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AlwaysACanuckFan

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Everything posted by AlwaysACanuckFan

  1. Some Vintage Burrows.. 1) Getting under Sabres skin.. 2) Drawing a penalty 3) Scoring a goal..
  2. Can't wait to watch Bo at his first NHL Allstar Game.
  3. Nice pass from Horvat and Boeser with the one timer ppg, such a sweet thought. I can't wait to see this shot on our PP. With that goal..
  4. I found this Botchford's article worth the read regarding Horvat. For me personally I'm looking forward to seeing how the 2nd half of the season goes for Bo. http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/jason-botchford-we-are-witnessing-the-slow-passing-of-the-torch-to-horvat?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter Jason Botchford: We are witnessing the slow passing of the torch to Horvat JASON BOTCHFORD More from Jason Botchford Published: January 8, 2017 Updated: January 8, 2017 4:52 PM PST Swedes have ruled Vancouver for nearly 20 years. Markus Naslund to the Sedin twins is a connection not unlike Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, without the championships, of course. You know it’s been a long time when you have to count in decades when looking back for the last player not named Sedin or Naslund to lead the Canucks in points. It was 19 years ago. The player was Pavel Bure. What followed Bure was the two best eras in Canucks history. The second, the Sedin era, has been held together by loose stitches for a couple of years now. The Sedins are 36, their careers gently closing. Just a few months ago, people were still questioning where the next one was going to come from. You can’t help but wonder now if he’s already here. As Sven Baertschi, Alex Burrows and Horvat stylishly and forcefully played catch, cycling the puck with Sedin-like precision and dominance, you could feel the pressure building on Calgary’s defence. You could also feel something else, something that hasn’t been common in Vancouver. Not for a long time, anyway. That would be excitement for the offensive upside of the Canucks’ youth. There are lots of reasons Horvat should be the heir apparent. He has a ton in common with the Canucks’ greatest Swedish players, actually. Horvat is polite, professional and accountable. He’s also incredibly focused and devoid of distractions in life, which is not an insignificant thing for a young professional hockey player. There is but one reason Horvat has not often been thought of as next in line. He wasn’t supposed to score. Not like this. In his past 13 games, he has 13 points. For the past month, he’s 10th in the league in point production. When he was drafted three and a half years ago, many hoped he’d be a good shutdown centre one day. Only a few months ago, he was centring what many viewed as the fourth line, flanked by Derek Dorsett and Burrows. It’s hard to believe now. Yes, time moves fast. Even now, he’s averaging 13:33 per game in even-strength ice time. That’s a minute less than Brandon Sutter and more than two minutes fewer than Henrik Sedin. By most definitions, Horvat is centring the Canucks’ third line. Horvat won’t keep up this recent point pace, but he does have more to give in the second half of the season because he can play more and his coach seems to know it. “What’s changed this year is that he hasn’t had to take as many of the defensive-zone faceoffs,” Willie Desjardins said. “Not lately. “I still have lots of confidence in him. I think he can handle 18, 19 or 20 minutes a night. That’s not an issue. “But when his line has been fresh, they’ve been effective.” It does seem appropriate, if we really are watching Henrik pass the torch, it’s Burrows carrying the flame. In the second half of last season, Horvat broke out offensively. The defensive side of his game still had a long, long way to go, a point often ignored. But with Burrows this season, Horvat has turned a corner. When both are on the ice, the Canucks are scoring 61.5 per cent of the goals. When Horvat plays without Burrows this season, the Canucks are scoring just 40 per cent of the goals. With Burrows, Horvat is controlling 51.5 per cent of shot attempts. Without him, just 43.3 per cent. The differences here are stunning. Eight years ago, Burrows was the catalyst who helped take the Sedins to the next level. Funny, it appears he’s doing it again with the next generation.
  5. Hutton probably had his most complete game against the Avs. He looked more comfortable being paired with Tryamkin, was aggressive, pinched more often, and created more offence and chances like this..
  6. Well he certainly has impressed so far!
  7. The return of the honey badger is near, Canucks sure miss him!
  8. Stecher had an excellent game vs the Leafs, Not only did he save a goal.. But he also played well in his own zone, with the breakouts which almost led to a goal.. He was divine.
