Official 2008/2009 Canucks Thread

[Euro7r]

We need the home ice advantage. BURRRRRROOOOOOOOOWWWS!

[Armind]

^Can't wait for those two games, that's for sure!

BURROWS?

[Vansterdam]

LOL @ burrows pic and yes he is a monster

[hotjoint]

Originally Posted by Grandmaster TSE

its always down to the wire in the western conference

i'm just happy to see we're in a pretty good position right now, with the division title in our sights

I believe we can make it far with this years roster.

[stuff99]

Burrows shines in record-tying win
Ninth straight home victory equals mark set by 1992 Canucks

Ben Kuzma
The Province

Monday, March 16, 2009


The story line was supposed to be the home-ice win streak.

It was supposed to be how the Vancouver Canucks stretched their GM Place dominance to nine games Sunday with a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche, equalling the franchise record established more than 16 years ago.

The story line once again was Alex Burrows, even though it looked like it might be the blowing of a three-goal lead before an Alex Edler power-play goal with 1:13 remaining sealed the deal.

Just when you wonder when Burrows would run a little low on the wow factor, would run out of ways to make his four-year, $8-million- US contract look like one of the NHL's best bargains, the winger was at it again. There was a highlight-reel short-handed goal in the first period to provide the Canucks with a two-goal cushion and then his neat cross-ice pass to Taylor Pyatt to build a 3-0 bulge. There was his quick spin move to take a Henrik Sedin feed in one motion and nearly make it a two-goal night. And there was his tireless work on the penalty kill and power-play time, too.

"He's doing it by hard work and also doing it by making the smart, high-percentage plays," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault, who wouldn't bite when asked if the feisty winger is his MVP this season. "I'm going on a game-to-game basis and obviously he was our best player tonight.

"I like the fact that when the pressure is on, he finds a way to come in and make the difference and he's done that on many occasions."

Burrows will tell you he's been the recipient of lucky bounces in extending his season goal total to a career-high 22. He'll tell you it's all about his linemates. He won't tell you that luck is about preparation meeting opportunity, about hustle and desire as the Canucks recorded their first win over the Avalanche in the clubs' last nine meetings (1-5-3) and pulled within two points of fourth-place Chicago in the Western Conference.

"Right now, I'm going through a stretch where the puck is coming to me in good spots," understated Burrows. "I'm trying to be an energy guy out there and get on the forecheck and create some loose pucks."

That was never more evident when Burrows scored his fourth short-handed goal of the season. When John-Michael Liles attempted a cross-ice pass at the Canuck blueline, Burrows got a stick on it and sped away before ringing a shot off the post behind goalie Andrew Raycroft. Instead of quitting on the play, Burrows got into position when Ryan Kesler got Liles to cough up the puck again. Burrows pounced on the offering, but was stopped by a sliding Raycroft before picking the top corner on the rebound.

"I swore a few times after I hit the post," added Burrows, who finished with four shots and was a plus-2 in 20:01 of ice time. "But Kes made a good play and stuck with the puck."

None of this surprises Kesler.

"He could have easily been discouraged after hitting the post on the breakaway, but he stuck with it," said Kesler. "That's the kind of player Alex is. He's the hardest-working guy out there."

Burrows was also double-shifted and found Pyatt with a playmaker's touch before Ryan Smyth deflected a Ruslan Salei power-play point shot in the second period to make it 3-1. Roberto Luongo misplayed a puck early in the final frame to allow Darcy Tucker to bank in a shot from the end boards, but that was all the drama there would be. And by finding their resolve, the focus was rightfully back on Burrows as the Canucks equalled the franchise home-ice win streak mark that was set from Nov. 6 to Dec. 9, 1992.

Which, of course, also gets us back to Burrows and the money he might have been able to make on the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Then again, that's not his style. Never was. Never will be.

"Maybe if I had been more gritty, I could have waited for more money," said Burrows. "Maybe guys take less money and we have a championship team, and that's what teams like Detroit do. I'm still really happy with the four-year deal."

The Canucks opened scoring on the power play when a Kesler slapper deflected off Kyle Wellwood, who jumped in front of Raycroft to provide the perfect screen.

[Durrann1984]

our games down the stretch, we need to come out ready to play

cuz the teams we are playing with are all fighting for their lives
(most)

[punkwax]

Burrows for MVP.

[CRS]

Originally Posted by stuff99

"Maybe if I had been more gritty, I could have waited for more money," said Burrows. "Maybe guys take less money and we have a championship team, and that's what teams like Detroit do. I'm still really happy with the four-year deal."

Best part is right here.

And we signed Ellington.

[Harvey Specter]

LOL, Flamers new playoff song....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k7vYZNOu-g&

[Armind]

Where's ours? =(

[ChaKo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xKXfysJkgA

[europeeing]

Originally Posted by Jah Al Zawahiri

LOL, Flamers new playoff song....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k7vYZNOu-g&

Hahaha holy shit that made me laugh. Goddamn 'lames.

[Armind]

Do your magic Brodeur!

NVM the games on Tuesday, FML.

