Much like the McAllister family of film, the Canucks found themselves in Florida this holiday season. On Sunday, it was Sunrise. On Tuesday, Tampa Bay. And just to be clear: I'm referring to the McAllister family's vacation destination in the sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, where the family flies to Miami, Florida, then discovers they left Kevin Home Alone™ again when he isn't at the end of the line to collect his suitcase from the carousel, and Catherine O'Hara screams "KEVIN!" and then faints before embarking on yet another journey to find her Christmas pageant-ruining little jerk of a son.
I know they go to Paris in the first one. I know a lot about the McAllisters. I have watched their movies many, many times. Heck, I made plans to watch at least one of them right after I watched this game.
- The Canucks may have gone where the McAllisters went, but they spent most of this game looking like the McAllister that went somewhere else. Just like nine-year-old sociopath Kevin, who was discovered by his old foes the Wet Bandits (now known as the Sticky Bandits) in New York City, Vancouver found themselves defending the house all evening, surrendering an absurd 10 powerplays to their opponents. But the Canucks were up to the task, killing all but one of the Lightning's man advantages. It's impressive, since the PK has really struggled during the Canucks' recent skid, and doubly impressive, since, unlike Kevin McAllister, they aren't allowed to use bricks.
- Serious. 10 powerplays. The Canucks spent 18:10 of this game on the penalty kill. Alex Edler played 10:58 of shorthanded hockey tonight. Chris Tanev played 11:17. (This is a large part of how and why they combined to block 11 shots.) And Bo Horvat played 9:19, nearly half of his icetime tonight, on the kill. Nineteen of his 25 faceoffs -- the rest of the team took 27 combined -- were in the defensive zone. He didn't fare all that well in the circle, winning just 6-of-19, but he was taking a lot of draws on his off-side. Plus, unlike Kevin, he had to play clean. He couldn't just put a tarantula on his enemy's face and run away.
- But while we celebrate a sudden return to form for the Canucks' penalty-kill, the Lightning are blaming themselves. "It's tough," Steven Stamkos told the media. "It's so frustrating with the talent here. We're pretty much giving points away. Ten powers plays? That's unheard of. We didn't take advantage of it. That's on us." Sort of like when Marv takes his socks off and quits watching where he's going.
- I don't really agree, though. The Lightning may not have executed the way they wanted to, but their lone powerplay goal was evidence of how well they had to execute just to get one past Jacob Markstrom tonight. That's a flawlessly orchestrated goal. The passing is crisp right off the faceoff. The shot is marvelously placed. In terms of perfect executions, I'd say it's up there with the two featured in this classic scene. Yes, those are executions. In real life, Marv and Harry are dead after that. Just super dead.
- Anyway. Other things happened in this game besides Vancouver penalties. Not much else. But some stuff. Another Sven Baertschi goal, for instance! Bo Horvat started the play, picking off a pass in the Vancouver end, then taking it the other way before putting it on the stick of Alex Biega, who fired a shot on goal that caromed off Radim Vrbata before landing on Baertschi's stick for the tap-in. Baertschi is red hot right now, like the McAllister's back door. And front door.
- The line of Baertschi, Horvat and Vrbata was excellent once again tonight. That's three games in a row where they've been difference-makers. Have they finally achieved chemistry? Do the Canucks finally have a second line? If they can keep this up, the answer is yes. But for tonight, at least, they were the best line. Well, in the game. Not overall, since I'm gonna watch Home Alone later, which means the best line of the night will be: "Keep the change, you filthy animal."
- The Lightning's goal could have been a back-breaker. Scored late in the second period, it's the sort of goal that sucks the life out of a dressing room at the intermission. But the Canucks soldiered on, led as they always are by the Sedins. Midway through the third period, Daniel and a returning Henrik combined for the game-winner, with Henrik walking the puck across the blue line before dropping it for Daniel, who stepped in to the one-timer like Marv breaking in through the window. Fortunately, unlike Marv, Daniel didn't step on a single Christmas ornament.
- Poor Jacob Markstrom. Two nights ago, he draws in for, like, two shootout attempts and gets hung with the loss. Next time out, the Canucks play the whole damn game down a man. The team isn't exactly making things easy on him. Tonight was a tall task. Fortunately, Markstrom is a tall man, built for just such a task. He stood tall, and occasionally knelt tall, stopping the Lighting in their tracks like a snow shovel to the face. Markstrom was Old Man Marley, in that he really helped get the Canucks off the hook.
- I really liked Ben Hutton's game tonight. He finished even in even-strength corsi, which is impressive in a game where the Lightning out-attempted the Canucks by 16. Hutton was fast. He was shiftier than a curse word in the comics. And he was slippery, like the icy steps down to the McAllister's basement.
- Finally, it's funny how the OTL point skews our perception of a run of games. The Canucks won just twice on this road trip. That's not good enough. Except that, because of OTLs, they finished on a three-game point streak, and that is good enough. The OTL is hockey's half-full glass, and as an optimist, I'm saying it saved this road trip. It wasn't a great road trip. But it got the job done. Like riding in a rented van with the polka king of the Midwest.
