THAT WAS POINTLESS
Vancouver’s first loss in regulation since Jan. 15
— The spotlight is usually on Kevin Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis, the first-mentioned defenceman pinching and jumping into the play, the latter rarely ever being out of position.
They’re the Canucks’ go-to pairing, they play against the big guns.
But ask opposing coaches and many will say the set of Alex Edler and Sami Salo are the defensive pairing who are the Canucks’ true shutdown duo. Not Tuesday night they weren’t. Salo, in particular, was lost in space on the Predators’ first two goals, and Edler joined him on a space walk on David Legwand’s insurance marker with less than three minutes to go in Nashville’s 3-1 win on Tuesday night.
“There were a couple of bad reads by me and they wound up in the back of the net,” Salo said.
To recap: On Nashville’s opening goal, a Predators power play, there was a mix-up between Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler as to who should cover Ryan Suter with the puck at the point.
Salo looked around at his options, his head pivoting like he was watching a Grand Slam tennis match, and got frozen halfway between doing the forwards’ job and his own.
By the time the puck wound up on Mike Fisher’s stick and Salo realized he should just look after his own end, it was too late.
“I think we were a little too spread out and it opened it up some seams for them,” Salo said.
On the Preds’ second goal, he made an illadvised pinch at the Nashville blueline — on a power play— which led to a 2-on-1 and a 2-0 deficit.
Then, after Dale Weise had closed it to within one, Alex Edler decided to join Salo on his side of the ice, leaving David Legwand alone to onetime an insurance goal past Roberto Luongo with just under three minutes remaining.
“We were trying to press on them, get a goal,” Salo said.
Salo’s teammates were all quick to jump to his defence — it wasn’t because of him they lost, was the refrain.
True, had Cody Hodgson’s line scored on its chances, had Alex Burrows buried that one-timer from Daniel Sedin, had any of us won the last 6/49, things would be different.
“You know, sometimes in games things are going to happen,” Alain Vigneault said.
“Sami hesitated a bit on that pinch there [on Nashville’s second goal] and on the third goal the guy [Legwand] made an unreal shot, the puck had eyes. Things are going to happen.”