Friday December 13: Vancouver Canucks 4 Edmonton Oilers 0
Not even the evil powers of Friday the 13th can derail the red-hot Vancouver Canucks. Here are your highlights from their dominating win over the Edmonton Oilers:
The Canucks could have come out sluggish after three days off but instead, it was the Oilers who appeared to have nothing in the tank coming out of a back-to-back situation against Boston.
Though Vancouver dominated the first period, it was concerning that they couldn't score until Daniel Sedin broke the goose-egg with a power-play slapper on a 4-on-3 powerplay midway through the second period. The Canucks entered the third leading by just one goal but, as in their last game against Carolina, they were able to turn up the gas and pull away rather than let their opponent back into the game.
Vancouver's control of the game from wire-to-wire allowed John Tortorella to use a balanced approach with his lineup, which should have everyone fresh for Saturday's game against Boston. The high-minute man was Chris Tanev at 22:54, the twins were under 20 minutes, and the fourth line played 13 shifts, many of which were effective.
Yannick Weber drew into the lineup in place of Andrew Alberts and put up solid numbers. In 13 minutes, he had two shots on goal, two hits, a block and a giveaway, and picked up a power play point with the primary assist on Dale Weise's late goal.
The only Canucks who didn't get at least a point on the night were Zac Dalpe, Jeremy Welsh and noted thug Henrik Sedin, who took Vancouver's only three penalties.
Vancouver outshot Edmonton 40-19 in the game, led by David Booth, Chris Higgins and Dale Weise with five shots each. Time to try Weise with the twins?
After the game, a furor ensued over a gesture made by Zack Kassian in a late third-period scrum. He appears to be chirping Sam Gagner for the headgear he's wearing to protect the injured jaw—that Kassian broke with his errant stick in preseason. The short Vine that's making the rounds looks very incriminating, but I think this longer version is a bit more unclear. Luke Gadzic is standing in front of Gagner the whole time, and while the gesture seems like it's about Gagner's shield, it's hard to tell who Kassian is engaging with. Watch for yourself:
The lead was safe enough that Torts obviously had no qualms about playing Kassian in the last minute, but it's interesting that he didn't shy away from any potential late-game shenanigans.
When the incident blew up on Twitter after the game, my first reaction was disappointment. Everything's going so well; they're winning games, dominating opponents, having warm and fuzzy PR moments in ugly sweaters and singing with beloved vocalists. Suddenly, the ugly side of the game rears its head.
After some thought, I'm not sure it's really *that* bad. Not a great move to make fun of an injury that you caused, and probably feels like even more of a low blow since Gagner's having such a rough season so far (he's 3-8-11 and a minus-12 in 21 games).
I'd guess guys say many inappropriate things in those scrums. I think we all know that trash talk is an important—and effective—part of the game. Kassian just happened to be a little more obvious about it.
What do you think?
Boston Bruins at Vancouver Canucks - Saturday December 14 - 7:00 - CBC, NESN
Vancouver Canucks: 19-10-5 fourth in Pacific Division Boston Bruins: 22-8-2 first in Atlantic Division
Now, on to the main event.
Not only are the Boston Bruins visiting Vancouver for the first time since they skated away with the Stanley Cup on June 15, 2011, Saturday's game will also be a matchup between two of the hottest teams in the NHL.
Vancouver's on a six-game winning streak and has climbed to sixth place in the Western Conference, while Boston's 8-2-0 in their last ten games, has won four in a row, and sits atop the east. Just like in 2011, these are two very good teams right now.
While Vancouver is firing on all cylinders, the Bruins are winning despite some challenges. The team has been ravaged by the flu over the past week and on Saturday the NHL announced a suspension of 15 games for Shawn Thornton after his ugly attack on Brooks Orpik last Saturday.
Last week's incident in Pittsburgh is a reminder that the Bruins have plenty of rivals besides Vancouver. The Canucks may still be lamenting the Cup that got away, but Boston went through the same thing against Chicago last spring, building up the hate along the way with the Leafs and the Penguins as well as the Blackhawks.
The Canucks and John Tortorella are all downplaying the emotional importance of the matchup, but fans are eager to see if Vancouver can exact some revenge on home ice, or if the teams will deliver a fight-filled matchup like their 4-3 win over Boston back in January of 2012.
Cory Schneider and Cody Hodgson were the heroes in that game, while Brad Marchand was suspended for five games for an illegal hit on Sami Salo. So, the cast of characters has indeed changed for the Canucks.
Enjoy. I'll be back with a game review tomorrow.
Quick Hits:
- I retweeted this nugget from HockeyBuzz Jets' writer Peter Tessier last night. Sound good to you?
Kassian scored, Booth got a point as did Santorelli. Throw in a 1st and you can have Kane!
— Peter Tessier (@Teddier) December 14, 2013- Eklund says the Canucks and Islanders are talking. I don't mind that idea—they're in pretty dire straits and are notorious for making some crazy deals. Not sure they can give up on Thomas Vanek so soon after what they paid for him, but they have some other good young talent that might fit into Vancouver's top six.