By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 9, 2011
It was an early game on a Sunday, but the Canucks had no trouble getting up against the Chicago Blackhawks in their 15th game of the season. The Vancouver team was starting to concern fans with their lacklustre start to the season – seven regulation losses heading into the game. Meanwhile, Chicago came into the game with just two regulation losses, sitting atop the Western Conference with 19 points. Add in the loss of Alex Burrows to the lineup, and it wasn’t hard for fans of the Canucks to imagine a different outcome than the one they ended up witnessing – a 6-2 shellacking of a Chicago team that had a lot to prove after being ousted by the Canucks in the first round of the playoffs last season.
Just as the defeat of the Blackhawks then really let Canucks know they could go all the way, so too could this statement game be a motivating factor that ends the mediocre, inconsistent play that the team has struggled to rid itself of. They can be a top team. They’ve arguably got a significantly improved lineup from last year. David Booth, who has the potential to go on a real tear with line mate Ryan Kesler, has so far failed to live up to expectations. Yet, he opened the scoring just six minutes into the game with his first goal of the season, and his first goal as a Canuck – and notched an assist later in the game for good measure. That was the kind of game it was.
When the Canucks are firing on all cylinders they are a team to be feared, and this was a game they knew they somehow had to win. Roberto Luongo battled back after letting in a soft first goal, making several key stops including a last-second deflection at the end of the second period. Coincidentally, Kevin Bieksa re-established his physical game with the night’s best scrap just moments after the save, versus Chicago tough-guy Jamal Mayers. No one showed up bigger than team captain Henrik Sedin, though, who finished the night with four points, including a third period power play goal.
It was actually a very important night for special teams. The Canucks tied a team record by scoring five power play goals against the Blackhawks – and they did it in just six opportunities. Rubbing salt in the wounds, the Canucks stymied Chicago on each of the five penalties they took.
Sure, it’s just a single game, and even the worst teams in the League will occasionally pull a convincing win out of a hat, even against a top team. Maybe it is just wishful thinking, but it felt like a game that meant something. After the fan-paranoia and goalie-criticism began hitting new peaks in the city—including that ill-advised editorial in The Province calling for a Luongo trade—it was important to see the team come together to take on their greatest rivals. If that doesn’t put some pep in their step for the next couple of games, knowing that they definitely have what it takes to beat the best teams in the league, than I don’t know what will.
Perhaps it was fitting that the win only put the Canucks back to .500 – a fresh start. That makes it the perfect game to reflect on as the Canucks progress through the season. Will they carry on at the same miserable pace they’ve set so far and miss the playoffs altogether, or will they find their game and attempt to outdo their efforts from last season? Judging by the glimpses of brilliance that sparkled through against Chicago, it is a good bet that happier times are on their way.
