The Canucks are on a five-game winning streak and what most people care about is a wiener dog.
If you made it through Wednesday’s game, you know why.
You also know pain. And boredom.
To set the stage for the game quickly…
If I got to choose between being hit in the face with a baseball bat & tickets to a Canucks Coyotes game, Id honestly have to think about it
— Andy Cole (@AndyCole84) January 5, 2017
Midway through the first…
Gosh, Arizona is playing like they are the local men’s beer league on the ice. #Canucks #Yotes
— Gab (@ThrustyPrusty89) January 5, 2017
The last two wins have been over the worst two teams in the NHL.
Monday, they just squeaked out a 2-1 win over Colorado. Wednesday, despite a 3-0 score, they didn’t exactly dominate Arizona.
But look, Vancouver’s just one point out of the playoffs again, and who thought that’d be the case a month or two or three ago?
1. Hot Dog Horvat
When I tweeted this, I thought it was destined to be just another SixPack item.
Sure Hope Horvat scores tonight….#Canucks pic.twitter.com/TK2agZB4qv
— Omar A (@omarcanuck) January 5, 2017
“Great sign – too bad it didn’t happen for the kid,” I thought I’d write after.
Then, with the Canucks up 2-0 in the third, people started pushing for it.
Get bo a goal. Get that kid a wiener dog
— DK (@khatinthekar) January 5, 2017
THEN
So here’s the little guy getting the dog.
Horvat’s reaction?
“I noticed [the sign] at the end of the first or the second period. I wasn’t sure exactly what it said. It said something about a dog. Then I read it a little closer after.”
Did he think he’d manage it?
“That doesn’t happen very often when you make a sign like that and the player you want to score, scores. I was happy to do that for the kid.”
And when he found out the dog would be named “Hotdog Horvat”.
“Oh, perfect (he was laughing)
“Yeah, doesn’t matter to me, hopefully the kid gets the dog, that’d be awesome.”
#hotdoghorvat pic.twitter.com/ENtf0o7vFv
— tindy (@tindersurprise) January 5, 2017
One more thing.
Horvat gave a signed stick after he was named the games third star to, who else, wiener dog boy. #Canucks
— Irfaan Gaffar (@sportsnetirf) January 5, 2017
Great content in this tweet Irf… but I’m not sure “Wiener Dog Boy” is the nicest name for the kiddo.
And just to prove I’m not lying when I say the dog overshadowed the streak…
I (#canucks fan) am happier about:
— Omar A (@omarcanuck) January 5, 2017
2. How they won
Well, without Hotdog Horvat, there wasn’t much to see.
Shots were 24-22, Vancouver, shot attempts were 45-39. Vancouver was protecting a 1-0 lead until six minutes into the third, and Arizona pretty much gave them the goal.
Credit to Baertschi for pouncing on the puck and shooting it home, but it wasn’t the most convincing lead.
To give you an idea of excitement levels: both teams each had a power play in the first two periods, and both managed one single shot on net in two minutes with the man advantage.
Six minutes into the third, Brandon Sutter somehow drew a penalty shot on this play.
Not sure if the NHL hoped to make up years of horrible calls on the Canucks with this, or if they’re in on Arizona’s tank… but that’s what they called.
Sutter did his part with a pretty penalty shot goal.
You know the rest of the story: Horvat scored, Miller got his shutout, and the Canucks became the hottest team in the world over the past five games.
3. Token anti Megna-Sedins section
If you read my SixPacks, you know it’s coming. I’ll keep it short today, not because it’s not still an issue, but because I’ve been here before.
And show it’s not just me who feels this way…
@omarcanuck then maybe he should stop with the Make-a-Wish placement of Megna on their line and give them a proper winger.
— Sleek Vigilant Puma (@Swizzler16) January 5, 2017
@omarcanuck if he wants to get them going he should get them a real linemate not a career AHLer #Canucks
— dstickney (@stickney) January 5, 2017
I like seeing Bo and Bae put up points, but I’m still a Sedin fanboy at heart. Having them anchored by Megna is such a joke
— Jeremy Davis (@jeremydavis89) January 5, 2017
They’re right. They’re all right. The Sedins played a hard, inspired game. They had chances and nearly scored. With a Burrows or a Rodin, they would’ve. No question about it.
Like Jeremy, I’m no fan of watching the Sedins fade away because of a bad linemate.
But that’s enough on that today.
4. So who’s Reid Boucher?
By now you’ve heard the Canucks grabbed Reid Boucher off waivers on Wednesday.
See also
From Ray Ferraro on TSN 1040:
“I’ve seen him quite a bit and I saw him when he was with New Jersey … He’s a stocky guy, he’s strong, he’s a shooter. He’s a workman-like guy – he’s going to work, he’s not just going to stand there waiting for his shots.”
His skating?
“Better than ok. He’s not a plodder … he’s a darter as opposed to a really fast guy.”
5. The one that got away
Don’t look now, but…
He’s going to have an impossible time getting real Calder love because we’ve got dudes doing historic stuff this season but he’s for real.
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) January 5, 2017
Look, we won’t know if the Canucks got the 2016 draft right until a few years from now when Olli Juolevi is in his second or third year in the NHL…
Thing is, Tkachuk, who was most people’s default pick when the Canucks selected, is giving Juolevi a lot to live up to.
Benning, who was hired because of his scouting background, wasn’t supposed to whiff…
yet he’s not exactly dominating the drafts since he arrived.
6. Fun times
Can you read lips?
That’s Eriksson, after he turned a grade A scoring opportunity into nothing.
And how about Willie as the game started.
Hey, we struggled to keep our eyes open most of the game too, coach. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Note: Thanks to Ryan Biech for the great gifs
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