[Not really racist!]

bahahha

i cracked a laugh when i heard the calgary playoff song

[orange7]

so glad we don't have a playoff song like that one....

[invader]

fa fa fa fa fa fa flames!

[Armind]

FA FA FA FA FA FA FAILLLLLL!

[Harvey Specter]

OT:

Dallas Stars' leased b752 @ YVR....must be really nice inside.

[Soundy]

I remember a few years ago, when the Canucks went into the Detroit in the first round and beat the Wings silly the first two games... we joined a small crowd at the airport to meet the team coming back. Everyone got excited when a charter 727 rolled our way... the excitement died when the plane turned and we saw a big RED WINGS logo on the side. A few (probably drunk) guys, though, took a moment to turn around and moon the plane...

[Harvey Specter]

^
Lol, I was just watching old videos on youtube from that series. Talk about a epic fail.

[Harvey Specter]

Soft-goal questions anger Luongo

Roberto Luongo, the Vancouver Canucks’ last line of defence, went on the offensive Monday when faced with a series of questions about a recent rash of soft goals and his struggles playing the puck outside his crease.

“I believe my record is 14-2-1 in the last 17 games,” a defiant Luongo told reporters after the team’s practice at General Motors Place.

Luongo bristled on a couple of occasions during his locker-room scrum with reporters, especially when his puck-handling skills were questioned.

Early in the third period of Sunday night’s game with the Colorado Avalanche, Luongo gave the puck away behind his net to Avs forward Darcy Tucker, who then banked it off the retreating Canuck goalie and into the net.

“Like I said, all the goalies make mistakes behind the net, even the best ones in the league,” Luongo said. “So just because I make mistakes doesn’t mean it has to be amplified and suggested I don’t know how to play the puck.”

As it turned out, Luongo’s miscue Sunday night didn’t cost the Canucks anything, other than some anxious moments. Tucker’s goal 14 seconds into the third made it a 3-2 game and the Avs had a couple of glorious opportunities to tie it up. The Canucks prevailed 4-2 in the end as they matched a club record with their ninth straight home-ice win.

But Sunday’s game had a familiar feel to it. Luongo, for the most part, provided Vancouver with solid goaltending and made a number of big saves. However, he allowed that one soft goal. It’s happened a lot lately, including the last four games.

The previous Monday at the Staples Center, Los Angles Kings defenceman Denis Gauthier, who is not anything resembling a sniper, beat Luongo with a 50-foot shot from the left point that the Canuck goalie badly misplayed. The shot, which appeared to be going wide, bounced off the collar of Luongo’s glove and into the net.

Two nights later in Anaheim, Luongo served up a terrible rebound to Petteri Nokelainen, who promptly deposited it into an empty net. And this past Friday, Luongo was beaten short side from a very sharp angle by Kings centre Anze Kopitar.

“Obviously, you would like to avoid those, but at the same time sometimes that happens and you kind of get in a situation where it happens a few games where you feel like you could have one back,” Luongo said. “The good news is we’re still winning, so it’s good that this is happening now instead of where it would be hurting the team and costing us points.”

Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault even made reference to Luongo’s recent bloopers in his post-game press conference on Sunday.

“I think he just wants us to build character as we move forward,” Vigneault joked. “And he’s doing a pretty good job.”

On Monday, Vigneault insisted he is not at all concerned with Luongo’s play.

“Every goaltender sometimes has a goal he’d like to have back,” Vigneault said. “Right after they scored that (Tucker) goal, he made an unbelievable save on (Paul) Stastny. That’s the mark of a good goaltender and Louie has got that down pat.”

When it comes to playing the puck, Luongo is no Marty Turco, whom the Canucks will face Tuesday (7 p.m., Sportsnet) when the Dallas Stars visit General Motors Place. But Luongo said he continues to work on that aspect of his game.

“My first job is to stop the puck, but obviously playing the puck is part of goaltending,” Luongo said.

Kevin Bieksa said he and his fellow defenceman have to help Luongo when he leaves the crease to play the puck.

“I think at times we as defencemen can communicate with him a little bit better and let him know where to go with the puck,” Bieksa said. “Not all the onus is on Louie, it’s on defencemen as well.”

Luongo will take all the help he can get.

“Given the fact it’s not my forte, when I’m back there I like to know what my D-men want from me and when it’s loud and early and clear there’s no problems,” he said. “And sometimes when the communication is not there, that’s when I might get into trouble.”

Vigneault just wants Luongo to keep doing what he’s doing.

“I want him to go out, set it up and I want him to be able to move it to an area where our Ds can break it out clean,” Vigneault said. “Ninety-five per cent of the time he does that well.”

That other five per cent will remain a work in progress.

bziemer@vancouversun.com

[Bonka]

Luongo has traditionally been a slow starter and I still don't think he's at his game level. Though he has let in quiet a few soft goals lately it doesn't seem to cost us games.

It would be nice if Luongo played the puck more though.

[Hondaracer]

fuck larschied, same shit as last season when he was riding Iginla's dick

[LUUUUUUUU]

wut did larschied do?

[Harvey Specter]

Yeah, what did he do? I remember he was riding Iginla pretty hard last season.