Canucks Army Postgame # 45: Zzzzz
7 years ago
The only thing more certain in life than death and taxes is a boring matinee game between the Canucks and Devils. This was low-event hockey at it’s finest, with each team registering just 22 shots apiece. So you just knew it had to go to overtime.
Even Henrik Sedin didn’t mince words about tonight’s game.
I think the more passionate among us forget at times that sports are supposed to be fun. They’re primarily an entertainment property. Unfortunately, tonight’s game did not meet the threshold of activity necessary to be described as entertaining. This team has done a lot of losing over the past 18 months. It’s shame they can’t at least do it in an engaging manner.
STATS
“HIGHLIGHTS”
GAME NOTES
- The Canucks turtle with the lead with alarming regularity. Tonight was no different. After scoring the first of the game at 6:31 of the second period, the team managed just three shots over the remaining 13:29. That’s not a great sign, considering the Devils are one of only eight teams that average more shots against than the Canucks
- Nikita Tryamkin has played 34 games this season, and looked like a legitimate NHLer far more often than not. There wasn’t much to like about tonight’s game, but it was the type of showing from Tryamkin that teases you with his potential. Tryamkin’s play away from the puck this season has been great, but tonight he looked the most comfortable he’s ever been when the Canucks had possession, even joining the rush at times. He also shrugged Taylor Hall off like an Elephant swatting away a fly. Games like tonight make the Chara comparisons look a little less ridiculous. Tryamkin’s game wasn’t perfect, (he finished -7 in even-strength Corsi,) but still, it’s something you can dream on.
- Unfortunately, Jayson Megna remains on the Canucks second unit power play, for some reason. He has one career point on the man advantage. Baby steps.
- It looked for a moment as though, mercifully, the game might end in regulation when Blake Coleman scored a flukey goal late in the third. The Canucks challenged on the grounds that the play was offside, and won. It seems the only thing more appropriate tonight than a player scoring their first NHL goal against the Canucks was that goal being disallowed on a technicality.
- With tonight’s overtime loss, the Canucks are now 24th in ROW, but sit just two points back of a wild-card spot. That is the absolute worst place for this team to be in right now. It’s the hockey equivalent of purgatory. Which, in some ways, is actually quite appropriate, given watching tonight’s game is roughly what I’d imagine being in actual purgatory would feel like.
