-->
CANUCKS HOCKEY BLOG

Friday, March 10, 2006

Canucks 2 Predators 3 (OT)

The Vancouver Canucks got off to a quick start last night, held a territorial advantage for most of the game, but couldn't put the injury-riddled Nashville Predators away. Nashville came roaring back, outshot the Canucks 22-6 in the third period, and eventually beat the Canucks 3-2 in overtime.

If the storyline sounds familiar, it is. Only a week ago, the Canucks outplayed and outshot the same Preds for most of the game, but couldn't build on an early lead; the Preds came alive and Canucks lost that game as well.

Combined with Calgary's and Colorado's wins, Los Angeles' and Edmonton's losses, the Canucks drop to sixth place in the conference. They are now three points back of Calgary for the Northwest Division lead; the Flames also have two games in hand.
Game Recaps: canucks.com . ESPN
Statistics: Score Sheet . Stat Sheet
My notes from the game:
  • The Canucks only generated offense in spurts in the latter stages of the game. Meanwhile, the Predators peppered Alex Auld with 30 shots over the final 30 minutes and he had to make many good saves to keep the game close and earn the Canucks a point.
  • It's hard to blame the goalie on the overtime goal, especially when it was his own defense who handed the puck to David Legwand.
  • I was surprised to see that the stat sheet only shows 10 blocked shots for the Predators all night. It seemed like they were getting in front of a lot of Canucks shots.
  • Sedin, Sedin and Carter were the Canucks' best line for the night. They, of course, were responsible for both Canucks goals. But also, their cycle game gave the Preds' defense a lot of problems.
  • Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi played okay. Though they didn't figure in the scoring, they created a few chances for themselves. Bertuzzi also landed a couple of good hits and often tried his "one hand on the stick and one hand pushing off the defender" move.
  • The Alex Burrows - Trevor Linden - Richard Park line also had a good game. They didn't play a lot of shifts, but on a lot of them, they hemmed the Preds in their own zone.
  • To be honest, I didn't pay too much attention to the defense, perhaps thinking ahead to when the new troops get in. I did notice Kevin Bieksa though. The kid played a great, rambunctious game and logged 22:42 minutes of ice-time, the third highest total from the team.
  • Mattias Ohlund came back from his rib injury and logged a game-high 30:54 minutes of ice-time.
Next up: Dallas on Saturday.

______________
Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Technorati Tags: , , , ,
posted by J.J. Guerrero, 8:19 AM

2 Comments:

At March 10, 2006 4:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

that sedin-sedin-carter (or sedin-carter-sedin or carter-sedin-sedin, whichever you prefer) line is doing really great. they are in line for big raises this summer. it was also great to see auld stand on his head for the canucks. that OT goal was not his fault, but baumer's. those are points we need and the defense can't give those away like that. auld deserved 1st star for that effort. let's see how noronen works out....another kiprusoff for vancouver?

 
At March 10, 2006 4:54 PM, Blogger J.J. Guerrero said...

Another Kipper to Vancity? It's a nice thought and they certainly have fairly similar histories. It's hard to tell though as he's only played four games this season.

For now, I'd simply be happy if he can win some games and give Auldy some rest now and then.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home