Markstrom, Neuvirth Probable Starters In Net for Canucks, Flyers Tonight

Posted on December 17, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff December 17, 2015

Vancouver (11-13-8) plays the 3rd of four games in 6 nights on their six game road trip, when they face-off against Philadelphia (13-12-6) tonight.

Vancouver defeated Philadelphia at Rogers Place 4-1 on November 2, and are 6-1-1 in the past eight against the Flyers, with a three game winning streak against Philadelphia.

The Canucks have lost two straight on their road trip, and lost their last five games on the road.

The last time the Canucks faced losing six in a row away from home was when they lost 7 games – all in regulation – Jan. 31-March 6, 2014.

Vancouver currently is in 6th place in the Pacific division of the Western Conference with 30 points, just three points ahead of Anaheim in last place. Anaheim has 3 games in hand on the Canucks; Los Angeles, San Jose, Arizona and Calgary, all have 2 games in hand on Vancouver.

Four points separate Nos. 2-7 in the Pacific division, with San Jose in 2nd place, one point in front of Arizona, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

Vancouver began their road trip with a 4-0 loss to Chicago on Sunday before giving up a season high 6-goals in a 6-2 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Ryan Miller was replaced by backup goalie Jacob Markstrom in the 3rd period after allowing six goals through two periods. He faced 36 shots while the Canucks put 21 on net.

“If we compete like that and battle like the way we did, we’re going to get embarrassed again,” forward Alexandre Burrows told the Canucks website after practice Wednesday. “If you care enough, you care about winning, and if you care about this team, you’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

The Canucks penalty kill is 3 for 7 (42.7 percent), allowing 4 shorthanded goals against Chicago and Minnesota; and are 0 for 3 on the power play, all against Chicago, after failing to get a power play opportunity against Minnesota: the first time that has happened this season.

The Canucks have been outscored 10-2 so far on their road trip.

Ryan Miller has a 4.27 goals-against average in going 0-3-1 in his last four road starts.

Vancouver has been outscored 35-16 in going 1-6-3 in its last 10 on the road. Their only win at Minnesota on Nov. 25.

Jacob Markstrom has played in seven games and sports a 1-2-2 record with a GAA of 2.87 and .906 SV%. Markstrom last started a game on December 5 against Boston, where he gave up 4 goals in a 4-0 loss.

Philadelphia is currently 6th in the Metropolitan division of the Eastern Conference, with 32 points, 9 points out of 3rd and a playoff spot.

Goalie Michal Neuvirth and the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes for a 4-3 overtime win Tuesday night, their 2nd win in the last three games.

Steve Mason is the No. 1 goalie despite Neuvirth leading the NHL in save percentage (.937).

The Flyers are 7-4-3 in their last 14 games overall, and 3-1-3 in their last 7 games at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Canucks have won their last two games in Philadelphia and are 4-1-0 in their last five visits.

“We’ve got to stick together. We’ve got to do it all together. We’ve got to work at it and keep a positive attitude and work your butt off in practice and get back to basics. That’s all you can do. And when game time comes, make sure your compete level is at its highest.”— Canucks veteran Brandon Prust

