The NHL announced the starters for this year’s All Star Game today. They are Erik Karlsson, Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, Dion Phaneuf and Tim Thomas. Wait, what?? Obviously, Sens fans stuffed the ballot boxes. Of the four Senators named to the All Star game, only Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson deserve to be in the game, and only Erik Karlsson deserves to be a starter. The fact that four Sens are not only in the game, but named as starters, is a joke. But that’s not what bothers me most.

What is bothering me the most is the fan voting results. Daniel and Henrik Sedin finished 19th and 21st in voting among forwards! Yes, the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner from last year and the Hart Trophy winner from the year before had fewer votes than players like Jordan Eberle and James Neal. Did I also mention that both players are having yet another remarkable season? Henrik is leading the league in scoring while Daniel is in second. They don’t play in a small market, they had lots of exposure on a team that went to the Stanley Cup Final last season and they just keep on doing it.

I understand that some fans will stuff the ballot box, which is the reason why Milan Michalek received more than double the votes of Henrik and Daniel combined. Leafs fans were also doing a pretty good job of stuffing the ballot box, as evidenced by the votes for Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf and James Reimer. But not every group of fans is stuffing the ballot box. That’s why the only conclusion I can come to is that the Sedins are STILL underrated! Despite three straight amazing seasons, people simply just don’t give them their due.

When you go to a Canucks game at Rogers Arena, take a look around the crowd. How many Sedin jerseys do you see? I think there might be fewer Sedin jerseys in the crowd than Kesler, Burrows or Luongo jerseys. And I just don’t get it. Personally, I own a Trevor Linden jersey, but if I had to buy a new jersey tomorrow, I would get a Henrik jersey. These players are going to end up being the top two all-time leading scorers in franchise history and still people don’t appreciate them enough! Hell, I bet you there are still a few people out there saying “they’re not first line players, they would make a very good second line…”

The Team 1040 was asking callers all day today: who is the MVP of the Canucks to this point in the season? Keep in mind that the Sedins are #1 & 2 in the league in scoring! Instead of hearing 90% Daniel or Henrik responses, the responses were all over the map. The Canucks have other good players, but do you think anyone in Philadelphia is saying their MVP is anyone other than Claude Giroux? Were there a lot of different suggestions for the Canucks MVP when Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi were lighting the league on fire? Of course not

To suggest that the Canucks’ best players this season are anyone other than Daniel and Henrik Sedin is not only lunacy, it’s taking them for granted. They’re remarkable players, and it would be remarkably stupid to forget it.

Like it or not, the book on how to beat the Vancouver Canucks is to push them around, to smack them around. The NHL is a copycat league, and when the spotlight was on the Canucks in the Stanley Cup Final, the Boston Bruins beat the Canucks on the scoreboard while beating them in the alley. Here’s what Henrik Sedin has to say about that:

You know what? I’m pretty tired of that question. We won the President’s Trophy last year, we went to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final. We didn’t lose the final because we were pushed around, we lost because we couldn’t score.

While I agree the main reason that the Canucks lost in the Stanley Cup Final (I watched game 7 again a couple of weeks ago) was because they couldn’t score, not that they got pushed around, it certainly contributed to it. The book on beating the Canucks right now is to push them around and beat them up, and that’s probably the most effective way of beating them (if you can do that while staying out of the penalty box). The book on the Canucks used to be to get in Luongo’s face and bump him (something that the Canucks mitigated last season by playing Luongo further back in his net).

The question is, does trying to beat up the Canucks actually result in winning/losing games?

The Canucks are getting hit and smacked around more than ever this year, with limited power play opportunities. The result? They’re 2 points away from being first in the NHL. The players that teams try to push around the most are Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Henrik is the current NHL scoring leader and Daniel is in fourth place. So I’m not sure the strategy is working as much as everyone thinks.

I think a lot of people are forgetting what actually took place in last year’s playoffs. The Canucks got beat up by the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final, sure. But the Bruins do that to everyone. I think everyone has forgotten how the Canucks absolutely dominated the Chicago Blackhawks with their physical play in round 1. They were not outmatched physically by the Predators in round 2 and in round 3, they outhit the Sharks.

The Canucks could certainly use some more toughness in their lineup, but not much more in my opinion. I think it would be nice to have a warrior like Chris Neil on their fourth line, and maybe a gritty winger like Andrew Ladd on their second line. But this is nitpicking. The Canucks are not a physically imposing team to play against, but they’re not creampuffs either. They’re currently ranked 11th in the league in hits and have a lot of players with underrated grit like Jannik Hansen, Chris Higgins and the Sedin twins.

