Saturday November 8 - Los Angeles Kings 5 - Vancouver Canucks 1
There aren't many positives to take out of Vancouver's 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Saturday night. I think my biggest concern is that the game mirrored the Canucks' first visit to Staples last year so thoroughly and the final score ended up exactly the same.
Such as they are, here are your highlights:
Actually, maybe my biggest concern is that we have a banged-up team traveling down the 405 to Anaheim today.
Zack Kassian has come home to Vancouver early for treatment on his injury, so he'll remain out of the lineup.
Before Saturday's game, Willie had said he thought Kassian might be able to play against the Kings.
At least that sounds like the injury's not too serious.
Brad Richardson had also been questionable against Los Angeles, but he played over 14 minutes and went 2-1 in the faceoff circle.
Radim Vrbata is also dealing with a leg issue. He played 10 minutes, and took most of the third period off. I'd assume he'll be back in the lineup tonight against Anaheim.
And finally, Derek Dorsett left Saturday's game in the third period after throwing an awkward check along the boards. He's being called "doubtful" for Sunday's game, according to Ben Kuzma.
Not too sure about Luca Sbisa's status. Blake Price tweeted that he was missing from the Canucks' bench in the third period, and he didn't play the last five minutes or so of the game.
I'm sure, if possible, he'd like to have a go against his old team tonight.
So—out of all that, I'd expect we'll see Nick Jensen draw into the lineup tonight against the Ducks. Utica forward Brandon DeFazio is also making the cross-country trip to Anaheim in case he's needed.
The 26-year-old left wing is an interesting choice for a call-up. He has four goals and two assists in six games this season with Utica, but has never played an NHL game. He's a good-sized body at 6'2" and 204 pounds, so I'd guess that Willie Desjardins is looking to slot him straight into Dorsett's spot.
As for last night's game...
If there's one thing we know about the Kings, it's that they defy conventional wisdom with their ability to elevate their game to "turbo" mode with the touch of a button.
As Stanley Cup Champions, every team guns for them, but they still seem to take a particular pride in beating Vancouver, especially at Staples Center.
So, once again, the Canucks were treated to the Kings' "A" game—even with only five defensemen. If Vancouver had managed to score on its 5-on-3 early in the first period, perhaps we would have seen a different game. Instead, Los Aneles was up 3-0 by the end of the first period and the Canucks seemed to barely touch the puck for the rest of the night.
On Saturday, all those Kings in scoring slumps got back on track.
Marian Gaborik got his first goal of the year, and added an assist. Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist. Tyler Toffoli had a goal and two assists, Alec Martinez had three assists—and so on.
Jonathan Quick's shutout was spoiled by a Chris Higgins goal in the third period, and Bo Horvat went 11-9 in the face-off circle. That's about it for the good news.
I'm glad to hear Willie call out the team for a less-than-acceptable performance.
We may not get a dazzler in Anaheim tonight, but hopefully we'll at least get a better effort.
Sunday November 9 - Vancouver Canucks at Anaheim Ducks - 6:00 p.m. - City TV, TSN1040
Vancouver Canucks 10-5-0 second in Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks 10-3-2 first in Pacific Division
Despite Saturday's loss, the Canucks go into Anaheim just two points behind the league-leading Ducks in the NHL standings, though they're not second overall anymore—Tampa Bay, Montreal and Pittsburgh have all passed them.
The Canucks will be the featured attraction tonight on the new Sunday "Hometown Hockey" broadcast, hosted this week by Ron McLean from right here in Burnaby.
Click here for all the details on the day's event, and let us know what you think if you stop by.
Of course, the big story tonight is Ryan Kesler's first matchup against his old teammates. I don't think it'll be a huge issue tonight but will be much more dramatic when Kesler returns to Vancouver later this month, on November 20.
At this point, both teams seem happy with the trade, which removes a lot of the snarl from the situation. Nick Bonino has been a great addition in Vancouver and Kesler says he's happy in SoCal, so what's there to fight about?
For their part, the Ducks are facing some health issues of their own. Corey Perry has been out with the flu all week and won't play again tonight, while defensemen Francois Beauchemin and Cam Fowler are both listed as day-to-day. Goaltender John Gibson's on the shelf with a groin issue, so expect to see Frederik Andersen get the start. He's just back from "leg stiffness" issue of his own.
Not sure what will happen in net for the Canucks tonight. I assumed that Eddie Lack would get the nod, but after he replaced Ryan Miller in the third period against the Kings last night, I could see Willie go either way.
Miller bounced back well after his last poor outing, against Dallas, though that wasn't in a back-to-back situation. Something to keep an eye on.
Note the altered start time for tonight's game. Originally scheduled for 5:00, it's now a 6:00 start from Anaheim.
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