Source:Vancouver Sun, December 16, 2015

CANUCKS JOTTINGS

Canucks not producing:
- Bo Horvat: 1 goal-5 assists in last 21 games
- Derek Dorsett: 0 goals-3 assists in last 21 games
- Jared McCann: 1 goal-3 assists in last 21 games
- Adam Cracknell: 1 goal-2 assists in last 19 games
- Brandon Prust: 1 goal-1 assist in last 12 games
- Sven Baertschi: 2 goals-2 assists in last 17 games
- Chris Higgins: 2 goals-1assist in last 18 games
- Alex Burrows: 2 goals-1 assist in last 20 games
Canucks producing:
- Henrik Sedin: 7 goals-18 assists in last 21 games
- Daniel Sedin: 11 goals-14 assists in last 21 games
- Jannik Hansen: 8 goals-5 assists in last 21 games
- Alex Edler: 4 goals-8 assists in last 21 games
- Radim Vrbata: 6 goals-4 assists in last 19 games
Vancouver power play is ranked 17th overall in the NHL: 21 for 114, 18.4%. On the road it is ranked 21rst: 10 for 61, 16.4%
Canucks penalty kill is ranked 24th in the NHL: 81 for 104, 77.9%. On the road it is ranked 26th: 45 for 62, 72.6%.
Daniel Sedin is 6th in NHL scoring: 14-20=34 points; Henrik Sedin is t-10th in NHL scoring: 9-22=31 points.
Alex Edler is 17th in defense NHL scoring: 6-11=17 points.
Jared McCann is 15th in rookie NHL scoring: 6-3=9 points; Ben Hutton is 18th in rookie NHL scoring: 0-9=9 points.
Canucks injured: D Luca Sbisa (hand), F Brandon Sutter (sports hernia surgery), and D Dan Hamhuis (facial fracture) are on the injured reserve list.
Plus/Minus:
- Jannik Hansen: +9
- Daniel Sedin: +8
- Henrik Sedin: +8
- Chris Tanev: +4
- Radim Vrbata: -16
- Bo Horvat: -15
- Yannick Weber: -12
- Ben Hutton: -9
Canucks defenceman Alexander Edler joins the 600 games played club tonight when he suits up against the Flyers. He becomes the 14th player to reach that mark in franchise history joining active Canucks Henrik and Daniel Sedin, along with Alex Burrows. He’s the sixth blue-liner in team history to reach the mark joining current assistant coach Doug Lidster along with Mattias Ohlund, Dennis Kearns, and Garth Butcher.
Edler is quickly rising in other areas in the franchise record books as well this season. He recently took over sole possession of second place on the all-time power play goals category by a defencemen (38) behind only Sami Salo’s 48. His 72 career goals are fourth in franchise history among defencemen behind Ohlund (93), Jyrki Lumme (83), and Salo (74), while his 276 points ranked him fourth among all-time defencemen behind Ohlund (325), Lumme (321), Kearns (321), and Lidster (307).

http://canucks.nhl.com

SEASON SNAPSHOT

CANUCKS PLAYERS STATS

FLYERS PLAYER STATS

CANUCKS-WILD AT A GLANCE

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

CANUCKS BANTER: Philadelphia Visits Vancouver Tonight In First Match Up Of Season

Posted on November 2, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff November 2, 2015

Canucks Go For 2nd Straight Home Win

The Canucks begin a short 2-game home stand and go for their 6th win of the young season tonight, as they try to keep up with the Los Angeles Kings atop the Pacific Division. The Kings play on the road against the Chicago Black Hawks tonight.

The Flyers come into Vancouver having lost their last 3-games, the most recent against the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on October 30, 2015.

The Canucks enter their 12th game of the season with a 1-game winning streak having defeated the Arizona Coyotes on October 30, 2015 by a 4-3 score.

Vancouver won their last home game, an exciting match against the Montreal Canadians, on October 27, 2015 by a 5-1 margin.

The Canucks are currently tied for 1rst place with Los Angeles ,in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, with 14-points; 2-points ahead of San Jose, who are alone in second place. Arizona currently is in 3rd place with 11-points, three points ahead of Edmonton in 4th place with 8-points. Vancouver, San Jose, and Arizona both have a game in-hand on Edmonton and Calgary. Los Angeles has a game in-hand on Vancouver, San Jose,Arizona and Anaheim; two games in-hand on both Edmonton and Calgary.

Vancouver is among the top 7-teams in the Western Conference, and are tied for the 5th best team in the conference with their 14-points. The Dallas Stars are at the top of the conference with 18-points, currently sporting a 3-game winning streak.

Canucks are among the top 13-teams in the NHL, and are tied for the 6th best team in the league with their 14-points. The Montreal Canadians are the top team with 22-points, on 11-wins and 2-losses, all wins in regulation play.

Philadelphia is tied for 6th-place with Carolina, in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, with 10-points. Washington and the New York Rangers share top spot in the division, both with 16-points; followed by the New York Islanders with 15-points, and the Pittsburgh Penguins with 14-points. New Jersey is currently in 5th place in the division with 13-points. Philadelphia and Washington both have a game in-hand on the Rangers, Penguins, Devils; two games in-hand on the Islanders, Panthers, and Blue Jackets.

