Monday, December 22, 2003
KINGS 4, CANUCKS 4 (OT)
Now I know the LA Kings are ahead of their (somewhat pathetic) division, but the game stats are somewhat unnerving, making me almost glad I didn't have a chance to watch or listen to the game tonight.
Sure, the Canucks got a point in the standings out of it, but let's just say an early hole was dug.
Todd Bertuzzi scored on a wrister at 6:04 of the first period on a power play. This is very good for Todd, because he hasn't had a goal, let alone a power play goal, in forever. This is good for the Canucks as a team because they've been brutal on the power play as of late.
A mere 2:10 after the Bertuzzi goal, Alex Frolov of the Kings scored shorthanded, 20 seconds into a Zig Palffy tripping penalty, and 5:06 after that goal, Luc Robitaille scored a power play goal on a Naslund trip penalty. The first period ended with LA up 2-1.
Then came the second period. Since I'm just going off the game stats right now, I'll venture to guess the goalies were mostly doing their jobs (especially Cristobal Huet, who stopped 40 shots for the Kings). At 12:32 in, Ziggy Palffy scored to make it 3-1 Kings. 4:08 after that, Palffy tallied again for a shorthanded goal, 1:07 into the Vancouver power play. At this point, it's 4-1 Kings. Also at this point, I'd guess that the Canuck fans were doing either one of two things -- (1) asking for Dan Cloutier's head, or (2) bashing Brent Sopel or a couple of the other Canuck defensemen for giving away the puck, leading to the Kings goals. If it's two shorthanded goals, it can't just be the goalie, right?
Luckily the Canucks scored twice in the next 84 seconds following the Palffy shorthanded goal -- once on the power play by Sopel, and once on a rare goal by Artem Chubarov.
With the Canucks down 4-3 in the 3rd period, Jarkko Ruutu tipped in the puck with 3:51 left in regulation to salvage a point for the Canucks, on a night when the Kings scored four answered goals and had themselves a three-goal lead which they had 22.5 minutes to hold for the win. In that aspect, it's not a bad win for the Canucks, but they did dig a mighty big hole for themselves.
Canuck goals once again: Bertuzzi 9th, Sopel 2nd, Chubarov 4th, Ruutu 3rd.
After reading the quick recap, it appears the Ruutu game-tying goal was protested by Huet because a signal of the goal was delayed as the puck "trickled across the line." Ed Jovanovski was "caught flat-footed at the Kings blue line" when Frolov turned on the afterburners for his goal. Palffy's shorthand goal came when Mattias Ohlund tripped trying to keep the puck onside; Palffy then got man-to-man with Cloutier and deked him. Defensive giveaways, folks. They'll do you in just like an incompetent goalie will.
Canucks Friday at Calgary, and Saturday at the Garage with Edmonton on Hockey Night in Canada.
Sure, the Canucks got a point in the standings out of it, but let's just say an early hole was dug.
Todd Bertuzzi scored on a wrister at 6:04 of the first period on a power play. This is very good for Todd, because he hasn't had a goal, let alone a power play goal, in forever. This is good for the Canucks as a team because they've been brutal on the power play as of late.
A mere 2:10 after the Bertuzzi goal, Alex Frolov of the Kings scored shorthanded, 20 seconds into a Zig Palffy tripping penalty, and 5:06 after that goal, Luc Robitaille scored a power play goal on a Naslund trip penalty. The first period ended with LA up 2-1.
Then came the second period. Since I'm just going off the game stats right now, I'll venture to guess the goalies were mostly doing their jobs (especially Cristobal Huet, who stopped 40 shots for the Kings). At 12:32 in, Ziggy Palffy scored to make it 3-1 Kings. 4:08 after that, Palffy tallied again for a shorthanded goal, 1:07 into the Vancouver power play. At this point, it's 4-1 Kings. Also at this point, I'd guess that the Canuck fans were doing either one of two things -- (1) asking for Dan Cloutier's head, or (2) bashing Brent Sopel or a couple of the other Canuck defensemen for giving away the puck, leading to the Kings goals. If it's two shorthanded goals, it can't just be the goalie, right?
Luckily the Canucks scored twice in the next 84 seconds following the Palffy shorthanded goal -- once on the power play by Sopel, and once on a rare goal by Artem Chubarov.
With the Canucks down 4-3 in the 3rd period, Jarkko Ruutu tipped in the puck with 3:51 left in regulation to salvage a point for the Canucks, on a night when the Kings scored four answered goals and had themselves a three-goal lead which they had 22.5 minutes to hold for the win. In that aspect, it's not a bad win for the Canucks, but they did dig a mighty big hole for themselves.
Canuck goals once again: Bertuzzi 9th, Sopel 2nd, Chubarov 4th, Ruutu 3rd.
After reading the quick recap, it appears the Ruutu game-tying goal was protested by Huet because a signal of the goal was delayed as the puck "trickled across the line." Ed Jovanovski was "caught flat-footed at the Kings blue line" when Frolov turned on the afterburners for his goal. Palffy's shorthand goal came when Mattias Ohlund tripped trying to keep the puck onside; Palffy then got man-to-man with Cloutier and deked him. Defensive giveaways, folks. They'll do you in just like an incompetent goalie will.
Canucks Friday at Calgary, and Saturday at the Garage with Edmonton on Hockey Night in Canada.
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