Casual Canuck

Well, not a terrible game. Ryan Miller had a hell of a save in the second period, which kept the Canucks in the game when they were down. Some notes: Bo Horvat's still growing into his game. He's trying to add a more play-making aspect to his style, slowing the game down. Changing his pace to disrupt the opposing team's defenses' rhythm. The Ducks were keyed in on him, all game long, and didn't allow him much room on the ice. His play was what made the Canucks tying goal happen. It's probably safe to say he's now the Canucks' top player, and his game is still growing. The Sedins faced off against Kesler all game long, and it was pretty much even there. Henrik scored the winning goal in OT, which had to be slowed down in replay to be seen. The Ducks played a very undisciplined style, this game. Their coach would've done well to tune them down a half-a-notch, but it didn't happen, which was fortunate for the 'Nucks.

Well, the Canucks didn't show up for the first two periods, hardly doing a thing, getting down 2-0. They did show up in the third period, and tied the game, 3-3, with the goalie pulled to send the game into overtime. Was there anything worth noting? The Canucks were over-matched, outworked, and outplayed for the most part. Although he scored on the power-play, Sutter's continued deployment on it does continue to baffle. He's terrible at zone entries. He's ace on odd-man rushes, but can't help in the cycle, which is a majority of the power-play. It's simply not a good fit, and is working against the Canucks, for the most part. There's better options.

Wow. It looked to be a surefire victory, with the Canucks having a 5-2 lead entering the third period. However, it was either some excellent passing by the Hurricanes breaking down the Canucks defense, or the Canucks defense simply running out of gas after a long road-trip, which allowed the Hurricanes to score 5 unanswered goals to take the lead. What else is there to say? Wow. Just, wow.