Official: Vancouver Canucks W00T

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IcemanJer

Diamond Member
Mar 9, 2001
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Sorry Aquaman, I'm stealing your job tonight ;)


VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Ticker) -- The Vancouver Canucks were bound to end their home playoff losing streak sooner or later. But no one expected a stellar effort by Dan Cloutier to be the reason.

Trent Klatt and defenseman Ed Jovanovski scored power-play goals and Cloutier came within 55 seconds of his first NHL postseason shutout as the Canucks posted a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, evening their Western Conference quarterfinal series at one game apiece.

Winless in seven straight playoff games at GM Place since the 1996 conference quarterfinals, the Canucks rebounded from Thursday's humbling defeat by taking the lead 3 1/2 minutes into the game.

Goalless in 13 power-play opportunities over its previous two games, Vancouver capitalized on its first chance in this one as Klatt netted his first postseason goal in three years to end the Canucks' scoring drought at 160 minutes, 11 seconds.

Jovanovski tallied late in the second on the Canucks' eighth man advantage for a 2-0 lead and Cloutier made it stand up, stopping 11 shots in the third before Pavol Demitra's power-play goal in the final minute ended his bid for his first career playoff shutout.

"It would have been nice," Cloutier said. "I'm not going to lie, it would've been nice, but in the playoffs, it doesn't matter how you get the wins. Every one is so important, so I'm just happy to get the win."

"He was great," Jovanovski said of his goaltender. "He stood tall for us, and to advance in the playoffs, you're going to need solid goaltending, defense and forwards. Today was a great example of that."

St. Louis, which hosts Game Three on Monday, lost defenseman Al MacInnis, who left midway through the first period with an apparent right arm injury.

"It's happened to us all year," Blues defenseman Chris Pronger said. "We've had a lot of injuries over the course of the year and we seem to find a way to win. So we're going to have to do it, but it's obviously a big loss for us. He's an integral part of our team and our leader, so we're going to have to find a way to fill in."

With seven seconds remaining on Tyson Nash's hooking penalty, defenseman Sami Salo put a wrist shot on net from the right point. Standing in the right faceoff circle, Klatt was able to deflect the puck, causing it to bounce past Chris Osgood at 3:33 for a 1-0 Vancouver lead.

"It felt pretty good," Klatt said. "It's on the power play. My job is pretty simple - go stand in front of the net, tip it if you can. If not, make sure the goalie can't see it. I was just fortunate enough to get my stick on it and it went in."

"We expected them to come out hard tonight," St. Louis coach Joel Quenneville said. "They weren't happy with their play in the first game. ... In the first game, we scored early and got them out of it. Tonight, they got their power play working and got some momentum."

Arguably the best power forward in the game, Todd Bertuzzi slammed MacInnis into the boards in the left corner and the All-Star defenseman immediately favored his right arm. After finishing his shift, MacInnis went to the locker room and did not return.

"He's a big part of our team," said Barret Jackman, MacInnis' rookie defense partner. "Anytime you play a shift, a period or three periods without him, everyone's gotta step up. I think our defense stepped up to the challenge and played well."

"From right after the game where we got our (butts) kicked, we knew we had to start better," Jovanovski said. "That was our whole focus in the hours leading up to the game. We came out, Todd had a big hit on Al there and set the tone for the game."

The Blues had several scoring chances late in the first, but Dallas Drake's spinaround shot from the slot went wide with 3:08 to go and Cloutier denied defenseman Chris Pronger from the doorstep 40 seconds later.

The game continued to be hard-hitting in the second, as Drake leveled Trevor Linden with a booming check in the left corner five minutes in.

The line of Daniel Sedin, Brad May and Henrik Sedin buzzed around Osgood with 3 1/2 minutes left in the period without increasing Vancouver's lead. But Jovanovski did from a bad angle for the Canucks' second power-play tally.