The Canucks can win the Stanley Cup with their current roster, but they’re not without warts. And that’s a distinction they share with every other elite team in the National Hockey League.

Something that hasn’t received enough attention until only recently is how poor the Canucks have been at 5-on-5 play. Sure their power play is fantastic at a league best 26.7% and their penalty killing is respectable, ranking 12th in the league at 84.4%. But it is their play at even strength that is concerning. Currently Vancouver ranks 22nd in 5-on-5 play, not good enough for a team that prides itself on its skill level and depth.

This was not the case last regular season, when the Canucks finished the regular season second best in 5-on-5 play, behind those f***ing the Boston Bruins. But in the playoffs, the Canucks struggled at 5-on-5 play, and ran into trouble in the final when the referees whistles went missing.

Poor play at 5-on-5 is an indication to me that the team isn’t working hard enough. Scoring on the power play isn’t easy, but it doesn’t take nearly enough grit to do as scoring 5-on-5.

Looking at their roster, there’s no reason that they ought to be poor at even strength. It’s still early in the season, but there ought to be more production.

When I look at the team’s even strength goal scoring leaders, alarm bells go off for me. Jannik Hansen and Chris Higgins, each with 5 even strength goals, lead the team. Those two players have combined for more even strength goals this year than their top four forwards: Henrik Sedin (3), Daniel Sedin (2), Alex Burrows (3) and Ryan Kesler (0).

The NHL season is still early, but it’s not THAT early. Nineteen games have passed and it’s time for the Canucks’ best players to get going.

Radio, print and Twitter was abuzz the day after this hit by Marc Methot of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Canucks captain Henrik Sedin:

So cue the debate: are the Canucks tough enough? This debate is of course in response to the fact that the Canucks did not engage Marc Methot in a fight and were roughed up in the Stanley Cup final last June. So are the Canucks tough enough? The answer is: sort of.

The Response to Methot

The Canucks didn’t lose their minds after Henrik was hit, which I think is a good thing. Methot was challenged to fight by Kevin Bieksa and Aaron Volpatti, but declined.  I didn’t think that Methot’s hit was malicious enough for the Canucks to risk taking an instigator penalty, but they did need to get in Methot’s face and give him a few shoves and maybe a face wash. That’s exactly what Alex Burrows attempted to do immediately after the hit.

Some will argue that the Canucks needed to fight Methot, instigator penalty or not, but I disagree. That kind of mentality simply doesn’t mesh with the way the Canucks are built. I would also argue that it doesn’t make their star players much safer (if at all). The Pittsburgh Penguins were second in fighting majors last year and still had their star player run at. The Canucks are emulating the Detroit Red Wings model, which I suggest is a pretty effective model. Pavel Datsyuk was on the receiving end of a big Andrew Alberts bodycheck last season and the Red Wings didn’t feel it necessary to pummel Alberts.

Do the Canucks Need an Enforcer?

The answer to this question is simple: absolutely not. Enforcers rarely have much of an effect on the game in my opinion, unless they can play a regular shift. The Bruins’ Shawn Thornton is an example of a useful enforcer, and the exception to the rule.

Team Toughness

The Canucks don’t need fighters, rather they need team toughness. Do they have enough of this? At this moment, I don’t believe so. I don’t think that is a major problem, but it should be fixed before the playoffs begin in April. Mike Gillis would be well advised to add some muscle on his second or third line, or else the team will be vulnerable to tougher/bigger teams in a seven game series.

So for the moment, relax everybody. The Canucks are fine and their response to Marc Methot was appropriate.

Earlier this week we took a look at the Canucks goaltenders and defencemen, deciding who is likely to return and who is likely to move on. Today, we look at the Canucks’ forwards.

Mike Gillis doesn’t have a lot of work to do with his forwards, but he does have options. His most important forwards are already under contract for next year, so it’ll be just a matter of tinkering with his depth forwards. Given the lack of production from his second line at even strength, he may want to find a better winger to play with Ryan Kesler.

Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows

They’re all part of the core of this team and all locked up long term. They’re not going anywhere.

Mikael Samuelsson

Samuelsson had no shortage of critics this season but I wasn’t one of them. He is a smart, versatile player with a good shot and can get on some nice scoring streaks at times. He was playing hurt for a while this year which hurt his production, but I think he can regain his old form. He’s also a Stanley Cup winner and has underrated grit. He stays.

Mason Raymond

The time for Mason Raymond to prove that he is a legitimate second line winger is almost upon us. He turns 26 before next season and in my mind the jury is out on him. He might have been a prime candidate to be trade bait this offseason, but given his current injury, he won’t be. The Canucks will hope that he can show more grit and more finish, especially if he is going to be playing alongside Ryan Kesler for long periods of time. He stays.

