Weber treading water with team

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1 Weber treading water with team Jim Jamieson The Province Wednesday, December 11, 2013 D-MAN: Free-agent believed Vancouver was a good place to sign but situations change Yannick Weber is stuck in the jaws of a familiar NHL beartrap. It loves to snap its teeth shut on fringe players, notably No. 6 defencemen and fourth-line wingers. The 25-year-old Swiss defenceman signed with the Canucks on the first day of free agency last July, believing he d picked a good landing spot after the Montreal Canadiens opted not to offer him a new contract. The Canucks seemed like a good fit, as they d just bought out Keith Ballard and had only five D- men slated to return (Chris Tanev had yet to sign, but was a restricted free agent). The Canucks re-signed Andrew Alberts in mid-august but it still appeared that Weber had the inside track on the No. 6 job. And they sent top prospect Frank Corrado, 20, to the AHL at the end of the pre-season so far, so good. Then, just before the regular season started, something happened. That something was Ryan Stanton who was claimed off waivers and has owned that No. 6 spot with his rocksolid play since the season s start. Weber? He got into 10 games for the Canucks, but just two on the blueline. Once when Alex Edler was suspended and the other eight as a little-used fourth-line right winger. He s just returned from a sevengame stint in the AHL where he was sent after a series of healthy scratches. It s nice to be up here, but if you don t play, it s tough, said Weber, who has the solace of a $650,000 ticket on his one-year, one-way deal. It was good for me to go down there (AHL Utica) and show what I ve got, play those seven games, minutes a night, and kind of prove myself down there. It was good to get a feel back and find my game. Weber has played 125 NHL games, so he knows the league well enough to understand it s a business and one where the unexpected can turn plans on their head.

2 If you sign here, you look at the roster, you come to camp and you see an opportunity that might get you in the lineup sooner than later, he said. Then they pick somebody up, it doesn t help the situation. Stanton has been playing really well. He doesn t look like he s (only) got 20 (NHL) games of experience (33 now). It did kind of frustrate me, to see somebody get picked up and played ahead of me, but he s been playing really well. You just have to accept it and just hope things will turn around for you. Weber showed he s a top player at the AHL level, racking up in the seven games, but coach John Tortorella, who said Weber hadn t earned a roster spot when he was sent down, was noncommittal after Monday s 2-0 win over Carolina when asked about his plans for Weber now that he s back with the Canucks. That s a decision we have to make as we go to our next game (Friday), said Tortorella. Is it Alby (Alberts) or a guy (Weber) who has been playing in the minors and is getting game looks in the AHL? Weber obviously hopes that playing a ton of minutes and both special teams in Utica work in his favour. He s also hoping it s on the blue line, where he s played all of his career. I (played forward) before in Montreal, but it s not something you re comfortable with, he said. For me, it was good to be in the game and be part of the group. It was limited minutes and I just tried to keep it simple. I know we had injuries up front, so I just tried to contribute. Weber is not sure how his season so far will affect his possible inclusion on the Swiss Olympic hockey team in Sochi. Obviously, Switzerland s Olympic head coach Sean Simpson would like to see his candidates playing. Weber, who played at the 2010 tournament in Vancouver, said he expects to hear by the end of the month. There a coach in Switzerland who sees me sitting in the stands, he said. It s nice to be in the NHL, but if you don t play, it doesn t help me for the (Olympic) tournament if I haven t played for a month. Those couple of weeks (in Utica) were good for me to get those games in and get my confidence back. I hope I can do the same here and be ready when Sochi comes around. Three gems for the price of none Iain MacIntyre The Province Wednesday, December 11, 2013

3 Shining lights: Unlikely trio delivers the unexpected and that s a good thing The Vancouver Canucks took the day off Tuesday, which gave Ryan Stanton time to work on his speech. The defenceman will soon be in the spotlight, taking a twirl on the ice as the game s first star, tossing his stick to admiring fans and clever oneliners to enthralled reporters. The 24- yearold waiverwire pickup needs to be ready because surely his glorious National Hockey League night is coming. How could it not be? On Monday, it was Canuck rookie goalie Eddie Lack, undrafted and unsigned in the NHL until he was 22, who skated out post- game amid flashing camera bulbs and cheers of Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! after a 2-0 shutout against the Carolina Hurricanes. Twenty- seven hours earlier, the first star and local hero in a 3-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche was Burnaby forward Mike Santorelli, who was waived by the Florida Panthers and dumped by the Winnipeg Jets last season. Santorelli accepted from the Canucks in July a twoway, free- agent contract that included the minimum NHL salary of $ 550,000 US and restaurant recommendations for Utica, N. Y., where Vancouver s new farm team is based. Santorelli is in the minorleague and prospects section of the Canucks media guide, but at least he is in it. Stanton, claimed on waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks on Sept. 30, missed the Canucks publishing deadline. Lack is in the NHL section of the media guide only because former starter Cory Schneider was traded to the New Jersey Devils. But there is a lot of white space on Lack s two pages. Not printed were the obvious questions about the goalkeeper s readiness for the NHL after three seasons in the American Hockey League and major hip surgery last winter. At the start of the season, questions about Stanton and Santorelli were more basic, like: How are their names spelled? And where did they play last year? But not only are these three guys, from whom little was expected, having a great week, they re having terrific seasons. I just wonder where we d be if this wasn t happening for us, Canuck coach John Tortorella said after Monday s win. Where would the Canucks be without them? Not where we are right now, winger Daniel Sedin said. Given general manager Mike Gillis lack of certifiable upgrades to the Vancouver roster beyond the free- agent courtship and signing of fourth- line centre Brad Richardson, the best hope for improvement in the lineup was an uptick in performance from a few returning players and the breakthrough by a couple of the new ones. Defenceman Chris Tanev and, to a lesser extent, Richardson and winger Chris Higgins have provided the uptick. The breakthroughs are coming from Stanton, Santorelli and Lack.

4 With only one NHL game on his resumé after three years in the Blackhawk organization, Stanton has not only dressed for every Canuck game this season, but contributed 11 points, a plus- four rating and timely toughness. And in the three games since top defenceman Alex Edler sprained his knee, Stanton has averaged 18: 09 of ice time and helped push the Canucks winning streak to five games while Vancouver crept back into playoff position at I wasn t sure if I d be an everyday guy or a seventh or eighth defenceman, in and out of the lineup, Stanton, who is from St. Albert, Alta., said Monday night. But if I got the shot to play, I just wanted to make the most of it and I m grateful for the opportunity. It s just hard work. I try to be a steady guy and not make mistakes. I try to not be noticed. Sometimes it s easier to come in the league that way than trying to be a goal- scorer or first- line player or power play defenceman. I still have a lot to learn and this is a good team to be on for that because there are plenty of defencemen with tons of games 500, 600, 700 games. Confidence is a huge thing, and I just want to keep building that and getting better every day. Asked if, after 33 games, the newness of playing in the NHL had worn off, Stanton said: I don t know if that ever wears off. I m sure you get more used to it, but everyone in this dressing room is privileged to be in the NHL. I don t think too many days go by when people aren t grateful to be here. Lack also spent three years in the minors waiting for his NHL chance. He is 4-2 in six starts with a 2.08 goals- against average and.925 save rate. The 25- year- old from Sweden said the puck from his first shutout will go to his father. With six professional seasons and more than 200 NHL games, Santorelli, who turns 28 on Saturday, has far more experience than either Stanton or Lack. But his NHL future was equally uncertain after the centre managed only two goals and four points in 34 games last season for Florida and Winnipeg. Yet, Santorelli has been one of the best half- dozen Canucks so far, amassing 21 points and a team- leading plus10 rating while averaging 18: 38 of ice time. If you re given a spot and don t really deserve it, it s tough to come in to a new team, Sedin said. But I think these guys have shown they re a big part of this team. We re an inclusive group and try to get new guys involved, but they ve made it easy on themselves because they are a big part of our team. They re not just here putting in time; they re doing things that help us win games. It s all good stuff and it s a goaltender, it s two defencemen and it s a centre, Tortorella said, adding Tanev to Stanton, Santorelli and Lack. Tat s the guts of your team.

5 Charities win at Dice & Ice benefit event The Province The Province Thursday, December 12, 2013 The Vancouver Canucks are on a five-game winning streak, and on Wednesday evening they tried to extend that streak to their off-ice dealings as well. The team once again hosted the Dice & Ice Benefit, this year at the Vancouver Convention Centre. All proceeds from the event go toward the Canucks for Kids Fund. The 14th annual affair allowed guests to mingle and rub elbows with the team s players, coaches and management, while the players dealt hands at a funny-money casino. Will be another entertaining #DiceIce2013 tonight!, tweeted defenceman Kevin Bieksa, but not without throwing a playful dig toward his teammates. Raising $ and making fun of Burr are 2 of my favs. This year s event also included silent and live auctions featuring signed sports memorabilia, vacation packages and themed gift baskets compiled by the Canucks players and their wives and girlfriends. The Canucks For Kids Fund supports charities that deal with children s health and wellness, grassroots hockey and B.C. education. Since the fund s inception, more than $41 million has been raised and dedicated to B.C. charities. Growing the game aim of special hockey gala Ben Kuzma The Province Thursday December 12, 2013 There will be celebrities and it will be a classic, but the end result of a two-day, star-studded Hockey Canada gala in Vancouver next June will help fund and further expose the game to a growing and diverse demographic at the minor hockey level. The 11th annual Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic on June will cerebrate the game s heritage and national teams that claim gold this season on the world stage will receive rings in the first day of the event at Rogers Arena. That s where organizers hope to sell at least 80 floor tables and attract as many as 1,000 patrons to bid on auction items, participate in hotstove sessions and rub shoulders with the game s elite performers both past and present.

6 The second day of the gala is a golf tournament at Northview in Surrey. The money raised goes right into our foundation, said Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson, a Penticton native who was named to the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The key area is to make sure that under-privileged kids get to play the game. There are a lot of different groups we work with, including the Canucks, to make sure we leave a legacy in Vancouver and B.C. and throughout the country. We re looking at cost with equipment and making sure it (game) is accessible and that s facilities. We have a lot of different demographics in this country, a lot of new Canadians who don t know what a puck and ice rink are. We have to look at different ways of introducing the game. George Melville, chairman and coowner of Boston Pizza International, will chair the event, while Canucks legendary winger Stan Smyl will be the honorary chair. Nicholson s responsibility plate is full with the world junior tournament and Winter Olympics on the horizon. Reducing the world junior selection camp to 25 for coach Brent Sutter s picking process that starts Thursday in Toronto has ample attention in Vancouver. First-round 2013 Canuck draft picks Bo Horvat and Hunter Shinkaruk are expected to make the roster. However, all eyes are on Sochi. Extending the roster deadline to Jan. 7 should help solidify Team Canada coach Mike Babcock s club for Russia, but it could also put more suddenly surging players into the final selection conversation. I d love to do it (selection) the day before the Olympics and the coaches would like to wait until the night before, chuckled Nicholson. It s a tough task and that s what you want to see. It s all about making the best team, not just the top 25 players. I ve been around for a lot of years and this might be as difficult as any. That s a good sign. Moving from project to player Ben Kuzma The Province Thursday, December 12, 2013 Feisty forward doesn t like his label, but knows he has plenty to work on Zack The Project Kassian doesn t quite know what to make of the label applied by John Tortorella a moniker that has stuck to the mercurial winger like gum to a shoe.

