Canucks escape from the Shark Tank, 4-3 + etc
Wow. Talk about an intense game. I'm still so pumped about the results and its implications that I can barely remember what happened in the game.
This game is basically a must-win for the Canucks, if they wanted to clinch the Northwest Division title. They weren't able to get it done at home against Colorado, but they came out with a lot more jump and drive to clinch in today's game against San Jose.
The Canucks' first goal is a perfect example of that. Kevin Bieksa and Matt Cooke just rushed towards the net and shot the puck towards Nabokov. Cooke was able to find the rebound before Nabokov and roofed it for the goal. Markus Naslund made a great pass from the blueline which Brendan Morrison to start that rush off in the first place.
Taylor Pyatt then cashed in on a goal around 2 minutes after Cooke's goal. Again, nice puck movement by the Canucks, as Pyatt was able to protect the puck in the boards, passed it to Daniel Sedin, who gave it to Sami Salo for the slap shot which Pyatt deflected in.
It was great to see them have an early 2 goal lead, but it was wasted as the Canucks started to become undisciplined, taking two 5-on-3s, and allowed San Jose to come back and tie the game. The refs made the most bullshit call against Roberto Luongo though, which directly lead to the tying goal.
Lui came out to challenge Patrick Marleau who was on a breakaway, and when he got the puck and smothered it, he was called for a Delay of Game penalty. It would have been understandable if there was no Sharks players lurking around, but there was at least 2 skating towards him within that second, and Marleau was still in the vicinity. :\
Anyway, the Canucks were able to take the lead again with a powerplay goal in the 3rd period. Again, the Canucks were able to win the puck battles by the boards, and Kevin Bieksa eventually shot the puck which went in thanks to the screen provided by a Sharks defenceman.
They hold that lead until the last minute or so of the 3rd period, where a series of unfortunate events led to the Sharks' tying goal, and on to overtime we go!
Joe Thornton took a penalty in the opening moments of the overtime, which I thought was a weak call against Jumbo Joe. I don't really think he did anything to trip Daniel, but I guess whatever helps the Canucks. Daniel and Henrik Sedin both remained on the ice, and those two are real threats on 4-on-3s.
Sure enough, Mattias Ohlund scored the gamewinner just seconds into the OT.
Man, this feels good.
- I thought Nazzy had a good game tonight. Is it really surprising that he's been playing better with Morrison and Cooke? And what's that now? 5 points in 5 games?
- The Canucks should send Joe Thornton a thank you card for taking that much penalties, and helping us win the game. I laughed a little inside when he hit Matt Cooke hard on the boards, but instead, he was the one who required medical attention for smashing his nose on the boards.
- In the first period, there was this one time where Dank, Hank and Tank just DOMINATED. They spent triple shifts inside the Sharks offensive zone, and just wouldn't allow the Sharks to even clear the puck. After a long time of cycling, they finally let it go as the Canucks forwards were getting tired as well.
- Roberto Luongo must have made the save of the year in this game.
Other news:
- Michigan State University defeated Boston College in NCAA Frozen Four Finals. It's pretty depressing for Cory Schneider (Canucks 1st round draft pick) since he played stellar throughout that game, and the playoff run. Bad turnover and defensive play behind the net cost Schneids the Cup.
- More prospects are making their way over the farm. Michael Grabner has already arrived with the team last week, but I think Arniel just wants him to get a feel of pro-hockey first before allowing him to jump in. He's a pretty offensive guy, so I hope he'll be put on offensive situations and not 3rd/4th line. Daniel Rahimi's team got eliminated in the playoffs, and he's also expected to come to Manitoba.
NORTHWEST DIVISION CHAMPIONS!
