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Finally a hockey game to write about if you can really call what the Coyotes play hockey. After a loss to the Canadiens on Saturday night, the Canucks have had a few days to relax and collect their thoughts. Vancouver is still perched up high in the standings and in no real danger of losing home ice advantage in the first and second rounds. The Coyotes continue to fight for their playoff lives and sit just one point up on the 11th place Av's. If the playoffs started today, this would be the matchup for the first round.
Canucks 42-19 8 92pts
Coyotes 34-25-11 79pts
Leaders
Canucks
Goals D. Sedin 28
Assists H. Sedin 53
+/- Hamhuis +20
Hits Lapierre 199
Coyotes
Goals Vrbata 30
Assists Whitney 41
+/- Vrbata, Whitney +24
Hits Hanzal 196
Vancouver is a team that is in what may be considered their biggest slump of the season. The recent losing doesn't concern me much, but the way this team is losing is concerning. Right now this team has no push, no effort, and no drive. In the playoffs you need fire in your belly to win. Right now, the Canucks look to have more jello in their belly than fire. Hopefully having a few days off the fire has been re-lit for the three months of war that lie ahead.
The three poster boys that have been the lightning rods of this recent slump spent yesterday together at practice. The Sedins haven't struggled to score this much in seven or eight years. Raymond, well, after playing pretty well the first 10-15 games of the year he has pretty much been bad. In the past AV would put whoever was struggling with the twins to get them going and give them some confidence, but right now I'm not sure the twins have any confidence to share with Raymond.
Look for the Coyotes to bang and crash this line as much as possible. Last time these teams played the Coyotes racked up 48 hits. If the Yotes come out hitting like that again look for to add some sandpaper to the cotton ball like line. In my opinion, there is no way this line is going to work tonight. Raymond will get knocked down or fall, the puck will come back the other way and the Sedins will whiff on their defensive assignments. The D will need to be on their toes all night while this line-up is on the ice.
Winning a losing isn't that important to me tonight, but the way they play is. I want to see this team show up and show a bit of emotion. Losing is an option I'm OK with, but losing because you're not working is not something I'm ok with. This team needs to find it's fire again. If they don't find it tonight I would call up Schroeder and Duco because I know they will work and bring some energy to this team.
I don't think calling anyone up will be necessary after tonight's game. I believe we will see a team that is in the mood to play. Vancouver will be looking to send a message to a potential first round opponent (an opponent I want to play because of travel and matchup but is going to be boring as hell to watch). I believe they will come out fast and play hard for 60 minutes. This team will be focused and rest. This team will play better.
Prediction- 4-1 Vancouver
GM Meetings Thoughts
The GM's are meeting to play around a meddle with the game this week, and so far it's sounds like all they have really done is talk about tweaking icing in a move that will make the game even more controversy and add the redline in to slow the game down.
As far as icing goes, I like giving the referee/linesman the power to call it in order to avoid injuries. Where I get a little bit worried is leaving it up to the discretion of the official. You can't have judgement calls because it creates to many controversies. The NHL is already dealing with being the worst officiated sport of the big "4" and adding to that just seems dumb.
What I would propose is adding a line around the face-off dots. Whoever gets to that line first has to let up and let the other player play the puck. If the player doesn't let up the play is blown dead by the official. Make this a black and white type call like offside, and take the judgment out of the equation. By doing that they can get rid of the collisions they want out of the game and they won't have people talking about whether the play should have been stopped.
As far as adding the redline back in, I hate it and can't see it leading to a decrease in injuries. In fact, I would bet that it would increase injuries significantly. Sure it may slow the game down in the neutral zone a lessen the impact of hits in that area, but I also think it would increase the amount teams dump the puck in and hammer D on the fore-check. Adding the line means teams would have to make an extra pass. Given that not all players can or sometime want to make that extra pass, I can see them just dumping the puck in.
Once that puck is dumped in from centre you are giving that player a whole lot more room to charge at the D. Right now teams will dump and chase from the blueline, but changing the dump in from the blueline to centre, you are going to have players coming it faster on the fore-check.
The game doesn't need to be slowed down to reduce injuries and concussion. The rules just need to be enforced better. Take the head hits out and I bet concussion drop significantly. If you add respect back into the game the injuries will drop. If you upgrade the equipment, the injuries will drop. Give a player an extra 50 or so feet to charge at a guy and I can't see that leading to less injuries.
Thanks for reading.
Enjoy your day.
Ian
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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