Salo healthy and ready to roll
Team tests players’ alertness during Monday morning workout in effort to gain extra edge
With Sami Salo back tonight to face the Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks are healthy again and sit comfortably in first place in the Northwest Division. But there is always room for improvement, which was why players were doing something a little different at practice Monday.
For 10 minutes, all forwards and defencemen — goalies were excluded — wore heart monitors and were asked to skate halfspeed from the red- line deep into the defensive zone, curl around a pylon and return to their original spots. Their movements were tracked by a computer.
If it was at full speed, maybe it would make sense to a layman, or a hockey journalist. But half speed? How did that simulate anything players do in a game?
Luckily, Canuck alternate captain Kevin Bieksa seemed to understand exactly what was happening.
“It was the sleep doctors wanting to see how alert we are in the morning,” he explained. “Underneath our helmets, we had these pads on our heads. Apparently the [ data] tells them how alert we are and how ready we are when we first step on the ice. You feel a little bit like a guinea pig but, whatever is going to help make us better, we’re all for it.
“We’re fine with it, we accept it and there is 100 per cent buyin around here. Ownership and management have shown they’re looking into every possible way to gain an advantage.”
The Oilers may not know what hits them tonight. Then again, the game is at night and Monday’s “alertness” testing was done in the morning. So who knows, right?
“I guess they would just like to see where we’re at in the season,” said winger Chris Higgins. “They want to see how fatigued we are and how well we respond to a little bit of a workout. It wasn’t anything too tough. I wish our September workouts were similar to that one. I’d be a lot happier.”
Kidding aside, it’s all part ( as Bieksa noted) of trying to be better in the big picture. In the little picture, having Salo return after six games on the sidelines with a concussion may be enough. The Canucks are 4- 5- 1 in the 10 games he has missed this season. They are 3- 2- 1 in the most recent six.
The 37- year- old Finn took full reps at Monday’s practice alongside usual defence partner Alex Edler and he was on the team’s first- unit power play, which has sputtered without him ( 3- for- 21).
“Sami has passed all the protocol and when I talked to him after practice, he said he was fine,” said Canuck head coach Alain Vigneault, just minutes after Salo himself was coy on his return date. “He wanted to play. He’s a big part of our team and it’s time for him to play.
“When he’s in our lineup, our record is much more on the positive side than the negative side. He’s such a smart player both with and without the puck and he makes our group so much better. That’s why he’s going to play.”
It seemed apparent as early as Sunday that Salo was ready. He took part in the team’s superskills event and defended his title as the Canuck with the hardest shot. Following Monday’s practice, he wasn’t quite as forthright as he apparently was in his chat with Vigneault.
“We’ll see [ today] how I feel after a pretty good skate today,” said Salo, who likes to tweak the media on occasion.
“I’ve made a lot of strides since a couple of weeks ago. There is no more testing. It’s just a matter of getting back into game shape and feeling confident enough to play the game.”
With Salo back, young defenceman Chris Tanev was re- assigned to the American League’s Chicago Wolves. Tanev, 22, acquitted himself well in Saturday’s 4- 3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. He didn’t have far to travel either as the Wolves are in Abbotsford this week to play the Heat in a two games- in- two nights doubleheader that starts tonight.
The Canucks are currently the healthiest they have been all season. Fourth- liners Aaron Volpatti ( shoulder) and Andrew Ebbett ( collarbone) are out long- term.
ICE CHIPS: Netminder Roberto Luongo will get the nod against the Oilers, his fifth straight start. The decision means backup Cory Schneider will go at least three weeks between starts as the Canucks don’t play again until Jan. 31 because of the all- star break.