Thank goodness we had four months this summer to practice finding ways to pass the time when the Vancouver Canucks are not on the ice playing hockey.
The endless week off is almost over; the Canucks will get back to business on Friday against the now-reeling Edmonton Oilers.
After back-to-back losses to Los Angeles and Arizona, the Oil have found their way into the NHL cellar, leading the league with 23 goals against in four games and boasting just a single point—the one they scrounged out of their game against the Canucks last weekend.
Will the team smell opportunity as they get another chance to face the one team that didn't beat them outright? Or will the disappointment of a tough road trip and a potentially-hostile home crowd drag the Oilers down even further? Either way, there should be plenty of drama on tap tomorrow night. Will we see more jersey-tossing?
I'm guessing that Eddie Lack will make his 2014-15 debut in Edmonton on Friday, with Ryan Miller starting on Saturday against the Lightning.
Local goaltending guru Kevin Woodley has a
good feature on Miller on NHL.com today.
There has been lots of talk about how Miller's aggressive playing style is at odds with the more conservative approach that's championed by Canucks goaltending coach Rollie Melanson.
Woodley reports that Miller started adjusting to a deeper style even before he arrived in Vancouver:
I have been a pretty aggressive skating goaltender, but over the years I think it has quieted down. I am just trying to change with the times and build a game that is going to work for the current NHL, so I know that I have to be available to make some saves in back-side situations. I understand that.
However, Miller also says he's not willing to completely abandon his aggressive approach.
I don't think I am the kind of guy who can sit back. I still need to be myself. When I am flowing with the game and making guys change their mind on a play rather than waiting on it, I feel like I am at a high point of my game.
Woodley breaks down the consequences of Miller's style in some detail and suggests that, here in the early going, Melanson's not trying to shoehorn the veteran goaltender into an uncomfortable pigeonhole.
For his part, Miller says he's receptive to change. "I do feel I have a bit to learn and little things to clean up," Miller said. "It's handy to have all the tools in the toolbox and Rollie is going to help me with that.
Bo Ready to Go?
Rookie Bo Horvat was happy to be practicing with the Canucks on Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury in a preseason game against the Oilers back on October 2.
Willie Desjardins speaks extensively about Horvat in his post-practice comments from Wednesday.
He says he likes Horvat at center, but he also thinks that Linden Vey and Shawn Matthias have both looked better at center than on the wing.
As he talks about someone needing to move, it sounds like, when the time comes, he'll be more likely to scratch a winger—Hansen? Kassian?—than just pull Matthias out of the lineup. Desjardins also leaves the door open a crack for Horvat to end up on the wing when he makes his NHL debut—perhaps this weekend.
Changing the Culture
As a follow-up to yesterday's discussion about team-building,
click here to take a look at Global TV's story on the Canucks' new-look locker room. Though they don't have any images of how the space looked last year, Jay Janower mentions that the focus at that time was on current players.
Willie has rolled back the clock to highlight some of the franchise's best memories and added a few words that are meant to inspire the players to give their best every time they step onto the ice.
We'll start to see whether or not these little things make a difference once the team plays some more games and the going gets a little tougher.
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