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Tuesday September 23
San Jose Sharks 2 at Vancouver Canucks 4
Vancouver Canucks 2 vs. San Jose Sharks 5 (at Stockton, CA)
The new era got off to a decent start during the Vancouver Canucks' two games against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.
Here are the highlights from the win in Vancouver:
The new guys made themselves noticed as Jordan Subban, Hunter Shinkaruk, Bo Horvat and Linden Vey scored for the Canucks in their win at Rogers Arena, while Nick Jensen and Nick Bonino put the Canucks on the board in the loss in Stockton.
I won't talk too much about my memories of last year's preseason, but the word that sticks in my head is "chaos." Not a lot of discernible systems in place and no apparent logic behind player deployment.
Last night's game in Vancouver was much better in both these regards. The line combinations made sense and the players seemed to have some idea of where they were supposed to be on the ice and what they were supposed to do when they go there. The game had good tempo and thought the Canucks were badly outshot, they were the team that was able to find the extra gear and lock down the win in the third period. That was VERY different from last season.
There was one wrench in the plan. At the 6:49 mark of the first period, Alex Edler left the game after being hit in the face with a puck. With only six defensemen dressed, that significantly changed up the deployment of the back end for the rest of the night.
Edler was also missed on the power play, which went 0-for-4 on the night and had serious trouble with zone entries at times. Acting head coach Doug Lidster acknowledged after the game that Edler had been a key part of their special teams practises, so he was missed.
I thought Lidster did a very good job at the podium. Not only did he avoid calling each of his guys "a good player," he was frank and for the most part, informative.
Though he said that Edler was kept out of the game for precautionary reasons after his injury, he couldn't say for sure that Edler will be ready to go next game.
I sure hope he's OK, and this doesn't turn out to be the beginning of another snake-bitten season for the big guy.
The Sharks dramatically outshot the Canucks in both games and in the early going, especially, San Jose's top veterans like Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture and Brent Burns were dominant, especially compared to a Sedin line that wasn't getting much done. But Lidster also pointed out that the Sharks have a veteran coaching staff and a team that has been using the same system for years, which allows their players to work more by instinct.
Burns looked fantastic back in his old position on defense and earned second star honours in the game. He psyched out Bo Horvat before firing a perfect shot past Joe Cannata for the first San Jose goal, while Patrick Marleau undressed Derek Dorsett to score on a breakaway shortly afterwards.
But that was the only damage. Eddie Lack was perfect, stopping 16 shots through the first half of the game, and Cannata made some good saves during his half of the game as well.
As I said before prospects camp opened, I think Hunter Shinkaruk's going to make it mighty hard for Jim Benning and company to ignore him when setting the opening-night lineup. He was named first star of the game with a goal and an assist and was plus-two in just over 15 minutes of ice time. Though his only shot was his second-period goal, he was noticeable all night, buzzing around and trying to make plays on a line with Linden Vey and Alex Friesen.
Vey also had a strong opening outing, with two assists and an empty-net goal. He was plus-three in just over 15 minutes of ice time and was named third star.
Jordan Subban's making headlines this morning after a terrible
faux pas by our local papers.
I'd prefer to focus on his very nice goal and solid play throughout the night.
Jordan was quick to earn praise from his big brother for his snipe:
Subban's small stature does make him noticeable on the ice, but he skates fantastically and did a great job of being involved in the play. He was a plus-one in 17 minutes of ice time, with two takeaways on the night.
If you're looking for another undersized blueliner who is currently having good NHL success, what about ex-Canuck Mike Weaver in Montreal? He's listed at 5'10" and 183 pounds, but had a great playoff last season with the Habs. (Subban's listed at 5'9" and 175)
Brian Rafalski would be another good example, whose game might be more similar to Subban's.
There's not a lot of info about the game in Stockton: Canucks.com doesn't even have a box score or recap, but I did find this
Associated Press summary on Sportsnet.ca.
More information from the Canucks' Twitter feed: Jacob Markstrom played the first half of the game, allowing two goals but facing 21 shots in the first 30 minutes. Joacim Ericsson took over in the second half.
Also noteworthy: Tom Sestito and John Scott did indeed tangle in Stockton, pretty early in the first period.
I wonder how Willie felt about that?
Rogers Arena Fan Experience
The 6:00 start in Vancouver on Tuesday didn't do the Canucks any favours in terms of creating a riveting game atmosphere. The arena did fill up as the evening went along, but it was scary-empty at the beginning of the game.
A friend of mine was on hand in the lower bowl, eager to sample the new food and beverages. Overall, her review was mixed.
She was highly disappointed by her $7.50 poutine dog. "I should have known better," she summarized. "No one in this city knows how to melt cheese curds!!!"
She was unwilling to try the $13 lobster roll, but appreciated the fact that Alexander Keith's is still available and enjoyed her tried-and-true White Spot french fries.
The other big news in the arena experience: a change in the music. The new DJ team got its feet wet with its first game action on Tuesday.
Just like the team's other rookies, it's early days but I thought they got better as the game went on. A bit more of a funky feel, and a decent overall mix of music. I don't want to get too excited about Hunter Shinkaruk just yet, so I'll reserve judgement on this change as well for now. But I'm hopeful.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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