The Canucks came into Monday night’s tilt boasting a 3-1-2 record in their last six contests versus the Ducks. Between that and Anaheim’s slow start, there was reason to believe Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»had a chance to win this one.
And then the game began, and there was no longer any reason to believe anything. I became a full-blown nihilist when I watched this game.
- There are good first periods, like when you put a dot before a Twitter reply so everyone can see how quippy and hilarious you are, and then there are bad first periods, like the one the Canucks had in Anaheim. Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»was outshot 14-8, out-attempted 30-17, and outscored 2-0. Worse, they were also out-injured, like, 4-0, with Henrik Sedin, Alex Edler, Chris Tanev, and Jake Virtanen all leaving the ice in considerable pain at some point. But don’t you worry: Chris Tanev was okay.
- Everyone else was too, save for Jake Virtanen, who took a nasty crosscheck to the ribs from Ryan Getzlaf midway through the opening twenty and didn’t return for the back forty. No word on the severity yet, but one hopes he didn’t come away from that exchange with a broken rib. Although if he did, he should look on the bright side: all his friends are gonna be so jealous when he tells them Ryan Getzlaf broke one of his ribs. When I was a teenager, I’d have given anything for an NHL superstar to break my ribs.
- In hindsight, teen idol worship is often very unhealthy.
- The Canucks didn’t do much to help out Ryan Miller in the first, but that’s not to say they weren’t behind him. : the entire penalty-kill unit is behind him. Also behind Miller in that photo: the puck, and . Heyo!
- That’s not a very nice joke. I felt bad about using it right up until the Ducks’ third goal, scored a minute into the third period on a Jacob Silfverberg slapshot from the top of the circle. There was no sympathy left for Miller after that one, which was as bad a goal as .
- I don’t normally watch the between-periods features on Sportsnet broadcasts anymore, since Canucks TV controls them now and the Canucks seem pretty confident their on-ice product is so enthralling they don't even have to try to make their intermission content good. (They are wrong.) I watched the Brandon Prust one. My opinion remains unchanged.Â
- If you’re wondering why and how I’ve gotten so far into this writeup without mentioning a single good thing the Canuck skaters did, that’s because I’m at a loss. The Canucks were outplayed badly, like the store brand versus Charmin Ultra Soft. Wait, sorry, that’s outplied. Although that metaphor doesn’t really hold up, since the Canucks were Charmin Ultra soft all night.
- With one notable exception. In the game’s dying seconds, Jared McCann got into it with Ryan Getzlaf in the corner, and was pretty much instantly put on the ground (not pushed or punched, just put) by the larger, more physical Getzlaf. McCann got in one good push, though; he nearly knocked Getzlaf over. His friends are gonna be so jealous when he tells them. Not as jealous as Jake Virtanen’s friends, mind you.
- Henrik Sedin had more hits than Brandon Prust and Derek Dorsett combined tonight. Why have two tough guys if one Sedin can out-tough them, and neither is willing to go after Getzlaf for trying to kill all the Canucks’ kids like the pied piper of Anaheim? Good Lord. I’m fully anti-fighting, but I’m definitely pro-rage flailing, and I cannot believe no one rage-flailed at Getzlaf. Flail fail. They were fine otherwise. The Canucks’ fourth line had some decent offensive zone shifts and a few scoring chances. But I’m pretty sure their main job is to make sure Jared McCann and Jake Virtanen don’t get beat up by Ryan Getzlaf, so I’m gonna call this a poor outing from the both of them.
- Let’s end this on a positive note: Matt Bartkowski had a really strong game in the loss. He finished on the right side of the corsi battle, and he had a game-high seven hits. Plus I think he won Movember, so there’s that.