7 And he doesn t know what to make of probably being in the Edmonton Oilers crosshairs Friday for his errant, off-balance, one-handed pre-season stick swing that broke the jaw of Sam Gagner and resulted in Kassian being suspended for eight games. The incident was labelled a disturbing play by a disturbing player by Dallas Eakins, but Kassian is more disturbed about his inconsistent game that s plagued by positioning and puck decisions in his own zone. It s keeping him from being called a player instead of project. I never really did too well with projects at school, Kassian said following a seven-player practice Wednesday. In science, I could never get (the volcano) to go and explode. John is right. There are things I need to work on, and I ve been doing that the last couple of games. It leads to offence, getting on the forecheck and being physical. In the defensive zone, there have been a couple of mistakes, and you can t have turnovers like that and any coach wouldn t be happy with you. You ve got to make the simple plays. During a season-high fivegame winning streak, Kassian was scratched at Carolina, played just 5:05 against Nashville and 13:02 against Carolina here on Monday in a third-line role. He has just five goals in 27 games, hasn t scored in eight and had just two shots in that span. On Friday, he might have to play the role of a fighter as he faces the Oilers for the first time since the Gagner incident. Who knows? I m happy (Steve) MacIntyre is not in the lineup, that s for sure, Kassian said of the Oilers demoted enforcer of whom he said: I don t even think he can skate. I m not too worried about somebody coming after me I have no problems standing up for myself. I m going to play the game hard. If they want to get some kind of revenge, the door is open. Go ahead. The analytical door has swung both ways on the Gagner incident. On one hand, Kassian had to be in better control of his body and his stick, and on the other, he didn t target the Oilers centre because it was more about being beaten on a play than trying to beat up the opposition in that Sept. 21 game. Still, Gagner missed 13 games and had a metal plate and six screws inserted in his jaw to keep everything in place and prevent further injury. He lost nine pounds because he couldn t eat or train properly, and had to be fitted with a faceguard on his helmet that restricted breathing. Gagner didn t score for 10 games and was a combined minus-6 in his first three. He has just three goals in 19 games. Obviously, things are going to be said, but look at the replay, stressed Kassian. He stops up and I lose my balance. But I have to do a better job controlling my stick and I definitely didn t mean to hit him in the face by any means. If you look at it from the other team s point of view, I could understand why they re a little angry and want to get some sort of payback.

8 Kassian also believes the NHL ruled on his suspension three pre-season and five regularseason games based more on the injury than the action. Definitely, 100 per cent, he said. What if my stick hits him in the chest? I can (lose balance) and hit the boards and do that 100 times and hit him in the face once. However, it s the act that won t be forgotten, though it pales in comparison to the long-term suspension Shawn Thornton is facing Friday. The Boston Bruins enforcer will have an in-person hearing for his sucker-punch of a prone Brooks Orpik on Saturday after he had slew-footed the Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman in a scrum. Thornton threw two punches to the head of Orpik with his gloves still on and the battered blue-liner left the game on a stretcher. It was Orpik s open-ice hit that concussed Loui Eriksson that started the sickening sequence, including James Neal kneeing a prone Brad Marchand in the head. The Penguins winger was suspended for five games, but Orpik wasn t penalized on his hit. Thornton then crossed the code line to avenge the previous action. That s a tough situation, said Kassian. He (Thornton) has been in the league a long time and a very honest player. The emotion in a game is tough to explain and it gets to you and sometimes you do things that you regret. He probably regrets what he did and I don t think he s a bad or dirty player by any means. Not sure the Oilers feel the same way about Kassian. We ll find out Friday. Kassian not worried if he s on Oilers hit list Elliott Pap The Vancouver Sun Thursday December 12, 2013 Vancouver forward unsure of payback, but insists stick hit that hurt Gagner was accidental The National Hockey League slapped Vancouver Canuck forward Zack Kassian with an eightgame suspension in late September five of those served at the start of the regular season for a high stick that shattered the jaw of Edmonton Oiler centre Sam Gagner. Kassian was still sitting out when the Canucks and Edmonton met Oct. 5, so Friday s date at Rogers Arena will be the Oilers first opportunity to send Kassian a message for his preseason infraction if they feel one is necessary. Perhaps they will be more concerned about winning the game than exacting some form of revenge. Kassian wouldn t hazard a guess.

