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Vancouver Canucks Game Review: Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory |
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Saturday April 25 - Calgary Flames 7 - Vancouver Canucks 4
Calgary wins playoff series 4-2 and advances to meet Anaheim Ducks in Round 2
Not sure I'll be able to watch this roller-coaster recap for a good long while. If your mettle is tougher than mine, here are the highlights of the Vancouver Canucks' final game of the season from Saturday in Calgary:
My imagination started to get the best of me when Vancouver went up 3-0 in the first 10 minutes of the game. I was visualizing the nail-biting Game 7 experience at Rogers Arena and even daring to dream about what would happen if the Canucks dug themselves out of their hole and went on to face Ryan Kesler and the Anaheim Ducks.
But it was not to be. The Flames—and their fans—never lost hope and Michael "Ferkland" proved to be far from irrelevant when he started the Calgary comeback with his first goal of the series.
The 2014-15 Canucks season ends just 14 days later than the debacle of last year. That means we'll have plenty of time to turn our attention to trade possibilities, draft options and other organizational changes that could happen before the 2015-16 season begins.
For now, I'm going to stay focused on a game that Calgary simply wanted more.
I was so thrilled with Vancouver's goal-scorers. Brandon McMillan subbed in for an ailing Ronalds Kenins and did a marvellous job of scoring that all-important first goal—his first as a Canuck—just 2:36 into the game when he drove to the net and converted a Chris Higgins rebound.
Then Jannik Hansen scored a practically-shorthanded goal! And the power play clicked in just 24 seconds when Radim Vrbata scored his first non-empty-netter in 11 games.
Jonas Hiller got pulled after giving up two goals on three shots. Karri Ramo let in the third goal on the first shot he faced. Everything was breaking Vancouver's way—until it wasn't.
Neutralized for much of the series, Calgary's top line took over once Michael Ferlund got the Flames started. Jiri Hudler finished the night with four points—the same total that Vancouver's top scorers Daniel, Henrik, Hansen, Horvat and Vrbata managed to accumulate in the whole series.
Hudler's linemates Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau each finished the night with three points, as did Matt Stajan and David Jones—Ferland's linemates who gave the Canucks trouble all series long.
Even after Calgary came back to tie the game 3-3, Luca Sbisa—of all people—gave us hope when he scored the Canucks' only goal of the series by a defenseman to restore the Vancouver lead heading into the third period. I thought after the implosion in Game 1, the Canucks would be able to withstand the #NeverQuit attack from the Flames for one more period.
The obvious turning point was a sketchy penalty on Brandon McMillan early in the third period, as he and Dennis Wideman crashed into the Calgary net.
For me, the other key moment was when the Canucks couldn't capitalize on a tired Flames group that iced the puck four straight times early in the second period, with the score 3-2.
Bob Hartley used his time out the first time the group iced the puck, but they went on to do it three more times before defenseman Deryk Engelland was able to get a change. He was out for a 3:22 shift (!!), but the Canucks weren't able to score. In fact, they got worse instead of better as the opportunity dragged on, and the play finally ended when Alex Edler drifted a harmless wrister from the point in on Ramo.
The way Calgary plays, we can't say for sure that a goal from Vancouver to make the game 4-2 would have been enough to force Game 7, but when Johnny Gaudreau scored to tie the game instead, just 21 seconds after Engelland finally got his change, the momentum swung in Calgary's favor in a big way.
Matt Stajan's first-ever playoff goal ultimately proved to be the game-winner with just 4:17 left in the third period, and the Canucks failed to mount a decent push-back, even once Ryan Miller was finally pulled for the extra attacker with less than two minutes to go. Why wait that long in an elimination game??
By the time Calgary scored their two empty-netters, I was in a blur once the final horn sounded. Took at least an hour before I realized that Vancouver had ultimately lost 7-4.
That's a score that is going to burn into the memories of both the fans and the haters. That's what we live with this summer.
At this point, I think my biggest takeaway is that when Trevor Linden and Jim Benning made a plan to get this team to the playoffs, where anything can happen, maybe it would have been wise to put a little energy into planning how to execute in the playoffs as well. The Canucks were a reactive team that got owned by Calgary on so many dimensions over the past 10 days. Hopefully next time Vancouver will be able to run the show and execute a strategy of its own.
This tweet summed up my feelings last night as well as any:
The Canucks will clean out their lockers and do their final media availability on Monday. Till then, get outside and enjoy the day!
How do you think the Flames will stand up against the Ducks?
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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