Team Tank shows up Canucks
Let’s all just hope Steven Stamkos wasn’t watching.
The Canucks and the Leafs are two teams oftmentioned as being “in” on Stamkos. And that’s if he ever gets to free agency.
It’s been argued by many that the Canucks were the better team and may then be more appealing to Stamkos.
It did not look like this Saturday. Not for a second. After two periods, the shots were 28-10 — for the Leafs, considered one of the worst teams in the NHL. Let that swim around your head for a moment or two.
The Canucks were humiliated in a 5-2 loss in a way they haven’t been humiliated all year, considering the level of their opposition, a Toronto team that sure looks like it’s trying to tank.
Of course, there are reasons. Why did you expect they would look like without Alex Edler and Brandon Sutter? It wasn’t all bad. Sven Baertschi scored with Ryan Miller pulled on a goal on which Radim Vrbata got an assist. Daniel Sedin scored. Henrik Sedin did throw a couple of punches. That was about as good as it got for Vancouver, unless you don’t like Frankie Corrado because Canucks kept taking runs at him.
Celebrating the first team to play in Rogers Arena (then GM Place), the Canucks honoured the 1995-96 squad by wearing their striking sweaters.
They looked freakin’ good, too. Ryan Miller looked sharp. Luca Sbisa looked like he just walked out of the 1994 playoffs.
Unfortunately, none of this was represented in the Canucks play. Yannick Weber and Dan Hamhuis struggled as a pairing.
Radim Vrbata was mostly awful. A great scoring chance early ended up in James Reimer’s gut. Later, he got along the side boards and in front of the net, pathetically losing a battle, which ended with a Leaf goal from Mark Arcobello.