I Watched This Game: Canucks vs Stars, January 24, 2011

Canucks 7 - 1 Stars

Friends, Romans, countrymen, I ask you, humbly, what is the cure for an offensive slump? Don't answer; this is a rhetorical question. The solution, as everybody knows, is an opponent with porous goaltending and crap defense. It's a fairly simple remedy, but the real trick is finding a major league team willing to provide it. Short of scheduling a shinny with the Washington Generals or the South Park Peewee Team, you can only hope that some NHL club is going to fly into town and generously lay an egg. Lucky for Canucks fans, that's about what happened in tonight's game which, by the way, I watched:

• What a welcome return to form for the home team. The Canucks played with the energy and pace they'd hinted at during the Calgary game and then some. We also saw a recommitment to limiting shots against (only 26 for a high-scoring Dallas team), and a renewed offensive potency (7 goals, y'all). They played much better than they have in quite awhile, more in keeping with the level of which we know they're capable. Still, before we get ahead of ourselves, it wasn't only a return to form that caused tonight's result; Dallas also played sloppier than a loose meat sandwich. What we saw was the Canucks' get better and the Stars come apart at the same time, and this beautiful coincidence resulted in a nasty shellacking.

• A number of slumps were bumped tonight, but none more important than the goals scored by both of Ryan Kesler's wingers. Mikael Samuelsson's was an especially nice wrist shot. Word is he broke his goal-scoring slump by imagining a logo in the top corner of the net, then hitting it dead center. Perhaps more impressive than the goal, however, were his game-high five shots, equal to how the number of shots he attempted. None were blocked, and none missed.

• I'm not sure if Mason Raymond's goal will stay his. The scorekeepers seemed so eager to declare another slump busted that they seemed to give it to him just because he was near it. Looks like Edler blasted it clean through to me; Raymond might be more deserving of a takeaway for stealing credit. But I won't quibble over whether or not it's his; I'm not Maury Povich. Let's just hope it's the first of many.

• Speaking of blasting pucks, let's take a moment to celebrate the long-awaited emergence of Alex Edler's deadly slapper. He had two assists tonight, both on redirected slapshots (the aforementioned, from Raymond, and one from Kesler to take a 2-1 lead). Christian Ehrhoff also had a goal on one that got clean through. Ehrhoff's been the member of this pairing most willing to shoot this season, which has always seemed silly to me. Edler's got the hardest shot on the team. Now, they're both shooting regularly, and it's made them a lethal tandem on the blue line, with 12 points in the last six games. Letting them fire away seems like a wise move, especially after they broke the power play's two-game mini slump by these very means.

• Aaron Volpatti had a strong game tonight, and it's possible that you hardly noticed. First there was a solid hit on Tom Wandell behind the Stars' net. Then, Krys Barch tried to respond by drawing Volpatti into a fight, but Volpatti was smart enough to realize it wasn't the right time. Instead, he responded by shouting, "F*** you, Barch!" loud enough for the cameras to clearly pick it up.

• Later, Volpatti assisted on the Henrik Sedin 5-1 backbreaker halfway into the 2nd, skating well and centering a puck that would go in off Steve Ott's boot after a touch from Henrik. If the assist wasn't enough, Volpatti then "accidentally" tripped over Ott as he circled the net to celebrate the goal. It was a smart, sneaky play, and don't be surprised that Volpatti's a sneak; everybody knows Ivy Leaguers are shifty. I mean, they steal entire social networks from one another.

• If you're wondering why Henrik Sedin already has a mind-boggling 50 assists on the season, look no further than his puck movement on the power play. Watch him on either power play goal. On Kesler's goal, he draws three defenders to him with a simply head fake before making a brilliant saucer pass to Edler for a one-timer. On Ehrhoff's goal, it's much a simpler feed, but this time Henrik uses a head fake to back his defender off. Opponents are so terrified he's going to pass, you'd think they were auditioning for American Idol.

• The perennially out for blood Daniel Sedin is now 4 points back of the NHL scoring lead. Earlier today, Elliotte Friedman suggested he might get picked last in the NHL All-Star draft. If that happens, I suspect he'll coolly walk to the podium and shoot his captain in the chest, like Boomer on Battlestar Galactica.

• Andrew Raycroft's mask is as sparkly as a preteen girl's binder. Or a preteen girl's idea of a vampire.

