Injuries batter blue line as Vancouver Canucks' win streak ends vs. Flames
January 8, 2017, 3:49 PM ET [142 Comments]
Vancouver was behind the 8 Ball even before the opening faceoff—short one body on the blue line. After sustaining injuries in Friday's win over the Flames, Chris Tanev was ruled out for the game early in the day and Ben Hutton was scratched shortly before the opening puck drop.
Alex Biega was the only spare defenseman available, so that meant the Canucks could dress only five blueliners.
Far from ideal, especially since the team also played most of Friday's game with just five D after Tanev's first-period injury. But situations like this happen to every team from time to time. The only other healthy extra player available was winger Anton Rodin, so he drew into the lineup. Since he doesn't play defense, he didn't play a shift.
I have no problem with this. If a forward had been injured on Saturday, Rodin could have been shuffled into the rotation but otherwise, there wasn't really a place for him to play.
“You have 13 forwards and you don’t have enough ice time for 12,” coach Willie Desjardins told Ben Kuzma of The Province after the game. “There’s no sense sitting him for 15 minutes and giving him a shift. My fourth-line guys didn’t have 10 minutes tonight, so they were warm and I could keep them going.
“And I didn’t think our power play was good. Late in the game (power play) I’m not playing him (Rodin) after he sat that long.”
Considering that the horses Willie was using that just delivered six consecutive wins, I can understand why he was inclined to stick with what had been working for him. The fourth line even scored against the Flames on Friday!
It's one thing when you're, say, Joel Quenneville and you know your job is secure. He has the luxury of shuffling his lineup without being second-guessed, and won't take too much heat for a loss. When you're Willie, and you've been on the hot seat all season, I think it's natural to err on the side of caution with your player personnel choices.
Coach did make one significant change to his lines up front. During his six-game stint with the Sedins, Jayson Megna produced just one assist during his six-game stint with the Sedins—and that came on the second-unit power play against the Flames on Friday. Saturday night, Willie started in his usual fashion, but quickly swapped Megna with Loui Eriksson.
At last, Eriksson back with the twins! Neither line was able to score but they both generated some good chances. Megna finished the night with a team-high four shots on goal in his new role, and Eriksson was right behind him with three.
And all things considered, the team played a winnable game right up till Michael Frolik's breakaway goal sealed the win for the Flames with 1:50 left on the clock.
Calgary scored twice in the first period—and both those goals came when the Canucks were scrambling with only four defensemen, while Nikita Tryamkin was getting attention in the dressing room after taking a hard hit from Micheal Ferland.
He wasn't gone long—Tryamkin left the game with 8:28 to play in the first period and returned with 4:31 to play. But in his absense, the Canucks were down to two pairs—Edler/Stecher and Sbisa/Biega. It was the Edler/Stecher pair that was on the ice for both goals against.
The Flames opened the scoring with 5:34 to play in the first, when Alex Chiasson tipped a shot by Sean Monahan. Just 63 seconds later, Matt Stajan tallied what proved to be the game winner when he tipped a Garnet Hathaway shot past Jacob Markstrom with 4:31 on the clock.
That's when Tryamkin returned—and the Canucks made a game of it the rest of the way. After managing just 13 shots in the entire game against the Flames on Friday, they put 13 on the board in the second period alone on Saturday night, and Bo Horvat recorded his team-leading 13th goal of the season at the 3:04 mark.
Bo's current seven-game point streak is just a couple of games behind the guy on the other side who currently leads the league with the longest active streak—rookie Matthew Tkachuk.
A couple of minutes after Horvat's goal, the Vancouver blue line took another blow, as Luca Sbisa was rocked by Garnet Hathaway.
At this point, Sbisa's the only Canucks defenseman who has played in every game so far this season. Impressive, considering all the injuries that limited him to just 41 games last season. Saturday was his 42nd game of the current campaign, and he didn't miss a shift after that hit.
I'm crossing my fingers that he and Tryamkin will both be okay for this week's road trip, which stops in Nashville on Tuesday and in Philadelphia on Thursday. Coach Desjardins also holds out some hope that Tanev and/or Hutton might be able to rejoin the team.
"They checked him out in the morning and it was good news," Desjardins told Kuzma about Tanev after Saturday's game, "but they (doctors) just didn’t think he could go tonight.
"There could be some concern with (a rib-cage injury), but I think he’s going to be fine to go (on road trip).”
Hutton's injury "came off a shot (Friday) and we thought he was going to be able to go. It’s a short turnaround with back-to-backs and you don’t get a real read until the warm-up skate at night. We thought he was good..."
Factoring in all that adversity, I'm impressed that the Canucks had a chance to win on Saturday night. And I loved seeing the frustration they showed then Frolik got that clinching goal. It warms my heart to see how much this group hates to close, and hated to see the winning streak come to an end.