9 Uh, I don t know, he said Wednesday after the Canucks held a very optional skate at The Rog. Who knows? Maybe they will. Maybe they won t. It s the game within the game. Our main focus is to get two points and stay hot at home. Obviously I m not too worried about someone coming after me. I have no problem standing up for myself. If they want to get some type of revenge, the door is open. Go ahead. Kassian conceded he was careless with his stick, swinging it wildly behind him and striking Gagner in the face as he slammed awkwardly into the boards. He has maintained all along the incident was accidental. He received only a double minor for high- sticking. His penalty occurred late in the second period and he was not forced to fight anyone in the third. Two days later, the Oilers picked up 6-5, 250- pound enforcer Steve MacIntyre on waivers. MacIntyre promptly injured a knee, did not play a game for the Oilers and is now on their farm team in the American Hockey League. I m happy MacIntyre is not in the lineup, that s for sure, quipped Kassian. Plan B for the Oilers was Luke Gazdic, another waiver pickup. Gazdic is listed at 6-3 and 240 pounds. He has two points, eight fights and 64 penalty minutes in 25 games. Gazdic and Canuck heavyweight Tom Sestito did drop the mitts in the Oct. 5 contest, won 6-2 by the Canucks. Things are going to be said and whatnot but if you look at the replay, Gagner stops up and I lose my balance, Kassian said, going over the incident again. Yeah, I have to do a better job of controlling my stick, definitely, but I didn t mean to hit him in the face by any means. If you re looking at it from the other team s point of view, I could understand why they re a little angry and might want to get some sort of payback. Asked if he felt his suspension was due to the injury, as opposed to the action, Kassian nodded in the affirmative. Gagner required surgery and missed the Oilers first 13 games of the regular season. Kassian lost $ 22,500 in pay. Yeah, definitely, 100 per cent, Kassian replied. Like I ve said before, I could hit the boards there and do that 100 times and it will hit him in the face once. I ve learned from that. You have to keep control of your stick. That s on me. But it was definitely by accident. If Friday s game turns feisty, or nasty, Kassian figures it might even help the Canucks. They have won three straight at home, five straight overall and six of their last seven. The Oilers, meanwhile, will be hosting the Boston Bruins Thursday before flying into Vancouver. It will be Edmonton s third game in four nights. I think our team has replied and answered to games that have been physical this year, Kassian said. That s something we want to create, a camaraderie of everyone standing up for each other and having each others back. So if the game does get out of hand and I m not saying it will I think we ve proven this year that we all stick together.

10 I think that s a step in the right direction for us. In the past couple of seasons, you haven t seen that so much. Kassian may have other things on his mind as well, like perhaps skating a few shifts with the Sedin twins. Head coach John Tortorella expressed some concern following Monday s 2-0 victory over Carolina about the twins recent lack of production. Jannik Hansen spent most of the last two games on their wing, with a little David Booth thrown in. Neither excelled there. Maybe the time has come to try Kassian. It was a pre- season experiment abandoned when he was suspended. Whenever you get a chance to play with those two guys, it s a confidence booster, Kassian noted. You re in the offensive zone pretty much the whole time, feeling the puck and creating plays. Any hockey player will tell you it s a lot more fun playing in the offensive zone than it is in the defensive zone. Tortorella was not available to reporters Wednesday and rarely discusses his lineup in any case. Today s full practice, complete with line combinations, may tell more of a story. Dale Weise on the big game against Boston two seasons ago Elliott Pap The Vancouver Sun Blog Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 4:56pm Right winger Dale Weise wasn t on the Canucks in so he missed their playoff journey to the Stanley Cup final, won by the Bruins in seven games. But Weise was on the team Jan. 7, 2012 when the Canucks visited Boston and beat the B s 4-3 in one of the most emotional regular-season games in recent memory. The teams will meet again Saturday night at Rogers Arena. It will be the Bruins first visit to Vancouver since they won the Cup here. Here is Weise s recollection of the game two seasons ago: It was just one of those games where everybody was hopped up. You could feel the intensity in warmup. There were a lot of words being said in warmup between a couple of guys and, at the red line, there was a little bit of jostling. So you could just feel right away the intensity of that game. Obviously we all

