Tuesday March 22 - Winnipeg Jets 2 - Vancouver Canucks 0
For the third straight game, the Vancouver Canucks failed to score a goal. Their current losing streak has now reached a season-high five games after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Here are your highlights:
Just one point ahead of Edmonton and three up on Toronto, with three more tough games on the schedule this week, there's plenty of opportunity to still move lower.
And hey—they can't win if they never score again!
#Canucks are shut out in 3 straight games for the first time since Jan 7 - 10, 1984 & haven't scored in 228 minutes (franchise record)
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) March 23, 2016
The dry spell hit a record level on Tuesday. Vancouver's last goal came from Henrik Sedin, opening the scoring at the 12:00 mark of the first period of the 3-1 loss to Colorado last Wednesday.
Not only has the goalless streak now extended to 11 periods, two of those shutout games came against the Edmonton Oilers (27th in the league in goals against) and the Winnipeg Jets (25th). Last night, Ondrej Pavelec—the goalie with the 2.79 goals-against average and .904 save percentage—recorded his first shutout of the year, stopping 28 shots.
Brendan Gaunce played in the middle on Tuesday with Chris Higgins and Alex Grenier, and got 2:01 of penalty-kill time. He was 5-for-15 in the faceoff circle—not great, but better than Jared McCann has been doing lately—and his line was on the ice for what proved to be the game-winning goal in the third period, but Gaunce also led the team with five shots on goal and got a couple of those chances shorthanded. If you're looking for silver linings, I thought he was a bright spot.
Poor Grenier had a point-blank opportunity after an awful Mark Scheifele giveaway in the late stages of the first period, but his stick shattered when he attempted to roof the puck over Pavelec.
And...that's about it as far as the offensive story goes. Jared McCann was shotless in his new role on the wing with Linden Vey and Emerson Etem.
Oh—and Sven Baertschi was injured.
Sven Baertschi on the limp after game...blocked shot in 1st period off front of left foot #Canucks
— Dave Tomlinson (@DTSN1040) March 23, 2016
Baertschi did finish the game, but is not on the ice for Wednesday's practice in Nashville.
Practice underway in Nashville. All players on the ice except Sven Baertschi. pic.twitter.com/1cRBZofWO7
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) March 23, 2016
I've saved the best for last. The Canucks didn't give up 50 shots like they did to St. Louis—they limited the carnage to 49 on Tuesday. And Jacob Markstrom was absolutely brilliant.
The Jets scored a late empty-netter, meaning the only puck that got past the big Swede was this one—on a play that was challenged for goalie interference.
Was Markstrom interfered with? Yes.
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) March 23, 2016
Does the goal still count? Yes. pic.twitter.com/NtBMeT8hBF
Markstrom was incensed about the play. The official ruling doesn't offer any insight into *why* the "no interference" call was allowed to stand.
Explanation of Coach's Challenge at 2:30 of the third period in the @VanCanucks/@NHLJets game. #VANvsWPG https://t.co/5ohLVvikKq
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 23, 2016
I suppose if they had waved it off, we'd be panicking today about how the ruling may have cost the Canucks the chance to move down in the standings?
Still—as much as the team can't score and can't win, this whole alternate-the-goaltenders approach is working out pretty well. The two will certainly split the duties for the next pair of games, so I guess Ryan Miller will get Nashville on Thursday and Markstrom draws the rematch with the Blues on Friday.
As is now tradition, I'll wrap on a positive note—by looking at players who are not with the Canucks team at the present time!
As expected, the new contract was announced for Swedish forward Anton Rodin on Tuesday.
RW Anton Rodin, 25, MVP of SEL, gets one-year, one-way $950K show-us deal. #Canucks
— Ben Kuzma (@benkuzma) March 22, 2016
In the Provies, Jason Botchford warns us that Rodin's two underwhelming seasons in North America with the Chicago Wolves were hampered by injuries—tendinitis in his shoulder going into his first season in 2011-12, then groin issues the following year.
Yes, Rodin was lighting it up in Sweden earlier in the season, but he hasn't played since January—due to a skate cut to his knee.
Jim Benning has already handed the new kid the keys to a top-nine role:
Benning on Rodin: "He’ll be able to play the power play for us & be a top-nine forward that is capable of scoring 15 to 20 goals.… #Canucks
— Brad Ziemer (@BradZiemer) March 22, 2016
Me? They say he has talent; they say he really wants a shot at the NHL. I'd like to see how he comes back from his current injury before I start make any bold proclamations.
And finally—more Prospect Watch:
I brushed over 2015 third-round pick Guillaume Brisebois in yesterday's blog because his numbers haven't been as impressive as the three players picked after him—Zhukenov, Neill and Gaudette. In his third season with Acadie-Bathurst, Brisebois got up to 10 goals and cut his minus-40 from 2014-15 down to minus-13, but still topped out at 26 points, two less than last year.
The Canucks' other two picks from the 2015 draft were Czech winger Lukas Jasek and Saskatchewan defenseman Tate Olson of the Prince George Cougars.
Property of Trinec, Jasek struggled at the men's league level, going 2-1-3 in 25 games, but excelled on the under-20 team with 15-13-28 in just 14 games and nine points in five playoff games.
Up in Prince George, reedy 6'3" Olson improved from 24 to 47 points and a minus-13 to a plus-16 in his third season with the Cougars. They grabbed the first Western Conference wild card spot in the WHL and will open their playoffs against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday.