Avalanche might help Canucks down stretch
Kevin Woodley
For mytelus.com
VANCOUVER ? Vancouver fans might find this hard to believe, but the Colorado Avalanche, in a fashion similar to broccoli, brussell sprouts and Buckley?s cough syrup, might actually be good for the Canucks in the long run.
Sure, life might taste a little better in the short term without Colorado chasing the Canucks for the Northwest Division title, but the pressure could pay off in the playoffs. Just think of the Avalanche as the dentists of the NHL, a necessary evil you hate to see up close, but one that serves a constant reminder to floss regularly.
?Obviously at this time of year we have to find reasons to play desperate,? Matt Cooke said shortly before the road trip. ?We?re in (the playoffs) but we want to finish first in the division. That?s our goal and that?s where our desperation comes from.?
That desperation, which lacked a little in the early stages of Sunday?s costly 3-1 loss to Anaheim, is exactly what the Canucks will need the rest of the season, especially after Colorado closed within two points with a 3-1 win over San Jose Monday night. The Avalanche also has a game in hand on the Canucks, but they don?t have the tiebreaker, meaning Vancouver can seal the deal with wins in Phoenix Wednesday and against Los Angeles Sunday.
?They didn?t go away and they?re not going to, but we have control of our own destiny and we have to make sure we take care of it,? added Cooke.
The Canucks will get the chance to do exactly that against two teams that have combined for 26 more losses than wins, two teams Vancouver beat by a 10-2 total score in the last five days. But perhaps almost as important as staying ahead of Colorado and avoiding the first round battle with St. Louis that awaits the second place team in the Northwest Division, the Canucks will have a chance to build up a head of steam heading into next week?s playoffs.
They don?t need to look back any further than last post-season, when Vancouver came in hotter than Anna Kournikova in short-shorts and jumped out to a 2-0 lead over a Red Wings team that Florida-vacationed its way down the stretch, to know how important momentum can be in the early stages of the playoffs.
?It?s kind of a different situation this year, we?ve got things solidified as far as being in the playoffs,? said Ed Jovanovski. ?It?s more comfortable this year.?
Jovanovski believes that comfort level will help in the playoffs simply because, unlike last year, the Canucks haven?t had to play every game after Christmas like their lives depended on it. He thinks the lack of that ?final-exam? pressure night in and night out will help the Canucks stay fresh longer in the post-season, but he also admits the pressure of a late chase could go along way towards finding that extra gear before it starts.
?I think having the pressure there in a certain way is kind of good,? Jovanovski said of the hard-charging Avalanche. ?It kind gets us going leading up to the playoffs.?
Now all they have to do is get there as Northwest Division Champions.
King for two weeks
The NHL reign of rookie Jason King ended Tuesday when the Canucks re- assigned the 21-year-old right wing to Manitoba.
In two weeks with the big club, King managed a pair of assists while playing a regular shift in eight games with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. But King had to be considered a surprise starter after defence-first Russian centre Artem Chubarov returned from a prolonged absence Sunday night.
Many expected Chubarov to centre the fourth line, moving Trevor Linden back into King?s spot alongside the Sedin twins and leaving Brandon Reid on an offensively effective line between Cooke and Trevor Letowski. Instead Reid came out and Chubarov took his spot on his old line.
In his first year as a pro, King, who was Vancouver's fifth choice, 212th overall, in the 2001 Entry Draft, also has 17 goals and 19 assists in 64 games with Manitoba.
Cheers,
Aquaman
Kevin Woodley
For mytelus.com
VANCOUVER ? Vancouver fans might find this hard to believe, but the Colorado Avalanche, in a fashion similar to broccoli, brussell sprouts and Buckley?s cough syrup, might actually be good for the Canucks in the long run.
Sure, life might taste a little better in the short term without Colorado chasing the Canucks for the Northwest Division title, but the pressure could pay off in the playoffs. Just think of the Avalanche as the dentists of the NHL, a necessary evil you hate to see up close, but one that serves a constant reminder to floss regularly.
?Obviously at this time of year we have to find reasons to play desperate,? Matt Cooke said shortly before the road trip. ?We?re in (the playoffs) but we want to finish first in the division. That?s our goal and that?s where our desperation comes from.?
That desperation, which lacked a little in the early stages of Sunday?s costly 3-1 loss to Anaheim, is exactly what the Canucks will need the rest of the season, especially after Colorado closed within two points with a 3-1 win over San Jose Monday night. The Avalanche also has a game in hand on the Canucks, but they don?t have the tiebreaker, meaning Vancouver can seal the deal with wins in Phoenix Wednesday and against Los Angeles Sunday.
?They didn?t go away and they?re not going to, but we have control of our own destiny and we have to make sure we take care of it,? added Cooke.
The Canucks will get the chance to do exactly that against two teams that have combined for 26 more losses than wins, two teams Vancouver beat by a 10-2 total score in the last five days. But perhaps almost as important as staying ahead of Colorado and avoiding the first round battle with St. Louis that awaits the second place team in the Northwest Division, the Canucks will have a chance to build up a head of steam heading into next week?s playoffs.
They don?t need to look back any further than last post-season, when Vancouver came in hotter than Anna Kournikova in short-shorts and jumped out to a 2-0 lead over a Red Wings team that Florida-vacationed its way down the stretch, to know how important momentum can be in the early stages of the playoffs.
?It?s kind of a different situation this year, we?ve got things solidified as far as being in the playoffs,? said Ed Jovanovski. ?It?s more comfortable this year.?
Jovanovski believes that comfort level will help in the playoffs simply because, unlike last year, the Canucks haven?t had to play every game after Christmas like their lives depended on it. He thinks the lack of that ?final-exam? pressure night in and night out will help the Canucks stay fresh longer in the post-season, but he also admits the pressure of a late chase could go along way towards finding that extra gear before it starts.
?I think having the pressure there in a certain way is kind of good,? Jovanovski said of the hard-charging Avalanche. ?It kind gets us going leading up to the playoffs.?
Now all they have to do is get there as Northwest Division Champions.
King for two weeks
The NHL reign of rookie Jason King ended Tuesday when the Canucks re- assigned the 21-year-old right wing to Manitoba.
In two weeks with the big club, King managed a pair of assists while playing a regular shift in eight games with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. But King had to be considered a surprise starter after defence-first Russian centre Artem Chubarov returned from a prolonged absence Sunday night.
Many expected Chubarov to centre the fourth line, moving Trevor Linden back into King?s spot alongside the Sedin twins and leaving Brandon Reid on an offensively effective line between Cooke and Trevor Letowski. Instead Reid came out and Chubarov took his spot on his old line.
In his first year as a pro, King, who was Vancouver's fifth choice, 212th overall, in the 2001 Entry Draft, also has 17 goals and 19 assists in 64 games with Manitoba.
Cheers,
Aquaman
