Canucks Take 3 Out of 4 on East Swing

The Canucks have reached the 30 game mark of the 2013-2014 NHL campaign and stand at 9th place in the Western Conference with 35 points.  Their record is 15-10-5 and they sit at 5th place in the Pacific Division.

Thanksgiving Showdown: Canucks @ Senators (5-2 Win)
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Once again, this was another slow starter for the Canucks, who have had this bad habit since the season began.  Daniel Sedin jump started the Canucks 31 seconds into the 2nd period with a quick goal.  This was followed up about 45 seconds later with a goal from David Booth!  Finally, Booth shows up to the party to contribute.  After several weeks of poor play, Jason Garrison finally nets a powerplay goal to make it 3-1!  Craig Anderson gets the yank after the Canucks third goal and Robin Lehner enters the game.  Later in the period, Dale Weise would clean up the trash in front of Lehner and he gets a goal.  The Canucks potted 4 2nd period goals which decided this game.

Torts Returns to Broadway: Canucks @ Rangers (5-2 Loss)

This was one of the worst Canucks games of this season.  Halfway into the first period is when the floodgates started to open.  Alex Edler made a pathetic clear attempt in the defensive zone which gave the Rangers an opening.  Chris Kreider was the beneficiary of the poor effort from the Canucks as he was able to net a hattrick.  Kreider had two goals within 5 minutes of play in the first period.  Rick Nash scored 17 seconds into the 2nd period and Michael Del Zotto followed up on the powerplay later into the period.  The score was 4-0 Rangers halfway through the contest.  David Booth potted his 2nd goal in two games later in the 2nd period and Kreider completed his hattrick halfway through the third period.

Alain Vigneault got the best of John Tortorella in this coaching matchup.  The Canucks had too many errors and were not able to gain control of this game.  This was an uphill battle from the very beginning.  The highlight of this contest came at regulation's end when Kevin Bieksa squared off with big Ranger forward Brian Boyle.  A frustrated Bieksa wanted to provide a spark heading in to the next game against Carolina.  He did just that by scrapping with Boyle and at the end of the fight he punted Boyle's helmet.

Rally in Raleigh: Canucks @ Hurricanes (3-2 Win)

A day after the debacle in Manhattan, the Canucks responded with a tight victory over the struggling Hurricanes.  A boarding on Kevin Bieksa early in the 1st period woke the Canucks up.  They were able to get an early 5 on 3 powerplay opportunity which they were able to capitalize on.  Ryan Kesler cleaned up a dirty rebound off of Cam Ward which gave the Canucks an early 1-0 lead.  Later in the first, Tom Sestito was able to deflect a Jason Garrison slapper which made the score 2-0.

The 2nd period provided some much needed excitement.  3 goals between both sides in a matter of 1:16.  The Hurricanes rallied 39 seconds into the period as Jordan Staal potted a trashy goal in front of the net as the Canucks were not able to clear the puck out of the crease.  On the next shift, Eric Staal broke toward the net on a real bad defensive breakdown and Nathan Gerbe was able to score a goal which tied the game.  Just like that 2 Carolina goals within 10 seconds.  27 seconds later, Ryan Kesler was able to neutralize Carolina's early momentum and got the eventual game winner.

The Canucks would squeak out of Raleigh on the tail end of a back to back with a victory.  The Canucks defense did a good job at not giving the Canes forwards much space on the ice.  The penalty killers all deserve credit in this game as they killed 5 straight Carolina powerplays between the 2nd and 3rd periods.

Sustaining in Smashville: Canucks @ Predators (3-1 Win)

The Canucks headed to Honky Tonk Land to finish up this 4 game east road trip.  Another slow start for the Canucks, but they did manage to control play for most of this game.  The first period could have put anyone to sleep with limited shots and scoring chances.

The Canucks were able to get on the board first as Brad Richardson netted his 6th goal of the season.  30 seconds later, you guessed it, the Canucks got scored on as they got stuck in their own zone.  Colin Wilson was able to net his 5th goal of the season for the Predators which neutralized the Canucks momentum.

Heading into the third period, the 2nd line of Kesler/Hansen/Higgins provided another hard working shift.  Jason Garrison continued his point streak as he shot a big slapper from the top circle and Ryan Kesler was able to break the tie 7:37 into the 3rd period.  Things got chippy as this game went along and Luongo was getting ran in his crease, which gave the Canucks some powerplay time.  Ryan Kesler made the Predators pay 14:15 into the 3rd which sealed the deal and gave the Canucks back to back victories.

Recap:
After a horrendous 6 game homestand, the Canucks responded with a successful road trip east.  The Canucks return back to Vancouver for a tough 5 game homestand in a little over a week.  This homestand brings in Phoenix, Colorado, Carolina, Edmonton, and Boston.  This will not be an easy one.  The Canucks need to make Rogers Arena a very tough place to come play at.  The Canucks need to give their fans something to cheer about and get back into the playoff race out west.  They cannot have another bomb at home.

Until next time, stay classy! -George