Big Brother Tells Little Brother To Settle Down; Canucks Exact Revenge On Oilers
Dimitri Filipovic
April 05 2013 12:58AM
I feel like this photo does a fairly adequate job of summing up Thursday night's game.
Photo Credit: Jeff Vinnick.
Heading into Thursday night's game, the Edmonton Oilers had won 5 games in a row, outscoring their opposition 25-7 during the streak. Once you combine that with the fact that the Oilers - a franchise that hadn't even sniffed anything resembling (non-draft related) success over the past few years - were sitting in 8th place, naturally their fans were beginning to get a little rowdy. If you don't believe me, check the comments section of the preview for this one.
As you may have expected, things got awfully quiet on that front as the game went along. The Canucks came out of the gate with a strong first period, and really sustained it throughout without any real hiccups along the way. The final result was a sound 4-0 beating, which made amends for the thrashing the Oilers dished out last Saturday night.
Read on Past the Jump for Analysis, and Scoring Chance Data.
Game #37 Preview: Oilers @ Canucks
Dimitri Filipovic
April 04 2013 01:52PM
Last time out, Taylor Hall had his way with the Canucks en route to a quick hat-trick.
I guess you could say the two teams going up against each other at Rogers Arena on Thursday night are heading into the game going in different directions. Which to me, is funny, because the team that has their fans feeling pessimistic has earned 5 points more than the one that has their's suddenly feeling cocky, through the same number of games, despite missing a whole whack of key pieces. It's all about perception and expectations...
The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers - the two squads I was referring to in the paragraph above, obviously - do battle for the fourth time this season. You'll note that the game starts 30 minutes later than the usual start time for home games (7:30 PM PST); it's Canucks for Kids Fund Telethon night!
More on what should be a good game just after the jump.
Too Little, Too Late, As Canucks Rally Falls Short: Recap and Chance Data
Dimitri Filipovic
April 02 2013 12:51AM
Cory Schneider, likely wondering what he has gotten himself into.
Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson, via Getty Images.
On Monday night the Vancouver Canucks submitted their best impression of the Calgary Flames franchise, as they did just enough towards the end to give their fans a false sense of hope, before ultimately proving that the hole they dug themselves was too deep to overcome.
While it's easy to look at the 3 minute stretch in the 2nd period as the reason for the loss, the time leading up to it was really just as big a reason for their undoing. They came out of the gate flat, yet again, and there was only so much Cory Schneider could do before the flood gates opened. It's back to the drawing board for a team that may look drastically different the next time we see them take the ice.
Read on Past the Jump for Scoring Chance Data, and Analysis.
Game #36 Preview: Canucks @ Sharks
Dimitri Filipovic
April 01 2013 03:21PM
Amidst all of the trade deadline chatter, the Canucks and Sharks will jockey for position in the Western Conference playoff picture.
There's a lot of things you have been able to complain about as a fan of the Vancouver Canucks fan this season; the boring games, the injuries piling up, the lack of "bold moves" (even if the reasoning behind not pulling the trigger on anything drastic is justified). Things as a whole have been bumpy, which has caught people off guard after two seasons of smooth sailing.
With the arrival of April, though, we're heading into a stretch that is bound to provide us with some twists, turns, and hopefully, some excitement. With the trade deadline only two days away - not to mention there being less than a month left in this abbreviated regular season - things are about to pick up. But before anything else takes place, the Canucks need to put forth a better effort than the lackluster one we witnessed in Saturday night's debacle against the Oilers.
Read on Past the Jump for More on the Game.
Breaking Down Mike Gillis' Trade Deadline Resume
Dimitri Filipovic
March 29 2013 11:50AM
Mike Gillis would like to explain his relatively conservative trade deadline history to you.
With the trade deadline readily approaching, we've kicked our all-encompassing preview into high gear. Already on this platform, we have taken an inventory of what the team has and what it needs, we have "Strombabbled", and we have looked at some of the "BOLD MOVES" from the Gillis era (i.e. acquiring Keith Ballard, buying David Booth's services, and trading away Cody Hodgson).
In anticipation of the April 3rd deadline, it's time for us to take a look at what Mike Gillis has managed to do during his tenure as GM of the team on that very day. As you'll see, there's no doubt that there have been good moves, there have been bad moves, and there have been moves that nobody really cares about. But can we sum them all up in an attempt to grasp his general strategy?
Read on Past the Jump for More.
