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The Vancouver Canucks ended preseason in fine fashion as they topped the New York Rangers 5-0 at Rogers Arena.
The Rangers carried play early but Roberto Luongo did a great job holding the fort until the Canucks got their feet underneath them.
Vancouver scored twice in the 1st period and didn't look back en route to their convincing win.
Henrik Sedin (2), Frankie Corrado, Ryan Kesler and Hunter Shinkaruk scored for Vancouver while Luongo was flawless stopping all 41 shots he faced.
Game notes
- There were a lot of positives for the Canucks, but the biggest one has to be Luongo. He was, well, perfect and looked to be in mid-season form. His positioning was very good and he didn't let out any big rebounds. I think he's going to have a big season and the Canucks will need him to if they want to make the playoffs.
- Another player who stood out was Alexander Edler. He looked more like the player we saw a couple years ago rather than the player we saw in the lockout shortened season. He was skating well, was confident with the puck and created chances almost every time he had the puck. He was physically engaged, too, as he led the team with four hits.
- I think Frankie Corrado solidified a spot on the roster with his performance. He was good at both ends of the rink and definitely looked like he belongs in the NHL. Considering Andrew Alberts is his competition for a spot on the roster, I think it's pretty safe to say the spot is Corrado's - or at least it should be. We've all seen how bad Alberts has been this preseason.
Update: Corrado has been assigned to Utica. Surprising.
- The big boys up front - Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows - all played well and recorded at least a couple of points each. I expect a lot more of that this year. The question is, and likely will continue to be, who will step up offensively when they don't produce?
- Despite all the good things Tortorella, Mike Gillis, etc. have said about Bo Horvat, I'm inclined to believe he'll be sent back to London. He continues to play limited minutes, and if Tortorella won't play him regularly in the preseason, I doubt he'll give him 14+ minutes during the regular season. It's probably best for Horvat's development to send him back to London and let him dominate the OHL while playing big minutes in every situation.
- Hunter Shinkaruk showed a couple good flashes and scored, but for the most part he was quiet. I think he could use some more development time in the WHL, but given the Canucks lack of scoring depth on the wing, Shinkaruk may make the team - at least to start.
I think if the Canucks keep Shinkaruk around, they'd be smart to send him back after nine games. Obviously that could change if he continues to get better and produces, but I don't expect him to do enough to warrant keeping him all year.
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Eastern Conference playoff predictions.
Western Conference playoff predictions.
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