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Vancouver Canucks solid effort snuffed by Carey Price, on tonight to Ottawa

November 3, 2016, 2:47 PM ET [583 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Wednesday November 2 - Montreal Canadiens 3 - Vancouver Canucks 0

A chance of scenery didn't help the Vancouver Canucks' offensive production. Despite firing 42 shots on Carey Price, the Canucks were shut out by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday.

Here are your highights:



He missed the first three games of the season with the flu but Price has been outstanding since he returned to the Montreal lineup, giving up just seven goals in six games so far. Wednesday was his first shutout of the year, and the 42 saves boosted his save percentage to a stratospheric .964.

Facing Price after their first extended rest of the season was more bad luck for the Canucks, who controlled the play for much of the game and deserved a better fate.

The first two Montreal goals came on the counterattack in the second period, when Vancouver had been pressing hard but just failed to score. The third was awarded to Alexander Radulov after he was checked illegally by Alex Edler while attempting a shot on the empty net—an automatic goal.




Loui Eriksson led the way with five shots on goal. His time will come.

If you want to summarize the Canucks' season so far in a single GIF, you could pick yet another broken-stick play, or this whiff by Alex Edler after a crazy-good pass from Daniel.




So—the losing streak has stretched to six games, three of which have been shutout losses, and the Canucks are getting ready to play their fourth back-to-back of the year in Ottawa tonight.

Thursday November 3 - Vancouver Canucks vs. Ottawa Senators - 4:30 p.m. - Sportsnet Vancouver

Vancouver Canucks: 10 GP, 4-5-1, 9 points, fourth in Pacific Division
Ottawa Senators: 9 GP, 6-3-0, 12 points, third in Atlantic Division

Just nine days after a 3-0 shutout loss at Rogers Arena, the Vancouver Canucks will complete their season series with the Ottawa Senators tonight at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The Sens have been through a whirlwind in that time. The day after he shut out the Canucks, goaltender Craig Anderson took a leave of absence from the team to be with his wife Nicholle, who was diagnosed with cancer. But after backup Andrew Hammond was injured in the first period of the Sens' next game in Calgary, Anderson rejoined his team in Edmonton at his wife's behest and pitched another shutout last Sunday, earning him the NHL's First Star honours for the week.




Anderson then backstopped the Sens to a 2-1 overtime win over Carolina on Tuesday, but the team has now announced that he's back out of action, tending to his ailing wife.




On Wednesday, the Sens gave up a fifth-round draft choice to the Pittsburgh Penguins to bring in Mike Condon as goalie insurance.




Condon helped shore up the net in Pittsburgh while Matt Murray recovered from the hand injury that sidelined him during the World Cup of Hockey. He played one period in Pittsburgh, stopping all seven shots he faced, so the 26-year-old will start his first game as a Sen with a perfect 1.000 save percentage for the year.




Meanwhile, the Canucks will turn to Jacob Markstrom, who's now 3-1-1 with a .913 save percentage and 2.35 goals-against average after getting dinged for four goals against Washington last Saturday.

One day after the Canucks returned Troy Stecher to the Utica Comets, Chris Tanev's status for tonight is questionable.




In his latest edition of The Provies, Jason Botchford addresses Tanev's injury.

The Canucks defence, collectively, is struggling to move pucks. The Tanev foot injury isn’t helping. He probably won’t be healthy any time soon.

Tanev is one of the toughest SOBs you are ever going to come across in this league. His pain threshold would blow you away.

That foot isn’t right, but he’s going to play through it, because that’s what Tanev pretty much always does.


Only the extras took to the ice for today's optional morning skate in Ottawa.




If Tanev doesn't play, will we see Nikita Tryamkin in his first game of the year?




Can they break the losing streak? Can they get a goal? Tune in tonight at 4:30—the game will be found on the Sportsnet Vancouver specialty channel due to Thursday Night Football.
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