Slumping into the break
Entry posted by Andrew Bucholtz
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[You can find the original post with embedded video here]
The Olympic break comes at a perfect time for the Canucks, as their play lately has been appalling. A 4-4 record on the first portion of the Road Trip From Hell ™ isn't inherently horrible, but the Canucks, ranked seventh in the league in points, managed to lose to Montreal (21st), Ottawa (10th), Tampa Bay (22nd) and Minnesota (20th), and only the Montreal game was remotely close. Now, anything can happen once teams get on the ice, and a higher-ranked team won't always beat a lower-ranked team, but dropping that many points against the dregs of the league has to be cause for concern.
What's even more worrisome is how the Canucks barely squeaked out three of those four wins against Boston (18th in the league), Columbus (25th) and Toronto (29th). Their only real decisive win was <a href="http://www.nucksmisconduct.com/2010/2/12/1307694/friday-morning-coffee-here-at-last">a 3-0 victory</a> [<i>Nucks Misconduct</i>] over the injury and <a href="http://trevorpresiloski.com/2010/02/postscript-canuckspanthers-ping/">trade-depleted</a> [<b>Trevor Presiloski</b>, <i>The Internet Trashcan</i>] Florida Panthers (26th in the league) Thursday. Losses happen, but Vancouver just isn't playing well at all right now, and they easily could have picked up less than eight points from this road trip.
One of the chief areas of concern has to be the play of <b>Roberto Luongo</b>. Luongo started the year slowly, but then rounded into form, and his overall numbers (.919 save percentage, which is tied for 12th in the league, a 2.35 save percentage, 10th in the league, and four shutouts, tied for sixth in the league) certainly aren't too bad. However, his recent play has been very hit-and-miss, and the way he allowed five goals on <a href="http://canucks.nhl.com/club/boxscore.htm?id=2009020918">just 32 shots</a> before getting pulled against the Wild Sunday definitely wasn't impressive.
That loss wasn't entirely Luongo's fault, though, and the team's poor play goes well beyond the crease. The Canucks took 36 penalty minutes Sunday and allowed four power-play goals. They also were outshot 41-29 and only registered two shots on goal in the second period. They're not going to win many games that way.
What do the Canucks need to do to get better? For one thing, they need to come out of the gate ready to play; as I <a href="http://canuckpuck.com/2010/02/11/sitting-around/">wrote last week</a>, they've allowed other teams to score first way too often. To me, that's symptomatic of the bigger problem, though; they've started to believe their own hype and are coasting on their reputation. The team has a tremendous amount of talent, but there's enough parity in the NHL that they can't take anyone lightly. Hopefully, they'll realize that after the Olympics.
The Olympic break could be an excellent opportunity for the team, though. For one thing, it gives them time to think and time to heal; with the slew of defensive injuries and the recent report by <b>Jim Jamieson</b> of <i>The Province</i> that <b>Henrik Sedin</b> <a href="http://www.theprovince.com/sports/hockey/canucks-hockey/Sedins+return+Vancouver+competition/2569384/story.html">has been suffering from a back injury</a> for the last 10 days, that time could be a huge benefit. The break also provides a rest for the players who aren't involved in Olympic competition. In my mind, it's the [a href="http://communities.canada.com/THEPROVINCE/blogs/kurtenblog/archive/2010/02/14/roasting-the-olympic-bound-canucks-not-named-roberto-luongo.aspx">seven players</a> [<i>Orland Kurtenblog</i>] who will be in the tournament that could really benefit, though; many of them <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Vigneault+points+finger+Canuck+Olympians+after+ugly+loss+Minnesota/2564482/story.html">have been playing poorly lately</a> [<b>Brad Ziemer</b>, <i>Vancouver Sun</i>], and they might just be jolted out of their comfort zone by playing for their country, with different teammates, and potentially in elimination games, where you're forced to give it everything you've got.
Furthermore, most of the Canucks competing are expected to play significant roles. The Sedins will likely be on one of Sweden's top lines and collect a fair bit of power-play time, while <b>Ryan Kesler</b> may be a crucial two-way forward for the Americans. <b>Christian Ehrhoff</b> is probably Germany's best player, while <b>Sami Salo</b> will see plenty of ice time with the Finns. <b>Pavol Demitra</b> may have a more limited role with Slovakia, as he's just returned from injury, and <b>Roberto Luongo</b>'s chances at the starting spot with Team Canada <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Can-struggling-NHL-goalies-hit-the-reset-button-?urn=nhl,219891">are still up for debate</a> [<b>Greg Wyshynski</b>, <i>Puck Daddy</i>], although there's a case that can be made for him, particularly when you consider <b>Martin Brodeur</b>'s <a href="http://canuckshockeyblog.com/?p=2899">recent struggles</a> [<b>J.J. Guerrero</b>, <i>Canucks Hockey Blog</i>]. Still, it looks like these guys will be important components of their Olympic teams, and that experience, plus the chance to play with other elite players, may help them when they return to the NHL.
Moreover, the Games are in Vancouver and the schedule isn't that tough, so it's like a regular two-week homestand for the Canucks who are participating. Hopefully, if they can use that time wisely, they can learn from the Games and bring a more aggressive mentality back to the NHL after the break to give the Canucks a great finish to the regular season. The bell is tolling for them; the question is if they'll step up and answer the call.
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