• How to make a player lose his mind: eye gouge him in a scrum. Just like the Rypien incident, you can clearly see Burish raging, "he was eye gouging me," after the referees finally pull Burrows and him apart. Not to go all "Ron Maclean" on you guys, but, considering Burr's reputation, he's probably guilty here. That's a finger to the peeper and a stick to the peepee in the last two weeks. He needs to be careful he doesn't get a reputation as a dirty(er) player.

• If he's not careful, he'll undo all the goodwill the Zen Canucks have built up towards officials this season. Seriously, the Canucks successfully argued for a call to be overturned tonight. When the last time that's ever happened? I think we're more used to the "On second thought, the Canucks lose" type of calls. Especially recently.

• Dan Hamhuis dropped his gloves tonight. Dan. Hamhuis. What could Mike Ribiero have possibly said or done to make Hammy drop the mitts? Ribieiro: Frankly, I don't think Haiti deserves our relief. And the children can read to themselves. Hamhuis: I'll kill you!

• Congratulations to Chris Tanev, who picked up his first career point, an assist on Hamhuis's goal, the seventh and final goal of the evening. Tanev showed impressive poise tonight, finishing a plus-one with two blocked shots in just over sixteen minutes of icetime. Granted, everyone (in blue) looked good tonight, but Tanev is beginning to look like he might belong in the NHL, which is more than I can say for tonight's opponent.

• All credit to Tanner Glass, who spent some time tonight as the fourth-line center, and some time as the third-line winger. When he earned third line icetime last season, it was more an indictment of the Canucks' lack of forward depth. This season, however, he's been so defensively responsible and so smart with the puck that he's earned every extra minute he's been given, and I'm happy to eat crow when it comes to his stints in the top nine. I'm still not sold on his scoring ability, but I think, when your third line hasn't scored in ten games or more, Tanner Glass certainly can't make you offensively less potent.

• Kevin Bieksa's eye doesn't look too bad... if he's planning a trip to McDonaldland. His face is so purple he could pass for The Grimace. Speaking of passing, Bieksa did take advantage of the distinguishable mark for some brilliant duplicity. Rather than serve a second period penalty, he traded places with a wax #statueofbieksa (hashtag credit: @RE4713), and nobody noticed because, like the real Bieksa, the replica had a black eye.

• The Canucks dominated the faceoff circle tonight, winning 40 of 65 draws. All four centres finished over 50%, with even Glass winning 4-of-7. He's won 17 of 31 on the season now, which is pretty impressive, considering he was 3-for-18 last season. He's developing this skill really quickly.

• This is the second consecutive game versus the Canucks where the Stars have lost their composure, and you have to consider their sources of leadership. First, Marc Crawford's teams have never been known for being particularly mentally tough (and Crow's never been good at knowing when to pull his goalie, either). Second, Brendan Morrow's captaincy might be a good cautionary tale for those who think Kesler should have gotten the "C" in Vancouver. Like Kesler, Morrow plays an intense, gritty game that's a nice example when he's focused, but he has a tendency to get overemotional and lose focus. When he does, the team follows him. He's simply not a calming force.

• Henrik Sedin, on the other hand, knows how to channel his emotions. He digs so deep, you might say he chunnels his emotions. He was solely to blame on Dallas's only goal, but rather than beat himself up about it, he simply upped his resolve. He looked downright determined to atone for the remainder of the period. Then he did. Not since the award-winning film based on the novel Atonement have I seen such atonement.

Shirokov's Playing, So Who Sits?

Yes, this picture is from the future. Don't ask how we got it.

Earlier today, news broke that the Canucks had recalled Manitoba's leading scorer Sergei Shirokov, likely in response to my goading. Shirokov becomes the thirteenth forward on the Canucks' active roster, a spot that opened up when Alex Bolduc went down with another shoulder injury. Despite joining a team with twelve healthy forwards, however, Shirokov will immediately draw into the lineup in Colorado.

This is wisdom for two reasons: first, the Canucks are having a wee bit of trouble scoring goals lately. Vancouver is suffering through a perfect storm of scoring slumps right now, as half the forward corps seems suddenly incapable of bringing offense. Fans in Minnesota and New York would be forgiven for thinking Jonathan Roy is more likely to beat a goaltender than this team's forwards. Second, Shirokov is in the midst of a 12-game point streak. He's hot now. You don't call a guy like that up just to sit him; good on the Canucks for rewarding his strong play with an immediate spot in the lineup.

