Category Archives: Vancouver Canucks

CANUCKS BANTER: Vancouver Visits Dallas Stars Tonight To Start Two Game Road Trip

Posted on by

. CANUCKS BANTER     By Andrew Chernoff    October 29, 2015

Canucks Look To Stay Undefeated On The Road

With 4rth Straight Win.

Canucks Toyota Road Game Day Report:

http://video.canucks.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=858966&catid=6

The Canucks enter the game fresh off a 5-1 victory at home against the Montreal Canadians, ending their consecutive win streak from the start of the season at 9-games.

The Stars last game was a defeat of the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 on October 27, evening up their current 4-game home stand at 1-1 after a 6-2 loss to Florida on October 24.

The Canucks have lost their last four games at the American Airlines Center, and are looking to change that by extending their current winning streak to two.

image

  • The Canuck’s power play is currently 16th best at 17.2 per cent, up from 14.8 per cent, on October 26 when they were 22nd in the league.
  • As for penalty killing the Canucks are at 88 per cent, 6th place, up two spots from October 26, when they were in 8th spot.
  • Dallas power play is currently ranked 2nd at 30 per cent, and their penalty killing is tied for 4rth best with Nashville at 88.5 per cent.
  • The Canucks are tied with Florida and Los Angeles for allowing the 3rd least goals against in the NHL with 18-goals.
  • The Stars are tied with Anaheim and Detroit for the 8th least goals against in the NHL with with 24 goals.
  • Dallas has scored 31 goals, good for 3rd best in the NHL, while Vancouver is tied for 9th best with Edmonton having scored 24 goals so far this season.

Neither Brandon Prust nor Dan Hamhuis are with the Canucks for the two game road trip. Brandon Prust was scheduled for an MRI on his injured left ankle Tuesday. Dan Hamhuis (lower body) is being evaluated. Defenseman Alex Biega and forward Brendan Gaunce were recalled from Utica of the American Hockey League.

The Canucks are currently tied for 2nd-place, with Arizona, in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference with 11-points; 1-point behind Los Angeles, who are alone in first place. San Jose is currently in 3rd sport with 10-points. Vancouver, Los Angeles and San Jose all have a game in hand on Arizona.

image

Vancouver is among the top 14-teams in the NHL, and are tied for 6th best team in the league with their 11-points. The Montreal Canadians are the  top team with 18-points, with 1-loss and 9-wins, all wins in regulation play.

image

Dallas is currently in 2nd-place in the Central Division of the Western Conference, with 14-points, 1-point behind first place Nashville who lead the division with 15-points. St. Louis and Minnesota are tied for 3rd-place with 13-points, one point ahead of Chicago who have 12-points in 4rth.

image

Brandon Sutter leads the Canucks in scoring with 7-points; Alex Burrows and Daniel Sedin are next with 6-points each, closely  followed by Brandon Prust with 5-points. Rookies Ben Hutton and Jared McCann, Jannik Hansen, and Henrik Sedin, closely follow with 4-points.

McCann tops Canucks in goals scored with 4-goals followed by Sutter with 3-goals.

image

For the Stars, Jamie Benn leads Dallas with 15-points, and 8-goals. Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza have 13-points and 9-points respectively. Seguin leads the team with 9-assists.

image

GAME NOTES

29-10-15 VAN@DAL_Page_0129-10-15 VAN@DAL_Page_0429-10-15 VAN@DAL_Page_05

Canucks Face 13 Of Next 17 Games Away From Rogers Place

Posted on by

CANUCKS BANTER     By Andrew Chernoff    October 28, 2015

The Canucks leave the comfortable confines of Rogers Place to find greater success on the road after a dismal home record to start the season, 1-2-3, including a stretch of five straight games at home, in which they only won one game.

That win, their first home win of the season, was against the Montreal Canadians, ending their 9-game win streak, on October 27, 2015.

A large chunk of those thirteen road games, 7-games, will be played between November 7 to November 18.

The Canucks presently are undefeated on the road, winning their first three road contests of the season in early October.

Their first of those thirteen road opponents will be the Dallas Stars on Thursday, October 29, 2015.

The Stars are currently in 1rst-place in the Central Division with 14-points, in which the separation between first and fifth place is just 3-points, making for quite a log jam in the standings.

The Canucks are tied for second place with Arizona with 11-points, each of them one point behind Los Angeles, who sit atop the Pacific Division with 12-points. Both Los Angeles and Arizona have a game in-hand on Vancouver. San Jose is right behind with 10-points, with two games in-hand on the Canucks; and one game in-hand on both Los Angeles and Arizona. A very interesting picture indeed.

image

CANUCKS BANTER: Vancouver At Home To Montreal Canadians Tonight

Posted on by

CANUCKS BANTER     By Andrew Chernoff    October 27, 2015

Canucks Aim For First Home Win And End To 4-Game Losing Streak.

The Canucks end their disappointing 5-game home stand tonight against the Montreal Canadians.

The Canucks have lost four games in a row (three of them in regulation play), all of them at home.

The Canadians come into the game on a nine game winning streak from the start of the season; all wins in regulation.

The Canucks lost only four games last season when taking a lead into the final period, going 30-1-3.

Vancouver has already lost three games by blowing 3rd-period leads in their first 5-games at home, and they have only played eight games so far this season.

The Canucks are currently in 4rth-place in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference with 9-points; 2-points behind Arizona, who are alone in first place. Edmonton and Los Angeles are both tied for 2nd and 3rd place with 10-points respectively, a point behind Arizona who have 11-points to lead the division.

image

Vancouver is among the top 19-teams in the NHL, and are tied for the 7th best team in the league with their 9-points. The Montreal Canadians are the  top team with 18-points, unbeaten from the start of the season with an 9-game winning streak, all wins in regulation play.

image

Montreal is currently the best team in the league, in 1rst place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference and the NHL, with 18-points, riding a 9-game team record unbeaten streak from the start of the season. Tampa Bay are in second place, 6-points behind with 12-points. Florida and Detroit are tied for 3rd and 4rth place, both with 9-points each. The Red Wings and Lightning both have a game in hand on the Montreal Canadians and Tampa Bay Lightening. Ottawa is in 5th place with 8-points.

image

Alex Burrows and Brandon Sutter lead the Canucks in scoring with 6-points each, followed by Daniel Sedin with 5-points. Rookie Ben Hutton, Jannik Hansen, and Henrik Sedin, closely follow with 4-points.

image

For the Canadians, Max Pacioretty, leads the Canadians with 11-points, and 7 goals. Tomas Plekanec, P.K. Subban, and Andrei Markov are all next with 10-points apiece. Brendan Gallagher has 9-points.

image

GAME NOTES

27-10-15 MTL@VAN_Page_0127-10-15 MTL@VAN_Page_04a27-10-15 MTL@VAN_Page_05

Wins Make A Difference….Montreal Have Nine….Canucks Need Another…Just Saying

Posted on by

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff  October 26, 2015 Just Saying….

Just-saying

The Canucks end their disappointing 5-game home stand Tuesday, October 27, 2015 against the Montreal Canadians.

The Canucks have lost four games in a row (three of them in regulation play), all of them at home.

The Canadians come into the game on a nine game winning streak from the start of the season; all wins in regulation.

Frustration from Vancouver reporters and Canuck fans stemming over blown leads entering the third-period; and questions on coach Willie Desjardins strategy behind proportioning game minutes, is providing interesting fodder for hot discussion.

The Canucks lost only four games last season when taking a lead into the final period, going 30-1-3.

Vancouver has already lost three games by blowing 3rd-period leads in their first 5-games at home, and they have only played eight games so far this season.

The loss of Kevin Bieksa, G Eddie Lack,  F Nick Bonino, D Adam Clendening, F Shawn Matthias, F Brad Richardson; the injection of youth in the likes of Jarred McCann, Jake Virtanen and Sven Baertschi; and the line juggling to find those productive line combinations, is proving difficult, more so than anticipated.

The injury of Chris Higgins as well has not helped.

The youth movement, an unproven back-up goalie, and the inability of the Canucks to score timely goals were identified by myself in their season preview as areas of concern. I would like to add problems with player chemistry, injuries (more so later in the season) and the power play.

The Canucks do not have the same team in the locker room and on the ice they had last season. For good or bad, reporters and fans alike knew there was a real chance the Canucks may not come out at the start of the season moving on all cylinders’. Yet alas, all that is out the window….so much for patience and long suffering.

Have not heard much about the Canuck’s power play which is currently 14.8 per cent, good for 22nd in the league. As for penalty killing the Canucks are at 87 per cent, 8th place.

The Canucks 3-on-3 effort in overtime has also been a learning curve for Desjardins and the players: the effort put out is at the end of the game when the players have already expended plenty of calories, energy and water at a high paced level. Tough to hold something back when the object is to win….normally….in regulation.

The adjustments to be made entering the season were obvious, but like most things, being aware of needs, things to be done; and how things should work out, are different from actual game execution results.

By the way, how about those Los Angeles Kings?

Five game winning streak, after losing their first three games of the season…Amazing….Just need to get that one win, and good things happen….Just Saying….