Sunday March 2: Ottawa Senators 4 - Vancouver Canucks 2
In case you missed it, the NHL put on a pretty good party at BC Place on Sunday, but sent 54,194 fans home disappointed in the pouring rain after the Ottawa Senators recovered from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat their hosts 4-2.
Here's the highlight package:
Though the roof was closed and the outdoor game was played indoors, there was lots to like about the experience in BC Place. Thanks again to the good folks at
Can-Am Spyder for the tickets.
Despite a general malaise in the city leading up to the event, the league and the Canucks did a great job of making sure the stadium was full. Having big groups of pumped-up minor-league hockey kids on hand definitely boosted the energy and the huge gathering of humanity did create a festive atmosphere. Fans were ready to have a good time, and the wave looked mighty impressive as it swept around the stadium.
As I mentioned yesterday, the NHL Spectator Plaza across the street at the Plaza of Nations was buzzing from the early hours before the game. Fans could listen to music, get autographs, and check out the sponsors' wares, including the new 2014 Can-Am Spyder RT, featuring higher torque, a smoother ride and fewer fill-ups.
For more information on the Can-Am Spyder, check out their
Facebook,
Twitter or
visit a local dealership for a test drive.
Our seats were on the upper level in section 435. We were on the opposite side from the cameras so we got the backside of the bands, but the overall view wasn't too bad. I'm used to being up high from my perch in the press box at Rogers Arena so I didn't feel much further away from the action, though the angle made it hard to identify players at times and I wasn't as tuned in to what was happening on the benches—Daniel Sedin's injury, for instance.
The video on the big Jumbotron was fantastic, but it didn't show the time, score, power plays etc. That took some getting used to.
In general, there was just so much *more* to look at. It probably wasn't till the third period that I was finally able to tune out most of the distractions and focus on the action on the ice.
Cell phone connectivity did turn out to be an issue. By the time I got a consistent signal in the third period, my battery was in danger of dying. Ah, the wonders of technology!
The game got off to such a promising start, with two early first period goals including one from Jason Garrison on the power play! There's a rare sight.
But the euphoria didn't last long. Before the end of the opening frame, the Senators had tied the game, and the chants of "Loooooo" were raining down loud and clear.
I have nothing against Eddie Lack but as a rookie, he'll have plenty of opportunities to play in special games. He's an innocent victim in John Tortorella's short-sighted decision to start him over Roberto Luongo on Sunday, and I think the pressure of the situation got to him.
He didn't look as sharp as he did in the games against St. Louis and Minnesota earlier in the week, and it's such a shame that the Sens' winning goal by Cody Ceci was a bit of a stinker.
Torts stood in and accepted the grilling from the media about the goalie decision after the game, insisting that he'd make the same decision if he had to do it all over again. Definitely worth watching if you haven't seen it already:
Greg Balloch covers the Canucks for Dan Russell's
Sportstalk, and is well tuned-in to the goaltending side of things. Here's his take on the situation:
Greg's been tweeting a ton over the past few days, so if you scroll through his feed, you'll see that he pins the situation on issues between Luongo and the coaching staff, especially goaltending coach Rollie Melanson. It's worth checking out.
Daniel Injured:
As I said, I missed Daniel's injury during the game, but here's the clip of him getting pasted into the boards by Marc Methot:
Though we don't have any official word yet, the thinking is that the injury is to his hamstring, and looks like it could be quite serious.
One could argue that losing Daniel isn't a huge issue when he hasn't scored since December 30, but I don't imagine the team improves with Jordan Schroeder back in the lineup instead of him. Would it make sense to call up Nicklas Jensen if Daniel's going to miss some time?
Playoff Chances:
Though the Canucks threw away two points on Sunday against a team that's below them in the standings, they do face some other lower-grade competition over the next couple of weeks in teams like the Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, Nashville Predators and Buffalo Sabres. So, maybe there's still an outside chance that they get on a roll.
According to
SportsClubStats.com, the Canucks' chances of making the playoffs dropped by 7.7 percent from the loss, and are now sitting at just 17.7 percent. Not looking good.
As I said the other day, I'll still cheer for them to get in for as long as I can. I have a couple of reasons for this:
- It's not so much about believing that an eighth-place team can win the Cup. I know the LA Kings were an anomaly in 2012. It's more about the indignity of being a 'non-playoff team.'
I suspect this attitude goes back to the Canucks' early days as a franchise, when making the playoffs was about the best they could hope for. I remember those "Turtle Derby" charts in the papers where the Canucks and Jets, usually, would fight to the end for that final Smythe Division position.
- I might feel differently if I had a little more faith in the Canucks' scouting, drafting and player development. The Canucks haven't generated a full-time NHL player from the draft since—yep—Cody Hodgson in 2008. I'd say Schroeder and Frank Corrado are still on the bubble. With that in mind, I'm not convinced it matters where we draft.
For the sake of argument, let's compare with Chicago, who haven't exactly been picking early over the past few years.
They chose Brandon Saad in the second round in 2011 and Andrew Shaw in the fifth. In 2009, it was Brandon Pirri in the second round and Marcus Kruger in the fifth. Pirri's a bubble guy who played 28 games for the 'Hawks this year and has just been dealt to Florida for a couple of draft picks, but the other three are important parts of Chicago's current roster.
Before Daniel's injury, I was starting to see a glimmer of hope for the Canucks as they started to get their full roster back on the ice. Call me sentimental, but I'd like to see this group get a chance to right the ship and end the year with some dignity.
What do you think? How would you like to see these final games play out?
Two more days till the trade deadline. All is quiet for now so we'll let Ryan Kesler get some rest.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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