But who's sitting if Shirokov isn't? Gord McIntyre speculates that it might be Jeff Tambellini, and while it may well be, it's not that cut and dry. There are five guys who might find themselves sitting next to Derek Jory tomorrow night. After the jump, PITB examines who they are and why they might be in line for a benching.

JEFF TAMBELLINI

Why he might sit: He can't seem to find his Magic Shooty Spot. After potting 4 in 5 games, the tiny winger has gone 10 without a point, and if we wanted an Italian leprechaun that never scores, we would have signed Paul Giamatti.

Why he might not: Alain Vigneault likes Tamby's defensive play, and might see fit to start him as the 4th-line center. Vigneault has gone on record saying Tambellini's doing everything but scoring which, while true, is a dangerous ice of rhetoric. Coincidentally, Brian Burke announced today the Toronto Maple Leafs are doing everything but winning.

AARON VOLPATTI

Why he might sit: Apart from a well-timed fight in Minnesota that briefly stalled Minnesota's strangehold on the momentum, Volpatti rarely stands out.

Why he might not: It's hard to scratch a guy when you forget he's even on the roster.

RAFFI TORRES

Why he might sit: Shirokov likes to hit too, so Torres's greatest asset might not be as missed as you'd think. Furthermore, Torres has gone 9 games without a goal, and worse, he's been suspect without the puck. In Minnesota, rather than check his man, Torres made like a kid in his a Christmas pageant by completing losing his focus, facing the wrong way, picking his nose, then waving at his dad.

Why he might not: I can't be the only one who lives by the don't piss off the guy with the crazy eyes and the tattoos code. Plus, this is the third time this season he's had a 9-game goalless streak, so he's totally due.

MASON RAYMOND

Why he might sit: After scoring in his first game back since missing a month with a wrist injury, Raymond has gone cold, going eight games without a goal and six games without a point. He's lost his permanent spot on Ryan Kesler's wing, isn't burying his chances and put himself in an awkward position: he suddenly appears replaceable and his contract is sizable enough to be happily moved.

Why he might not: Of the slumping forwards, Raymond's goalless drought is the most jarring. He remains a vital part of the Canucks' top six, and curing him of his struggles is paramount to the team's offensive game. But this slump didn't come from nowhere; he's coming off an injury and may still be suffering from it. Is sitting him the best option, or are his issues something he needs to play his way out of? It's like when your cat gets herself stuck in a plastic grocery bag. She could suffocate without your help, but she also needs to learn how to get herself out in case this happens again. There's no right answer.

MIKAEL SAMUELSSON

Why he might sit: Samuelsson has gone 11 games without a goal, and only has one assist in that span. Though he played a strong individual game in New York, he's not clicking with his linemates and has looked disinterested at times this season. If we wanted an intelligent but often enigmatic and alienating Swede, we would have signed Ingmar Bergman.

Why he might not: While he responds well to getting snubbed, nobody on the coaching staff wants to tell him he's sitting out. You're never too old or too mature to have your feelings hurt when someone tells you to go [forget] yourself.

I Watched This Game: Canucks at Blues, December 20, 2010

Canucks 3 - 1 Blues

This was one of those games the Canucks had to win. No, it wasn't a must-win (I hardly believe in them), but it was a road game against a beleaguered and bruised Blues team, for whom three of their top three offensive weapons weren't playing. And, sadly for St. Louis fans, the injuries to David Perron, TJ Oshie, and Andy Macdonald have made the St. Louis offense about as threatening as the Disney Channel. It was apparent early in tonight's game that the only Blues to watch out for were Alex Steen and Blu Cantrell (who is totally due for a comeback).

Even motivation wasn't a factor, as the same basic Blues team had come to GM Place two weeks ago and handed the Canucks their only regulation loss in December--a game Vancouver probably had no business losing. These are the games you should win, and thankfully, the Canucks did win. And, just like the time my friend was getting picked on by bullies, and I probably should have stepped in except that I'm a coward, I watched:

• Congratulations to Aaron Volpatti on his first NHL goal (above). You know he's stoked about it, primarily because of the high-pitched squeal he emits after potting it. Listen for it at the 0:07 mark--Whitney Houston wishes she could still hit that note.

• The Canucks are now 6-1-1 since the blessing of Head Poke Kid. This is an unprecedented display of supernatural power. Despite being blessed by a superior deity, even Adam and Eve couldn't stay good for this long.

