Tuesday’s matchup against the Nashville Predators saw the return to the lineup of defenceman Ben Hutton, and the departure from the lineup of fourth line winger Brendan Gaunce, who was sent down to join the Utica Comets. Daniel and I are still debating whether to call this seismic upheaval Gauncepocalypse or GaunceGate. We’ll let you know.
It was a pivotal game for Vancouver, the start of a gruelling six-game road trip. Furthermore, they are still chasing a wild card berth in the Western Conference. By chasing, I of course mean as it disappears into the sunset.
Still, there was plenty of content to this game, by which I mean it was contentious. A disallowed goal on one end of the ice, a controversial goal on the other, and a creep called Cody causing catastrophe, concussions and conniption. Alliteration! I watched this game.
- The last time Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»and Nashville played, Nikita Tryamkin ran roughshod over the team, using his hulking body to crush anyone he came into contact with. The Predators, clearly fearing another such situation, made sure to identify and target Vancouver’s biggest, most hulking, most physically dominant player early on. That’s right, I’m talking about Sven Baertschi. Cody McLeod caught Baertschi in the side of the head with his shoulder. The Canucks winger would leave and not return due to concussion concerns. Truthfully I don’t believe this was an intentionally malicious hit, but Baertschi is Vancouver's 1B wing to rule them all. McLeod hit the precious and so we hates him.
- With Baertschi hurt the lines are thrown into a bit of disarray. This game saw a brief experiment of Markus Granlund playing with the Sedins, for example (which I didn’t hate.) We might see the team go into full loco-motion with truly bizarre moves, like actually playing Reid Boucher. Boucher was acquired primarily to improve Vancouver’s locker room high-five metrics, and also to fetch hotdogs for John Garrett, but needs must when the devil drives.
- Markus Granlund opened the scoring on a beautiful set play. Brandon Sutter won an offensive zone draw cleanly, Jannik Hansen blocked out the Nashville defender, and Granlund, , made no mistake on Vancouver’s first shot on net. Rock legend Richards is a good one to take that advice from. He’s only made one mistake in his life: . Meh, no one’s noticed.
- If I were to describe the Canucks season in movie terms, I’d call it an indie film. It’s been long, perplexing, and there are no leading men. As in, no men who like the lead. That icky, uncomfortable feeling of having more goals than the opponent was soon to be relieved by the ever considerate Preds. Calle Jarnkrok sped up from centre ice, deftly deked around Daniel Sedin, passed the puck to Colin Wilson, who fed it back to Viktor Arvidsson for a snipe over Jacob Markstrom’s elbow. This performance filled me with a mixture of awe and rage, and it is therefore a likely winner at the Sundance Film Festival. (Any votes on what this film could be titled?)
- The line of Jarnkrok, Wilson and Arvidsson struck again. After Alex Edler pasted the much smaller Arvidsson to the boards, the puck found Jarnkrok, who spun and snuck a quick shot on Markstrom. The puck was lost in the big goalie’s pads and as he searched for it, he knocked it into his own net. The good news: I have a new motivational goalie chant for Markstrom: “Just Look In Your Pants!”
- Nashville has recently acquired forwards Cody McLeod and Vern Fiddler. () So unsurprisingly they had very favourable Truculence / 60 numbers. Halfway through the second period the fourth line converged on Alex Burrows for a brief melee. It’s interesting to see what David Poile is doing. Two big, veteran grinders, plus P.K. Subban in the summer. Don’t be at all surprised if another big swap happens before the deadline, they look to have their sights set on a playoff run.
- Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»appeared to even things up late in the second, as Jayson Megna whacked in a goal that Pekka Rinne didn’t see. It was immediately called back, however, due to a Markus Granlund high stick that had brought it to the ice. It was controversial because the puck went off a Nashville skate after the high stick, but nevertheless the on-ice call stood. Poor Megna, he tried out for the Phantom of the Opera, Rent, and Cats the Musical, nothing. And the minute he quits showbiz? He gets a callback. Typical.
- After a questionable Luca Sbisa interference penalty, Ryan Johansen threw the puck across the ice to Filip Forsberg, who placed a tricky blast on Jacob Markstrom. It flipped over him and trickled across the line, but the goaltender slammed a glove on it and dragged it back. On the ice the call was no-goal, but after review it had just crossed the line. I’ve seen a few angles on it and I’m now convinced that this goal was good. At least it tried to be. In its heart, the goal wanted to do the right thing, it simply got caught up in the wrong crowd.
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Here's a closer look at that goal. Stupid glove mesh.
— On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck) - The Canucks weren’t done, however. After P.K. Subban was called on a slashing penalty, Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»went on the power play. After a half-minute of stunning Sedinery couldn’t produce anything, Bo Horvat skated in, saucered a no-look pass to a following Alex Edler, who lifted his second tally of the season past Pekka Rinne. If the Sedins’ passing plays were a , Bo’s shift was a plywood box with the words “Git’er Done” spray painted on it. I’ll take it, looks dang good in the living room. Bo had a strong game, driving the offence on numerous occasions and claiming an assist.
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The Canucks had multiple opportunities to tie things up late. Jannik Hansen nearly converted a Jack Skille pass that just went off his stick. Granlund had a great shot on Rinne while shifting with the Twins. And Loui Eriksson had two golden opportunities: a shot that glanced off the goalie’s mask, and later a gift of a feed from Henrik Sedin that Rinne absolutely robbed. Willie Desjardins probably figured, like my parents did, that heavy, sustained pressure would get the results he wanted. But he would be wrong! The Canucks don’t want to go to law school!
Mike Fisher popped a puck into the empty net and that was all she wrote. Next stop, John Tortorella and the Blue Jackets.
