Flames end long losing streak vs. Canucks
Canucks in a freefall after another crucial home loss to a tired team
The Vancouver Canucks may have outplayed the Calgary Flames Saturday night at Rogers Arena, and were perhaps unlucky not to win, but during this just-concluded homestand they certainly left the distinct impression they are fading rapidly as a team.
The Flames’ 1-0 victory was their first win over Vancouver in 10 games, and it left the Canucks again failing to take advantage of the fact they were catching a visiting team on the second night of back-to-back games.
The Canucks had 14 shots in the first period, albeit with very few genuine scoring chances, but this was certainly not the case the rest of the game as they enjoyed some glorious opportunities, all of which were muffed. Henrik Sedin had a goal disallowed having knocked it into the goal with a high stick from behind the goal, and he was also set up by his brother for another golden chance stopped by Finnish rookie goalie Joni Ortio. Both Daniel and Jannik Hansen rattled bullets off the goalpost and crossbar respectively, but when all was said and done, the Canucks were heading into hostile Nashville Tuesday with a woeful 2-3 mark on this homestand and a 5-7-2 mark in their last 14 games.
Despite the numerous shooting opportunities and ample time spent in the Calgary zone, the Canucks once again failed to get a power-play opportunity despite the Flames players appearing tired having played Friday night.
Mikael Backlund scored on Calgary’s first shot five minutes into the game on Eddie Lack who gets no run support in the Vancouver goal and Ortio made it stand up for his first NHL shutout.
At the end of the game Alex Burrows decided to take a swing at Calgary’s Mark Giordano. It was emotion coming too little, too late for the Canucks.
It was the type of game only Henrik Sedin could love.
The captain snapped, just a little, when it was suggested the Canucks were paper tigers Saturday, piling up 36 shots without many real scoring chances in a 1-0 loss.
“Ya, I think four crossbars is pretty good chances, so I don’t think that was a problem,” Henrik said. OK, then. Maybe Henrik was impressed, but most have not been during a disheartening homestand that saw the Canucks go 2-3.
They not only managed to get through a game against the Flames without a goal, they did it without a power play, too.
Some of that may hang on the officials, but make no mistake, this isn’t a team that’s been doing enough to initiate contact and get to the front of the net.
In the past seven games, the Canucks went two without one power-play opportunity and in a third, they had the man advantage for just 14 seconds.
The Canucks sit 20th in the NHL in five-on-five scoring. It makes the book on them rather simple: Stay out of the penalty box and watch them struggle to score even-strength goals.
Much more was expected against Calgary, especially after the Canucks bottomed out in a listless performance against the Florida Panthers Thursday. Instead it was more of the same. The Sedins were good, but not good enough. The second line, led by centre Nick Bonino, was nonexistent.
The bottom six showed up, but there just aren’t any true goal-scorers among them.
If there was any silver lining, it was the play of Frankie Corrado, who the coach described as “heady” in his post-game assessment.
Corrado found himself paired with Alex Edler in the third period, and was on the ice late in the game as Vancouver tried, and failed, to score the tying goal.