Sad

© Canucks Corner

Post-season around the bend

RESSIVE

By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

he Vancouver Canucks are
‘T= only first in the Western

Conference but are sitting
first in the NHL with 89 points and a
stifling record of 40-16-9. They have
the top point scorer with Daniel Sedin
who has 79 on the season...they have
the top assist leader in brother Henrik
with 59 helpers...they have Ryan
Kesler who is tied for second in the
league for most goals at 33... and they
have arguably the best goaltending
tandem in the league with Roberto
Luongo and Cory Schneider, who
share 40 wins between them. The
Canucks not only have the second
best power play and penalty killing
unit in the league but are also the top
faceoff percentage team as well. So
why on earth are they 5-5 in their last

16

(

10 games? It just doesn’t add up.

In their last five games they have
just seven goals for and nine goals
against. Our leading goal scorer hasn’t
pocketed a goal since February 15
of last month, while both Daniel and
Henrik Sedin have been held pointless
in the last three games. Luongo’s been
solid between the pipes even though
he hasn’t managed to get the W’s in
all of his games... So is this something
to be worried about with the post-
season just around the corner?

Well, in the past ten games there
hasn’t been any streaks whatsoever.
One win and one loss seems to be
the current pattern going on which is
nowhere near the best circumstances
but it sure beats a five game losing
streak. With so many weapons
upfront, it’s only about time this team
will snap out of their current funk.

Cody Hudgson }%

On the plus side, newly acquired
Chris Higgins and Maxim Lapierre
join the line-up to help the offence
build some momentum. Higgins
will finally be getting his debut after
recovering from his thumb injury
while Lapierre seems to be a Rick
Rypien type of guy with lots of energy
to help out the fourth line.

With both players coming in two
players had to make room and go back
down to the Manitoba Moose. Those
two guys were the struggling Cody
Hodgson and Victor Oreskovich. Now
I totally respect head coach Alain
Vigneault and the style of coaching he
brings to the team, but when you have
a prospect like Hodgson coming up to
play and bringing all the hype that he
possesses to the game you have got
to give him the ice time. In the eight
games that he played he was on the

 
     

 

fourth line averaging just over seven
minutes per game while making a few
guest appearances on the second unit
of the power play.

On that fourth line, Hodgson was
playing alongside Tanner Glass and
Oreskovich... not exactly the finest
products in the game but when you’re
on the fourth unit what else is there to
expect? Throw Hodgson with Kesler
and Raymond for a few shifts... heck,
see what happens if he plays on the
right side with the Sedin’s, but give
him the ice time with some quality
players so he can prove to all of the
haters that he has the potential to be
a star player. He’s not going to score
the goals when his line is dumping
the puck in and racing to the bench so
that the top line can come out to play,
that’s for sure.