Vancouver Battles To The End But Fall To Chicago 4-0

Posted on December 13, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff December 13, 2015

KANE EXTENDS POINTS STREAK TO 26 GAMES

CANUCKS SHUTOUT FOR 3RD TIME IN 7-GAMES

Vancouver (11-12-8) gave a valiant effort, but has been the case this season, it was not enough for the Canucks to defeat Chicago (17-10-4) for the second time this season.

Chicago opened up the scoring early in the last half of the opening period, with a power play goal by Duncan Keith (5), on wrist shot, at 11:51, assisted by Artemi Panarin (20), Patrick Kane (27).

The first period ended 1-0 Chicago.

Except for the Sedin line, there was little time in the offensive zone for the other Canuck forwards, adding to the concern about secondary scoring and shots.

Vancouver was 9 for 19 in the face-off circle. Henrik Sedin was 1 for 3; Bo Horvat, 3 for 6; Adam Cracknell, 2 for 4; Jared McCann, 2 for 4; Derek Dorsett, 1 for 1; Radim Vrbata, 0 for 1. Canucks were 0 for 1 on the penalty kill.

Shots were 8-8. Canucks out hit Chicago, 15-4. Jannick Hansen and Matt Bartkowski had 3 hits each; Bo Horvat, 2 hits. Radim Vrbata had 2 shots for Vancouver.

Canuck defensemen had all seven blocked shots in the opening period for Vancouver led by Chris Tanev with 3; Yannick Weber with 2; Ben Hutton and Alex Biega had one each.

The second period was scoreless with both teams have scoring chances but both Miller and Crawford were in their zone.

Chicago’s strength on face-offs made life difficult for the Canucks but Ryan Miller was outstanding between the pipes.

Vancouver, who dominated in shots for most of the period, out shot Chicago 14-11, as Chicago pressed hard in the last eight minutes of the period, with shots on Miller, to increase their lead. Miller stopped them all.

Vancouver out hit the Blackhawks, 10-5. Vancouver was 0 for 2 on the power play and 1 for 1 on the penalty kill.

In the face-off circle, Chicago continued to dominate as Vancouver was 8 for 23 in the middle period. Bo Horvat was the best Canuck in the face-off circle after two periods at 6 for 10.

Canucks defensemen had 12 hits after two periods led by Matt Bartkowski with 4. Weber and Edler had 3 each. Bo Horvat led the forwards with 4 hits.

Radim Vrbata and Daniel Sedin were the only Canucks with more than two shots after two, as they each had 4 shots.

The Canucks entered the final period not having won a game after trailing after two periods this season (0-7-3).

Chicago made it 2-0 at 11:51, after both teams were battling for the next goal. Dennis Rasmussen (2) on a tip-in, assisted by Bryan Bickell (1) and Andrew Shaw (7).

A Canuck goal soon after Chicago made it 2-0 was waved off for a glove pass from Daniel Sedin to Henrik Sedin.

With just over three minutes left in the game, the Canucks pulled Miller for a sixth attacker in an attempt to pull within a goal, but with less than a minute left, Chicago scored when Andrew Shaw put the puck into an empty net with 31 second left, assisted by Niklas Hjalmarsson (9).

To add insult to injury, the Blackhawks made it 4-0, with 10 seconds left in the game, when Brandon Mashinter (1) scored, assisted by Trevor Daley )6) and Dennis Rasmussen (1).

And Vancouver continues not having won a game after trailing after two periods this season (0-8-3).

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

Shots were even in the game at 30 apiece.
Daniel Sedin had 6 shots, while Radim Vrbata had 5 shots.
Canucks were 0 for 3 on the power play; and 1 for 2 on the penalty kill.
Vancouver out hit Chicago, 35-16. Canuck defensemen had 18 hits led by Matt Bartkowski with 6. Yannick Weber, Jannick Hansen and Bo Horvat had 4 hits each. Alex Burrows and Alex Edler had 3 hits each.
Canucks defensemen had 12 block shots, led by Chris Tanev with 3. Ben Hutton, Alex Edler and Matt Bartkowski had 2 block shots each.
Ryan Miller stopped 26 of 29 shots he faced for a SV% of .897. His record is now 9-10-6.
As for the plus/minus, thirteen players finished the game in the minus category.
Vancouver was 21 for 59 on face-offs and continue to be the NHL worst on face-offs.

NEXT GAME UP: AT MINNESOTA WILD TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS AT A GLANCE

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

Statistics courtesy of the NHL and Vancouver Canucks, with thanks.

Vancouver Visits Chicago To Start Extended Road Trip

Posted on December 13, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff December 13, 2015 3:45 PM PST

MAKE OR BREAK ROAD TRIP

“It’s like playoff hockey for us, and we need to recognize that. Our urgency level has to be higher. I think the guys know that, so I would expect us to be battling. Saying that, I do believe in the character of this group, and I don’t believe there are many nights that they haven’t given everything they have.” Willie Desjardins, prior to the Canucks taking on Minnesota in the first game of their last road trip.

Vancouver (11-11-8) plays the first of four games in 6 nights when they face-off against Chicago (16-10-4) this evening.

The 6-game road trip will conclude 12 days after Vancouver’s last home game, on Tuesday, December 22 against Tampa Bay. In between they play, Minnesota on December 15; Philadelphia on December 17; Detroit on December 18; Florida on December 20.

Vancouver is on a winning streak of two straight wins. The last time the Canucks won two straight games was when Vancouver defeated Arizona and Philadelphia, October 30 and November 2, respectively.

Vancouver will play its first game since losing defenseman Dan Hamhuis (facial fracture) for an estimated two months, after he was struck in the face by the puck during the Canucks’ 2-1 win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena.

Yannick Weber will likely replace Hamhuis.

Derek Dorsett missed practice Saturday and has gone back to Saskatchewan for personal reasons. Ronalds Kenins is expected to be in Dorsett’s place in the line-up against Chicago.

Tonight marks the second of three meetings this season between the Canucks and Blackhawks. The Blackhawks visit Rogers Arena again on Mar. 27th.

The Sedin twins combined for nine points against Chicago in their first meeting of the season at Rogers Place on November 21—Daniel notched a hat trick, while Henrik posted a career-high five points, including four assists.

Goaltender Ryan Miller will get the start against Chicago tonight. Miller is 4-4-1 since November 12, with a 2.73 GAA, and .917 Sv%. He is 1-3-1 on the road during that stretch with a 3.10 GAA and .906 Sv%.

Ryan Miller, has seen action in 24 of 30 possible games this season. His record is 9-9-6, with a .914 save percentage, his highest in three seasons.

In his last two starts, Miller is 2-0-0, allowing three goals on 94 shots, with a GAA of 1.51 and a .955 save percentage, to help Vancouver break out of their 5- game losing slump. .

Corey Crawford will likely start in net, after making 25 saves against Winnipeg on Friday night, for his third shutout.

Crawford has allowed two goals on 93 shots in his past three starts, going 3-0-0 with a GAA of 0.67 and a .978 save percentage.

The Blackhawks are in 4rth place in the Central division, two points behind St. Louis in 2nd place and 10 points behind Dallas in 1rst place.

Chicago has 11 wins in 15 home games (44-GF & 25-GA), and are 4-1-0 in the last 5 games.

Patrick Kane will be looking to extend his points streak to 26 consecutive games. He has 25 points in 29 games against Vancouver.

Chicago Point Streaks:
PATRICK KANE (16-23-39 / 25 Games)

Chicago Goal Streaks:
PATRICK KANE (3 / 3 Games)

The Canucks are tied for 2nd place in the Pacific division. Vancouver is trying to keep pace with 1rst place Los Angeles in the division, where teams Nos. 2-7 are separated by just three points.

Vancouver has 6 wins in 16 road games (41-GF & 45-GA), and are 2-4-4 in the last 10 road games.

Vancouver Point Streaks:
ALEXANDER EDLER (1-2-3 / 2 Games)
HENRIK SEDIN (1-2-3 / 2 Games)
DANIEL SEDIN (1-3-4 / 2 Games)

Vancouver Assist Streaks:
DANIEL SEDIN (3 / 2 Games)
ALEXANDER EDLER (2 / 2 Games)

The Hawks power play, which scored two goals Friday, ranked fifth in the league entering Sunday at 22.2 percent. The Canucks’ penalty kill ranked 16th at 80.4 percent.

