Canucks Roster Hopefuls No Match For Sharks
by Sean Zandberg on Sep 30, 2011 12:08 AM PDT
in Game Review
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Yeah, it would have been a real treat to see that Canucks squad beat the talent-laden Sharks. But this one ended pretty much as expected: a 3-0 Sharks win. Mr. Botchford was inking it as a battle between Cody Hodgson and Andrew Ebbett for the #2 center position when the regular season starts. But neither player really impressed. I don't think Ebbett is really an option anyway. All eyes are on Hodgson, and he finished with no points, 1 shot on net, and 14:28 of ice time. Once again he received less ice time (for forwards) on the power play (3:41). This time, less minutes than Mikael Samuelsson (4:17), Andrew Ebbett (4:19), Chris Higgins (4:24), and Mark Mancari (4:19). Nothing much happening for Cody. He once again didn't engage enough physically as he needed to. Not enough dirty work. To me, he seems like a guy who you just need to give the puck to and let him set up plays. He has amazing skills and he seems on the cusp. But just doesn't seem like it's all coming together for him right now.
So now, with the final preseason game happening on Saturday and projections that Alain Vigneault
will dress his regular season roster, we should know of Hodgson's fate soon. Maybe he gets one more shot. Not seeing anymore chances for Mark Mancari, Niklas Jensen and Todd Fedoruk after this game though.
But if it's not Hodgson anchoring Line 2 come October 6 then who is? Slide Manny Malhotra up to that spot, Maxim Lapierre to the Line 3 center and Andrew Ebbett on the 4th line C? Time will tell. By the way, Malhotra (71% in the faceoff circle) and especially Lapierre looked terrific tonight. Keith Ballard delivered TWO hipchecks to keep us entertained. But the king of kings on this eve? Aaron Volpatti. What a one-man wrecking crew he was. He may have earned a 4th line spot with that effort alone. Maybe.
The damage?
An open ice hit on Jason Demers that knocked the Sharks defenceman out of the game for a while. (Check out the 42 second mark of these highlights.)
Several other crunching hits lots of hustle.
But the biggest whopper? Check it out:
Wow! Canucks play of the night! Winchester is somewhere into next week.
HIGHLIGHTS:
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Losing doesn’t hurt in the preseason…
but getting knocked the fuck out still hurts the same no matter when it happens.
a ginger ball hockey player... no wonder I'm a Canucks fan
haha! So true!
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by Sean Zandberg on Sep 30, 2011 12:37 AM PDT up reply actions
By the way
I liked the line of: Higgins – Malhotra – Hansen as a third line. I think that might just be the (or one of) the third line combinations during the regular season.
a ginger ball hockey player... no wonder I'm a Canucks fan
I really want Higgins on line 2. Is there a better option?
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by Sean Zandberg on Sep 30, 2011 12:45 AM PDT up reply actions
JEEENNNSEEENNN!!!!!111!!1!!one!1
Well there’s Sturm, but I suppose him and Higgins could exchange spots (second and third line respectively)
I guess Raymond is out for a long while so I guess he’s out.
Speaking of the second line, SamMuleSon looked off tonight. He seemed like the odd one out on that line. Cody and Jensen seemed to be clicking decently considering their age. Sammy actually looked most prominent on PPPoint… but I’m sure that rust will shake off pretty soon. It’s been a while since he’s seen some action.
a ginger ball hockey player... no wonder I'm a Canucks fan
Sturm.
Even when he’s been injured, he’s mostly scored at a 20-goal pace.
Higgins has shown a lot of heart but not a lot of finish. That makes him a perfect fit with Manny and Jannick.
Buying out Kubas since July 2010
by GelatinousMutantCoconut on Sep 30, 2011 4:04 AM PDT up reply actions
I like that too.
I am really hoping for Higgins-Malhotra-Hansen and Sturm-Hodgson-Samuelsson pairing for opening night. They can be line 2a and 2b. Hodgson needs to know he is in the lineup and isn’t having to worry about getting benched for the entire game because of one mistake.
Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.
I watched Higgins’ effort last night and he is leaps and bounds ahead of Sturm IMO. No, he didn’t score, but he will
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by Sean Zandberg on Sep 30, 2011 12:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Watched it off the PVR
I have to say, the score did not mean much, as two of those were PP goals….and really, both on fuckups in coverage ( Parent on the 1st one…I guess he has not learned that is exactly what Joe was waiting for )
But man, those Sharks play like a weakminded bunch. Yes, we know, you had the more NHL lineup, but come on!