Manny Malhotra

He’s a leader, does a lot of the intangibles and assuming his eye recovers 100%, he will be back for another season. He stays.

Chris Higgins

Chris Higgins is an unrestricted free agent and had a very impressive playoffs. There’s probably not enough money for him here and he will sign elsewhere. He goes.

Maxim Lapierre

Lapierre probably exceeded everyone’s expectations in the playoffs this year and that should earn the restricted free agent a raise. He’s earned probably $1.3-1.5 million. The question is if the Canucks can afford to pay him and play him on the fourth line. The other question is if they need to make space for Cody Hodgson. I think Lapierre is trade bait. He goes.

Cody Hodgson

Cody Hodgson didn’t get a lot of playing time with the big club this season, but that may change next year. The organization’s top prospect is now 21 years old and needs to play. Is more AHL time in his future or do the Canucks play him out of position on their 2nd or 3rd line? In the end I think the Canucks play him on the wing. He stays.

Jannik Hansen

Hansen had a breakout year, and will return to the team, but at what price? He’s a restricted free agent and could get more than $1.5 million. They’ll find a way to do it though. He stays.

Raffi Torres

Torres signed a bargain basement $1 million deal last summer, and I don’t think he intends to be a bargain this time around. I think he brought an important element to the Canucks this year but I think he will sign elsewhere for more money. He goes.

Tanner Glass

I think Tanner Glass’ time with the Canucks is over. He seems to be well liked in the dressing room but he’s kind of a “tweener”. He can do a little of everything, but doesn’t do any one thing particularly well. I think they will replace him with a bigger, more physical player. He goes.

Jeff Tambellini

I thought Tambellini was a nice insurance policy this season, a speedy player that can fill-in at times, but I don’t think the Canucks will want to give him another chance given younger players like Cody Hodgson and Sergei Shirokov should be able to do that as well. He goes.

Victor Oreskovich

Oreskovich had a real nice finish to the season. His combination of size, speed and youth are perfect for the fourth line. He stays.

The Vancouver Canucks will get a chance to scratch a 40 year itch if they can find a way to win game 6 in Boston tonight. The Stanley Cup is in the building, and for only the second time in franchise history, the Canucks have a chance to carry it home.

This journey the Canucks are on has been long and hard, proving once again that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy in all of sports to win. They have played 106 games over eight months, including over two months of grueling playoff hockey. They dealt with adversity against the Blackhawks, injuries to Mikael Samuelsson and Manny Malhotra, and had Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler play through pain. They’ve had a great ride, but there’s still one more hill to climb.

To win the Cup, they need one more win, and it won’t be easy. Vancouver has been down right terrible in both games in Boston this series, and that will need to change. Boston has been a different team on home ice, they’ve been faster and have hit harder and more often than in Vancouver. The challenge for Alain Vigneault’s men will be to match that intensity, and not allow the Bruins to dominate physically. Their passes will need to be crisp and quick, in order to nullify the Boston forecheck.

Keys to the game:

1. Move the puck. You always hear how teams want mobile ‘puck moving’ defencemen, and this is why. Chris Tanev showed how valuable that asset can be in game 5. He was so calm and cool with the puck, as Kevin Bieksa said, he looked like he could play with a cigarette in his mouth. If the Canucks can move the puck out of their zone onto the tape of their forwards instead of losing the puck off the Boston forecheck and/or dumping the puck out of the zone, it will go a long way to helping win the game. This is true in any game of course, but particularly with the Bruins, and particularly in Boston.

2. Another great game from Luongo. Roberto Luongo has been spectacular at home and terrible on the road in this series. That will need to change tonight, as the Bruins will be desperate and bound to throw a lot of pucks on net.

3. The power play. The Sedins and Ryan Kesler will need to find a way to get the power play working tonight. It hasn’t looked very good in this series, and there would be no better time for it to wake up than tonight.

Those are the three keys to the game, but of course there are many more. They’ll need to throw lots of pucks on Tim Thomas with traffic. They’ll need to clear rebounds for Luongo. They’ll need to play with desperation. They’ll need to want it more. In short, they’ll need to give it their all to win it all. And if they do, they’ll go down in Vancouver sports history, and will be legends forever.

Manny Malhotra was back on the ice practicing with the Canucks on Friday, doing line rushes with Victor Oreskovich and Jeff Tambellini. He has been cleared to play, so presumably he will play in game 2. We have seen this movie before of course, when Malhotra was cleared to play, but didn’t in game 1. But assuming that Malhotra doesn’t experience a setback between now and the pre-game skate, we will see him in the lineup for game 2.

