Last nights game may go down as the turning point of the Canucks season. The light switch finally got switched on, and the team played their best game of the year. They attacked the whole night and trusted Lu to not give up any soft goals. All four lines spent the majority of the game in the Caps end, and the D was solid. A full team effort last night, now let’s hope they can continue it the rest of the season.
 
The game had it all. Lots of scoring chances, Ovechkin getting a couple of goals, the Canucks getting seven goals, and the Canucks winning. What more could you ask for in a game? Overall there is not much bad to say about the game last night.
 
Luongo
Big Louie was alright last night. He made the stops he needed to make, and he was excellent in the third when the Canucks needed him the most. He still seems to be fighting the puck, as he dropped several shots with his glove and had trouble with two of the four goals.  The other two goals were great shots that not too many goalies would have saved. 
 
While I’m no goaltending expert, I think Lu could benefit by coming out a bit more and challenging the shooter.  I know they Canucks goaltending coach wants him to stay back and react to the puck, but I think Lu is at his best when he’s aggressive and uses his athletic ability to recover. I also think he should try and keep his glove up a bit higher. There must be a scouting report to go high glove on Lu, because it seems like every second goal he gives up is over his glove.
 
Overall, Lu gave up less goals than the two Caps goalies did and that’s good enough for me. One of my keys last night was he had to be better then Vokoun, and while Luongo wasn’t great, he was better then Vokoun.
 
The Good
 
Alex Edler- He played his best game of the year and seems to be getting better with every game. The puck seemed to follow him last night and he could have had 3 or 4 goals. That is the kind of game the Canucks need out of him every night.
 
The Fourth Line- once again this line set to tone for the game. This one line for the Canucks had as many hits as the entire Caps team. They set the tone physically right from the start, scored two goals, and played in the Caps zone all night. In all my years of watching the Canucks, I think this is the best fourth line they have had.
 
Booth and Kesler
Both Kesler and Booth played great last night. After taking a couple of games to figure out the Canucks system, Booth looks right at home on Kesler’s wing. The two of them had wonderful chemistry and look like they will make up 2/3 of a dangerous Canucks second line.
 
I expect when Raymond comes back he will be the third member of this line. Hodgson looks a bit lost out there with them, and I don’t think he’s a good enough skater to play with them. He has also looked very conservative and nervous when he plays in the top 6. Hansen has the speed to play with them, but not the hands. And while Higgins might be the best fit for right now, I like him better on the third line. If Raymond is not back by the deadline or struggling, I expect Gillis to make a splash and find this line a winger.
 
Jannik Hansen
Yes we did have a Hansen siting last night. For only the second or third game this season the Danish wing was noticeable. He hustled all night, was good on the PK and relentless on the forecheck. That is the Jannik Hansen the Canucks need every night, not just every 3-4 games.
 
The So/So
 
Burrows on the point
I believe the announcer said this work 5 or 6 years ago in the AHL, but I’m really not crazy about having Burrows back on the point. I don’t see it being a good fit for him. He doesn’t have a hard enough shot to QB a power play, nor does he have the pure passing skills to do it. Burrows is at his best from two feet in, so it makes no sense to have him on the blueline. I would like to see how Sulzer does back there. Like Burrows, he to has had a lot of success running a PP at the AHL level, why not try him there at the NHL level?
 
 
The Bad
The only real bad thing the Canucks did last night was they took a few undisciplined penalties. Suzer’s was a careless play after a whistle. Kesler’s was bad because they were on the PP. And Solo looked more like he was trying to slow dance with the Caps player, instead of finishing his check. They got away with them tonight, but who knows, next time they might not be so lucky.
 
“Electric Worry”
So we’ve now had a couple of games to get used to the new goal song, what does everyone think? I personally like the song and think it has a lot of potential to make Rogers Arena a rocking place to play. The song is kind of catchy and annoying at the same time, which are two things I like in a goal song.
 
A couple of things need to change with the song for it to have a impact on the game and the atmosphere. One, Rogers Arena needs a better sound system. You can barely hear the song, so either they need more speakers in the building or the DJ needs to turn it up. The song should ring inside the arena and outside the arena. People should know when the Canucks score from a block away. Secondly, fans need to get involved. The Canucks scored 7 times last night and not once did I hear fans shouting out the chorus. I should be able to hear the fans screaming, “BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG VAMANOS, VAMANOS! ” at home when the Canucks score. I remember the old Pacific Coliseum when the Canucks scored and they would blast out “ Rocking Roll Part 2“ and the fans would scream “HEY”. That was such and electric environment. We need to get back to that.
 
The building used to be nicknamed “The Garage”. The new nickname should be “The Library”, unless fans make more noise.
 
 
Thanks for reading.
 
Enjoy your day.
 

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