CANUCKS CAN’T CLOSE DEAL
Blackhawks hang in for 4-2 win
Talk is cheap. Effort isn’t. The Vancouver Canucks talked a good game Sunday because they knew that a league-low five road victories was going to keep them from a National Hockey League post-season berth.
“There shouldn’t be a difference playing on the road than at home,” captain Henrik Sedin said. “It should be easier to be in these (road) games and I can’t think of any reason why we shouldn’t turn it around with the way we’ve been playing lately.”
Added Bo Horvat: “If you can’t get up for a game here — especially with the (U.S.) national anthem — then you shouldn’t be here.”
The Canucks managed to dig themselves out of a deep early two-goal hole with a pair of third-period tallies in a span of 46 seconds by Troy Stetcher and Horvat to turn what had the makings of a laugher into a third-period nail-biter that would prove to be a 4-2 Blackhawks triumph.
It was settled when Jonathan Toews got a fortuitous bounce off the end boards on a deflected shot by Richard Panik that went off the shin pad of Alex Edler. It came right to the streaking Blackhawks captain and he got his shot away with Ryan Miller diving across the crease in vain at 18:42. Marian Hossa then added an empty-netter to give the Canucks that empty feeling.
“That was the first flat puck all night — the ice is the worst ice I’ve seen in my career,” a miffed Miller said. “It was terrible and they’ve got to do something about it. There were times when we tried to make plays that we should have went up the wall because it was just the safest option. There were plays where we looked tired trying to make plays before getting off the ice. It’s really a kick in the teeth to come all the way back and lose on a fairly fluky kind of play.”
The Stecher effort from the point surprised Corey Crawford with Daniel Sedin causing crease havoc. Horvat then did his patented toe drag around defenceman Michal Kempny in a bold move down low, got his own rebound and shovelled it home for his team-leading 14th goal.
“We’re never giving up and that
has been this team all year long,” Henrik Sedin said. “We showed again tonight that we can keep playing the same way and that’s what good teams do — that’s why we were able to come back.”
The ongoing problem is that the Canucks usually arrive late on road stops. On Sunday, they started sluggish, were a step behind and coughed up the first goal when Panik’s slot shot eluded a screened Miller and went off the post and in. Less than five minutes later, the Canucks couldn’t get out of their zone, Luca Sbisa couldn’t corral a bouncing puck, and with the flick of a wrist Patrick Kane found the top corner. It had the smell of a blowout with the Blackhawks outshooting the Canucks 17-8 after one period. Then came the two quick goals and one conclusion: The Canucks don’t quit. It’s the story of the season.
“They took it pretty good to us in the first four or five minutes, but we settled it out,” Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins said. “But I thought we got a little bit tired as the game went on and got caught in the last five minutes of the game. We stopped making plays and just couldn’t sustain it.” Notes: Edler appeared to injure a wrist or hand late in the game and Desjardins didn’t have an update.