This year's strong effort level is one of many topics I covered in my long conversation with Sbisa as the winning streak was beginning. I'll get that posted for you tomorrow, while the team's getting ready to head to Nashville.
January 8, 2017, 3:49 PM ET [142 Comments]
Vancouver was behind the 8 Ball even before the opening faceoff—short one body on the blue line. After sustaining injuries in Friday's win over the Flames, Chris Tanev was ruled out for the game early in the day and Ben Hutton was scratched shortly before the opening puck drop.
Alex Biega was the only spare defenseman available, so that meant the Canucks could dress only five blueliners.
Far from ideal, especially since the team also played most of Friday's game with just five D after Tanev's first-period injury. But situations like this happen to every team from time to time. The only other healthy extra player available was winger Anton Rodin, so he drew into the lineup. Since he doesn't play defense, he didn't play a shift.
I have no problem with this. If a forward had been injured on Saturday, Rodin could have been shuffled into the rotation but otherwise, there wasn't really a place for him to play.
“You have 13 forwards and you don’t have enough ice time for 12,” coach Willie Desjardins told Ben Kuzma of The Province after the game. “There’s no sense sitting him for 15 minutes and giving him a shift. My fourth-line guys didn’t have 10 minutes tonight, so they were warm and I could keep them going.
“And I didn’t think our power play was good. Late in the game (power play) I’m not playing him (Rodin) after he sat that long.”
Considering that the horses Willie was using that just delivered six consecutive wins, I can understand why he was inclined to stick with what had been working for him. The fourth line even scored against the Flames on Friday!
It's one thing when you're, say, Joel Quenneville and you know your job is secure. He has the luxury of shuffling his lineup without being second-guessed, and won't take too much heat for a loss. When you're Willie, and you've been on the hot seat all season, I think it's natural to err on the side of caution with your player personnel choices.
Coach did make one significant change to his lines up front. During his six-game stint with the Sedins, Jayson Megna produced just one assist during his six-game stint with the Sedins—and that came on the second-unit power play against the Flames on Friday. Saturday night, Willie started in his usual fashion, but quickly swapped Megna with Loui Eriksson.
At last, Eriksson back with the twins! Neither line was able to score but they both generated some good chances. Megna finished the night with a team-high four shots on goal in his new role, and Eriksson was right behind him with three.
And all things considered, the team played a winnable game right up till Michael Frolik's breakaway goal sealed the win for the Flames with 1:50 left on the clock.
Calgary scored twice in the first period—and both those goals came when the Canucks were scrambling with only four defensemen, while Nikita Tryamkin was getting attention in the dressing room after taking a hard hit from Micheal Ferland.
He wasn't gone long—Tryamkin left the game with 8:28 to play in the first period and returned with 4:31 to play. But in his absense, the Canucks were down to two pairs—Edler/Stecher and Sbisa/Biega. It was the Edler/Stecher pair that was on the ice for both goals against.
The Flames opened the scoring with 5:34 to play in the first, when Alex Chiasson tipped a shot by Sean Monahan. Just 63 seconds later, Matt Stajan tallied what proved to be the game winner when he tipped a Garnet Hathaway shot past Jacob Markstrom with 4:31 on the clock.
That's when Tryamkin returned—and the Canucks made a game of it the rest of the way. After managing just 13 shots in the entire game against the Flames on Friday, they put 13 on the board in the second period alone on Saturday night, and Bo Horvat recorded his team-leading 13th goal of the season at the 3:04 mark.
Bo's current seven-game point streak is just a couple of games behind the guy on the other side who currently leads the league with the longest active streak—rookie Matthew Tkachuk.
A couple of minutes after Horvat's goal, the Vancouver blue line took another blow, as Luca Sbisa was rocked by Garnet Hathaway.
At this point, Sbisa's the only Canucks defenseman who has played in every game so far this season. Impressive, considering all the injuries that limited him to just 41 games last season. Saturday was his 42nd game of the current campaign, and he didn't miss a shift after that hit.
I'm crossing my fingers that he and Tryamkin will both be okay for this week's road trip, which stops in Nashville on Tuesday and in Philadelphia on Thursday. Coach Desjardins also holds out some hope that Tanev and/or Hutton might be able to rejoin the team.
"They checked him out in the morning and it was good news," Desjardins told Kuzma about Tanev after Saturday's game, "but they (doctors) just didn’t think he could go tonight.
"There could be some concern with (a rib-cage injury), but I think he’s going to be fine to go (on road trip).”
Hutton's injury "came off a shot (Friday) and we thought he was going to be able to go. It’s a short turnaround with back-to-backs and you don’t get a real read until the warm-up skate at night. We thought he was good..."
