Last year’s disastrous season under John Tortorella did serve to return the Vancouver Canucks back to their roots of finesse and skilled play, which has served them well. First-year head coach Willie Desjardins, unlike Torts, is not trying to jam a square peg into a round hole and instead is playing with the hand that he was dealt. Vancouver was in second place in the Pacific Division and held the sixth playoff position in the Western Conference, one point behind the slumping Winnipeg Jets.
Unified and Focused
Last year the Canucks unraveled as Tortorella was demanding the trapping and shot blocking that makes his teams so boring to watch, as well as wasting the talents of such skilled players as the Sedin twins. Under Desjardins the twins are again thriving in their usual spot as the top two scorers on the team. Left Wing Daniel had nine goals and 27 assists while center Henrik had eight goals and 27 assists. Goaltending remains the concern for the long term viability of the Canucks as veteran starter Ryan Miller was at .912 for a save percentage while backup Eddie Lack was at .918.
The Canucks were also lacking at quality defensive depth which makes their ability to succeed in the playoffs even more questionable. Still it was a refreshing return to success for the Canucks as they were enjoying the stability of Desjardins leadership and a return to the style of play that made them a perennial Western Conference power.
Inconsistent Sharks in and out
The up and down San Jose Sharks were in third place in the Pacific and seventh in the Western Conference. San Jose dropped six out of nine but, fortunately for them, the fourth place Los Angeles Kings were also slumping. San Jose lacked the dominant metrics of past Sharks teams as they ranked 17th in the NHL for goal scoring and 18th for goals against. With new blood Western Conference contenders such as the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames joining the hunt the Sharks were under pressure to halt the skid as a team in the West can quickly be on the outside looking in come playoff time if they lack consistency.
Flame Out?
The Calgary Flames dropped three out of four games to fall to ninth in the Western Conference standings one point behind the Kings for the final playoff spot. All three losses were at home to make the defeats extra costly. The Corsi Fenwick new math crowd never liked this team which relies on heart, grit and character for its success. The question is if there is enough talent depth to remain in the race.
