Daniel Sedin: the Natural
Tired of being spectators while their previous two opponents had hat-trick goal scorers, the Canucks went out and got their own.
The Atlanta Thrashers dropped their 2nd straight game to Northwest division foes after a loss in Calgary on Tuesday. Ondrej Pavelec was busy for Atlanta, facing 15 shots in the second period, and 16 in the third, for a total of 38 on the night.
Daniel Sedin, with a little bit of luck, recorded the Canucks' second hat trick of the season (his brother had one while he was injured). This one was particularly special, as it was a 'natural' hat trick, scoring 3 straight goals for Vancouver.
His third, scored at 1:39 of the 2nd frame, was due largely in part to Alex Burrows' determination in front of the net, taking a big hit to make the pass to Daniel. The goal turned out to be the eventual game-winner.
Henrik Sedin also had a great game, and his jaw dropping statistic of 5 straight games with 2 assists is quite remarkable. It was evident to the sell out crowd on hand that the twins indeed have gotten into a groove since Daniel returned from a broken left foot. The Canucks were credited with 8 takeaways in the game, which really was a large reason for their victory. Even while short-handed in the second period, they managed three 2-on-1 breaks against the Thrashers after forcing turnovers.
Canucks' sixth defenseman, Shane O'Brien, whom Team 1040 believes is being shopped by Vancouver to other teams, had his best game of the year. It wasn't just because he had an assist and was a plus 2 on the night (he initially was credited with 2 assists), but was hitting, skating well, and made some very good passes. He was named the games' third star.
Earlier in the day, after the Canucks morning skate, captain Roberto Luongo held a captains-only meeting. He wanted to discuss the importance of this 8 game home stand, particularly with the 14 straight road games scheduled following the Olympics. "We all know what the standings are like and how tight it is, and we need some wins," said Luongo.
The Sedin twins extended their points streak to 5 games, with Henrik adding 10 assists, and Daniel netting 5 goals and 4 assists in that span. Thrashers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec put the exclamation point on their performance. "Every time their on the ice, you have to be careful because those two guys are (two) of the best players in the NHL." Henrik Sedin is now third in the NHL for points with 38, one more than Sidney Crosby.
1 Comment
Recommended Comments
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now