By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: January 11, 2012
They said it was just another one out of 82—with just two points on the line—but they weren’t fooling anyone. It was the first game of the second half of the regular season, and the first and only chance the Canucks will have this season to face off against the team that dropped them out of the Stanley Cup Finals in game seven last June. Oh, it mattered.
In some ways it was a battle for redemption. In other ways, it was a beacon of hope. In yet other ways, the face off against the Bruins was a scramble for dignity. Yet, most of all, it was a first-class hockey game with an incomprehensible number of dramatic storylines playing out from start to finish.
After a seven-game series in the most pressure-filled situation a hockey player can imagine, this one-off took only moments to bring the emotion-filled memories flooding back. It was no surprise when Alex Burrows was at the centre of a dispute that brought on a line-brawl just minutes into the opening period. The success of the Canucks power play and the superb goaltending of back-up Cory Schneider (including a great glove save on a penalty shot) was enough to secure the victory for Vancouver. Yet, there were some costs. By the end, the Canucks wound up with two injured players, including workhorse defenceman Sami Salo. He was injured on a dirty, low hit by Bruin goon Brad Marchand, on a play where Salo didn’t even touch the puck.
Despite the injuries, however, the game had an incredible amount of therapeutic value for the Canucks. It let them know that they have every bit as much of a chance to win this year as they did last year, if not moreso. Boston came into the game off of a 6-1 win in New Jersey and a 9-0 win against Calgary – not to mention 23 wins in their last 27 games. To say that the Bruins are playing at the top of their game is to put it lightly. So, for the Canucks to come into Boston and beat them at their own style of game says a lot about the current drive of the Canucks. The win early Saturday afternoon also secured the Canucks a first place position in the Western conference, and put them two-points up on the storming Bruins. It was the 17th win in the Canucks last 23 games, who also just finished a satisfying 3-0 clobbering of division rival Minnesota.
Though the game is long over, it will serve as a landmark moment for the team (and the fans) to reflect back on as the second half of the season wears on. While it may only be a single game, it brings closure to some unfinished business. With the Bruins in the rear-view mirror, the team can look forward with a greater confidence in what they can accomplish. This is what it means to become a veteran squad.
Next up the Canucks face the deadly St. Louis Blues at 5 p.m. on Thursday, the dreadful Anaheim Ducks on Sunday at 6 p.m. and the dead-middle Los Angeles Kings at 7 p.m. on Tuesday the 17th. Most exciting to look forward to, though, will be when the Canucks face off against their Conference Final foes, the San Jose Sharks, in their final meeting of the regular season. That match-up, like the Bruins game, is also set for an early Saturday start – this time at 1 p.m. on January 21. Mark your calendars, because this time it will be the Sharks seeking revenge.
