The Canucks are now 8-2 in their last 10 games, which would officially be considered on a roll. The question though, is what is the main reason for this sudden turn for the better?
Schneider has been starting recently, taking advantage of Luongo's mysterious "upper body injury", and now he has played himself into a full time gig. At the same time, All the slumbering Canucks, (Kesler, Burrows, Booth) have turned it on as well, scoring at a pace more towards expectations. So is it Schneider's emergence of dominance that sparked this team? Forcing players to step it up in front of him? Or is it the rise of our two-way players that is making defensive life on Schneider much easier? As well as putting the puck in at the other end?
Everything just seemed to all come together at the same time, which is exactly what happened last year to this team. After a mediocre start, the end of November sparked an historic run of 17-1-2. This year seems to be trending towards the same result. Kesler is looking more like himself of last season, with 7 points in 5 games. While newcomer David Booth is showing flashes of his past 30 goal campaign, with 2 goals in his last 3 games.
Standings as of November, 29, 2011
So which came first? The chicken or the egg? The dominant goalkeeping from an unlikely source? Or everybody playing well as a collective unit at both ends of the ice? Or does it even matter? Some people are just happy that Vancouver is within 1 win of first place in the Western Conference, no matter the reason for it. Schneider is a big reason for this sudden surge of offense, giving the forwards the confidence to cheat just a little bit. But it's more likely the players just working the bugs out. Whether it's adjusting to a new team and new city, or shaking off the cobwebs after a long recovery from injury.
A win is a win, and they all look the same on paper.
My congratulations to Cory Schneider, getting his 3rd straight win and putting up numbers that would make Tim Thomas' stat line look pitiful in comparison. Schneider is making it pretty well impossible to get a puck past him, yet the Canucks need to bench him. Here's why.
Schneider's salary this season: $900,000(restricted free agent next season)
Luongo's salary this season: $6,716,000(he's here for a while)
This season's goalie situation is looking quite similar to Boston's a couple years ago, when Tuuka Rask took the number 1 spot away from Thomas, but then Timmy T earned back his rightful spot and put up record breaking numbers. Is that what the Canucks are hoping for this year? I don't think so. I don't think they're willing to have Luongo sit on the bench the majority of the season. As good as Schneider is playing, he is the back up and should be, as long as we have Luongo on the same roster. Roberto is the type of goalie that you can put into a situation cold, and expect him to perform. He needs to play, and play lots. Remember him in the middle of last season? Remember that run of 17-1-2 the Canucks went on exactly 365 days ago? That wasn't out of no where, that was a giant snowball effect. Luongo got some momentum behind him and basically bulldozed his way into super human territory. That's the Luongo we need right now.
Here's some situations:
1. We keep Luongo and Schneider, play them 50/50 and then hope for some trade offers on Schneider by the trade deadline (maybe a first round pick or a top-6 forward).
2. We keep them both again, but play Luongo about 60-70% like a regular number 1 goalie would play. Still hope for some attractive trade offers for Schneider.
3. Schneider stays as number 1 for this season and hope he can get us deep into the playoffs. Luongo will have to earn his spot back. Hopefully re-sign Schneider at the end of the season.
4. This is the most unrealistic scenario: We play the hell out of Schneider, snubbing Luongo of any credit and playing time. Try to force him to waive his no-trade clause so we can trade him, keeping Schneider as our new number 1.
I don't see any way that the Canucks are going to be able to keep both goaltenders starting next season. The longest I see us keeping Schneider is after the playoffs. Then Vancouver could go the Kyle Turris route, and re-sign him then trade him after showcasing his skill. There is no way that Schneider is going to want to be a back up for much longer. You don't think he isn't loving this opportunity he's getting right now? This minor Luongo injury is probably the best thing that's happened to his career. Now that he's had a taste for it, he's going to want to be a number 1 goalie. You don't go to an all you can eat rib buffet, just to have a single mouthwatering hickory rib and then sit there and watch everyone else eat...
I'd love to see us keep Schneider and get rid of Luongo, I believe - and always have - that you can win a Stanley Cup with a good goalie and heavy firepower. My dream scenario would be to trade Luongo, re-sign Scneider for anywhere between $3-5M (remember, Niemi signed a new contract after winning the Stanley Cup that had a cap hit of $3.8M). Then use the extra money that we saved from Luongo's contract to get a top-6 forward. There would have to be a lot of things to go right (or terribly wrong) for that to happen, but it'd be interesting.
What's your dream scenario? Let me know what you think the Canucks should do or are going to do in the comment section. (I read them all and really appreciate it)
Some say that there are no easy wins in the NHL, you have to battle in every game and fight for every loose puck. Most of the time, that's true, against Colorado...not so much.
Last nights game against the Colorado Avalanche could have been the easiest win I've ever seen. It was exactly what they Canucks needed to jump start their season (it happened at this exact time last year), and it couldn't have come against an easier opponent. I grew up watching Joe Sakic, Adam Deadmarsh, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, all those guys. You did not want to play the Avalanche because they were a force, similar to what the Canucks were like last year. The only team to really give Colorado a run for their money was Detroit, because, well, it's Detroit.
Jump ahead 10 years, now you look forward to playing them because it's like having a light practice and coming away with 2 points. The only good thing about Colorado right now, is really their power play and their goaltending (kinda). An example of how bad they were. After it happening quite a few times, I noticed that the Avalanche were turning the puck over quite a bit. At first I thought it was because of the forecheck of the Canucks, but I thought wrong. Colorado would get one pass in, from D man to D man, then as soon as they entered the neutral zone, they would just blindly throw it up the boards, and it would be intercepted. Or they would try a lead pass, but it would be 4 feet ahead of the intended target. I couldn't believe how terrible they were. They went a full 5 minutes in the second period, not completing one pass, and it wasn't due to relentless pressure from Vancouver either. It was just pure and utter awfulness.
Take a look at Kesler's 3-0 goal. What was Hunwick thinking? Sure, the guy he's passing to should have been looking, but he wasn't looking for a while. This is just a quick example of what happened all game long.
Now, I say all this to put some perspective on the coming up games this weekend. This game could have been won by almost any team in the league right now. The Canucks didn't play particularly well, but they didn't have to. Hopefully, it gives them some confidence and momentum going into this weekend because when it comes to San Jose, they will actually complete a couple passes.
Sure, Cory Schneider beat the Senators. The Canucks, however, didn't.
As a team, Vancouver has probably been outplayed in 75% of their games so far. The fact that the Canucks are sitting only 6 points out of first in the west (who is Minnesota, by the way), is almost a miracle. Too many times have the Canucks been out worked and beaten to the puck. They know this too, it's not like they think everything is going well, and they're playing to the best of their ability, they know that they need to play better. They know, that if they do, they would have only a handful of losses this season...maybe not even that many. Take the Ottawa game for example, the Senators outplayed us almost the entire game. There was the odd Sedin shift where it would be about 3 minutes of pure domination, but that's only two of the five players on the ice. It's hard to win all the time when you have two forwards and a goalie playing and the rest watching.
When Crosby first had the press conference at the beginning of the season, and all the doctors and staff came out and explained what was what, they made a good point. Crosby is like a Ferrari, so his 75% might be better than other players 100%, because he is that good. That's kind of how I see the Canucks. Right now, they aren't playing to their full potential and they still have a winning record. Imagine, if they played like they did in mid-January.
Brooklyn Decker
Part of it is injuries - Kesler coming back, Raymond is out, Manny isn't quite right yet - but I think the main reason for their lackluster start to the season is desire. They just came off one of the top two most exciting seasons in franchise history, now they have to come back and try to match that? It's like going from being with Brooklyn Decker with no strings attached, to being on a deserted island with nothing but Good Housekeeping magazines. It's hard to keep your energy and spirits up when you know that it's damn near impossible to replicate near perfection. That's what separates good teams from great teams, and great teams from storied franchises.
Look at the Detroit Red Wings, what they have been able to do over the last 10 years is nothing short of amazing. It's because they have the desire year after year, to compete to be the best in the league every season. It starts from the top, all the way down to the Zamboni driver. Now, I'm not saying that Vancouver is lacking passion - the Canucks are probably one of the more passionate franchises in the league - it's just they don't have the drive and desire at this point, to sacrifice what is needed to be dominant. That's all.