11 know what happened. It was quick. (Weise and Nathan Horton fought at 3:54 to start the proceedings.) It kind of set the tone. It was a big emotional win for us and I think a lot of people said our season just never picked up from there. Personally, that was one of the best games I ve played in, so far. It was awesome. It had everything you could ask for. Max Lapierre and Gregory Campbell also fought in the first period while Milan Lucic was thrown out when officials ruled, incorrectly, that Lucic had left the bench to join an altercation. Brad Marchand was thrown out in the second period for submarining Sami Salo, resulting in a concussion for the Canuck defenceman. Andrew Ebbett suffered a broken collarbone when hit by Bruins defenceman Dennis Seidenberg. Mild-mannered Bruins centre David Krejci received a goalie interference penalty. The teams combined for 110 minutes in penalties. The Canucks wound up going 4-for-11 on the power play, Cody Hodgson netted the winning goal and Cory Schneider made 36 saves for the victory. It was quite a game. The Paper Feature: The snack goal has returned, let the people rejoice Harrison Mooney The Vancouver Sun Blog Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Roberto Luongo was named the NHL s third star of the week on Monday, which is, of course, a nice little honour. But it could have been nicer. At the risk of sounding like a Canadian during the London Olympics, he should have done better than third. Luongo s numbers over the week a record, a 1.30 goals-against average and a.960 save percentage were good enough for third place. But one wonders if a shutout would have nudged him a spot or two up the podium. That shutout nearly came versus the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night. Unfortunately, a Jamie McGinn goal with just seven seconds remaining turned a 3-0 victory into a 3-1 victory.

12 For many of the Vancouver fans tuned into the game, there was no doubt the goaltender was to blame for this blown shutout. Not Luongo, though John Garrett, the former goaltender turned colour man who committed superstitious goalie anathema by cursing the shutout in the final minute by speaking its name. Guess how many times the Avalanche have been shut out this year? Garrett asked play-by-play partner John Shorthouse, on-air, with 35 seconds remaining in the contest, before immediately realizing what he d done. Sorry I said that, he added, not to Shorthouse, we suspect, but to the ever-vengeful hockey gods. With 35 seconds left, he groaned. I am sorry. I m sorry I said it, because I didn t want to say it. Shorthouse chided Garrett s blunder. For a guy as superstitious as you I know! I know! I ve known you for all these years. I know, and it s this 5 o clock start, how can I say that with 35 seconds left? You can slap me right on the side of the head if something happens here. I m giving you permission. Shorthouse didn t share Garrett s shame, but he understood it. You know me, I have no problem with it, but to hear it from you is a revelation, to say the least. I just I got rambling, Garrett said. 20 seconds remaining and the Avs have the puck in their own zone, Shorthouse responded. People everywhere relishing the opportunity to slap you across the head. Looks like it s maybe not going to happen well, the Avs do get the puck in front and a shot by McGinn, he scores! Gah! Shouted a horrified Garrett. There you go! 7.1 seconds left, and the Avs are on the board, Shorthouse said, looking over to Garrett, who had literally fallen off his chair. If you could see him right now, folks, he s in the foetal position. Isn t that awful I am, I am! That is ridiculous. It s all my fault. Few in the Vancouver area disagreed. After the game, even colleague Don Taylor took his shots. I ll tell you who wasn t one of the three stars, he said. Sportsnet s John Garrett. But Luongo s lost shutout shouldn t be a cause for finger-pointing. It should be a cause for celebration. What we witnessed was not the wrath of the hockey gods, roused by a rambling John Garrett. It was a savvy snack goal from Luongo, his first in what seems like ages, and we should be well-pleased to see it back in his arsenal.