Daniel Sedin leads the Canucks in scoring with 9-points including a team high 6-assists, followed by Alex Burrows with 8-points; Brandon Sutter with 7-points, Henrik Sedin with 6-points. Radim Vrbata, Brandon Prust, Alex Edler and rookie Jared McCann have 5-points each. Jannik Hansen, Luca Sbisa and rookie Ben Hutton, closely follow with 4-points.

Rookie Jared McCann leads the Canucks as the top sniper with 5-goals in 9-games played.

For the Flyers, defenseman Mark Streit, leads Philadelphia with 7-points, followed by Brayden Schenn, with 6-points. Claude Giroux, Sam Gagner and Wayne Simmonds all have 5-points. Schenn leads the Flyers with goals scored with 4-goals.

GAME JOTTINGS

The following are with thanks to SportingCharts

Thanks to the NHL for assistance with this posting as well as SportingCharts

Canucks have to do more than knock on the door of the NHL playoffs….Just Saying….

Posted on January 1, 2014 by CanucksBanter

By Andrew Chernoff January 1, 2014

Back on September 11, in this column, on the Vancouver Canucks and the upcoming 2013-2014 season titled Tortorella Has To Be True To His Coaching Style, I wrote:

I am not confident that they have the speed, finesse, the toughness or the depth to match or better most of the teams in their division or in the league at this point of training camp.

I will hold my thoughts of how well the Canucks might size up against the teams in their division, and whether they will make the playoffs until they have played their first month.

My pessimistic side says to wait until the end of January, 2014 to see if the Canucks take a nosedive and their more often than not “seasonal slump” or whether they defy the odds and play at least .500 or better and make a strong playoff run to finish the season on a high note.

I will not wait that long. I will give it 15 games.

Well, I have given it more than 15 games. I have given it until the end of 2013 before making further comment on the Canucks chances and how well the team sizes up against teams in their own division and whether they are a playoff contending team.

Obviously, I under estimated the Canucks, who as of this writing are twelve games above .500 and would have a playoff position today if the playoffs started, as a wildcard team.

So????? How have the Canucks faired:

CANUCK TEAM CHARTS

Vancouver Canucks record as of morning of January, 2014:

On that October 2013 road trip I said in my September 11, 2013 column:

Canucks will play seven road game stretch on the road from October 15 to October 25 which will indicate what their mettle is and how well forged they are as a competitive team and excelling at that high level of expectation or not.

So?? How’d they do? As you can see by the chart below they had 5 wins, 1 overtime loss and 1 regulation loss for 11 points out of a possible 14 points on the 7 game road trip.

The Canucks showed that they were more than prepared for the seven game road trip, and more than impressed, and made a success of their first month of the season.

November was not so pleasant, and provided some adversity and struggles, that impacted the Canucks from having a winning month.

December showed the team come together under the system of their new coach and rack up 10 wins and 1 loss in 13 games for 22 points, putting Vancouver squarely in the hunt for a playoff position at the half way point of the season.

THE CANUCKS LAST HALF OF THE 2013-2014: MY THOUGHTS

So, stats aside, I am left with a three part question: what do the Canucks have to do, what does the future hold for the Canucks and how will it figure in the Canucks success the second half of the season?

Well, it won’t take long to get the answer to the first part of the question. It is simple and quickly answered.

As Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun columnist, in his article Canucks second half must be equal to the first pointed out:

Despite a series of December injuries, including a broken jaw to front-line winger Alex Burrows and a strained groin suffered by starting goalie Roberto Luongo, the Canucks had a brilliant month, which gave them a good opening half of the National Hockey League season. Now, they need a second half that’s equally strong.

A healthy defence would help. So would a power play, which was 0-for-4 against the Flyers and, except for one three-week surge, has had awful results all season.

But, really, there is little for which to fault the Canucks through the first three months of the season, except for taking much of the fall to learn new coach John Tortorella‘s go-go-go system.