After Ballard’s hip check on Couture, Ryann Clowe acted like a punk. Why that ref did not send a message, I mean, he was chasing Ballard, and going for his head on every attempted check! Ballar’ kept slipping it. I guess you can’t get a penalty for an attempt at a head check…
Then Voltron whomps Demers, and they need to go after him. Then, after he coldcocks Winchester, it turns out that it has to be Vandermeer instead of the other guy that wanted to go the first faceoff? The fake “glove drop” form whomever that guy was…wow.
Nuck’s Misconduct Bishop, 1st United Church of Luongod. "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Ghandi. I think he was a Canucks fan...
your opinion of Hodgson?
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by Sean Zandberg on Sep 30, 2011 1:19 AM PDT up reply actions
agreed with yours
Though, I think he does much more effectively in the corners than you do. He makes little moves with the puck and uses positioning instead of hitting and such ( though he does more of that too )
There was one play, I think it was Murray, where it looked like he would get crunched, and he came out of the corner with the puck.
Nuck’s Misconduct Bishop, 1st United Church of Luongod. "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Ghandi. I think he was a Canucks fan...
My opinion of Hodgson?
He reminds me a lot of the Sedins (he’s almost a Henrik-Daniel hybrid) when they first came up. I think he is a very similar player and should get the same opportunity.
Put him on L2 for at least the first 20 games and don’t mess with him. Let him either centre it or wing it (when Kes is back).
Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.
by Jevant on Sep 30, 2011 5:44 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I agree
only Hodgeson falls down less ;)
They do have similarities in their speed and awesome puck handling / pivoting ability. Hodgson can playmake, but it looks like he’s be trying to do too much by himself at times. Onces the points start coming, he’ll settle in though.
a ginger ball hockey player... no wonder I'm a Canucks fan
Part of me is wondering, what happens if Hodgson lights it up when the regular season starts. What if he’s on a point a game pace. Do you move Kes to the wing? Ease Kes in with limited minutes on the bottom lines? What would AV do?
Frequent visitor to Nucks Misconduct.
by Vancouverguy on Sep 30, 2011 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions
The Sharks probably took exception to Ballard’s hip check because they may have thought it was a little low.
Volpatti’s check looked like ti was shoulder to shoulder, but maybe a little late. It’s probably why they dropped the gloves, rather than going after him on the play.
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Member of the Torrey Mitchell and Patrick Marleau Fan Club
RIP Atlanta Thrashers. Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
It looked a lot more like
“You HIT our guy!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t know about late on the Volpatti hit though. Demers himself admitted he should have known he was going to finish his check.
I was more miffed at the way Clowe went after Ballard’s head after the hip check, to be honest.
Nuck’s Misconduct Bishop, 1st United Church of Luongod. "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Ghandi. I think he was a Canucks fan...
I honestly didn’t have a problem with either check. Clowe and Couture have a bromance… so it’s only natural that Clowe doesn’t want to see Cooch getting checked like that. Probably moreso because it’s the preseason.
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Member of the Torrey Mitchell and Patrick Marleau Fan Club
RIP Atlanta Thrashers. Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
they are special "friends"?
I get it. Preseason has had a bunch of big knocks all over the league. I LOVE hip checks, and thought that one was cool, but honestly, I watched it afterwards, and every time he was on with Ballard, it was hands high and trying for the head.
Thats pretty damn cheap, you know?
Oh well, should make for some fun in the regular season!
Nuck’s Misconduct Bishop, 1st United Church of Luongod. "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Ghandi. I think he was a Canucks fan...
So who looks good for 4th line duties?
http://canucks.nhl.com/club/roster.htm
========
MAXIM LAPIERRE centring two of these three I’m thinking…
- 1) AARON VOLPATTI – hada dominating game at times (not on the scoreboard) but doing what a 4th liner should
- 2) VICTOR ORESKOVICH – this guy’s playmaking abilities and smartness are impressing… but he does need to be meaner. A bit like Bernier at a third the price.
- 3) MIKE DUCO – Plays with heart and grittyness and gets in the other teams faces – but is more of an irritant than a huge wrecking ball body checker which might be closer to what the canucks need.
========
MARCO STURM – Not sure where exactly he fits on this team… a temporary player?
JORDAN SCHROEDER – looks great especially on the powerplay + playmaking… but not as experienced or defensive as Franchise.
MARK MANCARI – I think he’s cut…
a ginger ball hockey player... no wonder I'm a Canucks fan
where is the natural center in all that?
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We chew and spit you out. We laugh, you scream and shout. All flee, with fear you run. You’ll know where we come from:
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by Sean Zandberg on Sep 30, 2011 2:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Those are just the players I see who are fighting for 4th line duties.
