Canucks offence sputters as Vancouver falls 3-2 to San Jose Sharks

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1 Canucks offence sputters as Vancouver falls 3-2 to San Jose Sharks BY IAIN MACINTYRE, VANCOUVER SUN COLUMNIST, THE VANCOUVER SUN APRIL 1, 2013 SAN JOSE, Calif I t isn t just Ryan Kesler the Canucks need, but Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and Alex Edler and Kevin Bieksa and all the players at the top of the lineup. The Canucks didn t push forward until the game was all but over Monday, as Vancouver fell behind by three goals before losing 3-2 to the San Jose Sharks. It was the 12th time in 16 National Hockey League games the Canucks, missing Kesler and several other injured players, have scored two or fewer goals. There is little or no margin for error playing that way, and the Canucks made plenty of errors in the middle of the second period as they fell behind the Sharks one game and two nights after they were thumped 4-0 by the Edmonton Oilers. You look at all the good teams and they re scoring at least three goals a game, Canuck winger Chris Higgins said after generating a goal and assist in the final 23 minutes. It s tough to win games when you re scoring two or less than two. We have to find a way to score some dirtier goals. We definitely need to do a better job responding to the goals scored against us. You wouldn t think the Canucks could have a worse couple of minutes than they did Saturday in Edmonton. But you d be wrong. After surrendering three goals in 2:27 at the start of their loss to the Oilers, the Canucks surrendered three in 2:13 to the Sharks halfway through the second period. That was the game right there, Canuck Alex Burrows said. But I like how we responded; we responded much better than we did against Edmonton. We showed some character and tried to come back.

2 We ve got to be realistic. You look at our lineup; we ve had a lot of young players taking their first steps in the NHL. If you start running and gunning with this kind of roster... I d rather try to play well defensively and not have those two or three minutes like we did tonight. The Canucks simply can t score their way out of trouble the way they did when they were winning Presidents Trophies the last two seasons. It wasn t Nicklas Jensen they needed Monday, which is good because the best we can say about the 20-year-old s NHL debut is it was rather quiet. The Canucks needed the Sedin twins, the former NHL scoring champions who have generated two goals in two weeks. They need top defenceman Edler to stop playing like he did last April in the playoffs, nervy with the puck and prone always to a big mistake rather than a small one. They need more from their best players. And they need Kesler, who has missed five weeks with a broken foot but has been cleared to begin skating and could be in the lineup sometime next week. But the way the Canucks have collapsed offensively, it will take more than Kesler to rescue this team. It needs to help itself. Daniel Sedin agrees. We re supposed to score and win games, he said. And when we lose by one goal and we haven t done anything offensively, that s on us. We have to find a way to score. Despite getting outshot 14-6 in the first period and outchanced by a more lopsided margin, the Canucks managed to keep the game scoreless until 7:41 of the second period when Edler s snapclearance up the middle hit a teammate and fell to San Jose fourth-liner Andrew Desjardins, who scored for the first time in 35 games. Only 41 seconds later, San Jose captain Joe Thornton scored for the first time in 13 games, wristing a shot from 35 feet over goalie Cory Schneider s catching glove after the puck had bounced back to the Shark off defenceman Chris Tanev. The best chance of a Canuck comeback ended during a 15-second spell just over a minute later. Speedy winger Jannik Hansen was stopped by San Jose goalie Antti Niemi on a short-handed breakaway, and on the counter-attack Patrick Marleau s centring pass bounced past Schneider when Logan Couture crashed while charging to the net.