“I think we understand how we play and everybody is comfortable with that,” Tortorella said just before the game. “Some of the most important things when you get into the second half of the year and into playoffs – if we’re fortunate enough to get there – is situational play. I talk about it a lot. Everybody asks me: What’s situational play? There are a lot of things. It’s so many things.

“It’s how you win games. Understanding how to get momentum back on your side, how to keep it on your side. Third periods – down by a goal, up by a goal. All those things have to become second nature and we’ve still got a lot of work to do in that area.”

Apparently so.

I concur with Mr. MacIntyre, and that answers the first part of the question.

As for the second part of the question, we won’t have to wait long as January, like October, presents a big challenge for the Canucks, especially in their first eight games:

As you can see by the schedule for January, the Canucks first eight games have some strong opponents, with five games on the road and three at home.

My comments in my column on September 11, I repeat here for the first eight games of 2014, with some slight revision:

Canucks will play eight games from January 1 to January 16 which will indicate what their mettle is and how well forged they are as a competitive team and excelling at that high level of expectation or not, after a one week rest at the Christmas break and a shootout loss on December 30 against the Philadelphia Flyers at home.

I think Iain MacIntyre would agree. I quote from his article previously quoted above:

So December, 2013, with injuries and travel and four back-to-backs was pretty remarkable.

It gives the Canucks an eight-point cushion in the Western Conference playoff race.

“We realized at the time, when we started winning, we had to get on a roll or we were going to be out of the playoffs,” Sedin said. “And a lot of points out of the playoffs. We climbed back in, and now we need to keep going.

“The feeling we have right now is a great feeling. We feel we’re going to win every game. For sure, we’ve won games because of this mindset.”

But confidence and positive energy got them only one point on Monday, giving the 23-11-7 Canucks 53 through 41 games. Their second half starts Wednesday with a New Year’s Day game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vancouver’s six games after that are against Stanley Cup contenders: the Los Angeles Kings (twice), Anaheim Ducks (twice), Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues.

We’re going to know more about the Canucks two weeks from now, and they’re going to know more about themselves.

Luongo, who had a lengthy practice session Monday morning, should be the first injured player back. Edler, out since Dec. 3, may be ready by the middle of the month.

What else do the Canucks need in the second half?

“More Decembers,” defenceman Dan Hamhuis, who played a staggering 32:30 on Monday, said. “We just have to build off what we’re doing. Our penalty kill has been great, but we’d like better results for our power play. Our goaltending has been great. We just have to continue to play good defence and find small ways to get better.

“You get a new coaching staff with new systems and new ways to play, and a run like this really solidifies everyone’s belief in our style of play and our identity.”

The third part of the question, how will the first two parts of the question figure in the Canucks success the second half of the season?

The Canucks need, as already stated, but emphasized here, need to keep playing as they are, improving as they make a playoff run. That won’t be easy, as the teams they are chasing are playing just as well as they are, and secondly, an Winters Olympic break is coming up.

The conclusion to the Olympic break will test the Canucks, coaches and players alike, to play well enough to make a last push, to not just make the playoffs, but do so with impact, excelling at a high level, being a legitimate threat to go deep into the playoffs.

The Stanley Cup challengers they face in January will give them a few answers as to where they are, what they lack and what they need to do.

In conclusion, with the Canucks game against Tampa Bay just minutes away:

John Tortorella has to do what he does best and which helped Tampa Bay to its first Stanley Cup—be the best coach he can be and get the most out of his players, letting every player know that he is boss,

The players are paid to execute the plan and perform as professionals. Tortorella must be accountable for being outcoached and for misjudgements regarding his assessments regarding each players abilities, capabilities, to execute the plan that he has developed to make the Canucks successful in all areas; and the players must be accountable for not executing that coaching plan, and playing up to that high level of expectation.

The Canucks have to do more than knock on the door of the NHL playoffs. They have to kick it in and live in it like they own it, with a passion only found on the streets, made for hockey on ice. And then the ultimate prize—–the Stanley Cup—–will be theirs.

Just saying…..

The following is a summary of where the Canucks are relative to the league, and play in the two conferences:

Canucks record in October, 2013: 9–5–1 (Home: 3–3–0 ; Road: 6–2–1)