News

Canucks Post-Game SixPack - The Playoff Hopes are Stayin' Alive

DH Vancouver Staff
DH Vancouver Staff
|
Dec 19 2017, 10:15 pm
Canucks Post-Game SixPack - The Playoff Hopes are Stayin' Alive

Thursday was throwback night in Phoenix for the Canucks and Coyotes.

For the Coyotes, that meant wearing their original jerseys from when they entered the league in 1996. For the Canucks, it meant throwing back to October when they had a roster with real NHL players on it.

Alex Burrows, Alex Edler and Zack Kassian all returned from injuries, yet for some reason, the Canucks looked completely useless in the first period.

Really, Vancouver didn’t show any urgency until the second half of the third, and they only managed to tie the game up in the final minute. It was a heartstopping game against a team that had lost 10 in a row, which is about as far from “real good” as it gets.

The Canucks lost 3-2 in the shootout, but like the title image shows – they’re (just) staying alive in the playoff race.

The Canucks are one point up on the Flames, and three up on the Kings and Sharks.

1. More goalie debate

There were tons of opinions going into this one about who should start in net.

Will Lack be exhausted by the end of the season? Only time will tell. Kevin Woodley thinks he got some well needed rest, despite having to play Tuesday.

Lack needed a mental reset… from what? Too much stress? Does this look like a man who even knows what the word stress means?

With the Canucks down 2-0, plenty of fans were quick to jump on the blame-Lack bandwagon. Then the third period and overtime happened. Lack was pretty much the only reason Vancouver made it to the shootout, as the Canucks gave the puck away at least six times, each leading to a glorious scoring chance for the Coyotes. He stopped them all.

2. Nice first period…

I’ll let the tweets tell the story of the first period.

This one from Mike was the best.

That guy’s hair… oh man.

3. Vrbata’s tying goal

This happened at the start of the second.

My question was answered here.

4. Willie’s Angels

Willie Desjardins really hoped getting his angels back would help the team to a win (from @nine30shineshop).

willieangels

A couple things:

1. Edler should grow out his hair. He looks cool.

2. Burrows, not so much.

5. Kassian

Kassian’s “flu-like symptoms” created some speculation Tuesday. Was the cut under his eye bothering him? Was the flu he had a new strain of the common “Roxy flu”?

Ben Kuzma put that all to rest in his Game Day report earlier:

After surviving the trade deadline, Kassian said he went for dinner with his girlfriend on Monday night and started vomiting that night and wasn’t ready to play the next day. He took an IV from the training staff, took the game-day skate today and should face the Coyotes on the top line. He has four goals and a plus-3 rating in his last five games.

”That night (Monday) was real bad,” Kassian said of his stomach ailment. “It (throwing up) kept going until next day and I was able to finally have a good meal last night, so hopefully I’m good to go.”

Kass played well too, but with the team down two goals, Willie demoted the only player he knows how to demote – he moved Kass to the third line to move Burrows back up beside the Sedins.

Not saying it was the wrong move, because Burrows always brings it at crunch time. Still – Kass always gets the blame.

6. Photoshappers go Hollywood

The photoshap crew has been doing great work this year – @nine30shineshop, @TronArmy, @zosonuck – all deserve a follow.

Credit goes to Jason Botchford for bringing these guys into the mainstream, and look where they’re going now…

Who knows where they’ll end up.

Take it from the photoshap crew and from Eddie Lack – hard work pays off in the end.

ADVERTISEMENT