Issue #21 | View PDF
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Canucks stop the slide
By Garth McLennan
As of Thursday, March 7, the Vancouver Canucks ended a four game losing streak in style with an entertaining 6–2 win over the visiting Nashville Predators.Vancouver has been going through a rough patch lately. They gave away two games against Colorado and Columbus before getting humiliated by the lowly Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. This unsightly streak saw the Canucks drop out of the playoff picture before their timely win over the Predators, a team that is fiercely competing with the Canucks for a spot in the Western post-season.
The win over Nashville had all the ingredients Canucks fans had been craving. They received secondary scoring, their defense looked moblie, they played well at both ends of the rink, and they played with passion—something that was sorely lacking in their recent 4–1 loss against Chicago.
After Nashville agitator Jordan Tootoo gooned Canuck’s defenseman Aaron Miller with little time remaining in the game, the Canucks stood up for their teammate. Luc Bourdon raced over to confront Tootoo, a player who has shown absolutely no respect for the game during his time in the league, only to be cross-checked in the mouth by the a dirty player known for his cheap shots.
The final two and a half minutes took much more than that to play, as scrums and fights repeatedly broke out. Kevin Bieksa, who scored a goal in the game, was tossed and given 22 minutes in penalties for his part in a mass brawl that saw him square off twice in one shift, including one memorable bout with Greg De Vries, who Bieksa subsequently beat the hell out of. Tootoo was given a five-minute major for boarding and a two-minute minor for crosschecking and was removed from the game.
The scoring came from all over the place. Daniel Sedin finally broke out of his slump by recording three assists and was named the game’s first star. Alex Burrows was a whirlwind, scoring the game’s first goal shorthanded only 37 seconds into a wild first period. He would later add an assist on Matt Petinger’s goal at 6:09.
Alexander Edler had a tremendous game that signified his status as the best young player in the Vancouver system. He scored an excellent goal and was a force throughout the contest.
Mason Raymond each had a marker to their credit, and Sami Salo looked, for one game at least, like the defenseman from a few years ago who had one of the best offensive skill sets in the game.
The Canucks chased goaltender Dan Ellis, and peppered his replacement Chris Mason for the rest of the night with a 44 shots and a six goal output that matched their season high against Minnesota earlier in the year.
While it is only one game, the win is a big one for the Canucks. It moves them into a tie for the last playoff position with the Predators, and puts them only three points out the division lead currently held by the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild.