Season Series: 2-2.

As the second round begins Thursday evening, here’s a few quick hits on what to watch for as the Canucks try to move on to the third round for the first time since 1994:

10. Nashville’s Plumbers. I’m sure many fans were screaming at their TVs during round one: “WHO THE F*** IS BEN SMITH?” Well get ready fans. Nashville is a team of non-stars who do an amazing job playing a team game. Martin Erat and Patrik Hornqvist are two of Nashville’s leading scorers, Sergei Kostitsyn is the better looking brother (I’ve seen Andrei in person) with Russian flair, Joel Ward, Blake Geoffrion (unbelievable blood lines this kid has), Mike Halischuk are up front and find ways to score big goals. Often injured but uber talented speedster Steve Sullivan plays on the PP and the 4th line(!), and JP Dumont has been a healthy scratch, only seeing ice time during Erat’s injury. The defense aside from Norris favourite Shea Weber and US Olympic Team member Ryan Suter, are also a bunch of unknowns, unless you’re a Vancouver Giants fan, as junior stars Cody Franson and Jon Blum return, along with Kevin Klein (who?) and probably the most well known Predator to Canucks fans, Shane O’Brien (more on him later). I purposely left out three more of Nashville’s role players, which brings us to #9.

9. The Smithson/Tootoo/Spaling Line. This line was unbelievable in game 6 vs. Anaheim. Tootoo (1-4-5) and Spaling (2-2-4), along with Smithson forecheck their asses off and wreaked havoc on the Ducks D. Tootoo is a human wrecking machine and the Canucks D better keep their heads up.

8. Raffi Torres. Will Torres return to his old self and punish more opponents on the forecheck without crossing the line? Ever since the Seabrook hit, Torres’ physical play has tailed off. He came back with a good game 7, but it’s still nowhere near where it needs to be. If Torres can be as effective as Tootoo, that’d be a fantastic wash in my opinion.

7. Special Teams. Nashville was rocked by Anaheim’s PP to the tune of a playoff worst 63.6% PK efficiency, while Vancouver’s PK is 7th at 79.3%. These numbers stray dramatically from the regular season and will be undoubtedly a major key in how the games will be won (both teams’ PP% are at 22.2%). Duncan Keith exploited the Canucks’ weak coverage of the points in games 4 and 5, and it will be very important for the Canucks PK to not allow Shea Weber’s cannon of a shot to be unleashed. If Weber can be neutralized, I like Vancouver’s chances.

6. The Sedins. The twins lead the team in scoring against Nashville in the regular season, with Danny putting up 4 and Henrik 3 against a stingy Predator defense. We can all agree that the gingers really need to step their game up a few notches for the team to be successful. Henrik passing off a 2-on-0 chance in game 7 showed weakness, but with the Hawks out of the way, I’m looking forward to the return of the twins that we’re used to seeing.

5. Carrie Underwood. Dear Cameramen, more camera time for her, please. Mike Fisher doesn’t need to score or fight for her to merit screen time. I look forward to seeing her during every stoppage in play. Thank you very much.

4. The Battle of the Vezina Finalists. The consensus here at canuckz.com is that Tim Thomas will win the Vezina, so Roberto Luongo and Pekka Rinne have something to prove to all the GMs who voted. What’s surprising is that neither goalie (I guess we can throw Thomas into the mix as well) has played well so far in the post season. Luongo has been pulled twice, and has statted at a 2.97 GAA and a .903 SV%. Surprisingly, Rinne hasn’t been better, with a GAA of 3.29 and a .876 SV% (he has also been pulled once). While both are tied in the most important stat (wins), I’m predicting that both goalies will be much better with better support from their defense, but I’m going to give the edge to Luongo. Getting over the hump in game 7 should do wonders for him. “You can’t achieve greatness without overcoming adversity.”

3. Kesler/Burrows/Raymond. With the Sedins not producing in game 7, this line was by far the best Canuck line. Their overall speed should create tons of problems for Nashville, especially in transition. This will be important especially if Nashville starts plugging up the neutral zone (which they will).

2. Old Friends, New Enemies. Shane O’Brien returns to Vancouver with one thing on his mind: vengeance. I find it hilarious how so many members of the media have said that OB has “changed” and that he’s much more disciplined. All you need to do is look at his 14 PIM in 6 games, where his team was burned for 4 PPG while he was in the box, to see that when it comes down to it, nothing really has changed. I actually liked OB as a 5th or 6th defenseman. I found him very underrated but his lack of discipline was a huge problem, on and off the ice.

On the flip side, but definitely less controversial, will be Dan Hamhuis playing against his former mates. Hamhuis looked terrible in game 6 vs. the Hawks, and was burned on Toews SH goal in game 7, but Hamhuis will not only be pumped to play his former team, he’s been feeding Alain Vigneault everything he knows about the Preds. OB may be doing the same, but for some reason, I don’t find his cerebral skills to be as valuable.

1. MORE CARRIE UNDERWOOD. ‘NUFF SAID.

One day after the Dallas Stars inexplicably had their poorest showing of season, a 7-1 loss at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks, and one day before Mr Roxy himself, Shane O’Brien returns to town, it seems appropriate to look in-depth at the “Roxy Flu”.

Jeremy Roenick on the Roxy:

It is the place to go to on the road. They play great music. There are hot chicks. There’s lots of beer. There’s lots of shots.

Definition

The Roxy Flu is a term that has been coined to explain poor performances by visiting opponents in Vancouver. It is usually contracted when teams arrive to Vancouver early, thus giving visiting players a chance to party it up and causing them to not be at their best.

Last year, Shane O’Brien contracted the rare hometown Roxy Flu, of course contracted when a player on the home team frequents the club and then is late for practice the next day!

Latest Cases

January 24, 2011 – Dallas Stars

The Stars had every reason to come out with a great effort against the Canucks. The Stars are enjoying a great surprise season that has them in third in the Western Conference and are coming off a disappointing loss in Calgary. It was also the return of former Canucks coach Marc Crawford and a chance to show they belong among the NHL’s elite. Recipe for a motivated team in Vancouver right? Wrong. The Stars spent the weekend in Vancouver after their Friday night game in Calgary and presumably partied it up in Vancouver on Saturday and/or Sunday. They lost the game 7-1. Definite case of the Roxy Flu.

December 28, 2010 – Philadelphia Flyers

A good way to identify the Roxy Flu is when a good team comes into town early and gets lambasted by the home team. That was the case when one of the best teams in the league came to town about a month ago and were beat down, falling 6-2. And there’s more than a few photos on the internet to suggest Mike Richards and Jeff Carter like to party (like here, HERE and here).

Shane O’Brien’s Itinerary

If Predators head coach Barry Trotz is smart, he’ll keep a close eye on big number 55 in his return to Vancouver slated for tomorrow night. I’m not sure what the travel plans are for the Predators, who lost last night in Calgary. Presumably they arrived in Vancouver late last night. As dumb as O’Brien can be, I think he’ll wait until after the game tomorrow to head over to the Roxy. With the all star break looming, he’ll have lots of time to let loose. If he does decide to pay the Roxy a visit, I’m sure there will be no shortage of Vancouver sluts puckbunnies there waiting for him.

Ok, so Shane O’Brien wasn’t the best player or the smartest player, but he was one of the most entertaining. Even in the way out, he had some interesting comments about coach Alain Vigneault:

The countdown to the free agent frenzy is on. July 1st marks the first day of free agency 2010 and the Canucks are sure to be busy. The Canucks currently have five regulars scheduled to become unrestricted free agents and four regulars set to become restricted free agents. Clearly not all of them will be back and some new players will be added via free agency. There is also the potential for young players to step into the lineup and more trades to happen. So what will Mike Gillis do? Well, lets try to figure that out right now:

Unrestricted Free Agents:

Willie Mitchell: Perhaps the most valuable Canucks defenceman over the last number of years, most in the know are assuming that the Port Alberni native’s days are numbered in Vancouver. Mitchell, 33,  made $3.5 million last season and should still have a couple more very productive years left. If not for his concussion history, I think the Canucks would be wise to re-sign him at the same money for a couple more years. The question is what will he command on the open market? He’ll probably land somewhere in the neighbourhood of $4 million on a short term deal or $3.5 on a 3-4 year deal. I don’t think he’ll be back, but I think they should try to keep him.

Pavol Demitra: Needless to say Demitra will not be back. He had a disappointing two seasons in Vancouver and isn’t a top six forward anymore with the players they have.

Andrew Raycroft: The one-way deal for Cory Schneider means that Raycroft won’t be back, though he was probably destined to go somewhere else anyway where he can get more money and playing time.

Ryan Johnson: Johnson is now 34 years old and has a lot of mileage on his body. His heart is unquestionable but he provides little offense and has lost a step. He had a very poor year on the penalty kill last year and I don’t think he’ll be back. He’ll find another spot in the league most likely, but at less than the $1.15 million he earned last season.

Kyle Wellwood: Sorry to say it, but I think Canuckz.com blogger Sean Ovariez’s favourite player will be playing somewhere else next season. Wellwood is just so inconsistent and doesn’t provide that grit element the Canucks were missing in the playoffs. Add the fact that the Canucks are probably hoping that Cody Hodgson takes over the third line centre role next season and I think the writing is on the wall, but he’ll be missed.

Restricted Free Agents:

Mason Raymond: Raymond will be back, but the question is at what price? A good comparable is Wojtek Wolski, who at a similar age and production just signed a two year deal worth $3.8 million per season. Wolski probably has the better resume thus far, so expect Raymond to make less than that, but not much less. Bet on about $3.2 million per season.

Shane O’Brien: O’Brien got a qualifying offer from the Canucks worth $1.6 million. The question is, is that too much for the role he plays? With the acquisition of Keith Ballard, O’Brien is now sixth on the depth chart. I like O’Brien, but I don’t think you can afford to pay your sixth d-man that kind of coin. He might be trade bait.

Tanner Glass: Glass brought some nice elements to the team last season, but I don’t think he’ll be back. He was good, but the team will probably be looking for more potential in his spot.

Jannik Hansen: Jannik Hansen is an interesting case. He’s still young at age 24, and was actually quite productive. Something tells me he won’t be back though. Perhaps it’s because he’s not Alain Vigneault’s favourite guy or perhaps they just want more grit and toughness on the third/fourth line.

Young Players Ready to Step In:

Cory Schneider: The young netminder signed a two year one-way deal worth $900,000 per season and will be handed the backup job behind Roberto Luongo. Mike Gillis has hinted that Schneider will get more playing time than Luongo’s backups have in the past.

Cody Hodgson: The Canucks most important prospect is now two years removed from his draft year and the team will do anything it can to give him the third line centre job. Assuming that he’s recovered from his injury troubles from last season he should be up for the challenge. Cross your fingers.

Jordan Schroeder: Schroeder didn’t have a great year last season with the University of Minnesota, notching 28 points in 37 games. At the end of the college season, he joined the Manitoba Moose and looked impressive. He put up 9 points in 11 regular season games and 6 points in 6 playoff games. That’s an impressive pro hockey debut, but I’m thinking he’ll probably need some more seasoning in the AHL.

Evan Oberg: In his first season of pro hockey Oberg lead all Moose d-men in scoring at age 21. He’s still young and could challenge for a job with the big club next season He’s probably destined to be a call-up from the Moose though.