  9. You can certainly tell the Sedins are very exhilarated and happy to have Loui as their linemate. I can hardly wait to see this trio put its magic together and light the lamp often over the next few seasons. http://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/kuzma-sedins-high-on-new-linemate-eriksson Kuzma: Sedins high on new linemate Eriksson BEN KUZMA Published: October 5, 2016 Updated: October 5, 2016 5:10 PM PDT Filed Under: The Province Sports Hockey Vancouver Canucks What don’t we know about Loui Eriksson? Daniel Sedin suggested the winger’s time management with his four kids could be better. That’s understandable. Henrik Sedin suggested his linemate doesn’t take nights off and by the end of any game, he will have done something to make the Vancouver Canucks better. That’s encouraging. You’re never going to see him have a bad game — that’s what stands out for me,” the Canucks captain said Wednesday of the the prize free-agent acquisition. “I’ve played with him and against him enough that you’re never going come out after a game and say: ‘He was poor tonight.’ “He does something every night to help the team — it could be on the power play or by just playing a steady game — and he doesn’t make any mistakes. He’s not going to cost you any games.” It cost the Canucks a lot, especially the six-year term, to land the 30-goal scorer who will start as a fixture on the first line and first power-play unit. But beyond the $US36 million, it’s rare for a free agent to commit to a team that needs everything to go right just for a shot at the playoffs. Why the Canucks? Did the 2010 Winter Olympics leave the right impression on him and his family? Is it the Sedins? The sushi? “I’ve played against Vancouver so many times, I’ve seen what the city is and I talked to the Sedins during the summer because I had some questions about the team,” said the 31-year-old Goteborg, Sweden, native. “They had key players hurt and everyone is looking forward to starting the season. The Canucks play nine games in just 15 days to start their National Hockey League regular-season schedule. If their 27th-ranked power play goes from plodding and predictable to showing pace and productivity, it’s going to change the conversation about playoff potential. Eriksson has yet to find a house in the wacky Lower Mainland real-estate market, but has found a home on the ice. Eriksson was the net-front, power-play practice presence Wednesday. Henrik Sedin and Brandon Sutter were working set-up areas in the corners, while Daniel Sedin was on the point with Philip Larsen. In theory, the left-shot Eriksson should be able to covert passes from either corner while Daniel rotates into the high slot for better scoring opportunities. He’s also there to protect one defenceman if the puck goes the other way. “We’ll see how it goes (Thursday against Calgary),” said Daniel. “We’ve got to start somewhere.” Assistant coach Doug Jarvis was directing the power-play traffic and having Sutter as a right-hand shot is going to draw attention, too, because of Henrik’s creativity and pinpoint passing. “We can definitely win games if we take something from it, and the Sedins are so smart and make good decisions,” said Eriksson, who also worked with Jarvis in Boston. “It may not seem like it (puck) is going fast, but they produce. “I’ll be playing the same way I have the last couple of years, in front of the net and be hungry. I had a chance to get some chemistry with the Sedins at the World Cup and I thought we played pretty good, and here it’s an easy system to learn.” Of course, nothing will come easy for the Canucks. Pick a pre-season poll and they’re near or at the bottom of pretty much every one. There’s always the danger of being a one-line team. It’s why Eriksson was so attractive because he can play either wing and is also good on the penalty kill. It will allow Willie Desjardins to move his lines around if the Canucks get out of the gate slowly. But make no mistake. There will be ample pressure on Eriksson to be as good as advertised. “There’s always pressure; it doesn’t matter where you play,” added Eriksson, who turned down four- and five-year contract extension offers from the Bruins. “I know it’s going to be easier with the Sedins because they have that chemistry already, but I’m the type of player who can play on different lines. It’s a team game. You do everything to win and it’s up to the coach when I play.” Desjardins was an assistant with Dallas when Eriksson had 26- and 27-goal seasons and believes the winger has 30-goal potential. “We expect 25 to 30, but the thing about Loui is that he’s so good defensively,” said the Canucks coach. “Every bit as good as he is offensively, he’s that good defensively. He’ll have a number of roles for us.”
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