Canucks Steal One From The Kings Thanks to Strong Goaltending, Quick Strike: Recap and Chance Data

The Kings tried to rattle Cory Schneider, but he was in the zone, yet again.

At this point of the season, the Canucks and their fans can’t be overly picky about how the team gets the two points. Given how hotly contested both the Northwest Division and the Western Conference in general are at the moment, all that matters is that they get ’em, any way, any how.

Which is why it’s hard to be overly critical of the Canucks after their performance in Los Angeles, considering they managed to pull one out on Saturday afternoon against the Kings. Despite the fact that they were pretty thoroughly outplayed, Cory Schneider served as the great equalizer.

Read Past the Jump for Analysis, and Scoring Chance Numbers.

The Los Angeles Kings had 20 scoring chances to the Canucks’ 8 in this one, which sounds about right. They dominated possession, and really controlled the action for most of the game. You have to give credit where credit is due – Anze Kopitar is a remarkable player. He pretty much did everything he wanted to in this one, looking super dangerous every time he skated into the offensive zone with the puck. 

Now, even though the Kings had quite a few scoring chances, not very many of them were of the ‘Grade A’ variety. The Canucks did a good job of limiting the damage, and Schneider was up to the task when he needed to be. He has now stopped 85 of the last 88 shots he has faced. Unsurprisingly, the Canucks are 3-0 over that stretch.

The only goal of the game came on a stellar stretch pass from Jordan Schroeder to spring Mason Raymond. He made no mistake coming in on Quick, potting his 8th goal of the season. The speed and skill those two play with (along with Jannik Hansen) has really added an interesting dynamic to the Canucks. I love watching them get up to stuff.

I don’t want to harp on how dreadful the power play looks, because I realize that it’s missing 2 of its most important pieces. I’ll just mention that the team had 3 opportunities, which only generated 2 scoring chances. Both were for the Kings.

Henrik Sedin pulled an anti-Sergei Kostitsyn in the third period. He looked like he was headed for a change, but in the last second realized he had a chance for a 2-on-1, so he took it. The more remarkable thing was that he kept the puck and shot it himself. You’ll be telling your grandkids about that one, one day.

John Shorthouse had himself a game on commentary. He managed to sneak in an Amanda Bynes reference (google it, if you don’t know what I’m talking about), only to have John Garrett kill the moment by having no idea what he was talking about. Later, he sarcastically quipped "there’s nothing annoying about pounding the glass behind the net." I have no idea why the Kings fans seemed determined to keep doing that, personally. Because there’s no way it’s actually rattling the players. Seems like a waste of time, and a potential injured hand waiting to happen.

I apologize to Tom Sestito’s friends, family, and loved ones, but I am having a difficult time trying to figure out exactly what the point of him is? I feel like the Canucks are fortunate not to get scored on every time he is on the ice. Him and the game of hockey don’t get along all that well.