Trade Bait:

In my mind the Canucks have a few pieces that could be offered up in a trade. Most notably, Kevin Bieksa could become expendable with the acquisition of Keith Ballard and perhaps the signing of free agent d-man. Shane O’Brien is in much the same situation as Bieksa (overpaid for his spot on the depth chart) and could be on the block. Look for at least one of them to go.

Up front, the trading of Michael Grabner probably solidifies Mason Raymond’s spot with the team. I say probably, because if he demands too much money as a restricted free agent he might be gone. That’s a long shot though. Darcy Hordichuk didn’t play a playoff game last season, but something tells me that he’ll be back.

So Who Will Gillis Bring Into the Fold?

Check back tomorrow when Canuckz.com will take a look at the most likely free agents the Canucks will target on July 1st. We’ll also take a stab at a few juicy trade rumours making the rounds. Remember to follow yours truly on Twitter for all the updates.

The better team won. Face it. I have heard lots of whispers from the Canucks players and from fans that somehow the Hawks aren’t the better team, which boggles my mind. They were the better team during the last two regular seasons, they were the better team the last two playoffs. Sure there were some mitigating factors. Willie Mitchell’s injury sure hurt. Playing game 6 with a less than 100% Sami Salo and losing Alex Edler made things difficult. Lots of the Canucks forwards were banged up. Injuries ARE excuses, legitimate excuses. Injuries don’t mean you automatically lose, but they make things more difficult. These injuries meant that the Canucks had to be extra good, seeing as how they were underdogs to begin with. In the next few days I’ll take a retrospective look back at the Canucks season that was, but for now, lets concentrate on what happened in the deciding game, game 6 versus Chicago.

The Start

The Canucks got off to a terrible start in game 6. The shots on goal and the score were very misleading stats after the first period. The Blackhawks got probably the best five chances to score, but were stonewalled by Roberto Luongo. Luongo was positively in vintage form in the first period and gave his teammates a mulligan for a terrible start. Despite the bad start, his big saves got the crowd really involved, who were much more into the game than they were at the start of game 3 and 4 of this series.

‘Balls of Steel’

Canucks fans are normally known for unimaginative, lame cheers. You know the ones, “Turrrrrrrrrrrcoooooo!” and “Calgary Sucks!”. Well, we took a giant step forward with the “Balls of Steel!” chant for Sami Salo in game 6. Salo did indeed play, and was clearly under distress. He showed great courage, and should have provided a boost for his teammates.

Edler gets Byfuglien’d

The beginning of the end came in the first period when Alex Edler got hit into the boards by Dustin Byfuglien. Edler fell awkwardly on his leg and suffered an injury, which knocked him out of the game. Edler was the Canucks’ best defenceman in the playoffs, and given the depth on defence, he was probably the player they could most ill afford to lose.

Bad Bieksa

In the game preview yesterday, I asked the question of whether we would see the good Bieksa or the bad Bieksa. In game 5, we saw the good Bieksa. In game 6, not surprisingly, we saw the bad Bieksa. His unbelievable misplaying of the puck in the neutral zone which lead to Chicago’s second goal was a huge moment in the game. It kind of summed up his season: too casual.

Demitra’s Grand Finale

Demitra decided to roll the dice on a play at the blueline and he crapped out. His giveaway which lead to David Bolland’s breakaway goal made it 3-0 going into the second intermission. It was an absolute dagger. Alain Vigneault wasn’t impressed and benched him the rest of the game. That play will be Demitra’s last as a Canuck.

The Comeback

Could they? Would they? They didn’t. Shane O’Brien’s goal early in the third made things interesting, but only for a moment.

The Nail in the Coffin

Patrick Kane’s goal to make it 4-1 all but sealed it up. Another Canuck blunder, the Blackhawks made it look easy. Despite the fact that the Canucks stayed almost completely out of penalty trouble, the Hawks waltzed into GM Place and had their way. Nevermind the home ice advantage, the crowd, having last change. None of it mattered because the Blackhawks were too fast, too strong, too mean, too skilled, too good. There’s no shame in losing to the Blackhawks, they were the better team, but to lose in that fashion, was an embarrassing way to end the season.

Skate and go to the net, presumably that’s the message from Coach V to his troops tonight. Alain Vigneault has a few lineup shuffles in mind for tonight’s contest. Pavol Demitra and Rick Rypien will sit out tonight’s contest in favour of Michael Grabner and Tanner Glass. Here’s what the Canucks lines are expected to look like:

Sedin-Sedin-Burrows

Raymond-Kesler-Grabner

Hansen-Wellwood-Samuelsson

Glass-Johnson-Bernier

I like the idea of them shaking it up. You’ve got to give the Hawks a different look, make your team unpredictable.

Power Play

The Canucks power play clearly needs to be better and Alain Vigneault has decided to shake that up also:

1st PP Unit:

Sedin-Sedin-Burrows

Bieksa-Salo

2nd PP Unit:

Wellwood/Bernier-Kesler-Samuelsson

Ehrhoff-Edler

Once again, I like the sounds of this. The mandate sounds like they want more point shots with a net presence. If they do that, it’ll open things up for the Sedins down low. It’s no different than having a three point threat helping your post players in basketball.

Burish Bullsh*t

Adam Burish had a few choice words for a few members of the Canucks. Here are a few excerpts:

“The thing that upsets me about O’Brien and Burrows is they go and target [Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews],” Burish said Friday morning. “The clown Burrows goes after [Brian] Campbell in the middle of the ice.

“Give me a break. If you want to target someone, come find me or [Ben Eager]. You guys want to pretend you’re so tough, and yet you go and try to pick a fight with those guys. If you want to hit them and play hard, fine. But those clowns are pushing them after the whistle and punching them.”

“We call O’Brien a ‘spot picker,’ ” Burish said. “He picks his spots pretty nice. He knows who’s on the ice and when he can be a tough guy and when he kind of has to shut up.”

To me this is nothing more than Burish trying to throw the Canucks off their game. I don’t know if it will work or if it will just motivate the Canucks, but I do know that those are tough words for a guy who got his clock cleaned by O’Brien last season:

Game 5 was the first one sided game of this entertaining series. For the first time in the series, Roberto Luongo clearly outplayed Jonathan Quick, who was chased in the second period. For the second game in a row, the Canucks power play equaled the Kings power play, perhaps indicating that this penalty killing jinx is at least close to ending.

While the Kings have silenced Alex Burrows in this series (I believe he must be injured, he hasn’t looked himself at all), they haven’t found an answer for Mikael Samuelsson. Samuelsson had two goals in game 5 and is red hot, netting seven goals already in this series. That ties him with none other than Pavel Bure for the franchise record of most goals in a playoff series.

Encouraging for the Canucks was the play of their defense. Alex Edler continues to be a beast on the back end, with Ehrhoff and Sami Salo also leading the way. The problem in recent weeks has been the play of their bottom three d-men: Kevin Bieksa, Shane O’Brien and Andrew Alberts. While the three of them weren’t superstars by any means, Bieksa looked steady, O’Brien got in a fight and the fans were chanting “Lets Go Alberts!” late in the game. Alberts looked steady defensively, but is still incapable of making an outlet pass, which reminded me of possibly the best tweet in the history of twitter: “Saw Alberts play a bit in Carolina. Hits like a truck. Handles the puck like a truck, too”.

Speaking of O’Brien, he appears to have not learned his lesson yet. I think he’s an underrated player, but giving the #1 motion with his finger after his fight was not the brightest move. If you’re in a one-off game in the regular season I don’t have much of a problem with it, but doing it in a playoff series is showing up the other team and essentially works the same as giving the other team “bulletin board material”. Kings head coach Terry Murray called him a “clown” which was probably a little bit harsh, to which Alain Vigneault responded with “I don’t care” (you got to love Vigneault).

