I Watched This Game: Canucks vs. Avalanche, March 16, 2011

Canucks 4 - 2 Avalanche

With their win tonight, the Canucks now have 103 points, a mere 2 points from their team record, set in 2006-07. In addition, they clinched the Northwest Division title, meaning they are the first team in the NHL to clinch a playoff spot. Most remarkable, however, is that they have accomplished all of this with 10 games still remaining in their schedule. 10 games, people. If there was any lingering doubt that we are witnessing the greatest regular season in Canucks histroy, it should be completely wiped away. My only disappointment tonight was the the player number I got at the pub belonged to Alexandre Bolduc, so there was no chance for a free beer. Oh well. I watched this game.

• This is the third time in the last five games that the Canucks have gone down by two goals in the first period and come back to win the game. That's significant enough to be called a trend. Last season, the Canucks were the comeback kings, winning 10 games when trailing after one period and 11 games when trailing after two period. This season's Canucks hadn't come back after trailing after one period until this recent spate of 3 wins. The issue, of course, is that they've had so little practice: clearly, the Canucks are secretly allowing the opposition to build an early two-goal lead (the worst lead in hockey) in order to practice coming from behind.

• The Canucks weren't even really outplayed in the first period. They carried the play, particularly the Sedins, who created scoring chances like a Keys to the VIP winner. The difference came down to two hard luck shifts from Sami Salo, who took an interference penalty that led to the first Avalanche goal, then had the second bank in off his skate. The two-goal Colorado lead had little to do with how the Avalanche played, though they should be commended for their opportunism. Still, the Canucks were clearly unhappy with the results of the first period. They came out in the second like Kyle Wellwood men possessed, outshooting Colorado 15-5.

• Manny Malhotra left the game after taking a deflected puck to the face early in the second period. He went to the hospital with blood in his eye and it's feared that he may have a broken orbital bone. Here's hoping that it isn't anything that serious, as Malhotra is essential to the Canucks' chances in the playoffs.

• The fourth line was flying tonight, none moreso than Chris "Kiss Huggins" Higgins, who played 17:18 in the absence of Manny Malhotra, double-shifting with both the second and third lines throughout the game. Kiss Huggins just has a lot of love to spread around. The Canucks' first goal of the game, shoved home by Maxim "The Pierre" Lapierre, was all Huggins. He recovered from mis-handling the initial outlet pass from Keith Ballard by kicking the puck into the corner, where he embarrassed Ryan Wilson, took the puck behind the net, and drew Matthew Hunwick away from Lapierre before neatly slipping the puck in front. Kiss Huggins then gave everyone a heartfelt embrace: no word on whether it included a peck on the cheek.

• Higgins played on the second line in place of Mason Raymond, who was hog-tied to the bench after the 6:32 mark of the third period. Although Raymond had a game-high 5 shots, his overall play was lackadaisical, negating much of the fire that Ryan Kesler played with all game. Instead of feeding off Kesler's fire, Raymond felt the need to stop, drop, and roll at every opportunity. Kesler, meanwhile, was held off the scoresheet despite his best efforts and went all Jason Voorhees on Shorty and Garrett to vent his frustrations.

• Further evidence that Kesler played with a massive chip lurking just over his shoulder: he led the game with a whopping 6 hits. Considering he averages 1.57 hits/game, that's fairly significant, which shouldn't be confused with Puck, who is a significant fairy. Kesler also picked up the majority of the faceoffs in Malhotra's absence, taking 31 draws. The rest of the team, Malhotra included, took 42. And if anyone needs more evidence that Kesler has a heavy shot, witness how he took Adam Foote out of the game with a wristshot. Foote isn't exactly a shrinking violet (I consider him more of a Blok), so it takes a lot to send him to the locker room.

• Mikael Samuelsson is back to his logo-sniping ways. He hates that logo! Stay away from the logo! Jeff Tambellini, meanwhile, seems intent on continually attempting to score from somewhere other than his Magic Shooty Spot. They need to go back to what works: shooting where the goalie is not and the net is.

• Dan "Community Man" Hamhuis had yet another quietly effective game, posting a +3 rating in 23:55 of ice-time and making many excellent defensive plays. His loudest moment came when he picked up an assist on the game-tying goal with a wonderfully patient play after picking up his own rebound. It's remarkable how Burrows manages to create space for himself in front of the net despite being surrounded by three Colorado players when he chipped in the Daniel Sedin rebound. As for Hamhuis, he desperately wanted to help man the phones for the Canucks for Kids Fund Telethon during the intermissions, but had a prior commitment serving soup to the homeless at a local soup kitchen. Dan is a man of his word.

• Speaking of the Telethon, it has raised $1,695,000 already. Holy monkey, that's a lot. It was cool seeing some of the people working the phones, including Stan Smyl, Francesco Aquilini, Victor de Bonis, and Filomena Nalewajek, who is the CEO of Canuck Place. Harrison and I got a chance to meet her at the Scrabble Battle and she is a delightful lady.

• In the pre-game show on the Team 1040, Dave Pratt practically drooled all over his mic at the possibility of the Art-Ross-race-leading Sedins taking on the lottery-pick-bound Avalanche, while Ben Kuzma cautioned that such opportunities frequently don't result in much. Up until the third period, it looked like Kuzma was right; the Sedins were dominating the offensive zone, but were unable to finish their chances. Then, Burrows tied up the game and the door was open for some classic Wizardous Sedinerie. Ehrhoff held the line, Burrows out-battled a defender to hack the puck to Daniel, and Daniel decided that his best course of action upon receiving the puck with room to shoot at the right faceoff circle was to, of course, pass the puck blindly between his legs to his brother. As seen above, Henrik made no mistake, demonstrating a quick release akin to a weaker Joe Sakic.

• Finally, Henrik took a major chance at the end of the game, risking an icing call to ice the game with an empty-netter that was the icing on the cake of this victory. As pointed out by Justin Bourne last month, it's generally considered selfish to take that risk, especially considering there was still over a minute left in the game. A faceoff in the defensive zone in a 6-on-5 situation is less than ideal. That said, it is Henrik Sedin, one of the most accurate passers in the NHL, and considering the force of the shot, it was really just a glorified saucer pass. The risk was a little less than if it had been, say, JaMarcus Russell. I'm guessing he just wanted to net the goal without an assist from Daniel. He needs to make up ground in the Art Ross race somehow.

I Watched This Game: Canucks at Avalanche, January 18, 2011

Canucks 3 - 4 Avalanche (OT)

Give the Canucks credit for showing up to play this one. After a horrendous outing in Minnesota exposed their tired road legs, the excuses for a second consecutive poor performance were readymade. Instead, the Canucks vehemently defied the wishes of their bodies in Colorado, and kept up with the speedy Avalanche. They outshot the Avs 43 to 30 and picked up a well-earned point. It could have been two points, even, had the Canucks managed to push through their mental sluggishness the way they did their physical sluggishness.

Unfortunately for them, it was not so, and the mental mistakes came fast and furious. Bad penalties; bad passes; bad reads; lazy backchecks. Against a young, aggressive team like the Avalanche, that crap's not gonna fly. Although, by getting the regulation tie, I guess it sort of did. Hmm. Okay, it did, but then, in the end, it didn't (not unlike the Avro Arrow). Whatever. I watched this game:

• Likely, neither team will be completely happy with the way they played (the Canucks were slow and sloppy, and the Avalanche let a tired road team take the lead three times) but both teams will be happy to leave the stadium with points. (It's like sports day in grade school. Everybody gets a ribbon!) And the Canucks have to be pleased with their Temple of Doom performance, in which they reached inside of themselves and played their hearts out.

• The Canucks' power play covers all manner of sins sometimes. Both Edler and Ehrhoff blasted PP goals from the point that gave their team the lead, and these goals were vital. Had the Canucks had to open up and play from behind for even one second in this game, their suspect defensive play would have been even more prominent, and it could have gotten out of hand.

• It's been a long time since the Canucks have had a sexy callup like Sergei Shirokov, so it was nice to see him play a standout game in his first NHL action this year. He scored his first career goal on a beautiful move (above), and he had a game-high six shots. But, before you get excited, consider he's played two fewer games this month--and nine fewer NHL games. He had fresh legs. He was like Anne Bancroft on skates, his legs were so fresh. Let's wait to see whether or not he can be a standout when the rest of his team isn't playing on fumes, but he was a breath of fresh air last night. Most importantly, he looked capable of creating his own offense, something Kesler's wings have to be able to do. A good start for Shirok.

• The other callup, Chris Tanev, acquitted himself admirably as well. He finished the night a minus-1, but it's hard to fault him on the Luongo misplay that gave David Jones his first of two on the night. Jones was his man, for sure, but everyone in the building thought Luongo would swallow up that puck as it came off the boards. Other than that, Tanev was solid. He got on the ice for just under thirteen minutes, far more than anyone would have expected. He admirably broke up a 3-on-1 when Keith Ballard heeded Qris's advice to step it up, pranks-wise and decided to pull the old fall-down-so-the-rookie-has-to-fend-off-a-3-on-1 routine. Funny guy, that Ballard.

• Don't tell the Vancouver media I said this, but here's your proof that the star awards mean nothing: Alex Edler was named the game's third star. Clearly, someone didn't watch the game (probably John Garrett, who has made a living watching games, but always seems to be attending his first one). While it's true that Edler had a standout game offensively with a goal and an assist, he played one of his worst games of the season defensively. He constantly lost his man, he bobbled pucks at the blue line, he looked dreadfully slow. Despite finishing the game even in the plus/minus category, Edler was on the ice for two Colorado goals, both on the penalty kill, and both times he got absolutely embarrassed by David Jones in front of the net. Jones isn't a small guy, but Edler's bigger, and the fact that Edler allowed himself to get moved right out of the play twice is unacceptable. Watch the highlight package. Colorado goals one and four are mirror images of one another, as Jones simply shades Edler into the useless area, opening up the exact same cross-ice pass. On the first goal, you can find Edler at the side of the net when the pass comes across. On the fourth goal, that's him in the middle, lazily dropping down to block nothing, opening up the same pass and rendering himself helpless to prevent Jones from finding the rebound. A terrible game from #23.

• Kevin Bieksa, on the other hand, played solidly. Nearly every shift, he was breaking up an odd-man rush or clearing the zone before things got dangerous. He finished with 2 hits, 4 takeaways and 3 blocked shots, and considering these three stats are typically undercounted (especially when you play for the road team), that's one hell of a stat line.

• Keith Ballard had a decent game as well, but has anyone noticed how often this guy falls? He's like an ancient empire on skates. Methinks Keith "Babylon" Ballard needs to heed the words of the prophet Jeremiah.

• Is Adam Foote a diplomat's son? He's clearly got some sort of immunity. Foote's a handsy guy, but it doesn't seem to matter who he grabs, punches, or holds--there's never a call. He could grope the First Lady and someone would call it a smart, veteran play.

• The referees missed some egregious offenses, but Raffi Torres sure made it easy on them, huh? Both of his penalties were of the are-you-kidding-me variety, especially his second one. Who tugs on a jersey? Not since Theodore Tugboat have I seen such pathetic tugging. Skeeter and I observed that Raffi Torres has three modes: 1) skateskateskateskate 2) get puck, and 3) put puck. Unfortunately, none of the three modes is any more detailed than that, and Raffi often skimps on the details. Torres is playing some dumb hockey right now. I wouldn't be surprised if he suffers a benching in the near future.

• Speaking of penalties, Henrik Sedin's penalty in overtime was fully warranted. Granted, his man went down easy, but everyone knows there are a two situations where you should never stick your arm out. The first is when you're chasing to break up a two-on-one. The second is when you're on a school bus. That's how you lose a limb.

• A better performance by Roberto Luongo and the Canucks probably leave Denver with a win. He'll get no pass; he was the freshest Canuck and he should have played like it. When your star goaltender is rested and your team isn't, you need a star goaltending performance, and the Canucks didn't get it. The second and third goals are both ones he probably should have had. Know what else he should have had? A Bacon Mushroom Melt. It's only ever at Wendy's for a limited time, and it's delicious. But now it's gone, and who knows how long he'll have to wait for them to bring it back? /regret
  

• And finally, Jeff Tambellini was the fourth-line center last night, and while he did a fine job (especially in the faceoff circle, where he was 5-for-6) I'm not sure I like him and Mason Raymond on that line together. They're too tiny, and tiny on the fourth line is a bad idea, unless it's an ironic nickname for someone huge, like Tiny, the classic character from SNES's Clayfighter.
  

I Watched This Game: Canucks at Avalanche, January 2, 2011

Canucks 2 - 1 Avalanche

With a gritty, hard-fought win against the Avalanche, the Canucks have won 5 straight, haven't lost in regulation in 12 games, and have the best goal differential in the NHL. And, oh yeah, they're first place in the entire NHL right now. Now, there are plenty of spoilsports out there who will complain that being first place in January is meaningless, or that no one cares about the President's Trophy, just the Stanley Cup. To them I say, "Boo! Boo! Boo!" I, for one, am a Canucks fan and I will take pleasure in the Canucks doing well, whether you like it or not.

I take pleasure in watching the Canucks win, and I watched this game:

• Alexandre Bolduc got his first NHL goal (above), added a particularly savvy assist, and finished a game-high +2, but let's not lose perspective. He still played only 5:52 in the game and didn't see a single shift after Paul Stastny narrowed the lead to one. That said, he made the most out of his limited time tonight. His heads up play on the odd bounce that led to Mason Raymond's goal was very nifty. I suspect he got a brief lecture on knowing where his teammates are on the ice after confessing in a 1st intermission interview that he had no idea where Glass was on the 2-on-1 that led to his goal.

• The scorekeeper for tonight's game was apparently feeling generous, as somehow Kevin Bieksa received an assist on Mason Raymond's goal despite about 5 different players, including a couple from the Avalanche, touching the puck between his last touch and the goal. Unless Bieksa's giant forehead gives him telekinetic powers, there's no way he should get an assist, although that would explain the bizarre bounce that puck took off the seamless glass.

• Unsurprisingly, Mason Raymond got the most ice-time for the fourth line as he saw some penalty killing duty and briefly skated 4-on-4 with Jeff Tambellini. He still played under 10 minutes in his return to the lineup, but it seemed clear that his hand wasn't impairing his shot, as he fired 3 on net including the snipe from the slot for the game-winning goal. Welcome back, Raymond, we missed you.

• While the fourth line did all the scoring, Roberto Luongo did all the saving. He was fantastic in net, making 31 and a half saves. He battled hard through traffic to make saves and didn't give up many rebounds, unless he clearly meant to, like when he sprung Glass and Bolduc with a great kick-save pass. Seriously, he got credited with an assist on that one. I honestly was not aware that they gave assists for giving up a rebound. That's like saying the wall in Shaolin Soccer was passing the ball to Mighty Steel Leg Sing.

• Ehrhoff and Edler were solid as a tandem. The duo played the most minutes for the Canucks and made nice plays at both ends of the rink. Ehrhoff was connecting well with his passes, had 3 shots on net, and was smart with his stickwork in the defensive end, getting credit for 2 takeaways. Edler was the more physical of the two and was credited with 3 hits, including this destruction of T.J. Galiardi. If that video doesn't work, try this one, it's a bit of a better angle.

• In a show of support for the Make it Seven campaign, the Avalanche played the dying moments of the game with 7 skaters on the ice. J.J. Guerrero from Canucks Hockey Blog has the picture to prove it. The refs were getting a fair amount of criticism from Canucks fans during this game and that gaffe won't help their case.

• For my part, I think it's just nice to see the Canucks winning in spite of the difference in powerplay time. The Canucks penalty kill was perfect at 5-for-5 and didn't even give up a single shot on net for the latter 3 powerplays. Lost in the hubbub of their record and powerplay has been the steady work of the penalty kill which jumped up to third in the league with their performance tonight. The Canucks are better at being shorthanded than Dr. Curt Connors.

• Despite not recording any points, the top three lines did not play particularly poorly. The Sedins had several shifts where they penned the Avalanche in with strong possession and the second line shifted the momentum several times with their speed. It was a solid shift by the third line that led to the possession on which Mason Raymond scored his goal. Part of the problem was all the penalties that prevented them from icing their normal lines for large chunks of the game. It's incredibly encouraging, however, to see the team pick up a win without any points from their top offensive contributors: balanced scoring is the key to playoff success.

• Part of the reason the normal offensive contributors didn't show up on the scoresheet tonight was faceoffs. Manny Malhotra was the only centre above 50% and even he had a relatively pedestrian 53%. It's troubling because the Avalanche are a sub-50% team on faceoffs. On the plus side, the Canucks were 5-for-8 on shorthanded draws, which aided their killing abilities like a golden gun.

• During the broadcast, Shorty promoted a Breakfast Television interview with Alison Sweeney, host of The Biggest Loser. Garrett: Alison Sweeney is on "Days of Our Lives." Do you watch that? Shorty: No.

• Mikael Samuelsson apparently had 5 shots on goal. Did you even notice him tonight? Because I didn't. Torres, on the other hand, was very noticeable, unfortunately for the wrong reasons. He took two very dumb penalties. You can criticize the officiating if you want, but the 4 minute difference in powerplay time can easily be pinned on Torres.

And on that critical note, congratulations to the Canucks for moving to the top of the NHL. Continue being awesome, boys.