After carrying into the St. Louis zone, Jovanovski left the puck for Bertuzzi on the right boards. Captain Markus Naslund got it at the point and shoved it down low to Jovanovski, who put a shot from behind the goal line off Osgood and into the net with 66 seconds left for a 2-0 cushion.

"We ended up winning the game and we also won the special teams battle tonight," Vancouver coach Marc Crawford said. "Those things go a long way towards getting the victories. We're going to have to be very much like that in the next game as well."

The Blues battled hard in the final nine minutes, but Cloutier was equal to the task, making numerous saves to maintain the shutout.

Keith Tkachuk took a feed by Doug Weight from behind the net with 8:25 left but was denied by Cloutier. After skating around Jovanovski in the slot while on the power play two minutes later, Tkachuk dished to Eric Boguniecki on the left side, but Cloutier made a right pad stop.

"I just saw him in the corner of my eye," Cloutier said. "He was back door and I just tried to get across and cover as much as I could. Luckily, he put it in my pads and that was it."

Weight fired a slap shot from the blue line with 3:45 to go that Cloutier snagged with his glove before Demitra finally got St. Louis on the scoreboard.

With Osgood pulled for an extra skater while on the power play, Demitra wristed a shot from the blue line that made its way through a screen and past Cloutier high to the stick side to make it 2-1.
 

Aquaman

Lifer
Dec 17, 1999
25,054
13
0
Canucks even series against Blues

Canadian Press
4/13/2003

VANCOUVER (CP) - It was a reversal of fortune for the Vancouver Canucks who used a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues Saturday night to breathe some life back into their NHL playoffs hopes.

The Canucks got power-play goals from Trent Klatt and Ed Jovanovski - plus a whole lot more effort from the entire team - as they tied the best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final series 1-1. The win restored some confidence to a Vancouver team humiliated 6-0 in Thursday's Game 1.

``We had to play physical,'' said power forward Todd Bertuzzi, who picked up his first point of the series with an assist on Jovanovski's goal and delivered a hit that knocked all-star defenceman Al MacInnis out of the game.

``We needed a huge effort out of everyone and we got that.''

Goaltender Dan Cloutier said the team showed the confidence lacking in Game 1.

``Even though we got smoked the first game we came out here and we were confident and were a lot more relaxed,'' said Cloutier, who made 26 saves as the Canucks won their first home playoff game in seven years.

Cloutier made a key save late in the third period when the Blues were pressing, dragging a pad in front of an Eric Boguniecki shot.

Klatt, who missed last year's playoffs with an injury, said the victory answered a lot of questions about Vancouver's confidence and courage.

``We needed to get that win,'' said Klatt, who opened the scoring at 3:34 of the first period when he tipped in a Sami Salo shot from the point.

``It was a good answer, a good response from everyone.''

Pavol Demitra scored on a power play for the Blues late in the third period.

The Blues lost MacInnis, a Norris Trophy candidate, early in the first period with an apparent right shoulder injury after Bertuzzi smashed him into the boards during a Canuck power play.

Coach Joel Quenneville said MacInnis will be evaluated Sunday in St. Louis but the players were talking like he wouldn't be back soon.

``It's obviously a big loss for us,'' said defenceman Chris Pronger, who missed most of the year with injuries.

``He's a really integral part of our team and our leader so we're going to have to find a way to fill in. It's going to have to be a group effort and have six guys pull together and get it done.''

The Blues were already without the services of left-winger Cory Stillman, who took a MacInnis slapshot to the right foot Thursday.

Defenceman Mattias Ohlund returned to the Vancouver lineup after missing six weeks with a dislocated knee. He logged over 17 minutes of ice time, and saw time on both the power play and penalty kill.

Among the noisy, towel-waving sellout crowd of 18,514 at GM Place was B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell.

Quenneville said his team took too many penalties, allowing the Canucks nine power plays.

``We got ourselves back in the game at the end because we worked hard and battled,'' he said.

``We got too many penalties, particularly early on, that gave them a lot of momentum.''

The series now shifts to St. Louis for Game 3 on Monday.

