Canucks Army Postgame: Extinguished

Highlights

Quick Hits

• You could almost hear this question before the final horn went to close out tonight’s contest. Will Coach Real Good turn to Ryan Miller in game four? I’d like to think the answer is no. Lack has played amazing since stepping in for Miller and if we’re being entirely honest, put together a better season on the whole. Then again, four goals on 27-shots isn’t a great look. Willie Desjardins is also known for his astonishing amount of loyalty to his players. Miller is his guy. Not saying Lack was the Canucks problem, but we know how things go in this city. Will be interesting to see how this plays out. I’m not sure Lack was necessarily bad tonight and the shot plot certainly backs that up; all but one goal came from the “high danger” area we associate with high-quality scoring chances. Fingers crossed that Eddie gets another shot. 
• Now how was that for an ending? With or without John Tortorella behind the bench, these two teams just do not like each other. Alex Burrows hit on Johnny Gaudreau really got things going tonight. In the ensuing brawl he had with Kris Russell, Burrows assessed an instigator call. All this happened in the final five minutes, meaning that Burrows will automatically be suspended for game four. Now, that said, the Canucks can ask that the league review that penalty and should it be rescinded, Burrows can skate in game four. We’ve already seen this scenario played out in this series, with the league rescinding an instigator penalty that Deryk Engelland drew in last game. As an aside, I was all too happy that the league let him play. Dan Hamhuis has also likely put himself in the cross hairs of the league, with a late shoulder check on Sam Bennett. The play drew a two-minute penalty, for an illegal check to the head. Looks a lot more like shoulder to me, but the cut on Bennett’s cheek following that hit is quite damning. Could the Canucks be without Burrows and Hamhuis in game four? Welp.
• Luca Sbisa is bad. Just plain awful. Nothing overly enlightening there. Tonight though, Sbisa was especially awful. Even media members who don’t follow the Canucks couldn’t help but to chime in tonight. The common theme was that Sbisa was “hearing footsteps”. Interesting paradox here for Canucks fans to observe, having heard this team say on multiple occasions that Sbisa has stepped his game up in the second half of the season, in the mold of an old-school, stay-at-home defender, often lauded for his physical play. His reads tonight were awful, his breakout passes aimless and his decision making mind-boggling. He also led the Canucks in shorthanded ice-time. As bad as Sbisa looked tonight, he was heavily sheltered, seeing the Flames first line less than any other. Fascinating. 
• One imagines that as the physicality amps up in a series, much like it has in this one, the importance of each team’s fourth line will become increasingly profound on the outcome of each game. Tonight wasn’t the Canucks night. From about the second period forward, the Canucks fourth began to get pinned in their zone more often than not. They eventually combined for the Canucks second-goal, but gee, talk about garbage time. Using Bo Horvat’s numbers as a proxy for the line, they were somewhere in the neighbourhood of a 35% Corsi For. Chalk this up to good coaching from Bob Hartley. Hartley clearly has a finer appreciation for home-ice advantage than Coach Real Good, as the fiery francophone did everything in his power to put the Flames first-line out each and every time the Canucks had their fourth on the ice. 
• A week ago, I wouldn’t have had even the slightest idea of who Michael Ferland is. Starting to wish it had stayed that way. What a proverbial thorn he’s been in the Canucks sides. He isn’t necessarily pushing the needle where possession is concerned and he’s not providing much in the way of offense, but those nine hits from tonight sure do stick out. If the Canucks defenders are “hearing footsteps” it’s probably in large part to Ferland. Don’t think he’s under the Canucks skin? Kevin Bieksa jumping the guy in the waning moments of tonight’s contest says otherwise. As does Derek Dorsett’s attempts to fight him in the second. Sounds like this would’ve been a task for Top Sixtito. I’ll show myself the door.

Conclusion