Factoring in all that adversity, I'm impressed that the Canucks had a chance to win on Saturday night. And I loved seeing the frustration they showed then Frolik got that clinching goal. It warms my heart to see how much this group hates to close, and hated to see the winning streak come to an end.
This year's strong effort level is one of many topics I covered in my long conversation with Sbisa as the winning streak was beginning. I'll get that posted for you tomorrow, while the team's getting ready to head to Nashville.
Today at 5:10 pm by Rocky
» utube MM&C 5/7/24 Iraq Dinar- IQD Update - Regional Trade - A Progession of Reforms - A Global Bac
Today at 5:09 pm by Rocky
» After a break of more than 9 years.. the resumption of a government trade meeting between Iraq and A
Today at 8:06 am by Rocky
» A deputy in finance expects the Council of Ministers to approve the budget schedules in today’s sess
Today at 8:02 am by Rocky
» A deputy resolves the controversy over the “transfer supplement” in two ministries
Today at 8:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Halbousi’s “vacant” seat.. Will the coordination framework end the “Taqaddum” dream of an allianc
Today at 7:59 am by Rocky
» The Federal Government issues a state order to stop the Commission’s work procedures regarding the K
Today at 7:57 am by Rocky
» Including the freedom to choose the bank and withdraw the salary for “free”... “My Account” features
Today at 7:55 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank sells more than $250 million during its daily auction
Today at 7:51 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives a delegation from the Union of Arab Banks
Today at 7:44 am by Rocky
» Iraq and the United States of America hold trade meetings in Washington
Today at 7:43 am by Rocky
» In pictures... The activities of the Union of Arab Banks conference in Baghdad, “Day Two”
Today at 7:42 am by Rocky
» The Director General of Ports announces the completion of berths (3) and (4) in Al-Faw Grand Port
Today at 7:40 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers holds its regular session headed by Al-Sudani
Today at 7:38 am by Rocky
» Parliament publishes the agenda of its session for next Thursday
Today at 7:37 am by Rocky
» A government measure to reduce "money laundering" using the buying and selling of real estate in Ira
Today at 7:35 am by Rocky
» Iraq proposes establishing a specialized council to combat corruption in Arab countries
Today at 7:32 am by Rocky
» Al-Mawarid intends to establish infrastructure and investment projects for the water sector in Iraq
Today at 7:30 am by Rocky
» The Federal Court issues a decision regarding postponing the election of the Speaker of the House of
Today at 7:28 am by Rocky
» A government meeting to discuss financing and implementation mechanisms for the Development Road Pro
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraqi banks are on the right track with financial transfers
Today at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Khazali: The Turkish side is still imposing its conditions on Iraq
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Rights: We refuse to amend the bylaws of Parliament under political influence and desires
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Nechirvan Barzani: We want to address all problems with Iran and begin a new phase of relations
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Today, Iraq and Iran signed the minutes of a joint meeting related to trade
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» KPMG International begins auditing the revenues of telephone companies operating in Iraq
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Oil: The seventh batch of equipment for the gas manufacturing project in the Nasiriyah and Gharraf f
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani assures the French ambassador of Iraq’s openness to “fruitful” partnerships
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Government move to install gold screening devices at 4 airports
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Sudanese Advisor: The oil sector is witnessing a rapid renaissance
Today at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Opening offices specialized in employing people with disabilities
Today at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Infrastructure and investment projects for the water sector in Iraq
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Adopting the electronic system in the next census
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs the first meeting to restructure the government apparatus
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Business Council: Efforts to open a branch of the Chinese Bank in Iraq
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Iraqi diplomacy is balanced openness
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» The head of the Integrity Commission told Al-Sabah: We are the people’s eyes on the government and s
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Baghdad Provincial Council: The capital is facing a new urban and service phase
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Customs, security and economic aspects
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Central Governor: We face “increasing challenges” in complying with international laws
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Payment of end-of-service benefits to employees referred to retirement for the month of May
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» Billions “evaporated”.. What is the truth about closing the “theft of the century” file in Diyala?
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Labor approves the extinguishment of debts owed by transgressors from the families o
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» How did Washington comment on Nechirvan Barzani's visit to Tehran?
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» The honeymoon is over and the salary crisis continues. Baghdad and Erbil exchange accusations, but s
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» Why has Iraq not submitted a file to stop burning gas over the past years?
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» A slight increase in the exchange rate...more than 146 thousand per 100 dollars
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Do Iraq's debts pose a threat to the economy? Parliament answers
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» Agriculture explains the mechanism of implementing the calendar program and its economic gains
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» President Masoud Barzani meets an Iraqi parliamentary delegation
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary criticism of the government’s delay in sending the budget schedules despite the approa
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» A report reveals the existence of an undeclared “Iraqi-British” agreement regarding asylum seekers
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Alternative energy... advanced stages of the largest solar energy station in Iraq
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Its delay raised concerns... it is likely that the 2024 budget schedules will be approved today
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» The industry reveals the reasons why Russian companies stopped reconstructing 7 factories in Anbar
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Billions evaporated.. What is the truth about closing the theft of the century file in Diyala?