I Watched This Game: Canucks vs. Avalanche, November 24, 2010

Canucks 4 - 2 Avalanche

Last night was an excellent return to form for Vancouver, who did something they haven't done in ages: they won a game with sound defensive play and sustained offensive pressure. The stat sheet tells us that Colorado outshot Vancouver 23-19, but it doesn't tell the whole story: the puck spent far more time in the Avalanche zone than it did the Canucks' end. The Canucks were leaps and bounds better 5-on-5. It was nice to see the Sedins cycle return, and it was nice to see all three members of the second line looking dangerous and sharing some chemistry. The line juggling appeared to be a success, as the new-look trios all did a good job of maintaining momentum and keeping the puck out of their zone. Here's hoping they stay together awhile.

But enough looking ahead. This series is about dwelling on the very recent past. You see, not too long ago, I watched this game:

• The sustained offensive pressure meant diminished pressure on the defense corps, which played better, but still looked shaky. Hammy and Hips are still trying to find their legs, but everyone else was solid last night. Edler was jumping into rushes smartly, Ehrhoff was carrying the puck out of his zone and starting them with regularity, and Andrew Alberts' work on the penalty-kill was top-notch. In one late 2nd-period kill, he blocked two shots, hit everything in sight, and downright picked on Matt Duchene and John-Michael Liles. AV justified sitting Rome over Andy Alby by pointing to Alberts' penalty killing, and we saw it on display last night.
  
  
• That said, the best defenseman on the ice was Kevin Bieksa. It's strange to say, especially in a game that featured two potential Western Conference all-star d-men in Edler and Liles, but Bieksa really was at the top of the heap. He scored his first goal of the season on a beautiful tip-in after smartly going to the net on a delayed penalty. He made some other dangerous offensive rushes as well, and he always seemed to be the first man back when the Canucks got into a spot. If he played like this every game, he'd be a fan favourite.
  
  
• Through his first ten games, Alex Burrows had looked a little off. He scored a goal (above), factored into another, and caused his special brand of positive disarray in the offensive zone all night. Last night he looked a little on. This is a good sign, and it is entirely possible that he will soon be a lot on. Eventually, with a little luck, he might be full on, all the way across the sky.
  
  
• Yes, the triple rainbow line was, as it should be, the Canucks' best line. A spoonful of wizardous sedinerie led to 2 points for each linemate and a plus-6. A good recipe for success: score twice and don't get scored on. I've personally found that if you score and the other team doesn't, you'll win most of the time. When won't you? Collecting abstinence pledges.
  

• That said, Burrows' second assist was bogus. Daniel centered the puck for him and he missed it. Henrik pick it up on the half-wall, then pulled off the slap-pass play with his brother. During that give-and-go, Burrows never touched the puck. So why does he get an assist simply for being nearby? I'm happy for the guy, but, let us please try to protect the sanctity of the second assist before some idiot suggests we abolish it. This ain't no Russian hockey league.
  
  
• It's not always readily apparent what Jannik Hansen brings to this team. We know it's not hands, which are a bit like the Swedish Chef's in that they're never quite in sync with the rest of him. Upon hearing that he was bumped down to the fourth line, opinion vacillated between Good, he's only got four points this season, and Why Hansen? He was playing really well. The truth is that Hansen's best asset is his skating. Often we talk about skating like it's just top-end speed, but there's more than that. Hansen is a master at puck tracking--he skates fast, but he can also change directions and get back to a high speed better than anybody else. Since nobody expects the fourth line to score, Hansen's team-best skating ability can stand on its own while he's down there.
  
  
• During one of the intermissions, the Sportsnet ticker told us the final score of the FC Kobenhavn vs. Rubin Kazan UEFA game. It read: RUB -1 FCK - 0. Take from this what you will.
  
  
• My favourite moment: Jeff Tambellini, waiting for the referee to reverse the decisions on Ryan Kesler's disallowed goal. Tamby was visibly pumped when the puck went in, and you could see him waiting breathlessly for it to count. When the referee came away from the booth, the camera catches Tamby mouthing "Come on, you motherf... come on." Hilarious and sweet. I love his elation when the call goes his way.
  
  
• That was, by the by, Ryan Kesler's 100th career goal. Congratulations are in order. And now, here they are: congratulations.
  
  
• But seriously, the fact that his goal was legal is ridiculous. Here's why the puck goes in: Tambellini whacks Budaj in the side of the head with his stick. As Budaj recoils from being bludgeoned, he actually butts the puck with the other side of his head and it falls into the net. Apparently, you're allowed to do that. Tamby, on the whack: “I pulled a Keith Ballard there [...]" Hilarious.
  