Here’s another example of why you’ve got to love Vigneault:

Now the bad news. The Canucks ran away with game 5 and looked good doing it. I believe a lot of Canuck nation is getting a little cocky after it though and we shouldn’t be surprised if the Kings take game 6 to set-up a dramatic seventh game at GM Place. Teams often rebound from blowouts to win the next game, presumably because the losing team makes a lot of adjustments while the winning team gets a little overconfident. Game 6 will also be played at the Staples Center where the Kings have looked great and the Canucks (save for the 1st period in game 3 and the 3rd period in game 4) have looked overwhelmed. Once again, special teams will be of the utmost importance. If you stop the Kings power play you should win the game.

And now something to keep you entertained until game 6, one of the better Canucks songs I’ve heard in a while (with apologies to Ivan Hrvatska and Ink Operated) :

The advice the Canucks could use can be summed up in five words: stay out of the box. Vancouver gave up six man advantages  on Saturday night, which isn’t a lot, but that’s not the point. The point is the types of penalties they’re giving up right now: dumb penalties. Look no further than Shane O’Brien’s stupid penalty midway through the 2nd period last night. With the Canucks up 2-0, O’Brien got his arm up into the face of the Kings player to take an obvious roughing call. The puck had already been played out of the area and O’Brien didn’t hit him very hard. The Kings scored on that power play and the Canucks lost the game, which magnified the blunder.

As bad as O’Brien’s penalty was, it pales in comparison to the play of Andrew Alberts. So far Alberts has been responsible for putting the Canucks shorthanded for a combined 13 minutes. That’s significant when you consider how poor the Canucks have been at killing penalties. So far the Kings are 4 for 9 with the man advantage. Bet on Alberts to sit out game 3 with Aaron Rome probably healthy enough to play. Personally, I think Nolan Baumgartner deserves to play ahead of Alberts, but I don’t think Alain Vigneault is thinking along those lines.

With that said, game 2 was decided on a bad call, a too many men on the ice penalty in overtime. Rule 74.1 states: “If in the course of a substitution either the player(s) entering the play or the player(s) retiring is struck by the puck accidentally, the play will not be stopped and no penalty will be called”. Clearly, Kevin Bieksa was trying to get out of the way and did not play the puck intentionally. Maybe Terry Murray pulled a ‘Marc Crawford’ on the Kings bench:

With that said, the Kings were the better team on Saturday and deserved to win the game. They outshot the Canucks 32-26 and probably had the better scoring chances. It will be interesting to see if Alain Vigneault continues to play mainly three lines, rather than four, as he has for most of the season. If he decides to stick with giving his fourth liners 5-6 minutes a night, it might be a good idea to insert Tanner Glass into the lineup for a little bit of grit. Steve Bernier is also someone who might deserve a promotion, perhaps to the third line in place of Jannik Hansen.

Of course, these are minor details in comparison to the real keys to winning: Roberto Luongo playing at the top of his game and the Sedins finding the back of the net. We’ll see if they can do that on the road (a place that has not been kind to this bunch) for the next two games.

Ok, maybe there’s not a true goaltending controversy in Canuckland these days, but if it weren’t for Roberto Luongo’s reputation, there would be. Luongo is having his worst season in a Canucks jersey, being pulled more times than ever, while Andrew Raycroft is enjoying the the best season by a Canucks backup since Alex Auld. Statistically speaking, Raycroft has better numbers.

They share essentially the same save percentage (Luongo at .913, Raycroft at .914) and Raycroft has a better goals against average (Luongo at 2.55, Raycroft at 2.31). These stats should be skewed a bit given the fact that Luongo plays fatigued more often and usually plays the tougher teams, but this is still highly unusual for Luongo. Luongo typically has numbers far superior to his backup and is usually at the top of the league in GAA and SV%. This year, he’s middle of the pack, 18th in GAA and 17th in SV%. To put that in perspective, Dan Cloutier was 16th and 18th in GAA and SV% in 2003-04.

