Sami Salo in for Game 6

With the news that Sami Salo is going to play Game 6, many are saying that this is a sign that the Canucks are ready to put a stangle-hold on the series tonight. Lets not get too excited! Salo will still be in the third defensive pairing, paired with Aaron Rome. It's not like Rome is going to be able to log any significant ice time, so why would Salo be able to as well. The first defensive pairing on the PP will stay Erhoff and Samuelsson after the goal Samuelsson had in OT last game. The second pairing is likely to be Edler and Bieksa, so Salo won't be getting any powerplay time.

In the regular season, Salo averaged 20 minutes and 20 seconds of time on ice per game. Tonight the only hope he has in reaching that will be if the game goes to overtime again. Don't get me wrong, Salo is a great player. However when you are talking about a third defensive pairing being the reason the Canucks will come to life tonight, you are so wrong. If the Canucks want to come to life tonight, it will be because the Sedin's finally realize its playoff time, the Canucks second line keeps up the solid work, and the canucks defense starts to hit the net with some point shots that are being screened (maybe Salo can play a role in this).

Otherwise this could be a long series for the Canucks, while the rest of the teams in the playoffs have the chance to rest up and await us to finish.

-Hark

Thursday Ramblings

Vancouver Canucks Defenceman Alex Edler is out for a few months with a slipped disk in his back. This is a big blow to the Canucks who are losing their leading defenseman for playing time, goals, assists and hits. At the same time it frees up the salary cap space for Sami Salo to return. Edler should be back in time for the playoffs, where salary cap is never an issue.

Also, Alexander Semin has signed a one year contract extension with the Washington Capitals for nearly seven million. This is just one more sign of the poor management on part of the Washington Capitals. You don't resign someone, let alone give them a raise, when they havent scored a goal in two months. semins a bum and the Caps should have let some other GM overpay for him. I don't understand why they are making a team of inconsisten Europeans. They need to get more tough dependable Canadians that show up on a regular basis.

-hark

If the canucks didn't suck so much....

So the canucks have had a weeks rest pretty much. They've been struggling at home lately. Its luongo's first game at home in a while. And what happens? The canucks can't play defense. Can you blame a team for poor defense when they are compiled of manitboa moose call ups? Definitely.

The avs were playing their backup goalie and the canucks still couldn't put more than three goals past him in regulation. This should have been the type of game that is a blowout. Instead the canucks trailed the avs until the third when they got a lead. And then blew the lead with three minutes left. Fortunately we got a fluke goal in overtime to prevent luongo from being further humiliated in the shootout.

Its good for the canucks to have to learn to play with all these injuries. They're leading goal scorer from last year (burrows), they're top defenseman (hamhuis), plus their third and fourth defenseman (salo and ballard). When it comes to down the stretch and the playoffs there will be more injuries and the canucks have to learn how to make their depth guys step up. And if there are no injuries you need your third and fourth liners to be able to contribute (like chicago did last year with bolland, ladd, bifugly and versteeg).

For the love of christ canucks you gotta start playing with more dominance. Even with injuries the canucks should be a team that is feared. Unfortunately it does not look that way right now.

-hark

Analysis of the Canucks Defence thus Far into preseason

this is a list of the potential Canucks defence for the coming year ranked by my preference so far in the preseason from what I have seen from each player.

1) Christian Erhoff- Strong on the point on the powerplay. Not the hardest slapshot but very accurate. Is comfortable playing with the Sedin's and dealing with the pressure to perform that that entails. Looks really good alongside Hamhuis.

2) Hammer (Hamhuis)-Solid defensively which will help fill the void left by Willie Mitchell however hammer has way more offensive upside. Is very physical and you dont want to mess with this mahf.

3) Alex edler- five years ago this guy was playing in hockey beer leagues in sweden. Now he's emerging as one of the premier defenseman on the canucks. Great Puck mover, as well as the best slap passer the canucks have. Edler, slap pass to henrik, goal.

4)Sami Salo- Even though he will be injured until november his booming slapshot will not be forgotten. hopefully he will pull a lance armstrong and play better with one testicle.

5) Bieksa- As bad as he was in the playoffs last year against chicago, he still has a lot of potential. he is very bad defensively where he constantly finds himself out of position, but so far this preseason that has not been evident. he has dealed with a lot of injuries over the past three seasons. If he can stay healthy this year and get into the swing of things hopefully he can once again regain his status as one of the canucks premier defenseman.

6) Keith ballard- terrible preseason until yesterday. Him and bieksa were on the ice for the first three goals against against edmonton. It can be explained by the fact that he had hip surgery and was on crutches for two months starting in may. He is a few months behind schedule but expect him to start showing why we traded 2 players that were first round draft picks plus a first round draft pick for this guy. look at this hit from yesterday:



7) SOB (shane o'brien)- a very physical defenceman that is not afraid to fight. he was the only canucks player that could stand up to bifugly last year. unfortunately he hasnt had much preseason time. Expect OB to play in Manitoba a lot this year, however he will be called up to the canucks when we need an enforcer. This guy has a history of taking stupid penalties.

8) andrew Ahlberts- the more i see this guy play the more i ask why we traded a second round pick for him last year. he is so bad. what him in this play from yesterday spend too much time trying to look up the ice to make the right play before joe pavelski makes a pinball of him:

Game 4

This could be the most crucial game of the series for the canucks. if you win tonights game, you can pretty much put the blackhawks away, by only having to win 1 of the next 3 games. luongo can win at least 1 in every 3 games. but if we lose tonights game, then the blackhawks are right back in the series.

Keys to the game for chicago: score first. or dont score first and come back again like usual

keys to the game for van: score first. luongo plays well. sundin tries to keep up with kesler and raymond. the sedins and sundin backcheck. don't take stupid penalties. and o'brien has to not fuck up. i think we can do all these things.

injury update: sami salo did not skate today, and the canucks are saying that he won't play. however, yesterday he did skate with the team. i think the canucks might be trying to fake out the blackwhores. salo will play tonight, and the blackhawks will be crushed during warmup when they realize that the best canucks defenseman is back in the lineup. salo has not played too great for the canucks, but he has played surprising good against the blackwhores.he has 4 goals in his last 7 periods against the blackhawks.