Friday February 28: Minnesota Wild 2 - Vancouver Canucks 1 (S/O)
I am still clinging to the idea that the Canucks can make a run at eighth place before getting destroyed in the first round of the playoffs, but games like Friday's don't do much to fuel that hope. Here are the highlights:
It was a promising start. Ryan Kesler took the opening faceoff to a big ovation from the crowd, then got the Canucks on the board early in the first period with a terrific individual shorthanded effort. But that was the only time all night that Vancouver rippled the twine.
It feels like a long time since we've seen our so-called top line of Daniel, Henrik and Burrows playing together, so I'll cut them a bit of slack over the fact that they have zero goals as a group in 2014. I feel like they're beginning to look more like their usual selves; my biggest fear is that they're running out of time to flip the switch.
It is, however, basically unforgivable that they couldn't score on that 4-on-3 for two full minutes in overtime. Minnesota was on the second half of a back-to-back and looked exhausted in the third period—constantly icing the puck and barely hanging on. It was bad enough that Vancouver couldn't find the dagger to take advantage of their weakened opponent in the third, but watching them load up Jason Garrison time after time in OT, only to have him shoot wide or have his shot blocked—that was painful.
With any sort of offensive punch, the desperate Canucks should have been able to get one more puck past a very impressive Darcy Kuemper—again, who played last night and should have had some vulnerability late in the game...in the overtime...in the shootout. But he was perfect—all the way through the seven rounds, and another great game by Eddie Lack went to waste.
It's not like the Canucks didn't have a little luck on their side, either. The Wild had a goal called back midway through the first period after referee Brad Meier whistled Minnesota for goaltender interference. It was a pretty sketchy call. Even Eddie couldn't quite bring himself to say he was bumped—instead, he talks about other interference calls earlier in the season that didn't go his way.
After Zach Parise's powerplay goal off a Jannik Hansen boarding penalty, Vancouver was fortunate to play the final 40 minutes in a 1-1 tie instead of being down by a goal.
Though the team let a much-needed point slip away, Torts was in "glass half full" mode after the game—which appears to have rendered the assembled media incapable of thinking of any questions to ask. It's worth watching just because it's so strange—and it's short:
Back-pedaling on Kesler Sources?
To me, Ryan Kesler looked like a player who wanted to make a positive impact for his team in Friday's game. I guess those who believe he wants to be traded would say he's making the effort in order to increase his dealability. He was named first star of the game and had the crowd behind him all night long.
Jason Botchford's nightly "Provies" were an interesting read after Friday's game. He's trying to find the source of the rumours from Sochi where Kesler apparently said he wanted to be traded, but so far all we have is a guy in a bar who told another guy, and it got back to Bruce Arthur of the
National Post.
Botch seems to be shifting his position from "Kiss Kesler Goodbye," to "This really would be a great time to trade Kesler, y'know..."
Click here to see if you agree.
(The story also includes the GIF of the goalie-interference call on Lack, among other things.)
Heritage Classic News:
Now, the scene shifts over to BC Place, where the Heritage Classic festivities will unfold for the next couple of days. The Canucks will practice at the stadium on Saturday at noon, with the Senators taking to the ice at 3 p.m.
I'm pleased to say that I will be attending the game tomorrow, so I'll be able to give you a first-person report of how it all looks from the inside. Thanks to
Can-Am Spyder for the hook-up.
The new 2014 Can-Am Spyder RT will be on display at the NHL Spectator Plaza at the Plaza of Nations on Sunday, featuring higher torque, a smoother ride and fewer fill-ups. For more information, check out their
Facebook,
Twitter or
visit a local dealership for a test drive.
This will probably be Vancouver's only chance to host a stadium game, so I am grateful for the opportunity to see it for myself.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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