The Canucks power play, which scored a goal Wednesday night against the Rangers, ranked 14th in the NHL entering Sunday at 18.9 percent. The Blackhawks’ penalty kill ranked 15th at 81.0 percent. Vancouver leads the NHL in power play opportunities with 111.

Tonight marks Radim Vrbata’s 900th career NHL game. He becomes the 18th player born in the Czech Republic to appear in 900 or more games in his career.

Henrik and Daniel Sedin have played in 585 wins together. According to ESB, since 1990.91 the only pairs of teammates to play in more wins together are Niklas Lidstrom and Kris Draper (664); and Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom (599).

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

Daniel Sedin has 15 points (6-9-15) in the last 10 games. He recently had a seven game point streak from Nov. 14-27; it was the longest point streak of any Canucks player this season and his longest since a seven game streak from Oct. 22 – Nov. 5/13. He currently leads the team in points (33), goals (13), ppg (5) and ppp (12), gwg (3), and t-first in assists (20). He is also 5th in NHL scoring.
Henrik Sedin has 14 points (4-10-14) in the last 10 games. He recently had a six game point streak from Nov. 16-27. He also had a five game point streak earlier this season from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7. Last season, the Captain recorded points in three or more consecutive games on 10 different occasions. Henrik ranks t-first on the team in assists (20), second in points (29), and t-second in goals (9), ppg (4), and ppp (12). He is also 10th in NHL scoring.
Alex Edler leads the team in time on ice per game (24:26) and has led the team in that category in 26 of 29 games he’s played, including 16 games where he’s led all skaters in TOI. He currently ranks 18th in the NHL in TOI/GP
Forward Ronalds Kenins and defenseman Andrey Pedan were recalled Saturday night from the Utica Comets.
Kenins, 24, has played in two games with the Canucks this year and appeared in eight games for the Comets this season, registering an assist (0-1-1) and eight penalty minutes.
Pedan, 22, has appeared in 19 games with Utica this season, where he currently sits tied for second among Comets defensemen in scoring with nine points (2-7-9). He also played one game with the Canucks this year as a forward.
NHL holiday trade freeze is December 19th-27th.
Alex Burrows, Jannik Hansen, Chris Higgins, Alex Edler, Ryan Miller, Dan Hamhuis and Brandon Sutter all have no-trade clauses.
As of December 23rd, the Canucks will have spent 33 of 48 days away from Vancouver.
According to Mark Abell, Vancouver Canucks have a rough offensive match-up but a good defensive match-up, this coming week, against Philadelphia, Florida, Minnesota and Detroit, all who are in the lower half of the league in scoring.
Vancouver signed defenseman Guillaume Brisebois to a three-year entry level contract, it was announced December 10. Brisebois was selected by Vancouver in the third round, 66th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Brisebois, 18, has appeared in 28 games for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL where he currently leads all defensemen on the team in scoring with 12 points (4-8-12).
The Canucks though will be without Dan Hamhuis who is expected to be out at least two months after surgery Friday to repair a facial fracture, coach Willie Desjardins told the Canucks website on Friday.
Vancouver continues to be without young center Brandon Sutter who has been sorely missed since November 10, 2015 and recently had sports hernia surgery on December 2 and is not expected in the line-up again until the latter part of January at the earliest.
Vancouver is also without Luca Sbisa (hand injury) and Jake Virtanen (conditioning assignment with Utica Comets).
Chris Tanev leads the team and ranks 6th in the League in blocked shots with 74. His defence partner Alex Edler ranks t-19th in the NHL with 59 blocked shots.
Alex Edler, with his power play goal on December 9, surpassed Rick Lanz for sole possession of second place for most PPG by a Canucks defenseman, with 38.
Rookie forward Jared McCann is t-14th in rookie scoring with 6-goals and 3-assist for 9-points. Among rookies, he ranks t-8th in goals; 9th in shots-on-goal with 50; 10th in shooting percentage at 12%; 12th in power play goals.
Rookie defenseman Ben Hutton is t-14th in rookie scoring with 9-points on 9-assists. Among rookies, he ranks t-4th in assists; t-18th in shots-on-goal with 34; 3rd worst among rookies this season in plus/minus with a -8; t-4rth in power play assists.
Canucks power play in relation to goals and opportunities:
- Of 4 or more opportunities: 15 for 77 in 15 games: 19.4%
- Of 3 or less opportunities: 6 for 34 in 15 games: 17.6%
The road trip this month starts with the Canuck power play 2 for 16 in its last 4 games.
Vancouver’s penalty kill has killed all 11 man advantages in the last 4 games.
VANCOUVER’S 2015.16 RECORD WHEN…

