Tuesday March 21 - Vancouver Canucks 5 - Chicago Blackhawks 4 (OT)
On paper, the undermanned Vancouver Canucks didn't stand a change against the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks when they rolled into the United Center on Tuesday. But the Canucks managed five goals on 15 shots, including two from Brandon Sutter and two from the Sedins, on their way to a 5-4 overtime win.
Here are your highlights:
I was away skiing on Tuesday, but I made it back to the TV for game time, and I'm glad. I'm not sure I would have been able to process everything that happened without having seen it with my own eyes.
Here's how the forwards were deployed to start the game.
Baertschi-Horvat-Boucher Sedin-Sedin-Chaput Megna-Sutter-Skille Cramarosa-Shore-Biega#Canucks lines vs Hawks who are 17-3 in past 20
Alex Biega has taken a couple of spins at forward in emergency recall situations over the last couple of months, but on Tuesday he got the nod on the fourth line even though Joe LaBate was healthy and with the team.
Biega ended up playing 7:59, including 1:53 on a penalty kill that gave up two of Chicago's four goals on six penalties. Biega took one of those penalties, in the second period. He also recorded one missed shot and led the Canucks with four hits.
There was some chatter on Tuesday that part of the Canucks' plan to use Biega up front would be to get him enough minutes that he could qualify to be exposed as a forward in the expansion draft. Like every team, the Canucks are required to expose at least one defenseman and two forwards that are under contract and meet that games-played requirement: 40 NHL games this season or 70 over the last two years.
According to CapFriendly's fabulous expansion draft tool, the Canucks only have seven players who meet these qualifications. Three of them are Henrik, Daniel and Loui Eriksson, whose no-movement clauses mean they can't be exposed.
The other four are Brandon Sutter, Sven Baertschi, Markus Granlund and Derek Dorsett.
All the other non-exempt players on the Canucks roster will be either RFAs or UFAs at the end of this season. A player like Bo Horvat, who's an RFA, still needs to be protected if the Canucks don't want to lose him to Vegas, but because he doesn't currently have a contract for next season, he couldn't be used as one of exposed players, even if the Canucks wanted to go down that road. Other forwards in the same situation are Brendan Gaunce and Michael Chaput.
It's assumed that Dorsett will be one of the players exposed—assuming that he's healthy enough. I don't buy the idea that Brandon Sutter could be up for exposure—especially not after those two sweet goals he scored last night. So the idea of trying to position Biega as a qualifying forward does appear to have some logic behind it, but Jason Botchford says that's not what's happening.
Here's why I think coach Willie might be opting to use Biega as a fourth-line option at this point. Firstly, he has a great attitude—determined and tenacious. That's why his nickname is "Bulldog" and why he was named captain of the Utica Comets last season. Secondly, despite his small stature, he's willing to use his body. Though he has appeared in just 29 games this season, Biega is fifth on the Canucks with 75 hits, which ranks him tops of the team with an average of 2.6 hits per game. Derek Dorsett and Joseph Cramarossa are tied for second at 2.5, while Erik Gudbranson and Nikita Tryamkin are next at 2.2 hits per game each.
Finally, Biega's a sharp dude. His Harvard degree is a real thing. I know book-learning doesn't always translate to on-ice smarts, but in Biega I see a player who understands positioning and systems and appears to be able to follow instructions. When he gets in trouble on the ice, I think it's usually when his strength or his skillset lets him down, not so much because of bad decisions.
As much as Joe LaBate is supposed to be bringing a mean streak to the Canucks, he's only averaging 1.2 hits per game. So, on balance, I can see why Willie—who loves his more experienced players—would rather play a savvy 28-year-old journeyman like Biega over a 23-year-old like LaBate who's only in his second pro season.
I won't spend too much time breaking down the game but yes, the Canucks went to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes despite being outplayed and being outshot 7-3.
Brandon Sutter's first goal of the night to make it 2-0 at the 1:33 mark of the second period was the one that blew my mind. I thought Sutter had wrist problems? Look at the hands here, in close!
Also, that goal was set up by an outstanding takeaway from Jayson Megna, who drew the only assist.
Sutter added another goal later in the game. It's a bit hard to believe he's now at 17 on the season when these are his first goals since February 16 and he has picked up only two assists in the 13 games in between goals.
Sutter's second goal gave the Canucks a 4-1 lead early in the third period, setting the stage for another one of the Blackhawks' patented comeback attempts. What looked to be the equalizer was called back with 3:45 remaining in the third period due to an offside ruling, but Chicago kept pressing and Ryan Hartman forced overtime with his second goal of the game, with 1:03 left on the clock.
Henrik Sedin then took a penalty for shooting the puck over the glass with 32 seconds left in regulation, setting up Chicago to start overtime on the power play, but the Canucks hung in and got a power play of their own after Jonathan Toews interfered with Ryan Miller. That set the stage for Daniel's game winner.
Chicago goalie Scott Darling stepped into the game after Corey Crawford gave up four goals on 10 shots in the first two-and-a-bit periods. Darling only faced five shots in 18:54 of action, and was none too impressed with the only goal he did give up—Daniel's game winner.
#Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling: "Extremely [frustrating]. I know I got bumped. I thought it was a terrible call."
The goal was reviewed because all goals scored in the last two minutes of regulation or in overtime are reviewed. Botchford says the call could have gone either way.
Talking to a source on this, he almost got his way. Replay officials nearly disallowed the goal but concluded Darling willingly stayed behind Henrik and didn’t make contact with him.
If Darling have moved up more aggressively and actually bumped Henrik while the centre was in the blue, this goal would have been overturned on review.
There’s slight contact near the end of this play.
Once again, the Canucks were wildly outshot—this time by a margin of 44-15. Maybe this is the only explanation for why things turned out as they did on Tuesday?
In the end, the win doesn't really mean much. The Blackhawks hit 100 points and maintain a comfortable six-point cushion over Minnesota at the top of the Western Conference standings, and the Canucks remain in 27th—a point behind Dallas, one ahead of New Jersey and still four up on Arizona, with 10 games to go.
Today, the Canucks are holding a late practice in St. Louis before continuing their Central Division road trip against the Blues on Thursday.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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