  
• Reason to sigh: now some people are complaining that the Canucks powerplay is bad. Oh, shut up, some people.
  
  
• And speaking of Budaj, poor Craig Anderson. For the second straight game, he had to leave the game with an injury suffered in the warm-up. Anderson can't catch a break, save the part of his body that does exactly that whenever he comes to town. Even the NBA is laughing at his problems with Vancouver.
  
  
• Joel Perrault is a forgettable guy, ain't he? I forgot he was even playing last night, and apparently, so did Alain Vigneault. Perrault logged a team low 5:15, and I don't remember hearing his name once. I don't think I've ever missed Alex Bolduc so much and, all things considered, I likely never will again.
  
  
• In the faceoff circle, the Canucks were very good and the Avalanche were a gallon of fail. Vancouver won 34 of the game's 52 draws, led by an 11-for-15 showing by Manny Malhotra that included 6 out of 6 in the defensive zone. Faceoff goat? Paul Stastny, who only won 6 in 21 tries. Sidenote: having coined the term "Faceoff goat" I am now envisioning a live goat who takes faceoffs. And now, I'm envisioning the classic John Woo movie, Face/Off. But with goats.
  
  
• I really like the way the Canucks do the Ring of Honour tributes. Short, sweet, and classy. Apart from a terrifying moment where the tarp professed its love for the plaque beneath it and refused to leave it behind, it was a perfect pre-game ceremony.
  
  
• And finally: I thought today about what a ridiculous idea Fin is. An anthropomorphic killer whale who playfully tries to murder fans by biting their skulls open? Not awesome. You know if his teeth weren't made of foam, Brody, Quint, and Hooper would be looking for him.
  

I Watched This Game: Canucks at Avalanche, November 04, 2010

Canucks 3 - 1 Avalanche

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say last night's game was the Canucks' most complete effort of the season. The first period alone was perhaps the best road period the Canucks have played in quite some time, as they dictated the play, kept the pressure on while they rolled their lines, opened the scoring (above), won a fight, generated numerous chances, and limited the pressure in their own zone. Concerns about letdowns in the second and third period prove to be unfounded as well, as the Canucks kept up their high level of play--with only the occasional gaffe--all game long. It was highly entertaining, and I am proud to say that I watched this game.

• It was quite nice to see Ryan Kesler find his sweet spot on the power play and net the opening goal. He was the best player on the ice tonight, and it's not often you can say about about the Kesler who travels. His woes on the road are as storied as Wile E. Coyote's. Has he turned a corner? Hopefully. I hypothesize that, if he has, it's because he has a blanket he takes with him everywhere, and it makes every bed feel like his bed. That's always worked for me. That and having my Mom there to tuck me in, no matter where I am. Tousle my hair, Mom. Ha ha, delightful.
  
  
• Considering the proficiency of the Canucks' special teams this season, I'm working on keeping my mouth shut about the removal of Kesler from the second unit. It's a lot easier to do when he scores on the first unit, and the second unit scores later without him. Apart from small lulls, Canucks' special teams have been excellent this season. The Henrik Sedin goal was a prime example. That was some grade-A puck movement. Also grade-A? The paper I'm currently writing on the similarities between the Marxist and Thomist dismissals of justice as a primary virtue and their Aristotelian influence. I am so smart.
  
  
• It's funny, because I thought Henrik and Daniel had a pretty quiet game. When the 60 minutes was over, however, Henrik had the game-winner and Daniel had two assists. His pass to Kesler for the first goal was spectacular.
  
  
• Raffi Torres continues to be a masterful tipper. He's tippier than a game of Jenga played in a canoe. He had four shots tonight, and looks to be brimming with confidence. Seven goals in 12 games will do that to you.
  
  
• I know all three Canucks goals were scored on the powerplay, but, again, we got one goal from each of our top three lines. That is excellent, balanced production.
  
  
• Mason Raymond was incredible tonight. 5 shots, and a ton of quality chances. He didn't score, but he looked fantastic, like going clubbing in an argyle sweater vest.
  
  
• Somebody needs to tell Andrew Alberts that, while the Canucks might have confidence in him carrying the puck up ice, other teams don't. Tonight, just like in the last game, he was the perpetrator of a brutal turnover in the defensive zone that could have been avoided if he'd moved the puck up-ice quickly. Instead, he flaunted his newly spawned self-confidence and held onto it. The Avs got a prime scoring chance. Yes, you're big, so you're quite difficult to knock off the puck, but you're also pretty easy to hit, because you're big. Andrew: move the puck faster.
  