Score 4+ Goals: 7-0-0

Score 3 Goals or Less: 4-11-8

Allow 4+ Goals: 0-6-3

Allow 3 Goals or Less: 11-5-5
On 0 Days Rest: 2-1-2
On 1 Day Rest: 4-6-5
On 2 Days Rest: 4-3-1
On 3+ Days Rest: 0-1-0
Score a PPG: 6-5-6
Give up a PPG: 3-7-6
25+ Shots on Goal: 9-8-7
Less than 25 shots: 2-3-1

SEASON SNAPSHOT

CANUCKS PLAYERS STATS

BLACKHAWKS PLAYER STATS

CANUCKS-BLACKHAWKS AT A GLANCE

Statistics courtesy of NHL, Vancouver Canucks and SportingCharts, with thanks.

NHL MORNING SKATE – DEC. 13, 2015

Posted on December 13, 2015 by CanucksBanter

NHL MORNING SKATE – DEC. 13, 2015

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
BOSTON 3, Florida 1
BUFFALO 2, Los Angeles 1 (OT)
MONTREAL 3, Ottawa 1
Washington 2, TAMPA BAY 1
NY Islanders 3, COLUMBUS 2 (OT)
ST. LOUIS 3, Dallas 0
Colorado 3, NASHVILLE 2
Carolina 5, ARIZONA 4 (OT)
CALGARY 5, NY Rangers 4 (OT)
Minnesota 2, SAN JOSE 0

FLAMES WITHSTAND RANGERS’ RALLY, COMPLETE PERFECT HOMESTAND . . .

The Rangers erased a 4-1 deficit in the third period (including the tying goal with 1:12 remaining in regulation), but TJ Brodie scored at 2:09 of overtime to power the Flames to their ninth consecutive win on home ice, one shy of the franchise record established Nov. 7 – Dec. 12, 2006 (10-0-0).

* The Flames also completed a perfect 5-0-0 homestand, with three of those victories coming after regulation (also Dec. 1 vs. DAL: 4-3 SO W and Dec. 4 vs. BOS: 5-4 OT W). Via Elias, they became the second team to sweep a five-game homestand this season; their provincial rivals, the Oilers, also achieved that feat on Friday with a win vs. NYR (5-0-0).
* The Flames improved to 7-1 in games that have been decided in overtime this season (1-1 in SO). Their seven such wins pace the NHL.
* Brodie registered his third career overtime goal to extend his point streak to six games (1-6—7), equaling a career high established Oct. 9-19, 2014 (3-4—7). He had 2-4—6 in his first 14 outings of the season prior to this run.
* Johnny Gaudreau posted 2-1—3, including an assist on the winning goal, to complete the five-game homestand with 7-3—10 and three multi-point performances. He has 10-14—24 on home ice this season (15 GP), tied for second in the NHL behind Patrick Kane (11-15—26 in 15 GP).

. . . MORE OVERTIME HEROICS

Three other clubs picked up overtime wins on Saturday:

* The Coyotes overcame a 4-1 deficit in the third period (including the tying goal with 15.7 seconds remaining in regulation), but Victor Rask (1-1—2) scored at 0:53 of overtime to lift the Hurricanes to a 4-1-0 record in their past five outings. Via Elias, the Hurricanes have recorded five or more goals in four consecutive games for the first time since March 1-7, 1987 (4 GP as HFD).
* Kyle Okposo registered 2-1—3, including the winning goal at 2:16 of overtime, to help the Islanders extend their point streak to nine games (7-0-2), their longest such run since April 1-23, 2013 (8-0-3). Okposo has collected two game-winning goals (also Nov. 25 vs. PHI), two game-deciding goals (Dec. 2 vs. NYR and Dec. 8 at PHI) and one game-clinching goal (Dec. 4 vs. STL) during the current nine-game streak.
* Ryan O’Reilly (1-1—2) scored his 100th NHL goal – while falling at 3:19 of overtime – to power the Sabres to their third straight victory at First Niagara Center and snap the Kings’ winning streak at six games. O’Reilly, who has 3-7—10 during a seven-game point streak, paces the team with 10-17—27 this season.

BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 12: Ryan O’Reilly #90 of the Buffalo Sabres scores the game winning overtime goal while falling to the ice against Jhonas Enroth #1 of the Los Angeles Kings during an NHL game on December 12, 2015 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. Buffalo won, 2-1. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

DID YOU KNOW?

Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk (1-1—2) scored his 12th goal of the season, all of which have come via the power play. He leads all defensemen in goals and also paces all skaters in power-play goals, two ahead of Patrick Kane (10). Elias adds that Faulk’s 12 power-play goals (in 30 GP) equal a Hurricanes/Whalers franchise record for a defenseman in one season, set by Risto Siltanen in 1983-84 (75 GP).

TOP EASTERN CONFERENCE CLUBS KEEP PACE WITH WINS

The top two clubs in the Eastern Conference – the Canadiens (20-8-3, 43 points) and Capitals (20-6-2, 42 points) – kept pace with wins on Saturday:

* Dustin Tokarski made 25 saves to pick up his first NHL win since March 17 (at FLA) and help the Canadiens snap a four-game skid (0-4-0). Montreal outshot Ottawa 42-26, including a 27-8 margin in the first period. The 27 shots on goal equaled a franchise record for any period, established Jan. 20, 1973 vs. PHI (1st period) and matched Feb. 5, 1977 at LAK (2nd period).
* Braden Holtby turned aside 35 shots to lead the Capitals to an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games as well as a 5-1-1 clip in their past seven as visitors. Holtby extended his personal point streak to a career-high 11 games (10-0-1) – Elias notes that it is the longest such run by a Capitals goaltender since Jan. 13 – March 24, 2010 (Jose Theodore: 17-0-2).

SUPER SAVERS

Both the Blues (17-9-4, 38 points) and Wild (15-7-6, 36 points) earned shutout victories on Saturday to keep pace in the Central Division, where teams Nos. 2-5 are separated by just three points:

* Jake Allen made 26 saves, including 21 over the final two periods, to pick up his fourth shutout of the season and help the Blues snap the Stars’ overall point streak at seven games (5-0-2) and road point streak at nine games (7-0-2). Allen’s four shutouts share first in the NHL with Devan Dubnyk.
* Darcy Kuemper stopped all 25 shots he faced, including 19 over the final two periods, to earn his first shutout of the season and help the Wild extend their point streak to seven games (4-0-3), their longest such run since Jan. 20 – Feb. 14, 2014 (8-0-2).

MORE FROM SATURDAY . . .

* Tuukka Rask made 26 saves, including 13 in the third period, to help the Bruins improve to 8-1-2 in their last 11 games. Rask also extended his personal point streak to eight games (6-0-2) and improved to 14-2-1 in 17 career appearances vs. FLA (1.28 GAA, .955 SV%, 3 SO).
* Andreas Martinsen scored the tiebreaking goal with 10:24 remaining in regulation to power the Avalanche to a 4-2-0 record in their last six outings. Martinsen, who made his NHL debut on Nov. 10 at PHI, picked up his first career game-winning goal (14 GP).

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS
* Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson (600) and Lightning forward Brian Boyle (500) both played in milestone games.
* Goaltender Semyon Varlamov (34 SV) appeared in his 226th career game with the Avalanche to move past Dan Bouchard (225 GP) and into sole possession of third place on the franchise’s all-time games played list among goaltenders.
* Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle became the 21st player in NHL history – and second defenseman – to play in 500 consecutive games. The only other defenseman to achieve that feat: Jay Bouwmeester (737).
* Linesman Steve Miller worked his 1,000th NHL game (LAK-BUF).