All of these numbers are not to suggest that the Canucks should play Raycroft in the playoffs or that Luongo won’t regain his form, but it still has to cause a bit of concern. He’s not at his best right now and hasn’t been for a while. Since the Olympics, Roberto Luongo is a very mediocre 7-5-1, has been pulled three times, and has given up four goals or more five times. That means there have been far too many stinkers for a goalie of his caliber.

Do you think Shane O’Brien will be laying off the club scene for a while now? The Canucks blueliner is enjoying a pretty good season so far on the ice. He has been steady, averaging more minutes per game than he did last year and has a very respectable plus-minus rating of +16. Off the ice, he has been in and out of Alain Vigneault’s doghouse. It’s being suggested that his multi-game stint in the press box in favour of Andrew Alberts a few weeks ago was because he put on a few pounds during the Olympic break. His most recent trip to the doghouse is by far the most serious. Apparently O’Brien had a wild night at the Roxy on Sunday night and was late for practice on Monday morning. The biggest problem with this is the fact that practice was at 11am! I can understand someone hitting the snooze a little too long if practice was at say, 8am, but missing an 11am practice is pretty ridiculous.

O’Brien has been banished from the team, at least for a few games. Hopefully he and Vigneault can patch things up and get him back on the ice. I believe he’s quite a bit better than Andrew Alberts as the team’s number six defenceman, and will be counted on during the playoffs.

After calling the Canucks “Cup pretenders” last Friday, I must admit that I was starting to believe they were contenders with one of the most impressive outings of the season against the Senators on Saturday followed up by a 1st period knockout of the Calgary Flames the next day. But then came the Islanders game on Tuesday night. Now I’m not suggesting that Canucks fans should begin panicking about this team because of it, but it certainly didn’t help. Another thing that didn’t help was losing first star of the week, Mikael Samuelsson. He’ll be gone 2-3 weeks with a shoulder injury or so we’re told (and we’ve been lied to before, see Dan Cloutier). With that said, here are a few random thoughts going through my head as the playoffs loom:

Wonder how John Tavares had such a productive night against the Canucks Tuesday night? Maybe cause he put up two of his points either with Aaron Rome or Andrew Alberts on the ice. How do those two players end up matched up against Tavares when they only have one decent scoring line and you have the last change at home?

They could have sure used Willie Mitchell last night.

Can we please end the Andrew Alberts experiment? I put Shane O’Brien, Aaron Rome and even Nolan Baumgartner ahead of him. Especially O’Brien. He’s had a good season as far as I’m concerned, and brings everything Alberts brings, and more.

Luongo didn’t look great against the Islanders but I’m sick of the Luongo bashers. He’s having a good (not great) season, but stop freaking out. He’s human. He’s also still putting up a better save percentage than Brodeur, Thomas, Ward, Turco, C. Mason, Quick, Fleury, Backstrom, Rinne, and more. Ease up.

A potential blessing in disguise with Samuelsson’s injury is that it made room for Michael Grabner to be called up. I say this with emphasis on “potential” because his success with the Canucks earlier this season has been exaggerated a bit. Grabner put up five points in nine games, all of which came on the power play. Seems not far off what Jannik Hansen would produce with a similar chance. So lets see what happens.

If the Canucks win their division, I’m VERY worried that the Detroit Red Wings finish in 6th place and face them in the first round. If that happens, that would likely mean the Wings will be healthy and on a roll.

I’m going to be the only person defending Matt Cooke. Everyone is appalled at him not receiving a suspension, but they’re calling for a rule change to call head shots. Excuse me, but if there’s no rule against head shots, then you can’t suspend him for a head shot. His hit wasn’t late, it was with his shoulder and he didn’t jump. It might have been a hit made in bad taste, but it’s not against the rules.

I can’t believe that people are defending Alex Ovechkin’s hit on Brian Campbell. He pushed him from behind into the boards at high speed in the danger zone. That is against the rules and it’s dangerous as well as dirty.