When Are We Gonna Score?

by Sean Zandberg on Oct 20, 2009 12:52 PM PDT in Incessant Bitching Comment 13 comments

"I don't think that team worked that hard tonight," Ryan Kesler said of the Oilers. "And we got out-worked."

I don't know if that assessment by the Keslord is quite accurate. I thought the Canucks worked hard last night, but are having a tough time scoring. The loss of Daniel Sedin stings now doesn't it? Thinking Pavol Demitra would be a big help right now (god forbid)? Well I wouldn't blame you. As the Province put it today:

Whether the Canucks ran into a hot goalie in Nikolai Khabibulin or not, it's evident skill and goal-scoring are not their strong suits. Not with Pavol Demitra and Daniel Sedin sidelined, along with their 480 career goals. Without finesse, the Canucks, especially their remaining forwards — who have 512 career goals combined — need elbow grease.

Sure, Khabibulin was playing great last night, but there were numerous occasions where the Canucks could have buried their chances and didn't. The Samuelsson chance to stuff it in comes to mind. He put it right into Khabby's pads and not into the open net.

The Canucks seem to be finding identity one step at a time. Their defensive game is there now, which gives them a chance to win (and many of you a chance to go to sleep), but blaming their woes on "running into hot goalies" isn't going to cut it. If you look down the list of the Canucks scoring leaders there are too many players beyond Henrik Sedin, Mikael Samuelsson, Ryan Kesler, Christian Ehrhoff, Alex Burrows and even Willie Mitchell who are not contributing at the expected level.

-Alexander Edler: 0 goals and 3 assists in 8 games.

-Kyle Wellwood: 1 assist in 8 games.

-Mason Raymond: 1 goal in 8 games

-Shane O'Brien: 0 points in 8 games.

Michael Grabner cannot find the back of the net yet. In my opinion, if he bags his first goal his confidence level will rise and he'll score more. He has major league skill but is leaving us scratching our heads right now.

Yeah, I'll finally bag on Roberto Luongo's performance now. Both Oilers goals against last night, Lou poked the puck past his teammates and onto an Oiler player's stick. A poll was put up during our chat with CBC today, and I think the results are fairly accurate:

Now, the team that is having a hard time putting the puck is about to face a Hawks team that has no problem doing that whatsoever. It's making me nervous. However, if the Canucks can turn it around against Chicago, I think they will have righted their ship.

0-4-0 on the road now. This isn't pretty....at all. But I have faith. Oh yes I do.

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It is always darkest before dawn...

…I hope.

by Jevant on Oct 20, 2009 12:58 PM PDT reply actions

AND...

…Call up Sergei Shirokov. Anyone who MIGHT be able to finish has value right now.

by Jevant on Oct 20, 2009 12:58 PM PDT reply actions

How would Shirokov be any better now than he was at the begining of the season?

I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.

by Smoboy41 on Oct 20, 2009 2:21 PM PDT reply actions

Cuz he has the skills to be a scorer and he’s been learning the North American game in Manitoba. I think he’ll make it, but the timing I dunno about.

Up till the last few weeks, he’d played his entire life on the big Euro-style rinks using tactics suited to that surface, now he’s on the smaller surface. That’s a big change. The real q is: how long will it take him to adjust, and is he there yet?

We can’t answer that if we haven’t seen him play. He’s scoring well down there, fwiw, but I suspect AV is mostly listening to Arniel and Keane and will base his Shirok decision on their recommendation.

by casual on Oct 20, 2009 7:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Time for burrows and/or kesler to give us some of their patented ‘team is down, we need clutch’ magic… Raymond’s working hard, bernier is working (fwiw), rypien is what he is… and burrows and kesler have both been good, but not the firestarters they were last season when we needed it (well, maybe kesler’s created some excitement, just not the clutch short handed breakaway goal…). Maybe it’s time for burrows to channel Luc again…

by GAHHHHH! on Oct 20, 2009 2:47 PM PDT reply actions

I’m glad if we continue using a defencive system too, especially while 2 of our best offensive players are injured.

For me personally I am not disappointed in Luongo yet, though that shouldn’t be much of a surprise as I am admittedly biased. I’m disappointed that the team had zero chemistry for the first few games of the season (let’s play the roster together at least once next preseason?), and then we lost our top sniper to injury.

I think we can still win games, but there has been a lot of turbulence so far so it’s been hard for the guys to gel with constantly changing linemates, let alone find a groove collectively as a team.

And I think Luongo will start putting the fear of Jesus into our opponents once Halloween comes, like he always does.

by jozsef on Oct 20, 2009 3:56 PM PDT reply actions

Wellwood and Raymond

need to score or get moved (Raymond to a checking role and Wellwood to a different team.

Edler is having a rough start, but I think he’ll rebound, pairing him with Rome didn’t help, and neither does Luongo’s poor play.

SOB is not there to score, and Grabner has played all of 3 games.

by yoata on Oct 20, 2009 5:51 PM PDT reply actions

ussually i am totaly with you Yoata but not this time. Wellwood has been sick and he is better now. You could see that in the edmonton game. I think we should give Wellwood some scoring wingers and see what he can do or perhaps should reunite the wellwood bernier raymond line.

Raymond does need to score see above the cure to this not what you think..

by Kelownakid on Oct 20, 2009 10:34 PM PDT up reply actions