3 After the two minutes that decided the game, the Canucks recovered their equilibrium and managed to score for the first time in two games. Higgins made it 3-1 at 17:26 when his quick-release shot slid under Niemi s right pad. The Canucks continued to push, which they didn t do at all in the first period, and cut the deficit to 3-2 at 10:20 of the third period when Burrows scooped in a loose puck after going to the net and finding the leftovers from Higgins shot. But the Sharks, who have won five straight games to power up the standings in the Western Conference, held off Vancouver the rest of the way. They suddenly trail the Canucks by only two points, with a game in hand. And there s nothing wrong lately with San Jose s attack. Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun Jensen jumps at chance to make his NHL debut BY IAIN MACINTYRE, VANCOUVER SUN COLUMNIST APRIL 2, 2013 Nicklas Jensen wants to make an immediate, positive impression. Imagine how the Vancouver Canucks feel. The 20-year-old Dane, a first-round draft pick in 2011, made a sooner-than-expected debut for the Canucks Monday night against the San Jose Sharks. The Canucks, their prospect depth thinned by questionable drafting and a handful of trade-deadline deals the last three years, came here with the worst power play in the National Hockey League and an offence that had scored two or fewer goals 11 times in 15 games. They badly need Jensen to develop - now and in the future. "I do put a lot of pressure on myself," Jensen said before opening his NHL career on a line with former league scoring champions Daniel and Henrik Sedin. "I don't want to go out there and just be OK. I want to prove that I can play, and work hard and prove to the coaching staff that I can be up here. "I want to put that pressure on myself to go out there and have a good game. But, then again... it is your first game. Play the game simple, play the game right, and then just work hard." The Canucks' assortment of prospects was ranked 29th among 30 teams last month by The Hockey News. Vancouver's pipeline of talent doesn't exactly runneth over.

4 But with most of the top Canucks still in their prime, the prospect situation may not become critical until a couple of years from now - or at all if Vancouver develops and significantly adds to its pool. Among prospects yet to set skate in the NHL, Jensen is the Canucks' best hope. Cue the pressure. "He seems like a really even-keeled guy," Henrik Sedin said. "You see a lot of guys coming up and they're either up here or down there (emotionally), but he... seems strong mentally. That's always a good way to start. "I spent some time with him two years ago in training camp and, seeing some highlights this year from Sweden, he has got some great skills. For him, it's just getting used to NHL speed and getting over the nerves. And then I think he's going to be a tremendous player in this league." Jensen, born in Herning to a Danish mother and Canadian father, is on his fourth team in two years since being picked 29th by the Canucks. He had 58 points in 57 games for junior hockey's Oshawa Generals last season, then played this year for AIK of the Elite League in Sweden, where his 23 points in 50 games included 16 goals. Jensen was recalled Sunday after collecting only four points in 11 games for the minor-league Chicago Wolves. "Since the draft, I've been all over the place," he said. "It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, but a good one. It's been a really good experience and good help to me in my hockey career. "I think you've got to play with confidence at the start. You can't go out there and be scared of the game."' imacintyre@vancouversun.com Twitter.com/imacvansun Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun GM Mike Gillis proud of Canucks' prospects even if critics mock team's talent The Hockey News ranks Vancouver's farmhands 29th out of 30 teams BY IAIN MACINTYRE, VANCOUVER SUN COLUMNIST, THE VANCOUVER SUN APRIL 1, 2013 SAN JOSE, Calif. The Hockey News may not like Vancouver Canuck prospects, but general manager Mike Gillis does.

5 There should be more of them to like after the National Hockey League team's purchase Monday of the Peoria Rivermen from the St. Louis Blues. The Canucks will relocate the Illinois-based American Hockey League franchise nearer Vancouver to Abbotsford if the Calgary Flames can be coaxed out of their sweetheart, taxpayer-funded deal with the Fraser Valley city and be wholly responsible for the team's roster and operations. Years of spotty drafting and the trading of draft picks has left the Canucks with a pre-nhl group that The Hockey News last month ranked 29th among 30 teams. But don't tell Gillis the Canucks have done a poor job developing players. We've made seven trades at the deadline, he explained before the Canucks played the San Jose Sharks here Monday. When you're chasing the Stanley Cup every year, you have to give up other opportunities (to draft players). Some people fail to realize that. When you look at our young players, we're really happy with Nicklas Jensen. We're really happy with Eddie Lack and Chris Tanev andzack Kassian and Brendan Gaunce and Frankie Corrado. We've got lots of prospects. But if you ask people who comment on this, a lot of them would have no idea what the names are of these guys. Jensen, the 2011 first-round pick from Denmark who is considered the Canucks' best prospect, made his NHL debut against the Sharks. Tanev is a NHL regular, and Kassian has spent most of this season and last in the top league. But beyond Jensen, 2012 first-rounder Gaunce, junior defenceman Corrado and minor-league goalie Lack, the Canucks appear to lack depth in their system. Owning their own AHL team should help. It allows our organization to focus on what we think is really important, Gillis said. Sometimes what we think is important is divergent from what an independent owner thinks is important for his minorleague team. We get to make the decisions now. It allows us to plan and make decisions... to stock the team as we see fit to help our players. RYANE CLOWE READYE TO GOE: The Canucks are believed to be among the many NHL teams interested in acquiring Ryane Clowe, the rugged Sharks' winger who averaged 20 goals over the last four seasons but has none in 28 games this year.

6 Even with an expiring contract, the 30-year-old from Newfoundland is expected to fetch a significant return in trade. After San Jose coachtodd McLellan said Clowe would be in the lineup against the Canucks, the forward was scratched, fuelling speculation a deal was imminent Would I be surprised? Probably not, Clowe said after the morning skate. Sometimes you get to a point where you just come to grips with it. I didn't know if any of my last three games could have been my last (with the Sharks). It's always a possibility. Whatever the future holds, I'm ready for it. I think I've probably played my best hockey down the stretch and into the playoffs, and that's probably what teams are looking for. Clowe said he believes teams will assess his body of work and not just his goalless season. He knows Canuck coach Alain Vigneault from the Quebec League and believes Vancouver remains an elite team. I don't really look at Vancouver as being that old or peaked already and on their way down, Clowe said. Obviously they're missing a huge piece with (injured centre Ryan) Kesler. Vancouver is a really solid team and once they get in the playoffs, whoever plays them is going to have their hands full. NO ATTACK ON ZACK: Vigneault said after the morning skate that Sunday's surprise demotion to the minors of power forward Zack Kassian had nothing to do with the coach's recent, unexplained remark about a change in chemistry on the Canucks. Since a torrid start to the season that saw Kassian score five times in seven games while playing on the first line, the 22-year-old saw his role and ice time diminish. He was goalless in 20 games and was a scratched Saturday in Edmonton after missing eight of nine games due to a sore back. His play, at best, had been fair, Vigneault said. So we thought the right thing to do was send him to Chicago and let him get some games in. Our expectation is he's going to be a big part of the Canucks. He's just a young player that's got some areas of his game he needs to improve. In Zack's case, at this time, we feel he needs a little more seasoning. NOT FOR SALE: The unexpected absence from the morning skate of Canuck winger Mason Raymond sparked about three minutes of Internet speculation that he might have been traded. The NHL dealing deadline is noon Wednesday.

7 Raymond merely had a sore shoulder that kept him from playing against the Sharks. But in the salary-cap age and especially with the payroll limit diving next season to $64.3 million, making it more difficult to sign free agents players like Raymond on expiring contracts are always subject to trade. I can't comment on what other teams are doing, Vigneault said. I can tell you we're not sellers. CLEARED TO SKATE: The CT scan on Kesler's broken foot revealed the fracture has healed, and the centre is expected to begin skating this week. imacintyre@vancouversun.com TWITTER: Twitter.com/imacvansun Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun Sharks 3 Canucks 2: No doubt Kesler and Raymond can't get back soon enough BY BEN KUZMA, THE PROVINCE APRIL 2, :54 AM SAN JOSE Bing. Bang. Bong. In a span of 2:23 of the second period, the Vancouver Canucks went from hanging in to being hung out to dry, and then nearly hanging up at least a point in a revealing and frustrating 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday. They allowed three goals in that span and allowed further doubt to creep into their offensively challenged game. After all, their best chance came on a short-handed partial breakaway by Jannik Hansen before Chris Higgins finally struck later in the period to make a game of it and Alex Burrows pounced on a rebound in the third period for an unexpected hectic finish. It s not good enough to score one or two goals or zero, said Canucks winger Daniel Sedin, who had five shots but the revamped first line went pointless. It s too tough when you re down 3-0 and that s when we started pushing. It starts with our line. We re supposed to score and win games for us and when you lose by one goal and haven t done anything, that s on us. We have to find a way to score. We were trying to play a good defensive game and keep it low scoring and were pushing hard, but there s a fine line between playing defensively and pushing too much. We have to find something.

8 As encouraging as the comeback was, the best hope is that Ryan Kesler returns soon after a CT scan earlier Monday revealed that the centre s right foot fracture has fully healed. A speedy recovery by Mason Raymond, who s out day-to-day with a shoulder strain, would also be a boon. You could see the slow start coming. The Canucks iced seven legitimate NHL forwards on Monday and one of the few things they could take away was rookie winger Nicklas Jensen not looking out of place on the top line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Burrows worked effectively between Higgins and Hansen to get some sort of balance while the recalled Bill Sweatt was with Jordan Schroeder and Max Lapierre. But they simply didn t have quite enough firepower and won just 29 per cent of faceoffs in the first period. We d like to get more goals like Burr scored, the greasy ones off a rebound, and we need more net presence and to win more puck battles, said Higgins. All the good teams are scoring at least three goals a game and it s tough to win scoring two or less than two. The Canucks again reverted to a familiar script where great goaltending and just enough offence was going to carry them to their first win this season over the Sharks, who have but one regulation loss at home. Then again, it may take more than the return of Kesler and Raymond and a rejuvenated Zack Kassian after a minor league conditioning stint to make a postseason impact. The looming trade deadline Wednesday will tell whether the Canucks believe this can still be their year. Or maybe not. The Sharks believe it might still be their year because they could afford to trade defenceman Douglas Murray last week and sat out Ryane Clowe on Monday, knowing that a deal for the pending unrestricted free agent is imminent. They might have the 28th-ranked offence, but they had the horses to stretch their win streak to five games. It took the 21st shot to beat Cory Schneider and there was plenty of blame to be shared in digging the three-goal hole. Alex Edler threw a blind backhanded clearing pass back into a crowded slot and allowed Andrew Desjardins to score through a screen. Less than a minute later, the Canucks couldn t clear the zone and Joe Thornton s wrist shot from the high slot went off the stick of Chris Tanev and beat Schneider to the glove side. And when Logan Couture scored off a power-play scramble to make it 3-0, the Canucks got the wake-up call they needed. They played better, strung together consistent shifts and were rewarded with the Higgins effort on a cross-ice feed from Hansen. Higgins was then robbed early in the third period by Antti Niemi on a

9 backhander and the push back that the club exhibited was commendable. It culminated with Burrows pouncing on a rebound off a Higgins shot. It only magnified the second-period meltdown. On the road you have to weather the storm a bit and not put pressure on your teammates, said Schneider. We re past moral victories but it shows we re still working hard aren t going to give up. Copyright (c) The Province Canucks: Jensen debuts on the top line 20-year-old prospect from Denmark plays with Sedins BY BEN KUZMA, THE PROVINCE APRIL 1, 2013 SAN JOSE, Calif. Nicklas Jensen has a boyish face, a man s body and an emerging power game. He s also the future face of the franchise, a first-round Vancouver Canucks pick projected to eventually stick and make everybody forget about Patrick White, Nathan Smith, Josh Holden, Libor Polasek and Alex Stojanov. He s also just 20 years old. He s also just the eighth native of Denmark to play in the NHL. There was the expected wide-eyed wonderment Monday morning when Jensen was told his debut would be on the top line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin for that night s game against the Sharks. Buoyed by considerable success in the OHL, Swedish Elite League and the AHL, the 6-foot-2, 202- pound Jensen has reason to believe that his career is on a steady climb. It s a bit of a roller-coaster but a good one, he said. You ve got to play with confidence from the start and you can t go out there and be scared of the game even though it s hard playing with the best players in the world. I put a lot of pressure of myself. I don t want to go out there and just be OK. I want to prove I can play, but again, you don t want to do too much. You want to play the game simple and right and just work hard. And I don t think I could be with two better guys. This could very well be a five-game audition for Jensen. If he plays a sixth regular-season game, his current contract kicks in, and if he plays less, it slides to next season. But that was the least of his concerns Monday. After amassing 17 goals and 23 points in 50 games for AIK Stockholm in the Swedish Elite League, he joined the Chicago Wolves last month to re-acclimate to the North American ice surface. And with the number of injuries plaguing the Canucks at wing David Booth s surgery, Mason Raymond out with a shoulder strain and Zack Kassian with the Wolves to get playing time after

10 missing eight of nine games with a bad back the recall of Jensen and Bill Sweatt wasn t that surprising. Jensen has been on the radar. Last spring, he had four goals in six games with the Wolves after leaving the OHL and two more goals in two playoff games but then suffered a concussion. Now comes the big test. I m not focused about five games or more, added Jensen. It s hard to say when you ll make it, but it s not like I m totally surprised that I m here right now. I m happy to get the chance and I feel like I m ready to take it and prove I can play hard with the big guys. Other Danes who have played in the NHL are Jannik Hansen, Peter Regin, Mikkel Boedker, Lars Eller, Philip Larsen, Frans Nielsen and Poul Popiel. And while Jensen was holding court Monday morning, Hansen looked like a proud older brother. Of course, said the Canucks winger. It s nice to see guys that you have familiarity with in being from the same country and see them succeed. He s young enough that we never crossed paths on any national teams and I actually haven t seen him play. Jensen played in Denmark before joining Oshawa of the OHL scoring 12 goals and adding 26 points in 34 games in to be named rookie of the year and is like a locomotive who eventually gets up to speed. He had an outstanding first camp with the Canucks and has played in the pre-season, but what may set him apart from other prospects is a game predicated on presence and finish. He takes pucks to the net, is hard to move and has good finish. He might even be a boon to a 30th-ranked power play. I spent some time with him two years ago in training camp and he s got some great skills, said Henrik Sedin. For him, it s just going to be getting used to the NHL speed and getting over the nerves. He s going to be a tremendous player in this league. He seems like an even-keeled guy. You see a lot coming up and they re either up or down and he seems strong mentally. And confident. Don t be too nervous, he told himself before the debut. It s still (just) a hockey game. twitter.com/benkuzma Copyright (c) The Province Thornton has a goal and an assist to lead Sharks over Canucks

11 JOSEPH STIGLICH SAN JOSE, Calif. The Associated Press Published Tuesday, Apr , 1:28 AM EDT Last updated Tuesday, Apr , 10:31 AM EDT Speculation swirls around what San Jose might do before the trade deadline, but the Sharks are creating enough of a stir with their play on the ice. Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist during a second-period scoring flurry and the Sharks beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Monday night for their fifth straight victory. San Jose broke a scoreless tie with three goals in a span of 2:13 against Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider, then held on and completed a season sweep of Vancouver. With Wednesday s trade deadline approaching, Sharks forward Ryane Clowe is rumoured to be going to any number of teams. The fact he was a healthy scratch Monday certainly suggested a deal is looming. Clowe s teammates extended San Jose s longest win streak since taking seven straight to open the season. They remain in the No. 6 playoff position in the Western Conference but trail Los Angeles by just one point for fifth and Vancouver by two points for fourth. We re trying to catch some teams now, Thornton said. Winning feels pretty good. It s contagious and as long as we put a good effort, we feel like we can win every night. Monday s victory didn t come easy, as the Canucks got a second-period goal from Chris Higgins and a third-period score from Alexandre Burrows to pull within one. In an effort to spark its offence, Vancouver called up highly-touted winger Nicklas Jensen. The 20- year-old made his NHL debut and played on the top line alongside twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Winger Bill Sweatt also was called up from the AHL and played in just his third NHL game. The Canucks finally kicked it into gear but it was too little, too late. You look at all the good teams and they are scoring three goals a game, Higgins said. We can t expect to win scoring twice. We did a pretty good job of keeping them off the scoresheet for a while. We were looking for a spark in the first period and we didn t get it and then they score three quick goals. The Sharks dominated the first period, outshooting Vancouver 14-6, but they couldn t convert a couple of prime opportunities. Things changed quickly in the second period. Andrew Desjardins beat Schneider from the left side at the 7:41 mark, and less than a minute later, Thornton outfought a Canucks player for a loose puck just inside the blue line and blasted a wrist shot that found the net for a 2-0 lead. The Sharks then sent a sellout home crowd into hysterics with an electrifying sequence after a penalty to Vancouver s Kevin Bieksa. San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi made a terrific save on a short-handed breakaway opportunity for Jannik Hansen, and the Sharks immediately headed back the other way.

12 Patrick Marleau sent a pass to Logan Couture in front of the net, and Couture appeared to knock the puck into the net with his skate at 9:54. The play was reviewed but the goal was upheld, as it was ruled that Couture didn t intentionally kick the puck in. I had enough good chances before that, Couture said. Patty passed it really hard, it went off my stick, off my left foot and I think maybe off my right foot. Just like that, the Canucks were behind 3-0, and the Sharks scoring blitz had to provide a bad case of deja vu. On Saturday, the Canucks allowed four goals on the first five shots they allowed in a 4-0 loss to Edmonton. The first period was good. We did what we had to do to keep it tight, Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. In the second period they jumped on a couple of bouncing pucks and put them into the back of the net. NOTES: The Sharks activated G Thomas Greiss from injured reserve and he served as Niemi s backup. Alex Stalock was reassigned to Worcester.. With speculation swirling around Clowe, the Sharks pulled the trigger on another deal, sending C Michal Handzus to Chicago for a fourth-round pick in this season s draft.. D Matt Tennyson became the first product of the Junior Sharks youth program to appear in a game for San Jose. He spent part of his youth in Pleasanton, just a 30-minute drive from San Jose. Gallagher s Hat Trick: Kesler, smartly, chose to go to the Rihanna concert rather than watch his mates stink out the Shark Tank April 2, :11 am Section: The White Towel It s the morning after the night before. Province Sports columnist Tony Gallagherdelivers the Hat Trick following the Canucks 3-2 loss in San Jose Monday night The Canucks actually scored two goals last night but, as we consider this Tuesday morning edition of our Hat Trick of issues around this sadly sagging team, you have to wonder how many of their fans actually saw those tallies live. 1. Seriously, this team is pretty hard to watch right now unless you like pompous shots of Alain Vigneault standing like Hornblower, posing behind the bench. And by the time Chris Higgins got them on the board last night, the tuneout factor had to be pretty significant, the three goals before you could say Alex Edler pretty much getting most any sane fan to turn the channel and perhaps catch the Diamondbacks and Cardinals or some other such solace. Really, anything but watch this team try to mount some offence when the Sedins are just mailing it in and so many of the other forwards they have dressed look like they re not even considering the possibility of a scoring chance, let alone scoring. Did Jordan Schroeder and Andrew Ebbett even play last night? We know they re small, but attaining invisibility to the point where the team s best centre, by a mile, was Alex Burrows, is a genuine feat. But enough of trying to make a case about this, that s for Sportsnet and their sponsors to worry about. Consider the fact even Ryan Kesler appeared not to care a whole lot, given he was spotted at the Rihanna concert, although we ll presume he at least had the courtesy to PVR it at home. That way you can fast forward through it, and not waste quite so much of your time. 2. You re having trouble scoring goals and you surely want to get the Sedins going, right? So wouldn t it be reasonable to go to one of the two wingers who has had the most success with them this year, to see if you can get your top line to look at least mildly interested in scoring to begin the game? So what do they do? They put a promising rookie with them, normally a great way to start a kid s career when things are going well. But under these circumstances it looked to most like grasping at straws. They wanted to try Burrows, one of the forwards who has had some success with the two people who must perform for your team to have a chance, and that worked out well. No problems there. But the other guy who s produced on their flank, one Zack

13 Kassian, is in the minors. The explanation for this bizarre behavior is apparently that they want him to play big minutes in Chicago, get on the power play and have some success to boost his confidence level. But who is he going to play with down there? There are more prospects on the Bikini Atoll than Vancouver has down there at the moment. Kassian s likely to get more confidence playing table hockey. They dressed fully five forwards last night that can t hold a candle to this kid now, even if he s out of shape, and we can only guess that not including him in the lineup last night was some sort of April Fool s joke. Man, these are strange, strange days with this team. 3. The good news, other than Kesler s cheery scan, was that Cory Schneider got right back on the horse last night and clearly handled himself extremely well, thus passing his first test, if you will, of his ability to be a longterm starter. Yes, he s had good runs before but this was the first time he s ever had a good long run, had a dreadful start, been yanked, and the coach went right back to him. In the past Roberto Luongo was virtually always afforded this courtesy, but this is the first time Schneider has been given similar treatment. He took the vote of confidence straight to the bank and while you might have liked him to make at least one of those stops on the three rapid-fire goals that beat him, he certainly made enough great saves to more than earn his paycheque on the evening. Given the Canucks had two, maybe three scoring chances at the most before the roof fell in, you can hardly pin any of the blame for this clanger on your goaltending. And it s that position which is solely responsible for this team holding down a playoff position at the moment.