The other lineup change for the Canucks will be the insertion of Andrew Alberts (not Keith Ballard) for the injured Dan Hamhuis. I can’t say that I’m shocked by this decision, but I completely disagree with it. I’m sure that Alain Vigneault wants to go with a more conservative defenceman, that can deal with the big Bruins forwards in front of the net. I think that’s the wrong approach, as Keith Ballard can move the puck out of the zone with more ease. In any case, Andrew Alberts isn’t a bad player, and they should be ok either way.

5 Questions before game 2:

Will Zdeno Chara be in front of the net on the Bruins power play?

I sure hope so. It appears that Bruins head coach Claude Julien is the only one that thinks this is a good idea right now. Chara has one of the hardest shots in the league, yet they have him parked in front of Roberto Luongo. I’m confused as to why they don’t put big Milan Lucic in front of the net and have Chara pound shots from the point.

Will game 2 be another goaltending duel?

It will be interesting to see if Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas will both be able to keep up their stellar play. Lost in the euphoria of the Canucks win in game 1 was the fact that Tim Thomas made a number of amazing saves to keep the Bruins in it. If he plays like that again, he is bound to steal games for Boston.

How will the Bruins deal with the team speed of the Canucks?

I think the most telling part of game 1 was how much faster the Canucks were than the Bruins. And the Canucks know it. It’s likely the reason that Jeff Tambellini has drawn into the lineup ahead of Tanner Glass.

How much will the Canucks fourth line play?

Speaking of Tambellini, he lead all Canucks fourth liners in ice time with 2:30. The Bruins, on the other hand, played their fourth line a lot more. Campbell, Seguin and Paille each played between 5 and 8 minutes each. That will likely change if Manny Malhotra plays. That will be a huge benefit to the Canucks, especially if the game goes into overtime.

Will the Sedins break out?

There seemed to be some suggestion by the media that the Sedins had a sub par game in game 1. While they didn’t score, and didn’t look lethal with the man advantage, I thought they were very strong at 5-on-5. Daniel Sedin had 8 shots on goal. My question is if they can solve Tim Thomas. His unorthodox style seems to match up well with their Sedin trickery. If the Sedins break out, this could be a very short series.

…I can’t get enough of that guy.

It wasn’t a picture perfect win, but it was a win nonetheless Monday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Canucks limited the Predators chances, en route to a gritty 2-1 win.

Usually I’m not a big fan of sitting on a one goal lead for long periods of time, but if there ever was a time to do it, it was game 6 in Nashville. The ice surface was so poor that it was very difficult to make complete passes and hold pucks in the offensive zone. The puck looked like a bouncy ball out there, hopping and skipping around all over the place.

Game 6 was a story of the Canucks getting some slump busting performances from Daniel Sedin and Mason Raymond. Daniel Sedin hadn’t had a goal since game 6 versus Chicago, while Mason Raymond got his first of the playoffs. Game 6 was also a nice bounce back game for Alex Edler, who had been slumping of late as well.

Roberto Luongo let in one goofy goal, but that was it. He’s still getting criticized in this city, but if you look at his numbers in this series, they’re sparkling.

Two players that haven’t had a lot of press lately are Kevin Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis. They’ve flown under the radar, but they’ve been outstanding in these playoffs. They have been so steady, and game 6 was no exception.

And how about Ryan Kesler? I’m not sure what else can be said that hasn’t already been said, but he’s simply a man possessed out there. His will to win is outstanding and he put the team on his back numerous times during this series.

The plucky Preds put up a great fight and worked hard, but the Canucks’ talent was hard working too. It’s now onto the third round, with game 1 expected to start on Saturday or Sunday against either San Jose or Detroit.

Detroit or San Jose?

So who do you want to play? I think the Canucks match up better against the Red Wings than the Sharks, but if Detroit is the opponent, they will have just rattled off 4 wins in a row and will have great momentum on their side. Detroit is also more banged up than the Sharks, with Johan Franzen and Pavel Datsyuk banged up. In any case, I’m sure all Canucks fans want it to go to a seventh game, preferably with lots of physical play!

I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Henrik Sedin has 1 goal (an empty netter) in his last 18 games. Daniel Sedin has not scored since the Chicago series. Their plus-minus is a combined -14 in the postseason. Mason Raymond has zero goals.

