Thursday January 1 - Los Angeles Kings 3 - Vancouver Canucks 2
Good thing we have three World Junior games today to distract us from the sting of last night's loss.
I have to say, though, I get nervous when I see headlines like this one in the Vancouver Sun:
"Team Canada’s road to world junior gold is unfolding perfectly" The hockey gods have a way of punishing people who make overconfident assertions like that.
Or, maybe I can't help but brace for the worst possible outcome after what happened last night. In case you missed it, here are the highlights. Viewer discretion advised if you're feeling at all fragile emotionally today.
I was in a fantastic mood as I headed down to the arena. Yesterday's run went well and the sunshine all day long was phenomenal for January 1. I was thinking of the Kings as the team that had lost five in a row on the road and might have had a spot of fun on the town the night before (much like the Utica Comets probably did in San Antonio before their 8-4 afternoon loss to the Rampage yesterday).
But as soon as the Kings hit the ice, I realized this was the first time I was seeing them live since their amazing Stanley Cup run last spring.
That's the team that showed up, so it shouldn't be terribly surprising that they stunned the Canucks with two late goals the same way they came back against the Sharks, the Ducks, the Blackhawks and the Rangers last spring.
Did they just flip the switch again—ready to win 43 in a row and repeat as champions? Maybe.
Obviously, the loss was hugely deflating. By getting two points outright, the Kings were able to leapfrog the Canucks in the standings—and to bring back painful memories of the Great Slide of 2014. But when they feel like it, the Kings can do this to anybody.
The Kings can agitate more than any other team in the league, I think, but somehow avoid getting penalized for it. For example, in the opening minutes, Jeff Carter swiped the back of Radim Vrbata's legs as he was fighting for a puck along the boards, knocking him to his knees. Later, Mike Richards was up in Ryan Miller's grill.
Somehow, L.A. took only one minor penalty all game: a tripping call on Dustin Brown when Jannik Hansen's face smashed against the edge of the boards in the first period. The Canucks used the chance they got, too—a power play that has barely been on the ice all week executed perfectly as Alex Burrows opened the scoring.
Radim Vrbata also made the most of the Canucks' only shot of the first 14-plus of the second period, turning the play the other way after killing a Ryan Stanton penalty to give the Canucks a two-goal lead.
By the midpoint of the second, it was pretty obvious that the Kings were carrying the play much like the Ducks did in Anaheim a few days ago, but Ryan Miller looked super-sharp and it seemed like the Canucks would be able to carry things home.
But it was not to be. Another Stanton penalty with four minutes to go, on Trevor Lewis, led to Justin Williams' game-tying goal, then Jarret Stoll stunned the crowded at Rogers Arena 53 seconds later when he potted the winner.
Ryan Miller faced 40 shots and definitely kept the Canucks in the game, but the man who coached him last season in St. Louis (and lost his job at the end of the year), Corey Hirsch, was harshly critical of the game-tying goal that most people attributed to a perfect shot from Mr. Clutch, Williams:
Miller was great last night, but tying goal was a big error. NEVER go into a post lean unless player is bottom of circle or below. #Canucks
— Corey Hirsch (@CoreyHirsch) January 2, 2015Fair point, or sour grapes?
Willie sounds exhausted in his postgame comments.
Probably the most important point here is that he didn't insert Zack Kassian into the lineup because the team had played well as a group in San Jose. Fair enough, but little Linden Vey sure did get bounced around by the big Kings team on the ice last night.
The fourth line also had a terrible time matching up against L.A.'s Mike Richards, Kyle Clifford and Dwight King. That group scored a hardworking first goal to give the Kings life near the end of the second period, and caused trouble just about every time they were on the ice.
Tom Sestito on Waivers
As some of you pointed out yesterday, the other reason why Kassian couldn't draw back in among the forwards last night was due to roster considerations. With Bobby Sanguinetti in the press box as an extra defenseman, there simply wasn't room without making space for him.
That has now happened. We've been expecting this since training camp: Tom Sestito has apparently been placed on waivers:
GM Benning told Sestito last fall he'd try to find him place to play if not in VAN. Guess he couldn't. #waivers
— Iain MacIntyre (@imacVanSun) January 2, 2015Of course, this may not end up being the last week see of the big guy. It's not as if players like him are in high demand these days. Even the big bad Kings scratched their bruiser Jordan Nolan last night—he's played just once in their last 11 games.
The Sestito move looks like it's simply a sign of the times.
Up next—a Hockey Night in Canada matchup against Detroit. I'll set that up tomorrow.
In the meantime, it looks like Team USA's young defense is having a tough time today. The Russians have scored twice on Thatcher Demko in the first period. Gustav Fosling and the Swedes face Finland at noon, and Canada will play Denmark at 5:00 pm.
Enjoy those games!