Tuesday February 7 - Nashville Predators 4 - Vancouver Canucks 2
It was one of those games that the Vancouver Canucks were simply destined not to win. In isolation, that's fine—it happens to every team. But the 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday was the fourth straight for the Canucks, and put their slim playoff chances in ever-increasing peril.
Here are your highlights:
The Canucks opened the scoring at the 6:01 mark of the first period when Markus Granlund converted on a nice set play from an offensive-zone faceoff. No idea how Brandon Sutter doesn't get an assist on the play after his clean win in the circle.
But even before they took the lead, the winds of fate were blowing against the Canucks. On just his second shift of the game, Sven Baertschi took this hit to the head from Cody McLeod.
Baertschi was visibly trying to shake off the cobwebs as he went to the bench. He took one more shift before being pulled from the game, and it was announced that he had suffered a concussion.
If you're interested, you can click here to read the NHL's complete document on concussion evaluation and management for the 2016-17 season. The document states that there is no set minimum timeframe before a concussed player can return, but he needs to meet three criteria:
(1) there is complete recovery of concussion-related symptoms at rest
(2) there is no emergence of concussion-related symptoms at exertion levels required for competitive play; and
(3) the player has been judged by the Club’s Physician to have returned to his neurocognitive baseline following an evaluation by the Club consulting neuropsychologist
On Tuesday, Baertschi's absence for most of the game meant that Willie Desjardins was forced to do some uncharacteristic line juggling. Jannik Hansen did most of the fill-in work with Horvat and Burrows.
Was McLeod's hit dirty? Well, Baertschi was a long way from the puck, and the big winger does seem to lean in a little bit, but you can't say he took a run at Baertschi.
Coach Desjardins says after watching the replay of Sven Baertschi being hit, he feels Cody McLeod knew he was there before he hit him.
On top of the Baertschi injury, I'd say there were three other touch-and-go calls that ultimately sealed the Canucks' fate in the game:
• A second period goal by Jayson Megna was waved off after it was ruled that Markus Granlund knocked the puck down with a high stick. The Preds did touch the puck before it went to Megna, which could negate the high-stick call, but it was ruled that they didn't have possession.
Never mind the fact that the Situation Room thinks it was No. 36, Jannik Hansen, who batted the puck in—not No. 46, Megna. The main point is that the ref called the play dead as soon as Granlund's stick contacted the puck, and that's not a reviewable or challengeable situation.
• In the third, Filip Forsberg was awarded what proved to be the game-winning goal following a video review, after the initial call on the ice was No Goal.
Sorry, Jacob Markstrom, I think they've got you on this one. I saw this work out for Connor McDavid on a shootout goal a couple of weeks ago, too—the puck can be clearly seen through the netting in the goalie's glove, and it's definitely across the line.
The scoring play was eventually changed, with Viktor Arvidsson awarded his 15th of the season from Forsberg and Ryan Johansen.
• In this case, the Canucks' bigger beef should revolve around why the Preds were on the power play in the first place. Luca Sbisa had been whistled for interference 16 seconds before the goal was scored—a penalty that was definitely weaksauce as he simply rubbed out Pontus Aberg along the boards, just as Aberg was getting rid of the puck.
If one or two of these unfortunate turns of event had gone in the Canucks' favour, they might have been able to overcome their long odds and squeak out at least a point on Tuesday. They did enjoy one wildly fortuitous moment late in the third period, when Alex Edler scored his second goal of the season on a beautiful rising wrist shot—on the power play, no less—and his stick didn't break!
But this game was never gonna go the Canucks' way.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the Blues and Flames won while the Kings, Jets and Stars all lost. So Vancouver hangs onto 11th place in the conference standings but the two wild-card spots are now occupied by St. Louis and Calgary, both seven points ahead of Vancouver.
SportsClubStats reports that Tuesday's games knock Vancouver's playoff chances down by another 2.3 percent. Their current odds of reaching the postseason are now fourth-worst in the league, at just 3.3 percent.
One other note from a grim Tuesday—if you missed it, Anton Rodin has undergone another knee surgery and will basically be restarting his rehab from scratch.
Anton Rodin agent Michael Deutsch says after talking with 2 consultants, there was no upside in rehab, surgery was only way to go. #Canucks
During preseason, we got a glimpse of what the Canucks hoped they were getting with Rodin, who was effective offensively, especially on the power play. This season must have been wildly frustrating for him but he did, at least, get to appear in his first official NHL game and tally his first point.
Rodin's stat line for the year in Vancouver reads 3 GP, 0-1-1, plus-one.
Today, it's on to Columbus for the rest of the team, for a Thursday date with John Tortorella's Blue Jackets.
Baertschi's absence means that Reid Boucher will draw in for his second game in a Vancouver uniform. And it looks like a desperate Willie Desjardins is doing some serious line juggling in an attempt to find an offensive spark for his team!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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