keeps scoring at his current rate, Ryan Kesler's on pace for a 47-goal season. Lofty but not impossible, considering he scored 41 in 2010-11. After dealing with injuries for the better part of two seasons, Kesler looks healthy—and happy. Here's hoping he can keep it going.
Grade: A
Mike Santorelli: 4-5-9 plus-4
For all the abuse Mike Gillis has taken for his player personnel decisions, he deserves a ton of credit for finding Mike Santorelli and signing him so inexpensively. Santorelli entered the season as a desperate player trying to make the most of his last chance. He has quickly become an indispensable part of the Canucks' forward group. He plays smart in all situations, he's great on faceoffs and he scores timely goals. The best surprise of the year.
Grade: A+
Chris Higgins: 4-3-7 plus-1
With the holes up front early in the season, Higgins has been called upon to play a bigger role than perhaps he's suited for. We need more from Higgins based on his minutes and situations, but I'm not sure he has much more to give.
Grade: B-
Brad Richardson: 4-2-6 plus-2
Another strong offseason signing by Gillis. Richardson has proven to be a solid third-line centre—good defensively, at the dot and on the penalty kill. His four goals to date have been icing on the cake.
Grade: A-
Jannik Hansen: 2-2-4 minus-2
After steady improvement over the past couple of seasons, Hansen is one of the few Canucks forwards not to look good under John Tortorella's system. He wasn't able to do anything with his top-line minutes with the Sedins, or really in any other role. Hansen's now out with an upper-body injury which will put another wrench into his season. A disappointment so far.
Grade: C
David Booth: 1-2-3 plus-3
It looks like Booth could be reaching the end of the line in Vancouver. After a long summer of rehabbing an injured ankle, Booth was invisible when he returned to the lineup. He was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career before getting injured again last week. At his current level, his $4.25 million salary is impossible to trade. The best-case scenario might be simply to hope he'll be healthy enough this summer that Vancouver can use its second compliance buyout to cut him loose.
Grade: D
Dale Weise: 1-2-3 minus-4
In a limited role, Dale Weise was making a decent contribution on the fourth line before being injured last week. He's not the best skater or defensive player, but he'll make brave offensive plays occasionally and eat up a few minutes to let the top guys rest. I don't expect Weise's absence to create a glaring hole in the lineup.
Grade: C
Zack Kassian: 2-0-2 minus-1
I've bumped Kassian's grade up after his performance on Monday. He was active and engaged and scored a beautiful, confident goal—all things we'd like to see more of. After missing the first five games of the season due to his suspension, Kassian has yet to find his role on this team. He has been playing better in recent days: hopefully we'll start to see more out of the big guy.
Grade: C+
Tom Sestito: 0-0-0 minus-4
Tom Sestito had has best game of the season in St. Louis last Friday, eating up 11 minutes of icetime en route to the Canucks' overtime win. On Monday against Washington, things didn't go so well. He was a minus-2 in just over 6 minutes and didn't even record a hit. Sestito provides some team toughness but can't be counted on to do too much, too often.
Grade: C-
Jeremy Welsh: 0-0-0 even
On a team with a long list of injured forwards, Jeremy Welsh has proven to be a capable call-up from the farm. He's has a physical side and seems to understand his role. Welsh may not deliver much offense, but he's worth keeping around until the regulars get healthy.
Grade: C+
Alex Burrows: 0-0-0 minus-1
It's great to see Burrows back in the lineup, but too early to tell how he'll fit into the new team style. Burrows is a hard-working, adaptable player so I trust he'll find his way.
Grade: Incomplete
Jordan Schroeder: 0-0-0 even
Schroeder had a great opportunity to find his spot at the NHL level this season, but two injuries have limited him to just three games. The second-line centre spot was his to lose. Mike Santorelli has seized the opportunity to make it his own, while Richardson and Welsh have been capable pivots in the bottom six. Still too early to tell whether Schroder is a player. Ankle surgery is expected to keep him out for at least two months.
Grade: Incomplete
Zac Dalpe: 0-0-0 minus-1
Dalpe is currently in Utica on a conditioning assignment, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him put on waivers after the two-week period is over. He played very limited minutes during his time with the Canucks and Tortorella didn't seem to be able to trust him. His trade-mate Jeremy Welsh already seems like a better fit with the team. I'm not sure we'll see Dalpe back in Vancouver this year.
Grade: D
Darren Archibald: 0-0-0 even
In his first two games, Archibald has acquitted himself just fine. As a tough guy who has bounced between the AHL and the ECHL for the past two years, he's been steady and offered up a bit of a physical presence. If he can keep it up, he could be as solid on the fourth line as Weise or Sestito. It's early, but I'm hopeful.
Grade: C
Pascal Pelletier: 0-0-0 even
Pelletier played in just one game for the Canucks before being returned to Utica. He seemed to do fine but I haven't seen enough to give him a score.
Grade: Incomplete
I'll re-grade the players again as the season wears on. It'll be interesting to see what kind of movement will unfold.
Any day after a win is a good day—enjoy. I'll be back tomorrow to preview the Red Wings game.
Follow me on Twitter @pool88.
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