Oh what a difference 10 days makes. From going into Chicago and spanking them, to having them come into Vancouver and return the favor.
The first period was nice, we scored first, Sedin to Sedin to Hansen with the easy tap in goal. That's what we like to see. Then the second half of the second period comes along and just saps all the life out of the Canucks. They were flat, they almost seemed content just keeping pace with them. There was the odd break here and there, but nothing really substantial. I think the turning point - or the counter turning point - was the short handed breakaway that Hansen had. Unfortunately, Crawford stretched out to make a nice save with the right pad. You get the feeling that if that was Burrows instead of Hansen, he would have been able to get that puck up and tuck it underneath the bar. Regardless, it was a nice save on Crawford's part.
Vince was happy about the Hawks game, I'm sure
The third period just seemed to unravel. Hossa pretty well dismantled the entire team, single handedly. You saw his speed when he smoked Edler to the loose puck, which eventually set up Toews. His vision when he did a nice little spin-back pass to Montador, who scored on a shot that Schneider probably should have had.
The biggest part about this loss that bugs me, is the fact that there was no passion. There was zero emotion in this game, until Kesler got hit in the face off the face-off. He felt like there was a missed call, so he went on a mini rampage, taking out Leddy with a clean bodycheck. That was about 12-minutes into the third period. That kind of emotion needs to be gushing out of everybody from the second the puck is dropped on the opening face-off. This is your biggest rival you're talking about! You're going to let Steve Montador walk in and slap it in the back of the net? You see what happened when one of the Sedin's went up to Corey Crawford for a rebound and gave him a little jab? Three Blackhawks came to his aid, and all three of them smothered Sedin. There was none of that from the Canucks this game.
Chicago played like they were defending their sister's honor. Vancouver played like they were the little sister. It was actually brought up when I was watching the game, it's times like this where you miss Raffi Torres. Somebody who goes out, smashes a couple people, swings the momentum over by getting the crowd into it a bit. When we were down 2-1, I thought that we would have seen a lot of the Sedin's and Kesler (which there was). When we got down 3-1, I thought there would have been more Volpatti and Lapierre (which there was not).
On a side note, Kesler is due. I'm not convinced everybody is playing at 100% right now. Either mentally or physically, there is something a little off. I know the Sedin's are near the top in scoring, but what about Kesler? What about Booth? These guys should be generating offense on a consistent basis, but instead, we only see flashes.
I'm not saying that the Canucks don't care, because players don't get to the NHL with this kind of success by not caring. I am saying though, that they need to let everybody know they care a little more. Get angry, throw big hits. You'll be surprised how well you forecheck when your pissed off at somebody.
Most teams in the NHL have their rivalries. In some cases, it's because of proximity, like the Battle of Alberta with Calgary and Edmonton. Other cases involve years of historic battles like Boston and Montreal, or any of the original six teams, really. So how come fans get so amped up when the Canucks play the Blackhawks?
It's becoming 'can't miss hockey', because you know there is deep-rooted bad blood between these two teams. But why?
It all started back in 2008-09. Vancouver rolled over the Blues in the first round, winning the first four games. While the Flames took Chicago to 6 games before the Blackhawks finally put them away. Then it began. The date: April, 30th, 2009. It was a day like every other day, but what people didn't realize, was this was the day one of the most hatred-fueled rivalries was spawned.
The Blackhawks eliminated the Canucks from the playoffs in 6 games. The following year, almost like de-ja-vu, Chicago beat Vancouver in 6 games in the second round. The only thing that helped with the sting of the loss was that Chicago ended up winning the Stanley Cup that year, so nobody was better than the Blackhawks.
Just last season, the Canucks come off of a franchise year. Setting records in almost every statistical category imaginable. The goalies were tops in the league, special teams were pretty well unstoppable/impenetrable. Finished the season with a franchise record 54 wins and 117 points. Things were going well, to say the least. Meanwhile, Chicago barely scraped into the playoffs. The only reason they even made it in was because Dallas couldn't win when it mattered most. If Dallas won their final game, they would have been in, stealing the final playoff spot from Chicago. Regardless though, it worked out for the better.
