(Danny Moloshok, REUTERS)

Not a good night, was this?

Cory Schneider came in, and the team showed some promise early, out-shooting Los Angeles 11-5 in the first period and bringing it to 24-11 through two. The team kept LA to a minimal amount of scoring chances in the early going, but on the inverse, many of their efforts were calm attempts from out-side the perimeter. LA broke through in the third on a goal by Dustin Brown. We know this, so do the Canucks, and, for the first time since 2001, the Canucks will head into the fourth game of a series down 3 games to 0.

What’s there to go over? We have a few numbers and bullet points in the next few hundred words, as usual. Since it’s a tough loss, we won’t keep you for very long past the jump.

-9-13 the scoring chances in this one, in LA’s favour. 8-11 at even strength and 4-10 with the score tied at 5-on-5. A lot of the Canucks’ game, generating rebounds, creating chances off of blocked shots and the like. Jonathan Quick, as he has all series, kept those rebounds away, and the Kings’ defence just cleared those rebounds away with unimpressive efficiency, creating little in the way of scoring chances for Vancouver.

-You need a slip-up from Quick, any, to have a chance. This was the case when Vancouver ran into Tim Thomas last season, but it just isn’t there.

-Dustin Brown had an incredible game. Creating chances, involved in chances, being a physical force you know the Canucks wanted to acquire. Of his six shots, five of them were scoring chances. Not a player that involved in this series from the Canucks’ standpoint. Very scary moment when he hit Henrik Sedin, whose head snapped back pretty hard when he fell on the ice, but he wasn’t sent to the Quiet Room. In the post-game, he called the hit “clean”, which it was, and that he was only winded on the play.

-The prospect of losing both Sedins to concussions was near. Related: Dale Weise played 1:54 of completely uneventful hockey.

-Cory Schneider did his job, getting the quality start, but I’m not quite sure he was the best player on this night. Kevin Bieksa, actually, played just over 25 minutes, had a plus chance count, six shots on net and was effective on the penalty kill. He led the Canucks in Corsi at a +23, though much of that came in garbage time when the Canucks really poured it on.

-That said, Schneider was good. I think you bring him back out for Game Four. I like both him and Roberto Luongo in any game, but you can’t waffle in the wind now. I’m sure that Alain Vigneault will announce his name on Tuesday when he makes the decision.

-That chance at 5:02 to go in the third was the Canucks’ season in a nut-shell. Mason Raymond makes a great play in the offensive zone, making moves around defenders, bringing it in front to a very good spot, and throwing a pretty weak attempt on net. The Canucks have accomplished very little with all the time they’ve spent in the offensive zone.

-Rough game for the Chris Tanev-Keith Ballard pairing, against no significant matchup. Gotta think the Canucks bring Aaron Rome in for the fourth game. How he’ll fix the offence, I don’t know.

-Ryan Kesler has to stop that. So does Maxim Lapierre.

Statistical Three Stars

1. Jonathan Quick
2. Dustin Brown
3. Anze Kopitar

Statistical Three Goats

1. Chris Tanev
2. Keith Ballard
3. Zack Kassian

External Resources

Corsi / Fenwick

Zone Start Report

Head 2 Head Ice-time

NHL Event Summary

Scoring Chances for NHL Game Number 30153

UPDATE with Kings numbers: