Cheating. You're doing it wrong.
I suppose you have to feel sorry for the Avalanche last night. Imagine shutting down not just one of the best lines in the NHL, and a 2nd line as good as any in the league, and even a 3rd line that's played well all year and you still lose. That's the beauty of this version of the Vancouver Canucks. Great goaltending, solid defense and a balanced scoring attack is the reason why the boys in blue & green sit atop the league this morning. Let's not kid ourselves; as awesome as this is, it's crazy to think they're not gonna have some kind of stumble along the way. But all the naysayers that are spouting off about the Canucks peaking too early can get bent. This team is exhibiting all of the trademarks of a team that has what it takes to go all the way. The scariest thing? They haven't even played their best hockey yet. More after the jump...
The Canucks play their 3rd game in 4 nights, part of a 6 in 9 day stretch that sees the Canucks take on some of the best in the league. I gotta tell you straight out I am not expecting them to win tonight. The Sharks have been playing well lately and should be able to jump on a tired Canucks team. At the same time, the way the Canucks are able to pull off wins lately it might be a mistake to write them off.
Another factor that will most certainly come into play tonight is the serious asskicking the Canucks laid on the Sharks Nov. 26th. The 6-1 shellacking was highlighted by a Dan Hamhuis hipcheck on Douglas Murray that has become the stuff of legend in these parts. I don't expect the Sharks to fold as easily this time around. After last night's mindboggling officiating we will need the Canucks to keep their discipline in check against the Sharks potent power play as well as get their own powerplay back on track after struggling last night in Denver.
While he wasn't pulling his normal amount of minutes, Mason Raymond's return was a big one as he along with his 4th line mates Alex Bolduc and Tanner Glass provided all the offense last night. The line was so effective you probably couldn't blame Alain Vigneault for keeping the lineup intact for tonight's tilt with the Sharks. No word yet on who will start in goal for the Canucks, but with the sheer number of games ahead for them, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cory Schneider get another start.
Goji Berry and Flax Seed Oatmeal with Blueberries
Though many hoped to see it as the gold medal game, the semi-final showdown this afternoon between the USA and Canada should be a good one. The Americans didn't have too much trouble along the way though hardly looked like the dominating force many expected them to be, while Team Canada looked shaky at times, dealing with injuries and a suspension to one of their top players. I think the thing to remember here through all the rhetoric is that Canada, no matter how many draft picks they have on the team was never the favorite. The pressure is squarely on the US kids to win at home and live up to their pre-tournament billing as the team to beat. All in all, this is gonna be a close one, but I think that Canada will pull it out thanks to a little karmic push from a certain megadouche blogger yapping away on the Twitter right now. Misplaced rage because your NHL team sucks is a bitch, huh?
The tv numbers for the Winter Classic were impressive considering they didn't have a lot of time to publicize the time change. The game won the night in key demographics and was the most watched regular season game in 36 years. Maybe there's hope for them yet...
Much was made about the Flyers' long win streak against the Canucks in Vancouver, which thankfully was put to rest. The Flyers had a demon of their own to deal with as they went into Detroit last night, looking for their first win in the Motor City in over 22 years, a streak even longer than the one over the Canucks. That win enabled the Canucks to move into first overall, so thanks for that. I'm sorry I called you douchebags. Okay, not really. I will however eat a cheese steak in your honour...
Speaking of the Flyers, they put Micheal Leighton on waivers today. Yes the Micheal Leighton that led them to the Stanley Cup Finals. Would anyone have predicted both finals teams from the previous season would dump their goalies? Not likely. It will be interesting to see if this one comes back to bite them on the ass, but it certainly has some people shaking their heads this morning...
WAACH 'Cast's Band Of The Day- DEATH ANGEL
Seeing as how the Canucks are in the Bay Area, I thought I would throw one of their best acts at you. Death Angel burst onto the scene in 1987, at the time the oldest band member was around 20, and drummer Andy Galeon was just 14! Another interesting tidbit, the original lineup of the band are all cousins. The band reunited a few years ago and have put together some impressive work, so we will throw a classic from their first album 'The Ultra Violence' as well as one from 'Relentless Retribution', their most recent release.