Again, the Canucks were meeting Chicago in the playoffs. Only this time, Vancouver was expected to just flatten the Blackhawks. Boy, were we wrong. Canucks win the first three, Blackhawks win the next three (in very convincing fashion), then it all lead up to Burrows becoming the home-town hero with his phenominal overtime, game 7 goal. That series almost numbed everybody for the rest of the playoffs, because nothing, NOTHING, is more exciting than that playoff series. Everything that led up to it, the roller coaster of emotions, the controversial hits, the scrums after the whistle...literally, everything. That was the last time I remember hugging another man that wasn't my father. Just watch, if this doesn't give you chills, then you're dead inside.
Which leads us to now, Vancouver and Chicago. Kesler vs Toews. Kane vs cab drivers. After three meetings in the amplified playoff atmosphere, these teams have gotten to know one another quite well. Which brings me back to the original point, why is it the best rivalry in the league?
Not only do these two teams legitimately hate each other, but both of them are consistently great teams. They are both near the top of the conference, if not the league. They are both cup contenders, and will be for the next few years. With both teams locking up a lot of their players long term, it compounds the animosity when the same players are facing each other all the time.
Vancouver fans have the pleasure of making the signs with the exhausted looking Vince Vaughn, while Chicago fans can try to drown out a 747 jet in the "Madhouse". Either way, it's a great rivalry, but more importantly, it's even better hockey.
My prediction for tonight: Vancouver kicked Chicago's ass last game, but I can't see that happening two times in a row. I still think the Canucks will win, but Chicago will put up a fight. Schneider is in net for the Nucks, but there is no reason to believe that he is going to get shelled. Final score: Vancouver 4, Chicago 3.
Aaron Rome is continuing his surprising point streak, and in convincing fashion. He isn't just piling on assists, he's getting goals too. Before this season, Rome had 2 goals and 10 assists in 131 career NHL games. This season, in just 4 games since returning from injury, he has 3 goals and 2 assists. Rome has a better points per game average than Daniel Sedin right now, and finishes tied for 5th in the league in that category. Now, we can't expect him to keep up this pace, because remember, he IS a defenceman. Although, there isn't really any reason he can't keep up his goal scoring ways. All his goals so far have been very on purpose. They aren't just shots from the point that find their way in, they are goals you score from being aggressive and being in the right place at the right time. I guess this could be the reason why Vigneault played him over Ballard last year, but who knows.
As for the tilt against the Islanders, that was almost a perfect game. There weren't any brain lapses, just the odd break out or two by New York. Usually led by the first line, which is to be expected with the kind of talent and speed they have up front. Luongo was borderline unbeatable, which is hard to do in a game like this because of the extended stretches of not seeing any action. His best save would have to be the glove save off Grabner, after a quick little give and go, Lou robs him with the glove.
Aside from Rome taking over the water cooler talk, the Canucks played a solid, two-way game. They were responsible in their own end, didn't take any penalties, at all. There wasn't any terrible giveaways, although in the first period, there was a lot of back-and-forth in the neutral zone. Nobody seemed to be able to get anything done.
Hodgson had an excellent game, you noticed him for all the right reasons and not just because he scored. It was a promising game and a win that they deserved. Vancouver should have won that game, and they did. That's how it's going to have to be if they want to finish atop the standings again. They need to win all the games they should, and then most of the games they shouldn't. But if Rome wants to play like this all year, there shouldn't be any reason why the Canucks can't finish first again.
Schneider has been starting recently, taking advantage of Luongo's mysterious "upper body injury", and now he has played himself into a full time gig. At the same time, All the slumbering Canucks, (Kesler, Burrows, Booth) have turned it on as well, scoring at a pace more towards expectations. So is it Schneider's emergence of dominance that sparked this team? Forcing players to step it up in front of him? Or is it the rise of our two-way players that is making defensive life on Schneider much easier? As well as putting the puck in at the other end?
