-What a way to end the preseason in style - a 5-0 victory over the Broadway Blueshirts. This also marks a spoiled return for former Canucks bench boss Alain Vigneault.
-I will give the Rangers credit where its due. They threw lots of pucks at Roberto Luongo. If Roberto was not on his game, they could have probably lit the lamp a few times. The Rangers are a good hockey club who really just did not have luck on their side. Roberto Luongo gobbled up every puck and only let one loose rebound the entire night. If Luongo plays like this on a nightly basis, he should be a lock to be Team Canada's starting goaltender.
-I was real impressed with the Canucks penalty kill last night. Alex Burrows nearly connected with David Booth on a 2 on 1 break shorthanded. Ryan Kesler made entries for the Rangers difficult with his defensive hard checking play last night. The Canucks ranked 8th on the penalty kill last season, there is no reason they should not have a top 10 penalty killing unit for this season.
Prospects Update:
-In the post game press conference, Coach Tortorella announced that Frank Corrado was being sent to Utica. Corrado managed to tally a goal and an assist in last night's contest with the Rangers. Tortorella wants Corrado to be able play 25-30 minutes a night and play in all situations in Utica. I believe that Corrado deserves to be on the Canucks roster, but I can deal with Corrado gaining some more experience in Utica. I do believe that Corrado will be around by the time of the trade deadline. He is too good to not be around on the back end.
-Brendan Gaunce was sent back to his junior club (Belleville Bulls - OHL) where he will remain the captain of their team. I feel that Canucks management was not quite happy with his development yet, especially his foot speed. Another year of juniors will not do him any harm as he will play in all situations there.
-From the sound of Mike Gillis' interview on TEAM 1040 yesterday, it looks as if Bo Horvat and Hunter Shinkaruk will both crack the opening night roster. Due to preseason injuries and suspensions, this is a great opportunity for both guys. Shinkaruk was able to tally a goal against the Rangers last night while Horvat remained invisible. It will be interesting to see if they can provide some much needed secondary scoring and make Gillis' decision to keep them around full time harder. If I had to choose one over the other right now, Hunter Shinkaruk should remain with the Canucks. I do not think another year of juniors for Bo Horvat would hurt his development. Shinkaruk has the necessary speed to stick around with the Canucks.
To close, here is Kevin Bieksa's scrap with Rangers tough guy Derek Dorsett last night. This started because Dorsett poked Bo Horvat with his stick. Of course, Kevin Bieksa was not going to have any of that... enjoy!
Until next time, stay classy! -George
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