13 Allow me to explain the snack goal, a common term for us here at Pass it to Bulis, for anybody that might be new to our particular brand of whimsy: it s a goal allowed late in a blowout we ve set the bar at a 3-0 lead or higher that accomplishes little more than spoiling the shutout. Why is it called a snack goal? Consider: teams already get up for the Canucks, a good team with a number of disagreeable characters, but imagine how much more motivated they d be if they were shut out in their last game versus Vancouver. Imagine how much hungrier they d be. So how do you preemptively combat hunger on that level? By serving up a snack. Sunday night s goal by Jamie McGinn was Roberto Luongo s first snack goal of the season, and it s a good sign. Back in , a pretty good year (unless you count how it ended), Luongo gave up a snack goals on the regular. In the 119 games that made up that season, playoffs included, Luongo registered 8 shutouts. But he pitched a shutout into the final 10 minutes of the third period fifteen times. What happened to the other 7? Why, 7 snack goals 4 of which came within the final 5 minutes, and 2 within the final sixty seconds. Fans groaned about every single one, of course, but in the larger picture, snack goals are a wonderful thing. If you re in a position to give them up, it means you re winning, and winning decisively. More of that is always welcomed in Vancouver. Here s hoping Luongo s first of the season wasn t his last. Garrett, you re off the hook. Weise: Turn back the clock, crank up the hype, bring on the big, bad Bruins Ben Kuzma The Province Blog Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 5:08pm Dale Weise was property of the New York Rangers in the season when the Vancouver Canucks came within a victory of capturing the franchise s first Stanley Cup. However, judging by his jam in Boston on Jan. 7, 2012 when the Canucks avenged their playoff heartbreak with an inspiring 4-3 win, you d think the winger was immersed in that seven-game series that remains a bitter memory for his teammates. It took less than fourth minutes at the TD Garden in that January rematch for Weise to fight Shawn Thornton after the enforcer had slashed Alex Burrows. I didn t have the animosity between the two [teams], but you could just feel it, Weise recalled Wednesday. It s like when we play Chicago or a Saturday against a Canadian team. You can just feel it in the dressing room and there s something different about those games. Boston is one of those teams. Whether it s once or twice a year, everybody gets up for those games.

14 Can you imagine where the hype meter is going to be Saturday when the Bruins visit Rogers Arena? Don t expect a riot, but expect things to go bump in the night. Just ask Weise about that rematch. It s up there for sure, he said of his career highlights. It was an afternoon game, so there wasn t much time to think. You could feel the intensity in the warm-up. There were a lot of words being said and on the red line, there was a little bit of jostling. A lot of people said that our season never really picked up from there because it was such an emotional game for us. Personally, for me that s one of the best games I ve played so far. It was awesome. It had everything you could ask for. Weise and Maxim Lapierre had bouts. Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic received game misconducts. Sami Salo and Andrew Ebbett were lost to injury. A rekindled power play struck four times. Cory Schneider stopped a penalty shot and finishing with 36 saves for a happy homecoming. And Cody Hodgson got the winning goal. Marchand received a clipping major and game misconduct when he sent Salo head over heels with a low sideboards check late in the second period. Salo suffered a concussion and Marchand got a five-game suspension. And Ebbett suffered a broken collarbone in the first period when crunched by Dennis Seidenberg. bkuzma@theprovince.com twitter.com/benkuzma Lack s improvement gives Tortorella interesting options for back-to-back games Ben Kuzma The Province Blog Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 4:21pm The tears of joy back home in Sweden have been wiped away. As the euphoria of Eddie Lack s first regular-season start and shutout victory Monday at Rogers Arena starts to diminish, there s another matter. Who starts for the Vancouver Canucks on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers? Ask Torts for me, I d love to hear the answer, a playful Lack said following a seven-player practice Wednesday. I don t know what s really going on. It s a back-to-back [Boston is here Saturday] and we never find out who s starting until the day before. It s even more complicated for the media because John Tortorella doesn t usually tell the enquiring minds until the day of the game who s starting. What the Canucks coach will tell anyone within earshot is that the level of confidence he s gaining in Lack provides options with 10 more back-to-backs jammed into the schedule. You know Roberto Luongo wants the Saturday showdown start and he could also play Friday. But at least Lack is working his way into the conversation to becoming a stopper the coach can rely on any night against any team. The thing I like the most is his presence he settles the team down, said Tortorella. There s not a lot of extra movement in his game. He doesn t get rattled.