LOOSE PUCKS

Despite suffering overtime losses, the Kings extended their point streak to nine games (7-0-2) and the Coyotes extended their home point streak to six games (5-0-1) . . . The Islanders played their fifth consecutive overtime game, a franchise record . . . Coyotes forward Anthony Duclair (2-1—3) posted his second career multi-goal and three-point performances (also Oct. 14 at ANA: 3-0—3). He is tied for second among rookies with 10 goals and ranks fourth with 18 points . . . Bruins forward Ryan Spooner (2-0—2) registered his third career multi-goal game and first of the season . . . Hurricanes forward Elias Lindholm (0-3—3) established a career high for assists in one game . . . Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak (28 SV) has earned at least one point in each of his past seven decisions (5-0-2) . . . Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau (1-0—1) has scored eight of his 26 career goals (regular season and playoffs) vs. MTL (30.8%) . . . Flames forward Sean Monahan (3-5—8) and Hurricanes forward Andrej Nestrasil (1-5—6) both extended their point streaks to five games . . . Kings goaltender Jhonas Enroth, a second-round selection (46th overall) by the Sabres in the 2006 NHL Draft, made 28 saves in his return to Buffalo . . . Panthers forward Reilly Smith, who spent the last two seasons with the Bruins (33-58—91 in 163 GP), scored in his return to Boston . . . ICYMI: The Penguins named Mike Sullivan their head coach following the dismissal of Mike Johnston . . . The Department of Player Safety announced that it will have a hearing with Ducks forward Nate Thompson on Monday for an illegal check to the head of Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk . . . The Blues hosted Captains Night, with 11 of their 20 all-time captains in attendance at Scottrade Center.

SNEAK PEEK AT SUNDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
New Jersey @ NY Islanders, 5:00 p.m., MSG, MSG+
Colorado @ St. Louis, 6:00 p.m., ALT, FS-MW
Vancouver @ Chicago, 7:00 p.m., NHLN-US, SN, TVAS, WGN

HOMETOWN HOCKEY TOUR STOPS IN SUMMERSIDE

Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane looks to extend his 25-game point streak (16-23—39) as Rogers Hometown Hockey visits Summerside, P.E.I. – the home province of Red Wings forward Brad Richards; Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf; and former NHL head coach, general manager and executive Doug MacLean. Throughout 2015-16, Sunday games will be broadcast from a different community rink in various towns across Canada. Included in each telecast will be local NHL player profiles, grassroots stories and local entertainment features.

Click here for more details about the festivities in Summerside.

Rogers still struggling to find television ratings success with its big NHL gamble

Posted on December 12, 2015 by CanucksBanter

When Rogers Communications reached into its deep pockets and found $5.2 billion for the national NHL package two years ago, it dreamed of monster television ratings. There was talk of a 20 per cent increase.

Not only did the big jump in audiences fail to materialize, but TV numbers actually took a bit of a dive in Year One.

Rogers had been praying for a bounceback in Year Two, no doubt hoping that fans had finally gotten accustomed to George Stroumboulopoulos and had finally figured out where to find all those games Rogers was airing.

But so far, this season has been a continuing challenge for Rogers to start making gains on its substantial investment. There have been promising signs, mainly on Wednesday night games and a couple of regional broadcasts. But the flagship Hockey Night in Canada package continues to have trouble finding big audiences while the Sunday night experiment has declined badly.

Here’s the good news for Rogers:

Wednesday night games are averaging an impressive 849,000, a 21 per cent increase over last season. That puts Sportsnet 12 per cent above what TSN averaged in its final year.
The late Hockey Night In Canada games are averaging 815,000, up 1 per cent over last season, though still down (13 per cent) from the pre-Rogers days.
Regional ratings for the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers are up 4 and 19 per cent respectively.

Unfortunately for Rogers, those gains are offset by plenty of bad news:

The early Hockey Night In Canada offering continues to disappoint, averaging a solid 1.86 million but still down 7 per cent from last year and 9 per cent since Rogers took over.
Sunday night’s Hometown Hockey was moved from City to Sportsnet this season in hopes of boosting ratings. The opposite has occurred, with the 417,000 average down 30 per cent from its inaugural year.
Regional ratings are down for the Maple Leafs (9 per cent), Canucks (27 per cent) and Flames (5 per cent.)

Scott Moore, president of Sportsnet and Rogers NHL operations, says he still has faith that Rogers will eventually reach its goals as long as certain teams start to perform better, namely the Leafs and Canucks.

“The real driver of all of this is team performance and interest in the regions,” he said. “The Leafs and Canucks are concerns for us, especially because they are our two biggest markets.

“The Leafs have had a bit of an upswing in the last month. People are starting to see there’s some discipline … and that there’s a plan that seems to be playing out. In Vancouver, which is a very fickle market at the best of times, and that team’s performance has been concerning.”

