Hello, is this thing on?
I’m not sure how I found myself here, but I was up and there is hockey on my TV.
After watching the “Utica Canucks” against the Oilers yesterday, we are treated to an actual mostly NHL team in the Vancouver blue and Travis green.

THE RUNDOWN

What a great thing this trip to China is. Sure the results are not what Canucksarmy citizens are hoping for but the people watching it were having fun. Definitely more fun than your average NHL fan at a preseason game. They even did the wave!
Things were slow to start overall. The Kings scored goals one and two in quick succession.
Muzzin was all over in the first stanza and the slow start in general didn’t really stop for the Canucks. There was a bit of emotion shown when the Canucks rushed the net and Andreoff took exception to Dorsett.
The second was a bit of the same. Nilsson getting tested with some pretty good chances from the Kings. Then Sven Baertschi said, “Got this”:
Otherwise the second was a lot of Kings with little minor push-back from the Nucks.
Baertschi started off the second driving the play again, coming close. The Kings come back and off a weird bounce from the glass, Nilsson is lost and the puck is in off Toffoli on the spot
Play picked up after that for both teams. Odd man rushes and broken plays from both sides. The Canucks push harder through the mid way point and are rewarded on the second of a back-to-back power play:
We have a game on our hands! The crowd was on the edge of their seat and the Kings and Canucks exchange chance after chance. Finally Tanev comes streaking in from off the bench and rips one past the Kings Keumper.
Think you’ve been up too long? We bring you OVERTIMEEE.
Imagine the confusion for a Chinese hockey fan taking in the NHL in person for the first time and seeing the chaos that is 3-on-3. The Kings took the first half of OT with the Sedins changing the momentum briefly for Vancity. Canucks hold on and now we shoot.

Shootout:

Canucks shooter –
Kings shooter –
Canucks shooter –
Kings shooter –
Canucks shooter –
A anti-climatic end to a great comeback of the Canucks. The skills competition what it is. The ice played a role.
Lots of positives to take from this however.

THE GOOD

  • Less penalties! Good golly the players were allowed to play. Aside from Andreoff getting upset at Dorsett for going to the net the boys were allowed to play. Thanks refs.
  • Sven Baertschi’s entire game really. Highlighted by this shift in the 2nd period that led to his goal:
  • The push from the Canucks PP. There wasn’t a PP that the Canucks did have that wasn’t well establish for flourishes. The Eriksson goal a result of the PP work.
  • Over 12,000 people in Beijing to take in the festivities.
  • The comeback. The boys didn’t give in. Could have folded up shop when Toffoli put that weird one in. The Canucks didn’t stop. They were rewarded with a preseason OT point?

THE BAD

  • The ice. Right from the hop the moorings for the nets were an issue. Before the first puck drop the LA net was under repair. Now China isn’t yet the hot bed of hockey so we’ll give them a break.
  • The not so Great Wall of Nilsson. He was bombarded, but was all over with rebound control and his stops/non-stops. He constantly was scrambling around the crease.
  • 3 on 3: there was very little Canucks possession in the extra period. (Until the Sedins were on the ice)

THE UGLY

  • Labate’s face after laying a massive hit on Burmis… No wait. He plays for the Canucks… that can’t b.. No no it actually was his own teammate:
  • The breakaways. I counted no less than 5 full or partial breaks by the Kings. Nilsson already having a tough time on the night, and the team makes him save some solo rushes.

LOOKING AHEAD

The China series is done.
The players can head back across the pond and the Canucks have until Thursday the 28th to get rid of the lag of the jet variety.
Thanks for having me Canucksarmy and best of luck to you guys going forward. If you have any comments or complaints I am always around at @TheNationDan