Maybe it was desperation and maybe it was inspiration but the Canucks started the game with the energy and determination they lacked Thursday. Klatt set the tone by flattening Steve Martins early. Bertuzzi threw around his 245 pounds and Jovanovski smeared Boguniecki into the boards.

The Blues didn't back down. Dallas Drake laid out Trevor Linden, making the Canuck forward pay for skating with his head down.

Klatt's goal was the first for the Canucks in 160 minutes of play. It also was Vancouver's first power-play goal in eight attempts during the playoffs.

The Canucks, who set a franchise record with 104 points this season to finish fourth in the Western Conference - five ahead of the fifth-place Blues - last won a home playoff game April 22, 1996, a string of seven consecutive home playoff games.

Vancouver's last playoff series victory was in 1995 when they needed seven games to beat the Blues in the Western Conference quarter-final.

Cheers,
Aquaman
 

Aquaman

Lifer
Dec 17, 1999
25,054
13
0
Blues lose MacInnis

Canadian Press
4/13/2003

VANCOUVER (CP) - The St. Louis Blues lost captain Al MacInnis with an apparent shoulder injury during the first period of their NHL playoff game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

MacInnis, a Norris Trophy candidate as the league's best defenceman, left the game after being smashed into the boards by Vancouver power forward Todd Bertuzzi.

The Blues lost the game 2-1, tying the best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final 1-1.

Blues coach Joel Quenneville said MacInnis will be examined when the team returns to St. Louis on Sunday but the players were talking like the all-star will be lost for some time.

``We'll have somebody fill in but obviously they are not going to be of Al's calibre,'' said defenceman Chris Pronger.

``It's going to have to be a group effort and have six guys pull together and get it done.''

Rookie Barrett Jackman, MacInnis' defensive partner most of the season, said the pressure will be on everyone to play better.

``Losing Al is a big blow but I think the rest of the guys are capable of stepping up,'' he said.

Bertuzzi said he didn't know what happened on the play.

``The puck was dumped in,'' said the 245-pound forward.

``I just went in and finished my check on him. I don't really know what happened.''

MacInnis, 39, is a former Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy winner. He led NHL defencemen with 68 points this season and had one assist in the Blues' 6-0 victory Thursday that opened the series.

Cheers,
Aquaman
 

Aquaman

Lifer
Dec 17, 1999
25,054
13
0
MacInnis out for remainder of series?

TSN.ca Staff
4/13/2003

St. Louis Blues captain Al MacInnis is expected to be sidelined for at least the remainder of the Western Conference quarterfinals, TSN has learned. The Blues are tied with the Vancouver Canucks at one game apiece with Game 3 scheduled for Monday night at the Savvis Center.

Speculation is that MacInnis suffered a separated shoulder when the 39-year-old defenseman took a hit from Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi during a Vancouver power play two minutes into the first period. Following the game, Blues coach Joel Quenneville reported that MacInnis suffered an undisclosed upper body injury.

MacInnis was seen boarding a plane in Vancouver on Sunday appearing to be in discomfort, his right shoulder in a brace.

Tom Koivisto of the Worcester IceCats has been called up to fill the gap on the blueline.

MacInnis, a former Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, led NHL defensemen with 68 points this season. He had one assist in the Blues' 6-0 victory Thursday night in the opener of the best-of-seven series.

Cheers,
Aquaman
 

Aquaman

Lifer
Dec 17, 1999
25,054
13
0
Canucks look for more bumping and grinding

The Canadian Press
4/13/2003

VANCOUVER (CP) - If you want pretty go to the ballet. Put away the fine silk suits. It's time to break out the coveralls and hard hats.

For the Vancouver Canucks to continue winning in the NHL playoffs they are going to have to replace the flash and dash game they played most of the regular season with bump and grind. The Canucks used some hard hitting along the boards and mucking in front of the net to beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 Saturday night to even their best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final series 1-1.

They'll have to play the same style when the series resumes Monday night in St. Louis (CBC, 8:30 p.m. EDT).