• I thought the fourth line played a solid game tonight. Tanner Glass is always solid (except in Scrabble, where he will soon be soundly trounced), but Alex Bolduc and Aaron Volpatti were on their game as well. The line generated a goal, a couple other scoring chances, and played defensively solid enough that Alain Vigneault was comfortable giving them icetime while protecting a one-goal lead in the third period. In fact, no member of the trio had less than eight minutes. I've been especially impressed with Volpatti's restraint in his two games. You know he's licking his chops for his first big NHL hit and/or fight, but the Canucks have been playing with leads since he got here. Good on him for knowing when isn't the right time. I have a theory that it's a constant message from the bench, but you still need mature players to buy into a message of composure, and the Canucks appear to have a roomful of such players.

• While you would be correct for attributing much of the opening goal to the thunderous hit of Tanner Glass, let's be sure to give full credit to Alex Pietrangelo for confusing himself with the Venus De Milo. Had he remembered that, unlike the Venus De Milo, he is neither protected by a velvet rope, nor without arms, I imagine he would have moved the puck a little faster. Unfortunately for him he didn't, and like the Gummi Venus De Milo, he was an irresistible target.

• Blues fans might be forgiven for being a bit upset with the referees. The fans were on the zebras all night for missed calls, especially after St. Louis was hit with a steady stream of penalties in the first. Then, on two separate occasions, referees ran beautiful pick plays for Vancouver--one leading to a scoring chance for the Canucks, and other negating one for the Blues. I predict lingering animosity towards anybody in refereeing stripes. If I lived in Missouri and worked at a Foot Locker, I'd call in sick tomorrow.

• Ryan Kesler, whose wife gave birth to a baby boy just the other night, claimed he'd be playing on adrenaline and Red Bull. Well, nuts to any theory of exhaustion: he scored the game-winner on a wrist shot so quick Jaro Halak didn't even have time to fan on it, and he had a game-high seven shots on net. Kes, how many Red Bulls did you drink? Don't be surprise if his post-game interview is reminiscent of a Corky Romano press conference.

• I love Jannik Hansen. He can play on any line, and his forechecking is more Crazy/Beautiful than the Kirsten Dunst movie of the same name. I'm always amazed at the way he fools opposing puckhandlers into thinking he's coming on the wrong side. He's constantly knocking pucks off sticks. On one penalty-kill, he ate up valuable time poking the puck away from multiple Blues, then when they finally got away from him, he turned on the jets and was there to break up their entry into the offensive zone. Hansen is so hot right now.

• If you're wondering why Henrik and Daniel Sedin went pointless tonight, I'd take a look at the faceoff numbers. Henrik had a mediocre 6-for-13 night, but he went 2-for-8 in the offensive zone. On the plus side, Manny Malhotra had another strong night, winning 13-of-20. Alternate Captain Mal is now the NHL's top faceoff guy, one-tenth of a percentage point better than Washington's David Steckel. By the by, Alexandre Bolduc went 3-for-3 in the faceoff circle for the second game in a row. Well, there you go. He may have found a way to earn more icetime.

• It's time we gave some credit to the second power play unit. The Canucks have scored 10 power play goals in the month of December, and four of them have come from the second five. Considering how heavily the Canucks lean on the first unit, those are pretty decent numbers. Their goal tonight was a nice piece of insurance, as Jeff Tambellini broke his minor slump on a nice feed from Mikael Samuelsson. Also a nice piece of insurance? J-Lo's 27 million dollar policy on her own butt.

• Speaking of the second power play unit, Keith Ballard is no longer on it. In fact, the return of Christian Ehrhoff has spelled a major reduction in minutes for Hips. He played only 14:47 tonight, but don't feel bad for him: considering what he gets paid for under fifteen minutes of work, his hourly salary should make you feel bad about yourself.

• Shifting our focus to the enemy, let's give some credit to Eric Brewer, who had seven blocked shots tonight. Those are Manute Bol numbers. The way he was amassing blocks, you'd have thought he was going for a Tetris.

• And finally, did anyone else catch the furious lasagna eater right behind Alain Vigneault at the beginning of the second? Obviously, nobody looks particularly classy when they're eating, especially as captured by Sportsnet's HD camera, but this guy was going to town on his stadium meal. Clearly, he was confused about which Italian staple food he was eating, because he was devouring his lasagna like a slice of deep-dish pizza. I've seen less voracious eating from the extras in zombie movies.

