Canucks Defeat Coyotes 2-1 by Shootout in Dull, Boring Affair

Leigh Ramsden lives in Vancouver and is an avid Canucks fan, having been a partial season ticket holder for over 10 years. He's old enough to have witnessed all three Stanley Cup losses, as such, his prime goal is to remove those scars by seeing a Cup brought to Vancouver. Leigh is Fighting For Stanley's (www.fightingforstanley.ca/vancouver) west coast correspondent, and will also blog after all Canuck games for The Nelson Daily.

The Phoenix Coyotes came to Vancouver on Monday night hoping to increase their slim lead in the race for the final Western Conference playoff spot.  They were able to do so after earning a single point in a listless, dull affair eventually won by the Canucks in a shootout by the score of 2-1.

The game tonight was one of the worst examples of NHL hockey I have ever had to lay eyes on.  Dull, boring, and tight-checking, the two teams almost choked the life out of each other before the Canucks finally won in the sixth round of the shootout. 

The Canucks had goals from Cody Hodgson, Alex Edler, David Booth, and Ryan Kesler in the skills competition, while Phoenix saw success from Ray Whitney, Gilbert Brule, and Mikkel Boedker.  Canuck netminder Roberto Luongo stoned Coyote shooter Boyd Gordon to seal the win.

The Canucks only goal in regulation came off a nice play by David Booth, who took the puck around Keith Yandle after a deflected dump-in and was able to deke Phoenix goalie Jason LaBarbera and slide the puck home midway through the second period. 

Phoenix pressed a bit in the third period, and after a series of gaffes in the Canucks' end, Yandle atoned for his mistake by surprising Luongo with a weak wrist shot that should never have found its way into the net.  The overtime was as uneventful as the rest of the game.

It’s easy to blame Luongo for this one – he let in a horrible goal with only a couple of minutes left.  But even with this fact, he's relatively blameless tonight.  It was like the entire team was put to sleep, and certainly you’d expect your offense to provide more than one goal.

Perhaps the most telling statistic was the Canucks’ shot count:  four in the first period, a reasonable 13 in the second, and a farcical two in the third.  Neither team was able to generate much in the way of offense, as they continually broke up each other’s passes and plugged up the neutral zone.  While the ice generally isn’t too bad in Vancouver, the puck was continually bouncing around and being swatted at by both teams, it reminded me of my high-school intramural lunchtime floor hockey (i.e. no talent).  It was downright ugly hockey to watch.  If you missed this game, do not feel bad about it.

IT’S NO WONDER NOBODY SUPPORTS HOCKEY IN PHOENIX

The most overriding thought I kept having was that it was no mystery why hockey isn’t surviving in the desert if this is the product that gets trotted out on the ice in a night to night basis.  Phoenix coach Dave Tippett is the new-age Jacques Lemaire, his defensive teachings imperative if his talent-challenged lineup is to have a chance to win games.

The Canucks had decent stretches in the game and were able to sustain pressure on the Coyotes at various times – early in the first period, and throughout a good portion of the second.  However, in the third, they completely got lulled to sleep by their opponents. 

It became a game of “chip the puck off the boards and out”, only to have it hammered back in deep.  Eventually, the Coyotes’ “strategy” (if you use the term loosely) worked out, with a couple bad plays in the Canucks end led to the tying goal.

There were large stretches where the Canucks struggled to mount any offense, especially in the third period.  The Coyotes outshot the Canucks 7-2 in the final period.  It’s very common for the losing team to outshoot and outchance the frontrunner in the third period in the NHL, and tonight’s game was an example of this. 

That said, the lack of quality scoring chances by the Coyotes was astounding – for a team that was “pressing” to tie the game, their offense was almost nonexistent.

Hockey is a tremendous sport and when played at its highest level, it can be a treat to watch.  Teams like the Coyotes are the antithesis to this, dumbing the game down to its basest levels.  They had reportedly been scoring more goals of late, especially during their recent five-game winning streak.  There was no evidence of this tonight.

CANUCKS STRUGGLE TO CREATE OFFENSE – IS THIS MEANINGFUL?

Vancouver struggled to mount much offense for large stretches of the game, and my immediate concern was “what would happen if we had to play them in the playoffs”?  It seemed like a potential recipe for disaster.

However, there are reasons why a team like this would post a minimal threat to any of the top teams in the playoffs. While Phoenix excels at stifling the opposition, eventually the talent disparity would prove too much to overcome, especially over a seven game series.  All the top teams in the league can shut down and play stifling defense as well, when required – tonight’s game was evidence of that.

Phoenix saw success on the penalty kill tonight by employing an extremely aggressive approach, not giving the Canucks any time to make plays.  

Clearly this worked in a one-game situation, but I am comforted knowing that as soon as the twins figured this out, it would be very easy for them to find the weak spots and pick them apart.  I'm pretty sure that over a longer series, that style of PK would not be successful against the Canucks.

The Canucks were only able to score once tonight, but I have a hard time believing they would be kept down for an entire series against a team like this.  For that reason – I just don’t see how a team like this would pose much of a threat.

PARTING SHOTS

Quick comments: 

• The most entertaining moment of the game occurred when late in the third period, after an icing call, Bieksa attempted to shoot the puck off the boards and catch it behind his back to give to the linesman.  I’m not kidding, that was the most entertaining play of the game.
• Hodgson nearly brought the crowd to its feet when he split the D in the first period before being stoned by LaBarbera.  Hodgson is showing improvement almost every time out.
• The Canucks continued their physical play, outhitting Phoenix 28-20.
• The power play again looked better, but finished 0 for 3, including an almost four minute man-advantage in the first period.  The Canucks weren’t credited with many shots in that stretch, but did create a few chances.
• Virtually no Canucks stood out today.  Booth was the most noticeable and was named the game’s first star.
• Luongo played solid all the way through until the last goal.
• Coach Vigneault had Cinderella story Byron Bitz on the ice in the final couple minutes (good), but his was the final error that led to the Phoenix goal (bad) – tough luck for the big guy.

Broadcast Observation of the Day:  One of John Shorthouse’s most annoying traits is his misuse of the phrase “throwing it up the middle”.  Every time someone makes a play in their own zone to the middle of the ice, he refers to it as “throwing it up the middle”. 

Risky passes from deep in your own zone, up the middle, should be referred to as that.  However, making a good play from the side boards to a forward with speed in the middle of the ice is a staple of a great breakout, which the Canucks have. 

They are very different things, and referring to each of them as the same thing (and insinuating that a good play is one fraught with unnecessary risk) is misleading to the viewer, and I wish he'd cut it out.

Looking ahead: Vancouver hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night in the Canucks’ third consecutive game against a team vying for the eighth and final playoff spot.