Thursday, January 29, 2004
CANUCKS 4, BLUES 2
The Canucks have won four in a row overall. Their winning ways on the road have continued, as they have won nine of ten on the road. The Blues are headed in an opposite direction, having won only five of their last 21 and being winless in five games. More amazingly, the Canucks sent the Blues' leading-after-two-periods record to 19-2-2.
The bottom line about this game is that Magnus Arvedson is simply on fire. That and the Canucks won this thing in the third period. They are 5-8-5-1 (16 points) when trailing after two periods of play, which may be tops in the NHL.
If any of the stats here don't seem as definitive as usual, it's because I didn't realize the game was on until halfway through the second period, and my ChainCast player was cutting in and out, so I couldn't get a coherent hold on the game. In a sense of luck and feng-shui-type ways, though, it might have been a good thing.
With the ChainCast working for a few seconds, it didn't take long for the Blues to draw first blood, when Martin Grenier made a bad poke check leading to the Marc Rycroft goal. The Blues had a 1-0 lead at home heading into the third period, with Chris Osgood (the guy doesn't suck horribly or anything) in net.
At 2:11 into the third period, Arvedson wristed one past Osgood on a coast-to-coast play with Bryan Allen and Daniel Sedin. Twenty-five seconds later, Dallas Drake of the Blues was sent to the box for a high-stick. The Canucks had gone 0-for-6 on the power play in the game up to that point, but Markus Naslund was able to convert for his 28th goal of the year (only his 4th power play goal of the year) to give the Canucks the lead for good at 2-1. Arvedson really put the game away at 10:52 of the third period, scoring his second goal on a wraparound assisted by the Sedins. Arvedson has four goals in two games and seven goals in seven games. Daniel Sedin added the final tally of the game after Keith Tkachuk put in his 20th goal of the year.
Johan Hedberg was solid in his first game back from injury, having last played on December 9th. The Canucks radio team raved afterward about how great of a puckhandler Hedberg is and how much of a tool that is on the penalty kill. Another way to interpret that is that Hedberg is a way better puckhandler than Dan Cloutier.
Goal scorers for the Canucks tonight: Magnus Arvedson twice (8), Markus Naslund (28), and Daniel Sedin (7)
Nice job by the Sedins, getting themselves a combined four-point night with a goal and three assists. Combine that with Arvedson's two goals, and you get a six-point night out of the all-Swedish line.
All in all, it was a good way to start off the huge road trip. The Canucks play Saturday against the now Jagr-less Washington Capitals.
[edit ~8:15a Fri: "Johan" instead of "John." I think I've lost my mind.]
The bottom line about this game is that Magnus Arvedson is simply on fire. That and the Canucks won this thing in the third period. They are 5-8-5-1 (16 points) when trailing after two periods of play, which may be tops in the NHL.
If any of the stats here don't seem as definitive as usual, it's because I didn't realize the game was on until halfway through the second period, and my ChainCast player was cutting in and out, so I couldn't get a coherent hold on the game. In a sense of luck and feng-shui-type ways, though, it might have been a good thing.
With the ChainCast working for a few seconds, it didn't take long for the Blues to draw first blood, when Martin Grenier made a bad poke check leading to the Marc Rycroft goal. The Blues had a 1-0 lead at home heading into the third period, with Chris Osgood (the guy doesn't suck horribly or anything) in net.
At 2:11 into the third period, Arvedson wristed one past Osgood on a coast-to-coast play with Bryan Allen and Daniel Sedin. Twenty-five seconds later, Dallas Drake of the Blues was sent to the box for a high-stick. The Canucks had gone 0-for-6 on the power play in the game up to that point, but Markus Naslund was able to convert for his 28th goal of the year (only his 4th power play goal of the year) to give the Canucks the lead for good at 2-1. Arvedson really put the game away at 10:52 of the third period, scoring his second goal on a wraparound assisted by the Sedins. Arvedson has four goals in two games and seven goals in seven games. Daniel Sedin added the final tally of the game after Keith Tkachuk put in his 20th goal of the year.
Johan Hedberg was solid in his first game back from injury, having last played on December 9th. The Canucks radio team raved afterward about how great of a puckhandler Hedberg is and how much of a tool that is on the penalty kill. Another way to interpret that is that Hedberg is a way better puckhandler than Dan Cloutier.
Goal scorers for the Canucks tonight: Magnus Arvedson twice (8), Markus Naslund (28), and Daniel Sedin (7)
Nice job by the Sedins, getting themselves a combined four-point night with a goal and three assists. Combine that with Arvedson's two goals, and you get a six-point night out of the all-Swedish line.
All in all, it was a good way to start off the huge road trip. The Canucks play Saturday against the now Jagr-less Washington Capitals.
[edit ~8:15a Fri: "Johan" instead of "John." I think I've lost my mind.]
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