Skeeter's thoughts:

• Kesler didn't just have 7 shots tonight; he had an additional 5 shots blocked and 1 missed shot. That's a whopping 13 attempted shots, dwarfing the next closest Canuck, Mikael Samuelsson, who had 9 attempted shots, 4 of which missed the net. Additionally, Kesler has now tied Daniel Sedin for the team lead in goals with 16 and he has more goals this season than Dany Heatley, Jarome Iginla, Ryan Getzlaf, and, of course, Ilya Kovalchuk. That $5 million dollar contract doesn't look so bad right now.

• The Blues had over twice as many hits as the Canucks, but it never seemed like the Canucks were losing the physical battle. It helps when the hits the Canucks did make were super-effective, like Tanner's emasculation of Pietrangelo that led to Peppermint Volpatti's first ever NHL goal.

• Speaking of, Volpatti needs some lotion immediately to soften up those hands. He had the entire right half of the net to shoot at and was extremely lucky to slide his shot under Halak's pads. He had another golden opportunity in the third period off a slick pass from Alexandre Bolduc, but the puck clanked off his stick like it belonged to Curt Blefary.

• Raffi Torres continues his slide. He may have logged a point on Kesler's goal, but let's face it, that goal was all Kesler. He played a mere 10:55, barely more than the fourth line, and didn't see any time on the powerplay. It appears that Burrows has taken his spot on the second powerplay unit while continuing to kill penalties. If it wasn't for Raymond being out with a broken thumb, Torres would be on his way to the press-box.

• I love Jannik Hansen. If I had lady-parts, I would want to have his babies.

Canucks Call Up Aaron Volpatti, Buy More Knuckle Tape

There are two possible reasons you may have never heard of the Volpatti Wagon:

1) Its namesake, Aaron Volpatti, was just called up to the NHL, for his first time, this morning.

2) The term originated here at PITB--and nobody reads PITB.

There's the news, though: The Canucks have called up Aaron Volpatti.

Volpatti will take the place of winger Jonas Andersson, the returned call-up that played well in his short time here, but didn't deliver enough of what the Canucks want out of their fourth-line wingers: hits that crush bones, followed by punches that crush the bones that came through the initial crushing uncrushed. That's sort of a good summary of Aaron Volpatti's skillset, too.

Volpatti is a bitter little bastard who hates that people stand upright, and takes it upon himself to stop them. He hits a lot. And, to complement his hitty nature, he is possessed by the spirit of pugilism. In 26 games with the Moose this year, he has as many points as he does fights (6). Fights like this one:

Canuck fans got their first glimpse of Aaron Volpatti in the YoungStars tournament, where he was a standout, perhaps aided by his seven-year head start on physical development. He carried his noticeable play through to the preseason, but didn't make the team out of training camp. Vancouver fans' most recent encounter with Volpatti would have come when the Moose visited Abbotsford, and Volpatti broke Heat forward Mitch Wahl's cheekbone with an open-ice hit that was clean, but kind of horrible. Yes, Volpatti is a master of horror. (I mean, he's no Dario Argento, but he's certainly better than Eli Roth.)

But, for all the reasons I'm excited, I'm also a bit nervous. The Canucks have done well this season to cut down on their penalties and antagonism of league officials. That ain't Aaron Volpatti's game; he could potentially be the team penalty minute leader by next Wednesday. Only time will tell if he can combine his gift for destruction with the gift of discipline.

If he can, he's got a really good chance to stick around. All aboard the Volpatti Wagon.

Aaron Volpatti Crushes Mitch Wahl; It is Decidedly Not Awesome

It's not the best quality video, but this hit on the Mitch Wahl was perhaps the scariest moment of Saturday's game between the Manitoba Moose and Abbotsford Heat. Wahl comes across the offensive zone and takes a shot, but he spends a fraction of a second too long watching the puck. In that time, Moose forward and Canucks prospect Aaron Volpatti catches him with a devastating open-ice hit (on the right side of the screen).

Volpatti is immediately challenged by Heat defenseman Joe Piskula. Unfortunately for Piskula, Volpatti is good at fighting; preliminary observations indicate Piskula is not.

I was at this game, and the hit was a particularly scary moment. Wahl didn't move for quite some time, and was eventually stretchered off the ice. After removing him to the ambulance, the ice crew scraped away a large pool of dried blood.

The only good news was that the stretcher didn't leave the arena right away, indicating Wahl's injury wasn't as serious as it initially looked.

According to Cam Tucker's Twitter account, Heat coach Jim Playfair said today that Wahl suffered a cracked cheekbone and a cut on his eye, and may require surgery. Playfair also said the hit wasn't malicious or dirty.

