It’s hard to get too upset about the Canucks losing games that they should have won considering how many times this season they have done the opposite. Some fans might suggest that this loss hurts a little more, as Columbus is in last place in the NHL, but to those fans I have one simple suggestion: wake up.
With the 2-1 shootout win, the Blue Jackets now have 20 wins, the same number as the Canucks. Yes, the Blue Jackets are lousy, but the Canucks aren’t much better, with only their propensity for losing after regulation separating them from the Blue Jackets in the standings.
Even still, the Canucks looked like the better team in this game, but a couple posts and a few missed chances gave the Blue Jackets a window of opportunity and they leapt through it like Scott Pilgrim avoiding Knives Chau. I probably should have watched Scott Pilgrim vs the World, but instead I watched this game.
- Alex Edler had the worst season of his career under John Tortorella, posting a league-worst minus-39 plus/minus and putting up the fewest points since his sophomore season. So, with Tortorella back in town for the first time since being fired by the Canucks, Edler clearly wanted to make an impression: he was all over the ice in his game-high 26:30, jumping up in the play and driving to the net, firing a game-high 8 shots on goal, and he distributed the puck well too, setting up several scoring chances. It ended up being a perfect tribute to his year under Torts: none of his shots went in, nobody could finish the chances he set up, and he was on the ice for the only goal against. Poor guy can’t buy a break.
- The first line looked dangerous with Henrik Sedin back from injury, but he’s clearly not quite 100%, as he went 4-for-19 in the faceoff circle, missed the net on two great scoring chances on the power play, and whiffed completely on an admittedly high saucer pass from Jannik Hansen. Willie Desjardins is more of a Hobbes than a Calvin, as he didn’t ease Henrik gently back into the lineup; he just threw him in the deep end, playing him more than 20 minutes, leading all Canucks forwards in ice time.
- Chris Tanev is so damn good. I know we’re all pretty aware of this, but I just need to say it every now and then to make sure we’re all on the same page. He’s just so bloody good.
- I bring up Tanev, because the general consensus I saw from Canucks fans was that Linden Vey was the best Canuck on the ice. He wasn’t. Tanev was. We just expect Tanev to make brilliant defensive plays, so it’s not a surprise any more. We don’t expect anything out of Vey, so when he suddenly looks like a game-breaking playmaker, it’s just so utterly jarring. Just remember: Tanev is number one; all others are number two or lower.
- Seriously, though, Vey was excellent in this game. He and Emerson Etem showed their old Medicine Hat Tigers chemistry, creating chance after chance, mostly on the strength of Vey’s passing, which was slicker than a Duck’s Ass.
- Vey even scored the Canucks’ lone goal. Bo Horvat rushed into the offensive zone on the power play, executed a quick give-and-go with Sven Baertschi along the boards, then drove to the net, drawing the defender in before feeding Vey, who one-timed the puck, because he would never cheat on it.
- Thing I’m sick of hearing: that the drop pass on the power play never works. First of all, it almost always works. It’s been one of the most effective ways that the Canucks’ power play gains the offensive zone for years and it’s been widely copied around the league. Second of all, check out the mother of all drop-passes Ben Hutton gives to Horvat that leads to Vey’s goal. Horvat is able to build up speed through the neutral zone because of the space created by Hutton’s drop pass. So, can we make like the Canucks’ power play and drop that specious argument?
- Rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was superb in this game, keeping the Canucks from extending their lead. It upset me. I don’t want to talk about it.
- Horvat may have created Vey’s goal, but he was also to blame for the Blue Jackets’ tying goal. He was puck-watching on the penalty kill and got caught up high rather than keeping lower than Cam Atkinson as he snuck down the boards. Atkinson ended up with plenty of room to set up a wide open Scott Hartnell for the goal. If Horvat had eyes for anything other than the puck, he would have been in that passing lane.
- If the Canucks as a whole deserved better, Ryan Miller definitely deserved better. He was solid throughout the game and even spectacular at times, like his superb glove save on a Boone Jenner deflection and left pad save on Alexander Wennberg in overtime. But he needed to be better than spectacular; he needed to be perfect, because he got less support than Jeb Bush.
- The Canucks nearly won the game in overtime after Brandon Sutter drew an interference penalty. On the ensuing 4-on-3 power play, the Sedins tried the same set play that Daniel scored on in Florida—twice—but couldn’t finish, while Vrbata got shut down by Korpisalo on a backdoor play. I’m really starting to not like this guy.
- Then Korpisalo stopped both Burrows and Vrbata’s seemingly unstoppable backhand moves in the shootout. I think it’s time to nerf Korpisalo. He’s clearly unbalanced and it just makes the game less fun for everyone else.