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» Nouri Al-Maliki to the Saudi Ambassador: Iraq is open to all countries of the world
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» An Iraqi generation that “does not fear” America and Iran.. Nadim Al-Jabri explains his expectations
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» After 9 years.. the third session of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between Iraq and A
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» “These are our goals.” The Turkish President talks about his visit to Iraq last month
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» Romanowski: The Iraqi judiciary is independent and the Federal Court seeks to consolidate democracy
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Deputy: The presidency of Parliament will remain vacant until the end of the current session
Today at 4:17 am by Rocky
» Political: The Iraqi economy is threatened by American hegemony because of the coordination administ
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» Politician: Salem Al-Issawi will not become Speaker of Parliament
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» Planning reveals the mechanism for examining gold in local markets
Today at 4:14 am by Rocky
» Including railway connectivity and water shares... Iraq and Iran are discussing a number of common i
Today at 4:12 am by Rocky
» Oil is preparing to export gas oil after achieving self-sufficiency
Today at 4:11 am by Rocky
» Trade is preparing to hold a number of specialized exhibitions in Baghdad and the provinces
Today at 4:09 am by Rocky
» Erdogan: Our goal is to raise the volume of trade with Iraq to more than 20 billion dollars
Today at 4:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani confirms Iraq's openness to fruitful partnerships with French companies
Today at 4:07 am by Rocky
» Determining the launch date for the activities of the 48th session of the Baghdad International Fair
Today at 4:06 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives a delegation from the Union of Arab Banks
Today at 4:05 am by Rocky
» utube 5/3/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar Update - Expectation - Implementation - Activation - New Exchange Rat
Yesterday at 7:30 am by Rocky
» “Services” asks the Central Bank about billions of foreign banks in Iraq
Yesterday at 7:27 am by Rocky
» Central Bank: Iraqi banks still face challenges in complying with international laws and standards
Yesterday at 7:24 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary bloc: The Central Bank offers hard currency to “mafias” on a golden platter.. The Suda
Yesterday at 7:20 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Central Auction witnesses a rise in foreign remittances to $267 million
Yesterday at 7:19 am by Rocky
» Wednesday.. The session to elect the President of the Iraqi Parliament is heading towards “Al-Issawi
Yesterday at 7:14 am by Rocky
» The Union of Arab Banks proposes 4 “important” points for Iraqi banks to meet compliance standards
Yesterday at 7:12 am by Rocky
» In the document... the Central Bank decides to return the “Al-Mal” Bank to work... in this case
Yesterday at 7:08 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi-American agreements and cooperation were the most prominent topics of Al-Araji and Romanow
Yesterday at 7:06 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim meets a joint delegation of resolve and sovereignty and renews the call to hold a session t
Yesterday at 7:05 am by Rocky
» Nearly one billion dinars were recovered and 3 million liters of fuel intended for smuggling in Iraq
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani and the European Union ambassador discuss issues of economic partnerships, civil aviation,
Yesterday at 6:59 am by Rocky
» More than 950 million dinars... petroleum products announced their recovery
Yesterday at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Forming a committee to follow up on stopping the sale of the dollar to travelers
Yesterday at 6:54 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Justice visits Al-Muthanna Governorate to discuss mechanisms for developing judicial
Yesterday at 6:52 am by Rocky
» Agriculture: Farmers who were affected by the recent rains will be compensated
Yesterday at 6:51 am by Rocky
» Al-Rasheed issues a warning regarding applying for advances and loans
Yesterday at 6:49 am by Rocky
» Al-Rafidain announces the implementation of the comprehensive banking system in its main branch
Yesterday at 5:24 am by Rocky
» Al-Rasheed warns of offices and pages claiming to promote the Salaf
Yesterday at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Adviser to the Prime Minister: There are no conflicts in the route of the Baghdad Metro
Yesterday at 5:19 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We are keen to develop the work of the TBI Bank and address the problems it faces
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Agriculture explains the mechanism of implementing the calendar program and its economic gains
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» “The shocks have changed.” The Governor of the Central Bank explains the impact of the openness of I
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» The President of the Association of Private Banks sends an “important” invitation to the Central Ban
Yesterday at 5:15 am by Rocky
» Al-Alaq: The Iraqi banking sector has witnessed significant qualitative developments in response to
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» On behalf of Al-Sudani, the Minister of Planning sponsors the signing ceremony of a memorandum of un
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Travel Companies Association participates in the Arab Travel Market Exhibition
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky