VANCOUVER CANUCKS
With John Garrett
The Vancouver Canucks’ next 20 games will tell the tale as to where the club will finish in the regular season.
That’s according to former Canuck John Garrett, an analyst for the Canucks on Rogers Sportsnet broadcasts. Garrett says the Canucks have to take advantage of the 13 home dates in their next 20 games.
“I can see the team collecting 30 of a possible 40 points,” said Garrett. “They are getting healthy now, and they have to collect points at home, especially with that 14-game road trip in the new year.”
The Canucks collected 22 points in their first 21 games, good enough for eighth place in the Western Conference.
“Considering all the injuries they have had, I think one game over .500 is pretty good,” said Garrett. “They were without their star goaltender Roberto Luongo and Daniel Sedin, two of their leaders, for a long time. With them back in the lineup they’re in good position to make a run.”
Garrett added that Ryan Kessler has been a pleasant surprise, and consistently has been the Canucks best player, shutting down the opposition’s best centre, while still contributing offensively.
EDMONTON OILERS
With Gene Principe
It has been a very up and down start to the first quarter of the season for the Edmonton Oilers. They bolted out of the gate and were 6-2-1 in their first nine games. Since then, they struggled in their next 11 games going 2-8-1.
The turnabout in results can be traced back to injuries and illness. As Rogers Sportsnet Connected reporter Gene Principe points out, the Oilers have already lost over 100 man games this season. Last year, they lost 225.
Principe says that the biggest revelation has been Dustin Penner.
“Better attitude, along with a better fitness level have combined to make him one of the league’s best early-season power forwards,” said Principe. “Barring an injury, he should crush his totals of 17 goals and 20 assists for 2008/09.”
Another bright spot has been goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, living up to his four-year $15.8 million dollar deal.
“You can count on a couple fingers what might be considered bad goals allowed by Khabibulin this season,” said Principe. “Even though they haven’t won more games, Khabibulin has given them a chance to do so.”
CALGARY FLAMES
BY Roger Millions
The month of November looked daunting when it started for the Calgary Flames...14 games in 30 days...10 of them away from home.
However, after the first six contests, the Flames had recorded 11 points in large part to a very stingy defence and the goaltending of Miikka Kiprusoff. He has truly regained his Vezina trophy form of 2005/06 by reducing his goals against, giving up less than a goal per game in his first five starts of the month.
As a team, they have been among the league leaders in five-on-five play. If it were not for powerplay goals against, they would be virtually unscathed in November—a fact that says a lot about the team defence.
But Brent Sutter remains far from ecstatic. The Flames have been inconsistent on offence, and if not for the heroics of captain Jarome Iginla, who has scored 16 goals and is red hot, could be in a worst position. day in Toronto. As well, the puck-pursuit game that Sutter has employed has been spotty.
It says a lot about a team sitting 13-6-3-2 after 22 games when they think they can be much better. It may also say a lot about where they intend to go in the standings this season.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
With Doug MacLean
According to Rogers Sportsnet Hockeycentral analyst Doug MacLean, the troubles of the Toronto Maple Leafs are not unique. Like any bottom-five team in the league, leaks in the goaltending and an inconsistent defence core would be the root of any team’s woes. However, it’s the lack of scoring from their top-six forwards who has let the Leafs down.
“Toronto had a great effort versus Washington but then fell short against the Islanders,” said MacLean. “Really, the fact they don’t have more talented forwards apart from Kessel is killing them five-on-five.”
Maclean says GM Brian Burke needs to upgrade the talent-level but that is easier said than done. Toronto does not have quality parts that other teams want aside from Tomas Kaberle, but Kaberle’s no-trade clause makes it difficult to move him in any deal.
“You have to draft well because in a cap system, it’s your young players that you need to rely on,” said Maclean. “If I am Brian Burke, what move can he make? Without their top pick in next year’s draft, Brian is going to have to look hard at what he could do next summer.”
OTTAWA SENATORS
With Ian Mendes
After winning five of their first seven games of the season, the Senators have struggled to find consistency in their game and have tumbled to the bottom half of the standings. As well, they have not posted back-to-back wins in over a month.
“I think goaltender Pascal Leclaire’s play has mirrored the ups and down of the Sens this season,” says Sportsnet reporter Ian Mendes.
“The netminder has been brilliant at times, but has shown the propensity to allow a bad goal at the wrong time.
Mendes also has some darts to throw at forward Alexei Kovalev.
“We are almost at the quarter pole of the season and we have yet to see a dominating game from Kovalev. For $5 million, GM Bryan Murray was expecting more than four goals and a team-worst minus-7 rating.”
As the Sens are in a stretch of playing all but two games at home this month, it could be a cold November for Ottawa fans.
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