There’s nothing Lacking in net: coach
OTTAWA — The classic journalism- school definition of news is “man bites dog” because dogs are the ones who are supposed to bite.
Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins did exactly what was expected Sunday with his goalies, yet it still seemed significant that he chose to start backup Eddie Lack against the Ottawa Senators in the second half of the Canucks’ backtoback games.
Lack had started the second game in all five back- to- backs for the Canucks this season. But on Saturday, after starter Ryan Miller was beaten four times on 14 shots and removed 26 minutes into a 5- 2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Desjardins indicated he was considering starting Miller again.
Since posting consecutive shutouts, Miller is 1- 2 in three starts and has a 4.58 goalsagainst average and .838 save rate. Lack, who shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins 3- 0 on Thursday and was perfect in relief against the Leafs, had gone 107 minutes without allowing a goal. It seemed like a no- brainer.
“It was pretty straight forward,” Desjardins conceded two hours before the game. “He was scheduled to start, so he’s starting. After a game ( like Saturday), there’s no sense rushing that decision. I knew 99 per cent what was going to happen but there’s no sense to rush it at that time.”
The Canucks needed Lack to get them Sunday’s point in a 4- 3 overtime loss. Ottawa outshot Vancouver 45- 33 and the quality scoring chances were much more lopsided than that.
Desjardins said before the game that Lack could play his way into more frequent appearances.
“I would think so,” the coach said. “If a guy is playing bad, you’re certainly not going to be looking to get him starts. But if he’s playing well ... and Eddie has played well for us. I really believe in Eddie Lack. I think he’s a really good goaltender. I don’t think he’s average; I think he’s really good. I have lots of confidence in him at all times. So we’ll just see how it goes and then we’ll kind of figure it out down the road.” DOWN AND OUT: The
Canucks sent winger Tom Sestito to minor- league Utica on a conditioning assignment the day winger Shawn Matthias came out of the lineup due to a head injury. Matthias left Saturday’s game in the second period after being elbowed in the head by Maple Leaf defenceman Stephane Robidas, who received only a minor penalty.
Sestito hasn’t played since suffering an undisclosed injury on Nov. 2 in just his second game this season.
“I’ve said it all along: I think Tommy can play,” Desjardins said. “I believe that. I want him to play 10 minutes a night, not five. I believe to do that, he probably has to get lighter. He’s a big guy and to carry that around all the time, it’s tough. So I think he’s got to work at that and that’s what this little stint ( in the minors) is for.” Minor- league call- up Nicklas
Jensen went into the lineup against Ottawa. TANEV’S TORONTO: One of the few Canucks who left Saturday’s game with a somewhat happy memory was Chris
Tanev, the defenceman from Toronto who finally got to play a National Hockey League game in his hometown, and scored his first goal of the season.
“It’s taken a while, that’s for sure,” Tanev, cheered on by about 50 friends and family members, said Saturday.
Tanev, 24, made his NHL debut four years ago and has logged 183 games.
“I was definitely nervous, definitely excited,” Tanev said. “I had a little bolt of energy there playing in front of so many family and friends. But after your first two or three shifts, you kind of settle in and it’s just a hockey game.”