Vancouver Canucks Week #11 Outlook: Uphill Momentum
Nov 22, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin (22) and forward Jannik Hansen (36) and defenseman Alexander Edler (23) and defenseman Christopher Tanev (8) and center Henrik Sedin (33) listen to the national anthem prior to a game against the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Arena. New Jersey won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Last week, the Vancouver Canucks were able to push the reset button. This week, they will take to the road hoping to ride their momentum over the growing hill of injuries.
After posting two wins in a row on home ice, the Vancouver Canucks will play four games on the road as part of a six-game road trip. After two Central Division foes, the Canucks will play two Eastern teams on back-to-back nights. They will have to start getting used to not having defenceman Dan Hamhuis in their lineup.
Week #10: Vancouver Canucks (2-0-0), 7 Goals For, 3 Goals Against
Week’s top scorer: Daniel Sedin – 1 Goal, 3 Assists
With Ronalds Kenins and Andrey Pedan in the line-up, will the Canucks be able to carry their momentum through yet another long road trip?
#Canucks recall Kenins and Pedan from @UticaComets.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 13, 2015
RELEASE → https://t.co/4JgQA5NJPf pic.twitter.com/cNyf3w3FPO
Last week was a week full of pleasant surprises. Radim Vrbata had a hat-trick, Ryan Miller stood on his head against the New York Rangers, and the fourth line kept the home crowd roaring nearly each and every shift. But with this week’s opponents all ahead of them on the league standings, the Canucks have a big hill to climb.
Week 11 Outlook
Vancouver starts things off tonight, against a red-hot Patrick Kane and his Chicago Blackhawks. Then on Tuesday, they will play Minnesota Wild who are 10-3-1 at home this season. Then on Thursday and Friday nights, they will look to grind out some points against the surging Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings, who have not lost in regulation since November 14th. The Red Wings have at least one point in each of their last 13 games.
Coach says Dorsett is healthy but had to take the day off for personal reasons.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 12, 2015
Meanwhile, Derek Dorsett might miss the Chicago game due to personal reasons. Hopefully, nothing will keep him out for long, because his fourth line has been money for the Canucks.
Next: @Chicago Blackhawks
Nov 21, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Daniel Sedin (22) looks on at Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Desjardins (11) at Rogers Arena. Vancouver won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
@Chicago Blackhawks (16-10-4) Sunday, December 13th
Leading Scorer: Patrick Kane (19 Goals, 45 Points)
Keys to the Game:
- Time to play #StreakBreaker
- Keep the fourth line rolling even with Dorsett missing
- Sedin-ery chases G Corey Crawford
The Canucks have done well against the rival Blackhawks in recent history. They need to make sure that their road trip starts on the right foot, so it does not become like the last Eastern road trip when hell broke loose on the Canucks.
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Remember when Vancouver stopped the Montreal Canadiens from their 10-0-0 start? It is time to play streak breaker again. Let us hope to break Patrick Kane’s 25-game point streak.
With Corey Crawford pitching a shut-out in his outing last Friday, the Sedins will have to do their share of goal scoring. The last time around, Daniel Sedin notched a hat trick and Henrik had five points himself. The Canucks will look to their leaders to rattle Crawford’s mask a couple of times.
Next: @Minnesota Wild
Nov 25, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Mikko Koivu (9) takes the faceoff in the second period against the Vancouver Canucks forward Henrik Sedin (33) at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
@Minnesota Wild (15-7-6) Tuesday, December 15th
Leading Scorer: Mikko Koivu (5 Goals, 21 Points)
Keys to the Game:
- Ryan Miller stands tall
- Special teams domination
- Be hungry for possession
The Canucks’ task in this game against the Wild is simple. Don’t let in goals, score goals, do well on the special teams, and go after the puck.
The Wild find themselves in the bottom third of the league in both total goals for and goals against. To clarify — they have scored little and have let in even less. The game is going to be tight to the end.
Not if the Special Teams can help it. The Wild are 25th in the league on the power play, and 26th on the penalty kill. The Canucks need to take advantage if they want to score on such a tight-scoring team. Lastly, the Canucks are dead-last in face-offs. The Wild are fifth, with a 51.4 face-off win percentage. The Canucks have to be really hungry for the puck after the draw if they do not want to chase the Wild the entire game.
Next: @philadelphia flyers
Nov 2, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Jared McCann (91) checks Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Luke Schenn (22) during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
@Philadelphia Flyers (12-12-6) Thursday, December 17th
Leading Scorer: Claude Giroux (11 Goals, 28 Points)
Keys to the Game:
- Suppress the shots and shoot more
- Shut the star down
- Remember you are playing tomorrow
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The Flyers are facing some injury struggles of their own. Top defenceman Mark Streit is out, and so is centre Sam Gagner. That means Giroux will get all the points, eh? He now leads the team in goals and assists. Needless to say, shut him down, and the rest is easy. The next leader on the scoring race is Jakub Voracek who only has a goal and 15 assists through 30 games.
The Flyers also have allowed the second-highest number of shots per game this year, averaging 32.4 shots against per game. Watching Alain Vigneault’s Rangers play the other night, I remembered the days when Vancouver shot everything towards the net and things happened. It’s time for the Canucks to do just that.
But the Flyers also shoot a lot. They sit eighth in shots for per game, above teams like the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins. If the Canucks want to rest their goaltenders and their injury-ridden defencemen, the will have to keep the shot count against low. Next-up are the tough Red Wings, and they will always play the opposition tough.
Next: @Detroit Red Wings
Oct 24, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Detroit Red Wings forward Teemu Pulkkinen (56) scores against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller (30) during overtime period at Rogers Arena. the Detroit Red Wings won 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
@Detroit Red Wings (16-8-6) Friday, December 18th
Leading Scorer: Henrik Zetterberg (5 Goals, 24 Points)
Keys to the Game
- The game is winnable
- Wear them down, and wear their will down
- Get under the skin of the opposing goaltender
The Detroit Red Wings find themselves magically in second place in the Atlantic Division, just behind the Montreal Canadiens. They only scored one more goal than they allowed, and also struggled in overtime, with 6 OT-losses. Though this team looks so tough to beat, it is still a winnable game.
The Red Wings are missing some core players. Johan Franzen is out with a concussion, Kyle Quincey is out with a concussion and an ankle injury, Drew Miller is out with a broken jaw, and Teemu Pulkkinen is out with a dislocated shoulder. If the Canucks can give these guys a rough ride, you can wear down their compete level.
Jimmy Howard and Peter Mrazek have been just so good this year. With Howard supposedly on the trade block, Mrazek is seeking to concrete his grasp of the No. 1 spot. We know it all too well, Vancouver. If the Canucks can’t solve whichever one is in net on Friday, they are going to be playing a frustrating game. Find a way to get after the goaltender, and protect your own, whether it be Ryan Miller or Jacob Markstrom.
Next: Bottom Line
Dec 9, 2015; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler (23) celebrates his goal against New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (not pictured) during the third period at Rogers Arena.The Canucks won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
The Bottom line
It is all about being tight to the end.
The Blackhawks, the Wild, and the Red Wing are all relatively soft teams, and only the Flyers should be tough to play against. They all find themselves in the bottom-third of the NHL hitting department, and with the Canucks bringing in Kenins and Pedan, Vancouver will look to hit the life out of the opposition.
Next: Hitting the Road Hamhuis-less
None of these games are going to be blow-outs, perhaps with an exception in the Chicago game. Lord knows what happens in the Madhouse. Be tight, be tough, be resilient.
How many wins do you expect this week? Let us know in the comments!