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Vancouver Canucks Game Review: Struck by Lightning, Grading the Goalies |
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Wednesday January 1: Tampa Bay Lightning 4 Vancouver Canucks 2
Hey Eddie Lack, how was work last night?
Yup. The Vancouver Canucks' new year got off to a rough start with what John Tortorella called their "worst game of the year." Here are your highlights:
Tampa Bay came into the game on three days' rest while the Canucks had played twice in the same timeframe, and it showed. Their Lightning speed, if you will, kept them a step ahead of Vancouver for much of the game.
The first period was only 9:10 old when Torts used his time out to try to wake up his team, which had already fallen behind 9-4 in shots. He didn't blow up like he did in the Boston game, but the group did respond, evening up the shot total at 11-11 by the end of a scoreless first period.
Through 20 minutes, I was hypnotized watching Ben Bishop play live. At 6'7", the size difference between him and other NHL goalies is dramatic. When he stands up straight, the crossbar's not far above his waist, and when he hinges forward and slides back into his crease, his backside barely fits below the bar. He's truly a freak of nature.
He's entertaining, too. Obviously, Bishop got the win and allowed just two goals, but he had some adventures handling the puck outside his crease and has some drama to his body language that made him very interesting to watch.
I got the feeling that this Lightning group has really come together as a group in the wake of Steven Stamkos' injury—they really seemed to have each others' backs out there on Wednesday. Their playing style is also a lot more fun than the super-defensive approach they took under Guy Boucher. I'd like to see more of this team on TV.
Despite the "worst game of the year" quote from Torts, he's pretty calm in his postgame comments, saying the whole team was "out of sync." I'd also agree that the group came out well in the third period after falling behind on the last-second power play goal at the end of the second, but couldn't get that equalizer.
A few other notes from the game:
- The Canucks could have socked away the win if they'd scored on their power play after Brad Richardson gave them the lead in the second period. The holding-the-stick call on Jean-Philippe Cote was a gift, but after one Jason Garrison shot, the man advantage fizzled completely, destroying the momentum of the goal and Vancouver's reasonably strong play to start the second period.
Less than a minute after the power-play ended, Tampa Bay was on the board—and the shift after the goal was a problem again, setting the stage for the Lightning win.
- Kesler and Higgins were the guys who got torched on Wednesday. They were on the ice for all four Lightning goals.
- Zack Kassian got bounced around like a pouty baby on Wednesday night. The refs may have missed the call on the first-period high stick, but I would have loved to see Kassian get mad, then get even. The game was a no-hitter—officially, the hits were 21-9 in Vancouver's favour but I'd definitely attribute some of that to home-ice bias.
- This observation may come from the fact that I had a pretty rowdy New Year's week DJing at the Commodore, but Rogers Arena seemed especially quiet during game play on Wednesday. The music was blasting through the intermissions and the stoppages and the rink was pretty full, but there were no "Bi-shop" catcalls and very few "Go Canucks Go" chants. I guess there wasn't a lot to cheer about, and I know this is a common complaint, but I would have liked to see the crowd much more involved in the game.
Grading the Goalies:
I'm going to split the December player grades into three sections this time around, easing into it today with a look at the goalies. Stats include Wednesday's game.
Roberto Luongo: 16-9-6 2.24 GAA .920 save percentage
Luongo was strong in November but the team in front of him didn't score enough goals. In December, he got a little better and so did the Canucks' skaters.
Before going down to injury against Winnipeg on December 22, Luongo virtually ran the table. His only poor performance was when he got pulled in the 4-1 loss to Dallas on December 19.
With less than a week to go before Team Canada's roster announcement for Sochi, Luongo's redemption story should soon take another step towards completion.
Previous Grade: B+ New Grade: A-
Eddie Lack: 7-3-1 2.02 GAA .924 save percentage
December was the month that we really got to know Eddie Lack. From his shutout against the Hurricanes in his Rogers Arena debut to his fantastic shootout victory over the Blackhawks, Lack was a key part of Vancouver's strong run through the month. The loss to the Lightning was his first in regulation since he faced Anaheim on November 10, and only the second time all year he's given up four goals. Lack has had no trouble filling Cory Schneider's skates so far this season.
Previous Grade: B New Grade: A
Quick Hits:
- It sounds like Luongo will be ready to get back to work this weekend in California. Joacim Eriksson was re-assigned to Utica this morning. For once, the Canucks will be the rested team on Saturday—they have two days off while the Kings are in St. Louis tonight to take on the Blues.
- All is well for Team Canada today at the World Junior Quarterfinal. They surrendered a last-second goal to Switzerland in the second period, but built their lead to 4-1 late in the third period and have advanced to the semifinal. Team USA lost to the Russians earlier this morning, so that first-place position from the round-robin was key.
Canada will face Finland in the semifinal on Saturday morning.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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