Canucks Army Recap: Harder, Better, Fauster, Stronger

You’d think a club like the Vancouver Canucks, what with their rich history of changing up apparel and team colours every five years or so, would feel right at home in New Jersey. You’d be wrong.

The lifeless, Burrows-less Canucks limped through most of the second of back-to-back games against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. They looked slow and tired, well everyone except for Zack Kassian, until a late push made things somewhat interesting. Also Jordin Tootoo scored against them. 

A couple of cheeky Kassian finishes and Willie Desjardins’ momentary end-game brilliance aside, it was perhaps their worst performance of the season.

It was also a ‘schedule loss’, so there’s no need to look to look for any deeper meaning here. Not that we’ll let that stop us on the other side of the jump!

Shot attempt chart:

(Courtesy: Hockeystats.ca)

Shot Location plot:

(Courtesy: War-on-ice.com)

– The Canucks abandoned the Shawn Matthias, Derek Dorsett, Brandon McMillan line in the third period, and not a moment too soon. That line got absolutely torched by a very limited Devils side. Combined the three were on the ice for one 5-on-5 shot attempt, and that was when Dorsett was late to change and was fortunate enough to be on the ice for a Bo Horvat blast. Now let us never speak about that unholy forward line again.

– When the Canucks separated Matthias, Dorsett and McMillan at last, the Canucks still failed to register a shot attempt with Matthias on the ice at 5-on-5. Hopefully Nick Bonino gets well soon…

– Poor Radim Vrbata. The Czech-born forward, acquired specifically to play with the twins, hasn’t played with them consistently since February 1. On Friday night he started the game on Vancouver’s top-line, but was quickly replaced by Zack Kassian. He has to be getting frustrated.

– Linden Vey isn’t an above average two-way forward or anything, but I think his defensive game is improving somewhat. Just an observation. He seems to be breaking up more possessions than he was in his first go-around as a pivot earlier in the year. Never seem dangerous offensively though, unless he’s on the power-play.  

– The way Ryan Stanton is playing right now, it seems like he’s an entirely different person than the Stanton we saw in the first few months of the season. He’s skating well enough to keep up with the play, and his underlying numbers are solid. He and Adam Clendenning have been nothing short of huge for a Canucks team that is currently playing without three of their top-four defensemen.

– Speaking of Clendenning, in light of all the blue-line injuries that followed, how timely was that particular trade. Sometimes timing is everything.

– Have to think Eddie Lack would want the first- and second-goals back tonight. His positioning was off on the first goal, and getting beat five-hole by Tootoo on the rush has got to hurt. The shot location plot (see above) isn’t flattering to Mr. Lack.

– Love the four forward set and the early goalie pull, not sure I get the thinking behind replacing the goaltender when the twins are on the ice, then pulling him when Vancouver’s second power-play unit is on the ice. That 6-on-4 opportunity with the twins, right there, the one the Canucks didn’t avail themselves of, that’s your best opportunity to win the game…

– Cory Schneider got an assist, Bo Horvat did not. Vancouver lost the trade. 

Hopefully the Canucks don’t trade Kassian before they play the New York Islanders on Sunday night at 3pm PST!