Saturday November 23: Chicago Blackhawks 2 Vancouver Canucks 1
For the 10th time in 25 games this season, the Vancouver Canucks scored just one goal on Saturday night. For the 10th time, they lost—this time after the Chicago Blackhawks scored two third period goals in nine seconds to grab the win at Rogers Arena.
Here are your highlights:
The rivalry between the Canucks and the Blackhawks doesn't have quite the same bite as it did a couple of years ago, since the teams now haven't met in the playoffs for the past two seasons. But there was a feeling of excitement at Rogers Arena before Saturday's puck drop. The 'Hawks were greeted by a smattering of boos as they took to the ice and those relics of yesteryear, The Green Men, even made their first appearance of the season.
Though there were only five minor penalties in the game, there was a degree of chippiness at times that reminded us that these two teams don't like each other very much. There was a lot of chirping in both directions, as well as those extra shots behind the play. For one stretch in the second half of the second period, I thought the powder-keg might erupt, but the game settled down to an almost-boring place as that period wound down.
The Canucks were able to score on their 5-on-3 power play in the first period. Brandon Saad was whistled for slashing Ryan Kesler—a call that really could have gone either way—then Andrew Shaw was sent to the box for interference when he hauled down Henrik Sedin. It took the Canucks just 20 seconds to execute with the two-man advantage. Jason Garrison's point shot rebounded perfectly out to Kesler in his favourite spot at the left circle, where he made no mistake. Why can't they do that more often?
Garrison's point was his first in more than a month. His last assist came in the losing effort against Columbus back on October 20th.
For the last several years, Vancouver has relied on offensive contributions from the defense, and that's not happening as much this season. On the power play—and with the extra attacker in the late stages on Saturday—the Sedins in particular seem focused on trying to generate chances with the down-low play, while the defense are lingering, unused, back at the blue line. Using the whole zone would force the other team to spread out its coverage, and could generate some shot-and-rebound chances that could lead to dirty goals. Any goals. We need goals.
On the bright side, the Canucks did not fold their tents after they fell behind, which was especially nice to see after some weak third-period performances on this homestand. Chicago's two goals in nine seconds brought back some bad memories of Luongo suddenly getting torched for a bunch back in the day, but the team was able to stop the bleeding and generate more chances. They outshot Chicago 14-9 in the third period—especially impressive in the second half of a back-to-back—and got some quality scoring opportunities. In the end, overworked Corey Crawford stood tall to preserve the win for the Blackhawks.
Quick Hits:
- If you missed Roberto Luongo's interview on Hockey Night in Canada's After Hours last night, it's well worth a look. Here's the link.
He talks about the game, reminding us that Chicago won the Stanley Cup last spring with two quick goals, much like they won on Saturday. He also talks about his contract and the events of last summer—stopping short of saying that he's happy to be back in Vancouver but saying that he's happy to be a starter again and inferring that he understands that his contract will be keeping him here for a good, long time. He also has words of praise for Torts, calling him "very hands-on" and "a great coach."
- The Hockey Night panel spent some time after the game speculating about how the Canucks can change their fortunes. Blithely ignoring no-trade clauses, P.J. Stock would like to see Kevin Bieksa or Ryan Kesler moved, although the group as a whole acknowledged that in this year's tight salary-cap world, major deals are virtually impossible to execute and teams will generally need to work with what they have.
- Zack Kassian's last shift of the game came six minutes into the second period, when he made a bone-headed play that forced Ryan Stanton to take a hooking penalty on Andrew Shaw. After that, Tom Sestito and Dale Weise both took some shifts with Richardson and Hansen—and generated some chances in the late going. Torts was tight-lipped about Kassian after the game; will he be the next healthy scratch on Monday?
- The Canucks wrap up the homestand they'd rather forget with another tough opponent on Monday—the Los Angeles Kings. After that, they head back east for four, including two morning games next weekend. Vancouver visits Alain Vigneault and the New York Rangers at 11:00 a.m. next Saturday, then plays Carolina at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.
I'll be back tomorrow with a preview of the Kings game. Enjoy Grey Cup Sunday!
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