There’s little doubt about that and, unfortunately for Rogers, little a network can do about it. The Leafs have driven ratings on Saturday nights for more than half a century, but audiences started to abandon them midway through last season when it became obvious all hope was lost. They still haven’t come back.

A smaller audience in the first Saturday night game all but assures a smaller one in the second, especially when the Canucks are struggling. But how does Rogers account for what’s happening on Sunday night?

Moore says a lot of that has to do with moving the game from City to Sportsnet.

“It got hurt early by the Blue Jays and we have found that when you move from one channel to another it takes people a long time to adjust, longer than we would have thought,” he said. “But I’m still very bullish on Sunday night. It still outrates (NFL) Sunday Night Football almost every week. It’s an important night for us.”

There are some encouraging signs. November’s Sunday night games averaged 445,000, an increase of 41 per cent over October.

While ad rates were dropped this year after Rogers failed to hit its audience targets last season, Moore insists that the corporation’s plan is on track. One reason is that while TV numbers are disappointing, the NHL has been a hit on the digital side.

Subscriptions for Rogers NHL GameCentre Live, the app that delivers games to your phone or tablet, are up 122 per cent. Total users are up 25 per cent — an important number because Rogers has exclusive rights to the product and is using it as a subscription driver. Moore expects those numbers to rise further when GameCentre relaunches in January under the direction of MLBAM.

“This deal, especially as we get further into it, will be less and less judged by the linear television ratings and more and more judged by what else we can do with the property,” Moore said.

While it’s hard to muster much sympathy for a giant corporation that makes billions of dollars, there’s no denying Rogers has had a few bad breaks with its new toy. First, the Leafs and Canucks go into the dumper. Then, this year’s great hope, Connor McDavid, gets knocked out before his career barely started with the Edmonton Oilers.

And while the NHL, with help from the Toronto Blue Jays, have driven Sportsnet to the top of the speciatly channel business ahead of bitter rival TSN, you have to think there are a few executives above Moore who are wondering if this really was a good investment.

Regardless, they’ve got another 10 years to get an answer.

Source: Rogers still struggling to find television ratings success with its big NHL gamble | Eh Game – Yahoo Sports Canada

Vancouver Canucks recall Kenins and Pedan

Posted on December 12, 2015 by CanucksBanter

Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning announced today that the club has recalled forward Ronalds Kenins and defenceman Andrey Pedan.

Kenins, 24, has played in two games with the Canucks this year and appeared in eight games for the Comets this season, registering an assist (0-1-1) and eight penalty minutes. He split the 2014.15 season between Vancouver and Utica. Kenins appeared in 30 games with the Canucks in his first NHL season, registering 12 points (4-8-12) and eight penalty minutes. In 36 games with the Comets in 2014.15, he collected two points (1-1-2) in five playoff games.

Pedan, 22, has appeared in 19 games with Utica this season, where he currently sits tied for second among Comets defencemen in scoring with nine points (2-7-9). He also played one game with the Canucks this year. During the 2014.15 season, Pedan appeared in 42 games with the Comets registering 14 points (3-11-14) and 70 penalty minutes. Prior to being acquired by Vancouver on November 25, 2014, Pedan played six games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, recording three assists and 51 penalty minutes.

Source: Canucks recall Kenins and Pedan – Vancouver Canucks – News

Andrew Phillip Chernoff

The Outer Limits To The Inner Depths

Vancouver Battles To The End But Fall To Chicago 4-0

KANE EXTENDS POINTS STREAK TO 26 GAMES

CANUCKS SHUTOUT FOR 3RD TIME IN 7-GAMES

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

GAME REVIEW

CANUCKS AT A GLANCE

CANUCKS PLAYER STATS

Vancouver Visits Chicago To Start Extended Road Trip

MAKE OR BREAK ROAD TRIP

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

SEASON SNAPSHOT

CANUCKS PLAYERS STATS

BLACKHAWKS PLAYER STATS

CANUCKS-BLACKHAWKS AT A GLANCE

NHL MORNING SKATE – DEC. 13, 2015

Rogers still struggling to find television ratings success with its big NHL gamble

Vancouver Canucks recall Kenins and Pedan