There are a lot of uneasy stats making Canucks fans queezy right now, and they are  a little concerning. But remember stats can be misleading. For one, Henrik Sedin has only 1 goal in his last 18 games, but he often has stretches of 10+ games without a goal. You know why? Because he is a playmaker. When he’s not getting assists, that’s when alarm bells will go off for me.

You know what else is misleading? Plus-minus in small sample sizes. The Sedins have been a victim of this lately. Is it their fault that Alex Edler has been playing like he’s drunk in this series? He’s coughed the puck up more than a few times resulting in goals. And combining their plus-minus is just plain stupid. If they’re on for two goals in a game, they’re “a combined -4″. Sounds impressive but it’s misleading.

These aren’t great stat lines, but things can change very quickly. Remember when Ryan Kesler had 0 goals in the playoffs? Where was the offense from this 40 goal scorer people wondered. Kesler had no goals in 9 playoff games, that was 6 days ago. Now he’s tied for the league lead in points.

What about Roberto Luongo? Remember his save percentage and goals against average after game 5 and 6 versus Chicago? All of a sudden, if you take a look at Luongo’s stats (2.35 GAA, .914 SV% and 2 shutouts) they’re pretty good.

My point is not to suggest that the Sedins are doing great, clearly they’re not. I thought Daniel and Henrik had some great shifts in game 5, but ultimately they didn’t produce. But all of that can change in an instant. If Daniel Sedin scores 2 goals in game 6, he will move into a tie for first in league goal scoring.

The Canucks lost game 5 because of a few bad breakdowns. If they tidy that up, they should win. Every game in this series has been so tight, that just one bad bounce can decide the hockey game. If they play hard and smart, they should earn their bounces and the stats will follow.

Lineup Changes

Mikael Samuelsson injured himself in game 5 and didn’t take the trip to Nashville. That means he’s not close to returning, and could mean it’s a very serious injury. I would be very surprised if he’s not out longer than a week at minimum. That means that either Victor Oreskovich or Jeff Tambellini are likely to take his place. Personally, I would like to see Jeff Tambellini inserted into the lineup. Tamby hasn’t played a playoff game yet, and I think he would be thrive given the chance. He would be so pumped up to play, he would play like he was shot out of a canon. He’s gritty enough, and they could use a fourth line goal.

Head coach Alain Vigneault tipped his hand on a few key adjustments at practice designed to improve the Canucks chances for a victory in game 3. Scoring two goals in 8 periods of hockey will tend to lend itself to that.

Forward Lines:

Alex Burrows is back with the Sedins on the first line. Presumably the idea here is for Burrows to jump start the twins. I think it’s a great idea. Despite the fact that Burrows was playing well with Ryan Kesler, they weren’t filling the net at an overly high rate 5-on-5. The Canucks will need the Sedins to get rolling at some point, and Burrows is the guy to do it.

The need for Burrows to get back on the top line is accented by the struggles of Mikael Samuelsson. Samuelsson couldn’t get anything going with the twins and I think they need the gritty Burrows to dig out a few extra pucks for the Sedins.

Samuelsson for his part is now on the fourth line, with Tanner Glass and Cody Hodgson. Hodgson’s insertion into the lineup means that Victor Oreskovich will come out of the lineup. This is a line that should be able to play a regular shift for Alain Vigneault, and I bet they’ll get more ice time than Torres-Glass-Oreskovich in game 1 and 2.

The second line will now feature Chris Higgins and Mason Raymond on the wing with Ryan Kesler in the middle. If there’s a time to try it, it’s right now. All three players are playing outstanding right now, and all three have a lot of speed.

Raffi Torres will return to the third line for the first time in a few games, playing with Max Lapierre and Jannik Hansen. I really like this idea. Raffi Torres has been playing very well of late, and is the best Canuck forward at punishing the opposition’s defense.

Defense:

Sami Salo is practicing again, but probably won’t be ready for game 3. Will Andrew Alberts return to the lineup? Your guess is as good as mine. Keith Ballard was a minus 1 for the first time in the playoffs and Vigneault loves any chance to sit him, so maybe he’s found an excuse to.

Power Play:

Alain Vigneault has finally decided to return Alex Edler to the first unit power play, sending Mikael Samuelsson to the second unit. My only question concerning this is: what took so long? The Canucks are in clear need of another big shot on their power play. Apart from improved point shots, Edler on the point will also open up a lot for the Sedins down low.

Conclusion:

I like a lot of these adjustments the Canucks seem to be planning but none of it will matter if they don’t come to play in game 3. Their effort in game 2 simply wasn’t good enough and that will need to change. They will also need to work at going to the net more and getting in Pekka Rinne’s way. Rinne looks all world right now, but all goalies can be beat if they can’t see the puck.