Sven Baertschi joined the list of Canucks out with injuries, meaning the lineup was littered with AHLers. It felt like the team was half Canucks and half Comets, which would make them the Cannots, which seems sadly appropriate.
Don’t think about that joke too hard, because then you’ll realize it should actually be the “Canets,” which isn’t funny at all. Or “Comucks,” which seems like it could go somewhere, but never quite reaches its full potential.
I watched this game.
- The Canucks’ best line against the Coyotes in their previous game was Baertschi, Bo Horvat, and Alex Burrows. Jayson “Superfluous Y” Megna replaced Baertschi, but instead of a dropoff in performance, they were once again the best line for the Canucks. Jayson made like a late generation pokemon and Megna Evolved, leading the Canucks in shot differential: the Canucks out-shot the Stars 10-4 (good buddy) when he was on the ice.
- A big reason that Megna Man saw success in this game? Bo Horvat. The Horvatian One took sole possession of the team lead in points with a gorgeous assist on the game’s opening goal, sending a saucer pass just behind the skates of Dan Hamhuis where he couldn’t reach it, causing the hockey dad to turn around awkwardly like he was about to step on a toddler that ran into the back of his legs.
- The pass was pretty, but full credit to Liquid Hot Megna for the finish, as he used his speed to go around Hamhuis and drive to the net, then had the presence of mind to pull the puck past Antti Niemi’s attempted poke check and tuck the puck in on the backhand. It was the Canucks first shot of the game.
- Unfortunately, that was the only goal the Canucks could manage. Though Niemi never looked entirely comfortable, he still rejected more shots than a girl at the bar who is just not into you and can buy her own drinks, thank you very much. Niemi made 30 saves, including 14 in the third period alone.
- Luca Sbisa was involved physically, and I don’t just mean that he was corporeal all game and didn’t escape into the spiritual realm. He nearly murdered Jason Spezza early in the first, likely as retaliation for some slight during their most recent family reunion, then dropped the gloves with Antoine Roussel when he didn’t like a hit he received from the Frenchman. Since Sbisa speaks four languages, I really hope he trash talked him in French. I would try it, but it would just be about libraries and grapefruits.
- The Stars’ first goal was not without controversy, because, like powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk, it could have been icing. Instead, the refs added cocoa and fudged it up.
- Joseph LaBate’s family came out to watch him play his second career game, which must have been a special moment. I mean “moment” quite literally, because that’s how long he was on the ice.
- LaBate, along with his linemates Brendan Gaunce and Jack Skille, barely played in this game, which could cause trouble on Saturday when they play the Colorado Avalanche at altitude. Tired team, second night of back-to-backs, 5000+ ft in altitude...this could get ugly.
- Alex Edler had a whopping 8 shots blocked in this game and it felt like they all came in the final five minutes. We sometimes joke about his inability to get shots through from the point, but Edler acted like he was trying to train the Stars for the World Shin-Kicking Championships at the Cotswold Olimpicks.
- That may be why Troy Stecher spent the last two minutes of the game frantically beavertailing his stick on the ice. It’s not that he was overly confident he could get his shot through traffic, he just knew for a fact that Edler couldn’t.
- I honestly loved that with the game on the line in the dying minutes, the guy who most wanted the puck was the 22-year-old rookie with one career goal. Like Scott Pilgrim playing bass, Stecher is full of unearned confidence. Except Stecher might actually be as good as he thinks he is.
- Finally, the funniest moment of the game, just because of how out-of-nowhere it was, had to be John Shorthouse’s vicious attack on Antti Niemi’s thinning hair. After Niemi lost his mask, Shorthouse paused, as if considering whether he should wreck Niemi’s entire life, and landed on yes: “He’s losing some hair too.” Savage, uncalled for, completely unnecessary. Wyatt Arndt nabbed the video:
