Oilers At Canucks Preview: The Right Direction

So they can score goals! Just not on the power play. Keep in mind though that the Canucks have been pretty good 5 on 5 when all is said and done.They have maintained scoring more than their opposition on average 5 on 5 all season long. The power play is so ineffective right now though, that like I said before, it can only get better from here. The Canucks are still 7th in the West, and now 1 point behind Los Angeles, and they have one of the worst power plays in the NHL. So while a good power play is the not the be all end all, it's just another tool in the toolbox that sometimes can give a team a boost, and it can give you more wins as well. But not always! Hockey is far more complicated than that.

The 5-4 win reeked of inconsistent play from our Canucks, but hey, they got the win in the end They showed some resolve, especially Higgins, Richardson and Bieksa in the OT, and all game really.

That's more than I can say for Daniel Sedin, who has not scored a goal now in 12 games. The way he looks out there lately....I sometimes wonder, and I hate to effing say it...if he's playing with an injury. He's just looks far less effective than normal. He got pushed off the puck so easily in the offensive zone on the 4-4 goal by Phoenix last night. No, his futility has nothing to do with Hank not being there, because they both have been shadows of their former selves in January and we know damned well they can play just fine without each other. And that points back to the power play where those guys eat up the minutes. Your top players need to be your top players.

The Canucks got more offence from their defence vs Phoenix. That needs to continue moving forwards especially, once again, on the POWER PLAY.

Can you imagine what it's going to be like when Daniel and Alexandre Burrows start scoring again? Daniel seems pretty composed over his drought but not Burr. You can see it in his eyes. He is not a happy camper. He has a lot of pride and I like that. He has fire. Hang in there, Burr. Keep fucking shooting. It's just a matter of time.

Let's just keep it positive tonight. The Canucks are 3-1 in their last 4 games. Sure, they are non-playoff teams, but amidst all the madness, I will give them credit.

I WONDER...

1. Will the Canucks call up Jordan Schroeder for this tilt? I wish they would! He's a little spark plug that Schroeder kid.

2. David Booth. I'd like to be a fly on the wall when the coaches talk about this guy behind closed doors. I know he hasn't scored a goal in 13 games and has only 2 assists in that span, but he isn't the only guy struggling. But how many more times do you have to bench him? And why doesn't Daniel get benched then? Booth is in the doghouse and his leash is short for the rest of his tenure here, and he knows it. But geez, he's not a total failure out there. Like I said: oh to be a fly on the wall. How well can he play with a gun constantly pointed at his head? I think the answer is pretty clear.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

-The Canucks are 8-2-1 in their last 11 games against the Coilers. Just wanted to start with that.

-I will quote a posted quote from The Copper And Blue of what Elliotte Friedman said on HNIC lately:

It was a wild week in Edmonton, obviously, and I tried to reach out to Kevin Lowe today but the Oilers said that he had declined several media requests during the week so he wasn't going to take this one. But Ron, what I believe has happened this week is that with all of the craziness going around the team Kevin Lowe offered to either take a sabbatical or step away from the Oilers if they felt that that would calm things down in the market and in the city. And I understand that offer was rejected by the owner Daryl Katz.

And now I will just give you the link to Benjamin Massey's classic post on the madness HERE. Check it out.

-After losing 6 straight games (4 of them on the road), the Oilers beat the piss out of the Predators 5-1 on Sunday night. That was something the Canucks sure as hell couldn't do. But I mentioned the Oilers losing on the road....yeah...they are 7-18-4 away from Tylenol Arena this season, so the Canucks had better beat on them.

-Just a heads up, Oilers fans: the Canucks are taking a lot of penalties lately, so if you can bring it with the man advantage you have an excellent chance of taking this one.

VIDEO

Highlights from the last meeting between these 2 teams:

Canucks fans reaction to that game:

The title of this hastened game preview post has been brought to you once again by the lovely Jewel Kilcher, who sold her soul at this moment:

But I drooled anyway!

GO CANUCKS GO!