15 Lack s low maintenance, structured and calm 31-save shutout performance against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday was far from coughing up two goals in 10 seconds on Dec. 1 in a win at Raleigh. But he s a quick study, who s harder on himself than his outgoing demeanour reveals. I put the most pressure on myself, stressed Lack, who s with a 2.08 goals-against average and.925 saves percentage. I m the maddest one if I have a bad game, so I want to keep it going. The shutout was a confidence booster and it was a nice night. A lot of text messages from my friends and I got to enjoy it and both my dad and mom have been part of it the whole way and driving me to practices and stuff. Now it s just about focussing on my future. I m not trying to think about it too much and just think about the next start. That s the beauty of this league. It doesn t matter if you ve played 400 or 500 games, you ve got to come to the rink every day and prove yourself and I m looking forward proving to myself that I can stay here. After hip surgery shut down his AHL season last January, Lack was challenged to rehab and fend off the back-up spot challenge from free agent Joacim Eriksson. I knew coming into camp, it was my job to lose and I just wanted to perform at a high level because I know I can play, said Lack, who has improved his footwork and play around the net. With the surgery, I tried to look at goalies who had that before and came back stronger. It was easier for me because I had it at the end of January and had time. I didn t have to stress about it and jump ahead a few spots in the process. I just felt like I could do everything the right way. bkuzma@theprovince.com twitter.com/benkuzma Canucks Hat Trick: Who s who with the Sedins; pity the fourth-liners; Tanev on the power play Jim Jamieson - The Province Blog Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 10:45am Three thoughts on a team that s won five straight: 1. So who s next with the Sedins? It didn t sound like coach John Tortorella was terribly thrilled after Monday s 2-0 win over Carolina with Jannik Hansen s game since moving up to play with Danny and Hank. The twins haven t found much chemistry with Hansen this time around. They ve been held off the score sheet in two straight games playing with the Dane. The second unit, with Ryan Kesler between Mike Santorelli and Chris Higgins is just playing too well right now to even consider breaking up.so what does Torts do? Try David Booth back with the twin, perhaps? Daniel had two assists and Henrik a goal when Booth was on their line last week when Phoenix was in town. Booth himself hasn t scored a point in five games since a nice return to the lineup on Nov. 25. Given the aforementioned, there aren t a lot of other candidates with Alex Burrows out with that fractured jaw. The answer, I think, is hidden in plain sight. Move young and under-performing winger Zack Kassian up there and see what he does with the opportunity. A move, at this point in time, out of the coach s doghouse, just might be what he needs. 2. It s hard to be critical of a team that s won five straight to pull out of a swoon that was seeing them drop out of the very difficult Western Conference playoff picture. But we ll give it a try anyway. Admittedly, this is a variation on an existing theme, but isn t playing a team s fourth line actually most of the bottom six as little as coach Tortorella does a tactic that s doomed to fail at some point. Yes, Torts has been very smart about giving his top forwards rest days, but these guys notably Dale Weise (8:53 ice-time on average), Tom Sestito (5:33), Jeremy Welsh (6:41) and Zac Dalpe (5:15) don t need rest. They need game minutes to play at their best. The Canucks had three off-days this week after beating Carolina 2-0 on Monday before hosting the Oilers on Friday.

16 Tuesday was a day off and today (Wednesday) was a day where just the players who don t play much will show up with the goalies. Ask any fourth line player about how tough it is to sit on the bench for 10 minutes and then be expected to jump out there and put in a high-tempo shift and show your best stuff. This is just an extension of that. Maybe you re of the mind that it doesn t matter if the fourth line plays much, but take a look at the top teams in the league. You ll see fourth lines that play eight to 10 solid minutes a game and have an impact when they get out there. 3. Tortorella said earlier this week that Canucks defenceman Chris Tanev should continue to focus on his excellent defensive game and not be too concerned about adding offence to what he brings at this point in a young career. It s a wise comment and a good strategy to bring Tanev along. But Torts has also been introducing Tanev to more offensive situations this season certainly in response to his ability to move the puck quickly and efficiently out of his own end. It didn t take long for the coach to move Tanev up to a shut-down pairing with Dan Hamhuis a duo that sees a lot of ice-time with the Sedins line. And since Alex Edler went down with a knee injury, Tanev has been promoted to the second power play unit, along with fellow point-man Kevin Bieksa.