Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Vancouver Canucks Game Review: Surviving the Hurricanes

October 29, 2014, 1:34 PM ET [180 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Tuesday October 28 - Vancouver Canucks 4 - Carolina Hurricanes 1

With Brad Richardson's goal on the Vancouver Canucks' first shot of the game, the home team cruised to an easy 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at Rogers Arena.

Here are your highlights:



Secondary scoring was the theme of the night for Vancouver. Richardson bookended the game with an empty-netter, while the Canucks' other goals were scored by Jannik Hansen and Linden Vey.

Jiri Tlusty took advantage of a fire drill in front of Ryan Miller in the third period to earn Carolina's only tally.

The win marked Ryan Miller's 300th in NHL history, which ties him for 29th all-time with Tomas Vokoun. With his 6-1 record, Miller's also tied for second in the league in wins, with Anaheim's Frederik Andersen.

It was a strange night on the blue line: Luca Sbisa and Yannick Weber were plus-two for the night, while it was Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa who were sprawled on the ice in front of Miller for Carolina's goal.

Hamhuis started slowly last year as well, if you recall, before morphing into an Olympian. Hopefully he'll find his stride again this season as the games wear on.

If there's any other cause for concern, it's the health questions surrounding Henrik Sedin.

After missing Monday's practice and Tuesday's game-day skate, Henrik took a long time making himself available to the media after the game, speaking only with a small group of the latest stragglers.

He played 17:53 last night, which is on the low side, but it wasn't a night where the first line needed to make a big contribution. And it's not a season low: he's played less in two other wins earlier in the season.

The Canucks are off today before hosting the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at Rogers Arena.

Montreal's coming off a 3-0 loss in Edmonton on Monday, followed by a 2-1 shootout win in Calgary last night. They flew into Vancouver right after Tuesday's game and are practicing today.

Sestito Grumbling

As the Canucks continue to roll along, one player who's not feeling too pleased is Tom Sestito, who has yet to dress for a game this year.

Here's what Willie Desjardins has to say about his perception of Sestito's role with the team, from Dan Murphy at Sportsnet:

“He has to transition his game to our play,” Desjardins said. “He has kind of been in the league as a protector and we want to get him into the role of a player so he’s like everyone else. If something happens, he deals with it, but no more than any other player. So it is a bit of a transition and I don’t feel he is quite there yet.”


Murph reports that Sestito met with Jim Benning during last week's road trip, asking if he was in the team's plans. Benning told him to stay ready.

With the Canucks' first trip to California coming up next week, Sestito's intimidation factor might be needed. On a team that's basically rolling along, this is one issue that bears watching.

Learning From the Best

Murph's other interesting note: during last week's road trip, Canucks president Trevor Linden and vice president of hockey administration TC Carling took a side trip from Dallas over to San Antonio, Texas to meet with brass from the NBA's San Antonio Spurs.

With five championships since 1999, the Spurs are the most successful operation in pro sports over the last 20 years, despite operating in a small market. The Spurs have been able to keep a core of veterans together and stay competitive year after year—an impressive feat.

According to Murphy, "Carling wouldn’t get into the specifics of the meetings but you can bet the Canucks would love to know how the Spurs have managed Duncan, Parker and Ginobli into the latter part of their careers in order to keep their performance at a high level. Something the Canucks would love to do with the Daniel and Henrik Sedin."

I like stories like these. Glad to hear Linden and company finding new angles to look at how to make the Canucks successful over the long term.
Join the Discussion: » 180 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Carol Schram
» Winning Canucks send down Podkolzin, Rathbone as homestand begins
» Power-play fuels big win in Vegas as Canucks look to sweep 3-game road trip
» The Canucks' position at U.S. Thanksgiving, following a big win in Denver
» Trade winds blow as the Canucks kick off road trip against the Avalanche
» Podkolzin returns as Canucks host Vegas amidst Horvat, Myers trade rumours