But who cares about the legality of the hit? The real issue is that a guy was left motionless on the ice, bleeding from the head. Delivered within the rules or otherwise, head injuries are a do-not-want situation. It's a damn shame when something like this happens.

PITB's sentiments are with Mitch Wahl. Here's to a full recovery.

I Watched This [YoungStars] Game: Canucks Prospects vs. Sharks Prospects, September 13, 2010

I Watched This Game is a recurring feature on Pass it to Bulis!, chronicling the observations and insights of some guys who watched a hockey game.

Night and day, the difference between yesterday's YoungStars game and the one a day earlier. I'm talking about everything: the sound quality, the stream, the announcing, and the play of the Baby Canucks were drastically improved from yesterday. Perhaps everybody involved in the game read my rant from the day before? I doubt it, but I can't think of any explanation for things going from inexorable worstness to decency in twenty-four hours, apart from guilt over displeasing me. Just spitballin'.

I watched most of the game, and while it was hard to concentrate when my wife was watching Dirty Dancing, loudly, in HD, on the television behind me, I was able to notice things. Those things are below. But, before we go there, can I just say that Dirty Dancing sucks? Holy crap, it's a terrible movie. The acting is wooden, the whole thing is cheesy, the movie friggin' ends with Patrick Swayze mouthing "It's all because of you" or some stupid garbage... I don't mind a well-done chick flick. For instance, I think I'm with Seth Rogen--You've Got Mail was sweet. But Dirty Dancing is a steaming pile of excrement born from out of anus of the world. Never watch it.

• Aaron Volpatti was amazing last night, and he'd better be. At twenty-five, he's got a good six to seven years on some of these kids, making him kind of a creeper. Aaron Vol-PedoBear was hitting kids with his Vol-PaddyWagon all night, just like the night before. Last night, however, he also scored two goals and got in a fight that set a physical tone for the game. He was the best player on the ice. I hope he makes the team, just so I can make more puns with his name. Aaron Volpatti was all-world; we should call him Aaron Vol-Pangaea... They'll be better than that one.
  
• The tandem of Kevin Connauton and Chris Tanev was fantastic. Connauton had a bit of trouble controlling the puck, at times, and there was one power play where I thought he really lacked the poise he's shown on other occasions, but he was jumping up in the rush, pushing the Sharks prospects back, and making space all night. That said, the rush of the night went to Chris Tanev, who took the puck all the way from behind his own net to the Sharks net, where he set up Volpatti for the score. (It wasn't a tap-in either. In the clip above, Tanev admits it was a "pretty bad pass.") Tanev had two goals and an assist. Both he and Connauton look ready for the next level.
• Jordan Schroeder finally showed a couple flashes, and it's about time. Jason Botchford had the best line on Twitter: "It is Penticton. It is the prospects tournament. It is this week. OK, now tell Jordan Schroeder." He put the criticism on hold with a great bit of puck control, poise and stickhandling to set up a power play goal in the 2nd.
  
• That said, both he and Billy Sweatt, who showed a ton of speed breaking away (although he didn't finish) may have been outplayed by Pierre Olivier-Morin. Kudos to the Kurtenblog: you guys called it, he's pretty good.
• Eddie Lack was remarkable yet again. For those of you saying that Corey Schneider has zero competition for the Canucks' backup job next season, well, you're probably still right. But Lack's making a case. In fact, both goaltenders last night played very well.
  
• The Canucks' best line of the night was Alex Friesen, Prab Rai, and Matt Fraser. Rai tends to impress me and then disappoint me within the same shift, but he was good all the way through last night. Fraser scored the Canucks' first goal on a one-timer after some great work by Alex Friesen, and he deserved it. The strong play bodes well for Fraser, as he and Morin are still not signed. Look for one or both of them to get contracts.
  
• Taylor Ellington got in a fight with a guy and I don't remember who it was, but when Ellington lost his footing and found himself on his back, the other guy punched him square in the nose with a late shot. It was classless and gutless. Anybody else see that or remember who it was? Maybe Gogol?
• I heard Blake Price say Eddie Lack was known as "The fastest glove in all of Europe." It's unfortunate that he had to leave, because "Fastest glove in all of Penticton" is much less impressive.

The Canucks' prospects are doing off-ice workouts today and resting up for a tilt with the Ducks' prospects tomorrow night. As usual, we'll have our thoughts the next day.