  
• That said, my favorite part of that broken play was when Garrett tried to blame it on Kevin Bieksa. Don't try to ingratiate yourself to me, John Garrett. Anyway, Kevin Bieksa was good tonight. At times I found myself liking his game. I am suddenly aware that this is happening with an alarming frequency. I'm concerned he might be good. What is happening to me?
  
  
• Alex Edler continues to be a rock on defense, but I expect his game to really flourish when Dan Hamhuis comes back. Edler should be able to join the rush a little more and show a little more creativity when he knows Hamhuis is behind him. Christian Ehrhoff is not Dan Hamhuis. Sometimes, watching his and Edler's confusion over who will jump into the rush is akin to watching two guys try to go through a door at the same time.
  
  
• Guillaume Desbiens broke his hand in a fight, and I have two thoughts. My first thought: this happens a lot. Don't you think guys would realize that punching a helmet as hard as you can is a good way to break your hand? I feel like it's obvious. Anyway, my second thought regarding Desbiens' broken hand: meh.
  
  
• Mikael Samuelsson is still drifting through games like some kind of zombie. (Okay, that's an overstatement, but I wanted to link to my favourite Christian rock song ever.) Anyway, he's having trouble finding a rhythm. My advice: relax, Sammy. Eventually, the rhythm is gonna get you.
  
  
• And finally, Cory Schneider is going to be so easy to trade. He was fantastic tonight. 33 saves, one goal allowed. He made it look easy, but this game was anything but. The Avalanche can create offense, and while they may not have had a ton of quality scoring chances, they had some excellent shots from good scoring areas. Schneider was one step ahead of them all night, getting square, taking away the net, and swallowing up the puck. There is still no goaltending controversy. The Canucks simply have two delicious options, like going to a Tim Horton's that is also a Wendy's.
  

I Watched This Game: Canucks vs. Avalanche, October 26, 2010

Canucks 4 - 3 Avalanche (OT)

Last night's edition of the Canucks got outworked by the Avalanche, outshot by the Avalanche, and outchanced by the Avalanche. Fortunately, they did not get outscored by the Avalanche, so all other statistical victories are secondary. Yes, the Canucks may not have been the best team on the ice last night, but tell that to the box score. For those who say the Canucks didn't deserve to win, may I remind you that Colorado's goal against average is the highest in the NHL? They gave up four tonight. They didn't deserve to win either. Tonight's game was a competition of who deserved it the least, and the Avalanche, by winning, lost.

Also winners tonight: PITB and our small community of committed readers, as our liveblog--I Am Watching This Game --went off without a hitch, save perhaps the dishonesty of the title. It is very difficult, you see, to simultaneously watch hockey and blog about it. But, whatever. It was fun. There was much humour, Qris showed up, Mason Raynmond was there somehow, and regular readers and commenters popped in to say what's up. We did it, and we'll probably do it again next month. Indeed, we watched this game, albeit perhaps not as intently as we usually do. Here are some things that stood out to us:

• The story of the night was Roberto Luongo, who made a litany of amazing saves to keep the game in the winnable column for the Canucks. People are semi-ironically throwing around the phrase "goaltending controversy", as though the added pressure of such is what made Luongo play better, but he gave no indication whatsoever that he felt besieged by said pressure. Before the game, he joked, "We decided to give Schneids the night off tonight, so I got the tap on the shoulder and I'm ready to go." After the game, he joked, "I was disappointed. I was getting jacked up for the shootout, so, I'm a little disappointed we won in overtime." And during the game, he performed a side-splittingly filthy rendition of the classic Aristocrats joke, but the play was at the other end of the ice, so nobody noticed.
  
  
• But seriously, though, folks, Luongo was great tonight. 39 saves. Some of the whaaaaaaat variety. The biggest problem is that we expect him to play like this every night. Not only can nobody sustain that, but nobody should have to. The Canucks need to be better in front of him. Schneider hasn't had to work this hard for a win yet.
  
  
• Jeff Tambellini with the Sedins continues to go way beyond simply a viable option. For the second game in a row, they generated a goal, this one the result of some wizardous sedinerie. Tambellini has been excellent with them. It's incredible to me that both Sedins touched that puck, considering it went from Paul Stastny's stick to the back of the net in about one second. But such is the nature of their wizardry; they are truly wizards. Also: the less said about the blatant, missed hooking penalty that led to this goal, the better. In fact, the Sedins are all about hooking. They hook a lot. They are Captain and Assistant Captain Hook, as far as I'm concerned.
  
  
• The Canucks' big three faceoff guys continue to finish above 50% in the circle. Malhotra, Kesler, and Henrik were 61%, 53%, and 57%, respectively. Among Avalanche pivots, only Paul Stastny was above 50% in the circle.
  
  
• I'm interested in this stat: Henrik Sedin was 4-4 in the offensive zone, but only 1-4 in the defensive zone. The Sedins were both -2 on the night. I know I might get lambasted for saying this, but this isn't the first game where they've gotten on the scoresheet and finished in the minuses. Coach needs to address this before it becomes a real issue. I recognize they're a reigning scoring champion and the brother of a reigning scoring champion, but Vigneault might need to remind them they can't skimp on the defensive side of the game.
  
  
• Peter Schaefer has played poorly 5-on-5 over the season; everybody knows it. We've been ragging on him since the season began. Alain Vigneault, an avid reader of PITB according to cherry-picked evidence, is starting to think similarly. Inititally he [wrongly] trusted Schaefer as a second line option, but Schaef's been bumped down to the fourth. Tonight, he only got on the ice for 13 seconds in the third period, coming on for Manny Malhotra during an on-the-fly change in which the Canucks had the Avalanche hemmed in their zone. Schaefer made the most of that time, however, scoring on a beautiful wrist shot.
  
  
• Schaefer's doofy little fist pump after the goal was far less beautiful. What the heck was that? He looks like he just got the right answer on Bible Jeopardy.
• While we're talking about the fourth line, it's worth noting that Schaefer, Glass, and Desbiens had 49 seconds of ice-time in the third period. This is unacceptable. Clearly, Vigneault doesn't trust them, and it's much, much too early in the campaign for the Canucks to be a three line team. If these guys can't get the job done, Gillis needs to find players who can. Shoring up the fourth line was an offseason priority, and it hasn't happened at all. Granted, when Burrows returns, one of these three guys will lose a roster spot, and hopefully Bolduc comes back, bumping another one out, but still. It's October. We need to be able to roll four lines.
  
  
• Mason Raymond's game-winning goal (above), on a harmless poke, was the hockey equivalent of a Wet Willy. But it's a testament to his skills at taking the puck away, is it not? We mentioned it yesterday in the Big Numbers thread, and the game-winner was more evidence of it.
  
  
• Ryan Kesler looks downright determined out there, doesn't he? He scored a goal while fighting at the front of the net, but there was one power play where he took the puck to the net, then just started whacking away at it like a noob. Homer Simpson whacks with more grace.
  
  
• Nothing but good things to say about Orland Kurtenbach's induction into the ring of honour. It's a gorgeous piece of visual art, it was a beautiful ceremony. Much praise to the people planning these things this year. They've been a real treat for two reasons: 1) They look great and 2) they don't go on too long.
  
  
• Christian Ehrhoff may have been tonight's goat. He seemed to be on the ice for every goal, for and against. Some of that has to do with the fact the Canucks really only have four defenseman (Rome and Parent play sparingly, which is fair), but much has to do with the fact that Ehrhoff just wasn't sound tonight. He and Edler aren't the best pair, either. There simply isn't enough defensive reliability on the pairing to make up for their offensive instincts. Typically, they both play with a stay-at-home guy, and, like most new, modern couples, they need to have a long, frank discussion about which one of them will stay at home.
  
  
• As a result of the growing pains of the above pair, it pains to me to say that the Bieksa-Alberts pairing was tops tonight. They were physical and smart, and finished the night +1 and even, respectively. Alberts had more hits than Dexy's Midnight Runners. Which is to say, more than one.
  
  
• And finally, the green men were back for the first time this season. They had some new moves (a little air guitar, for instance), and they did their thing at the penalty box. Part of me wonders if they have writers for their moves. It wouldn't be too surprising. If Jay Leno needs writers to be not funny, clearly you can use writers for anything. On a sidenote: after close inspection, we suspect that one of the green men has been replaced. Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement that Sully would now like to be called Dipsy.

I Am Watching This Game, A PITB Live Blog: Canucks vs. Avalanche, October 26, 2010

For the first time in PITB's history, tonight's game will be LiveBlogged by Skeeter, yours truly, and, potentially, a couple other special guests. Tell your friends. Drop by to chat. Hang about in silence, observing the shortsighted things we say in the moment. See you tonight. We'll fire this bad boy up at 6:45pm. Faithful readers, don't panic: we will still be writing an "I Watched This Game" to accompany and summarize what goes on in the box below.