aS
Sats.
© Canucks Corner

Depleted defence: Can the Canucks still deliver?

 

~ By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

ust as things seemed to be getting

back on track for the Vancouver

Canucks with winning games and
all, they find out that their number one

- defensemen, Alexander Edler, goes down
with a back injury that could possibly
have him missing the remainder of the
season plus the playoffs. Crap...that
sucks. Finally coming into his own with
such a stellar year this season, Edler has
been put into all kinds of situations and
was racking up quality minutes, whether
it be on the penalty kill, power play or
dying minutes in the third period with the
Canucks up by only a goal, he’s been the
go-to-guy.

Edler will have microdiscectomy
surgery to repair a tear in one of his
discs. The time frame of when he will
return back to the line-up is listed as 8-10
weeks, but it could always be longer
than that. This unfortunate loss has the
power to completely change the way the
Canucks season plays out. The hulking
defensemen was a huge force on the
back end and was on pace to exceed his
career high of 42 points set last season
by already reaching 32 in just 49 games
this season. He is currently the top point
producer on the Canucks back end with
Christian Ehrhoff rounding out the
second spot at 28 points.

Hopefully with having the surgery
immediately on his back, in the best
circumstances, Edler will be able to come
back in the optimistically forecasted 8-10
weeks, play the remainder of the season

16

 

and make it for the post-season as well,
you never know though. This particular
injury is a major loss that puts a gaping
hole in the defence line-up for the time
being which will certainly be a difficult
one to fill.

Along with Edler, Andrew Alberts,
Aaron Rome, and Sami Salo are all out
with injuries as well. Alberts is expected
to return to the line-up in 2-3 weeks while
Rome is expected in 3-4 weeks and as
for Salo, well, you never know. The guy
always seems to be out with something
and hasn’t played at all this season. He
is listed on the injury reserve as week-
to-week. But I honestly can’t see him
returning any time soon.

On the plus side, recent call-ups
Chris Tanev and Lee Sweatt have been a
pair of pleasant surprises. Tanev seems to
be calm, cool, and collected on the blue
line in the past five games that he’s been
playing for the Canucks while Sweatt
tallied his first NHL goal in his very first
NHL game last Wednesday against the
Predators, netting the winner in the 2-1
battle. Not too shabby for a rookie and
right now that’s a huge upside to the
depleted defence corps.

With all of these injuries it brings
big opportunities for the younger guys
and players to step up their game and
show what they’ve got, and for Tanev and
Sweatt they’ ve done just that.

Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis,
Ehrhoff, Keith Ballard, Sweatt, and
Tanev round out the six defensemen, with
Roberto Luongo in net. Now that doesn’t
sound all that bad. It could be worse.

 

Here’s a complete Super Bowl breakdown
Everything you need to know about Pittsburgh-Green Bay

ith the NFLs labour situation
not getting any better, the
Pittsburgh Steelers will take on

the Green Bay Packers in what could be
the last Super Bowl for a while. Thanks
to the stellar play of quarterback Aaron

Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers are the
first sixth seed in the NFC to make it to

the big game.

Rodgers has a passer rating of 113.0,
the best all-time in postseason history.
Making it a two-dimensional attack is
rookie running back James Starks. Starks
got his first start in the wildcard round
of the playoffs and kept the job, leading
the NFL in post season rushing with 263
yards on the ground.

Green Bay visited their hated rivals,
the Chicago Bears, in the conference
finals, defeating the Bears 21-14. Bears
QB Jay Cutler hurt his knee and was
replaced by backup Todd Collins. Collins
was then pulled for third stringer Caleb
Hanie after an ineffective offense left the
coaching staff no choice. Hanie almost led
the team to a comeback, but was picked
off in Packer territory for the second time,
sealing the deal. The Green Bay offense
will be tested against the Pittsburgh
Steelers defence.

The Steelers defence shut down
the New York Jets in a 24-19 decision.
The Jets were out of character the week
before, and instead of trash talking,
had nothing but respectful things to say

about Pittsburgh. The Steelers defence
are allowing a second best 276.8 yards
per game, and are dependent on blitz
schemes by linebackers James Harrison
and Lamar Woodley. Dom Capers, the
defensive coordinator for Green Bay,
converted the Packers to a 3-4 defence
that’s very similar to the Steelers, and
depends on linebacker Clay Matthews to
apply pressure; he has stepped up to the
plate, ranking fourth in the league in sacks
with 13.5.

Matthews and company will be tested
against Steeler pivot Ben Roethlisberger
and the rest of the Pittsburgh offense.
Roethlisberger is an escape artist who is
very effective at avoiding sacks in the
pocket and can throw on the run or even
keep it himself for a few yards, making
him very dangerous. Running back
Rashard Mendenhall also can’t be taken
for granted as he ran for almost 1,300
yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular
season. These teams last met in 2009,
in a game run by offense. Rodgers and
Roethlisberger combined for a nearly 900
yards, but Roethlisberger won the game
with time running out by completing a
touchdown pass to his recent favourite
target, receiver Mike Wallace. Will
lightning strike twice for the Steelers;
increasing their league leading Super
Bowl titles? Or will the Aaron Rodgers
shake off the shadow of Brett Favre
forever?

 

 

 

  

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