I see Lapierre as a lock. The three numbered underneath as a close battle to be his wingers… and the bottom three are extra pieces that I’m thinking won’t make the team unless they fit somewhere in the top 9 temporarily during core injuries.
a ginger ball hockey player... no wonder I'm a Canucks fan
Didn’t he say Lapierre centering 2 of those three guys?
And I think I agree with Steve on those three. If I had to bet I’d bet all three would be up with the big club with one sitting out.
And Sturm is an interesting case. He’s definitely in that “replace Raymond” role for now, who knows what will happen when (if) Raymond comes back
"Playin hurt, baby that don't faze me. I don't got time for pain. The only pain I've got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is!"
Is Hodgson the young guy the Canuks have been waiting to find his game? The guy who was supposedly running out of chances last year (I think I read that somewhere)? But he’s only 21…
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Member of the Torrey Mitchell and Patrick Marleau Fan Club
RIP Atlanta Thrashers. Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
He’s a bust! Everyone must be like Stamkos or Crosby or Ovechkin!
"Playin hurt, baby that don't faze me. I don't got time for pain. The only pain I've got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is!"
Couture’s a Bust too actually.
Does Hodgson seem to be getting better though? I don’t really remember him much from last night’s game.
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Member of the Torrey Mitchell and Patrick Marleau Fan Club
RIP Atlanta Thrashers. Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
neither do I :)
Nucks Misconduct Contributor
We chew and spit you out. We laugh, you scream and shout. All flee, with fear you run. You’ll know where we come from:
Damage incorporated.........GO!
by Sean Zandberg on Sep 30, 2011 12:29 PM PDT up reply actions
He was better in some of the other games this pre-season though.
"Playin hurt, baby that don't faze me. I don't got time for pain. The only pain I've got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is!"
He is still just 21. Lest we all forget how long it took the twins to become “good”
"Playin hurt, baby that don't faze me. I don't got time for pain. The only pain I've got time for is the pain I put on fools who don't know what time it is!"
Yup. He plays a similar type of game, and with his injury history, it wouldn’t surprise me the least bit to see him mature, develop and blossom into a beast when he’s older .
Frequent visitor to Nucks Misconduct.
by Vancouverguy on Sep 30, 2011 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Sometimes I don’t understand why teams give up on players really early. I mean, it’s the injuries that would bother me… but again, he’s only 21.
And they haven’t screwed up his development either (I hope), a la the Thrashers with Bogosian.
Is Hodgson a guy who would do alright on the lower lines, or does his game almost require him to play on the top 2 lines?
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Member of the Torrey Mitchell and Patrick Marleau Fan Club
RIP Atlanta Thrashers. Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
His game
is better suited to the top 6.
But one thing he has learned and is so much better at now is the two way game, and he got that by being in the lower leagues, and playing bottom six in his limited Canucks time.
This year should be fun, as we all expect him to center the 2nd line while Kes rehabs
Nuck’s Misconduct Bishop, 1st United Church of Luongod. "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Ghandi. I think he was a Canucks fan...
First,
congratulations to the Sharks on those nice goals, some of their players have nifty hands, no doubt. The Canucks will have their hands full, in this coming season.
The Canucks hopefuls played with a lot of heart, I can’t hold this loss against them. But I am a little pissed at Alain Vigneault, for setting this team up for one loss after another, in the pre-season. Because there is no doubt that he planned this loss. Nobody in their right mind could expect this line-up to beat a fullin stacked Sharks. On the score sheet, this was not exactly a blow-out, but 3:0 is a near-blow-out, in my book.
Why is it that the Sharks have a 4:0 record so far, and the Canucks are 2:5? Is it because AV doesn’t give a shit about pre-season, and he just wants to rest his top players? I don’t know, and I can’t figure him out.
But thank God, this circus is almost over, and we can watch a REAL hockey game soon. One more of week of this pre-season fiasco, and the Canucks will became the punching bag of the West Coast. Embarrassing, if you ask me.
BTW, Volpatti is a wrecking ball (who can actually play good hockey), I want him on our team. If I was AV, I would be thrilled to have such a gritty young prospect. If developed properly he will be a great asset on this team. I also liked Jenssen very much. He will soon be a flashy player, before given away for free to the New York Islanders, via Florida. Once free from AV, he will have a chance to become a superstar.
Not so much Mancari, it looks like he is not ready for the big league.
Los Angeles, CA
Me thinks you’re getting a little too heated about this pre-season. I could care less about these eight games, it’s for the young kids/roster hopefuls to get some game tape.
The risk far outweighs the reward. The core players played over 100 games, until June 15th; their spots are secure, they know what they are doing out there. Why would you expose Danny/Henrik/Roberto any more than you have to and let some fringe scrub make a name for themselves.
Wake me up in April.
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