Saturday January 10 - Calgary Flames 1 - Vancouver Canucks 0
I wasn't able to be at the rink for last night's game, and I can't say I'm too broken up about that. It was the Canucks' first home loss to Calgary since December 23, 2011—when Mikael Backlund scored the winning goal and third-string goaltender Leland Irving picked up the win.
Definitely some parallels here. Backlund did the damage again and Joni Ortio earned his first-ever NHL shutout as the Canucks fell 1-0. Here are your highlights:
The good news: the Canucks generated 36 shots, including 15 in the first period, and hit at least four crossbars. Frank Corrado looked solid in his 17:30 of ice time, playing primarily with Luca Sbisa. Jannik Hansen had speed to burn. And the Canucks dominated on faceoffs, winning 60 percent of the draws. Nick Bonino was particularly effective, going 11-6 in the circle.
Eddie Lack was solid in net though he hadn't been expected to start.
Eddie Lack leads the Canucks on the ice and will start. Ryan Miller apparently under the weather. Joni Ortio for Flames. #Canucks
— Elliott Pap (@ElliottPap) January 11, 2015I wonder if Miller was feeling nauseous from listening to all those "Looo" cheers on Thurday night?
The bad news: no power plays—again. The Flames were assessed nine minutes in penalties over the course of the game, but all were offsetting.
It's hard to generate power-play goals when your power play doesn't get to work. Also, it sure seems like an indicator that the Canucks are still not a "hard team to play against."
The Canucks were also out-hit 30-10 by Calgary. Luca Sbisa and Bo Horvat were the only Vancouver players to register more than one hit in the game (they had two each).
I did find it somewhat satisfying to see tempers flaring at the end of the game—even with the Sedin line on the ice. Alex Burrows seems like he has ramped up his agitation level since returning to the first line and is doing what he can to get under opponents' skin.
Hopefully that sets the stage for some fiery upcoming rematches: Vancouver will play Florida again next week and faces Calgary one more time this season—at the Saddledome on Valentine's Day.
Despite the loss, the Canucks continue to hang on to second place in the Pacific Division: the Sharks lost to the New York Rangers on Saturday while the Kings dropped a shootout decision to Winnipeg in a crazy game. L.A. also just got a double-dose of bad news regarding That '70s Line: Tanner Pearson broke his leg on Saturday and Tyler Toffoli has been knocked out of the lineup with mono.
I'm very disappointed to see the Canucks go below .500 on this homestand, especially since they dropped some winnable games. I do think this illness that's rolling through the dressing room has been an issue with the team's lack of jump over the past two games, so I hope they get better in a hurry.
Sunday's a day off, then the team will practice at Rogers Arena at 9:30 on Monday morning before heading to the airport for their flight to Nashville. That kicks off a stretch of five road games in eight nights—including two back-to-backs—before the All-Star Break.
Radim Vrbata will be Vancouver's lone representative in Columbus this year. It looks like the league wanted to see every team represented: maybe easier to pick him than to try to single out a Sedin?
Regardless, congratulations to Vrbie. It's the first-ever All-Star selection for the 33-year-old Czech.
Yoga On Ice
Only in Vancouver...
If you're feeling like getting meditative this afternoon, there's still time to sign up for Yoga on Ice, which runs from 4-6 p.m. at Rogers Arena.
I guess this is the opposite of hot yoga: participants are being asked to bring their own mats and dress in layers, as they'll be stretching it out right on the ice surface at Rogers Arena. Hope it's not slippery!
Shawn Matthias is the poster boy for this event but apparently Alex Burrows, Bo Horvat, Zack Kassian and others will also be on hand.
Cost is $40, with all proceeds to the Canucks For Kids fund. Really, not much more than a normal yoga class, and it's a pretty unique opportunity...