"We got our noses dirty and it paid huge dividends for us," said defenceman Ed Jovanovski, who scored one of two Vancouver power-play goals and made several big hits.

"It's a big part of our game. We feed off that style of play. It sets the tone for us. If you take a hit or give a hit it gets you fired up."

Canucks power forward Todd Bertuzzi is still looking for his first goal of the playoffs but has unloaded some major hits, including a first-period check that knocked all-star defenceman Al MacInnis out of Game 2 with a shoulder injury.

"It wasn't pretty, it wasn't cute. It was gritty," Bertuzzi said of the Canucks take-no-prisoners style that helped restore some confidence to a team that was whipped 6-0 in Game 1.

"It's not a free-flowing, pretty game out there. It's just the mindset you have to put yourself in and understand it has to be that way in order to win."

MacInnis was examined by doctors in St. Louis on Sunday and remains questionable for Game 3. He'll be re-evaluated Monday.

In case he's not ready, the Blues recalled defenceman Tom Koivisto from the the Worcester IceCats.

Hardnosed Canucks winger Trent Klatt said if the regular season is filet mignon, the playoffs is pot roast.

"It's the team that's willing to get down and dirty and stick their nose in the nasty spots that's going to win," said Klatt, who scored Vancouver's first goal in over 160 minutes on a deflection during a first-period power play.

"It's not the tic-tac-toe plays that get you to the top. It's the meat-and-potatoes stuff."

Jovanovski said the Canucks defence tightened up Saturday, plugging the leaks that flooded the Blues with scoring chances in the opening game of the series.

"That's as tight as we played all year, not giving a lot of room in the neutral zone," he said.

"In the first game they had lots of opportunity to take it up the ice and advance the play. That's the road game we are going to have to play."

Getting out of town might be a relief for the Canucks. After collecting a franchise high 104 points this season the team faces intense media scrutiny and high fan expectations at home.

Maybe that's why their road record of 23-10-7-1 during the regular season was one of the best in the league.

"We know we are a good road team," said goaltender Dan Cloutier, who looked sharp in making 26 saves Saturday.

"The way these teams play both are capable of winning four straight and losing four straight. We believe in ourselves and that on the road we can play good."

Discipline will be important for the Blues, the league's most penalized team during the regular season. St. Louis was faced nine Vancouver power plays Saturday.

"We'd like to do a better job of staying out of the penalty box," said left-winger Scott Mellanby.

"They're calling a lot right now. Both teams know that special teams are going to be a huge factor."

Replacing MacInnis won't be easy if the Norris Trophy candidate can't play.

"It's a big loss when he leaves the game," said Doug Weight.

"It's evident what he means to our team in all aspects of the game. It's tough."

For the Canucks, going into St. Louis two games down might have been too big a hole to climb out of.

"Obviously it's great to come up with the win and head to St. Louis tied," said captain Markus Naslund, who had 104 points during the regular season but just one assist so far in the playoffs.

"It was real important for out mindset. It's nice to finally get a win and show ourselves we can play well and play hard and do those little thing we can do in the playoffs."

Cheers,
Aquaman
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
11
81
Aw now come on... I didn't like that game one bit. They call Sedin for the pic play on the faceoff, but not the trip on Klatt right beside it, and then they don't call the pic play by Tkachuk on the Blues goal. That interference call on Bertuzzi was a joke as well (when Pronger dove in front of the net).

All in all though, the Canucks looked flat AGAIN. No one was getting open for passes or going to the net. The puck carrier only had the option to dump it along the boards. Frustrating to watch.
 

oldfoof

Golden Member
Jun 11, 2001
1,127
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Man , What a depressing game :( Too bad we couldn't get more then one in the net on our pp. Thats just plain Crap! Oh and nazzy back chekn on that breakaway comon@! he didn't even touch him! Frigg~ I am choked !
 

Aquaman

Lifer
Dec 17, 1999
25,054
13
0
Blues upend Canucks, lead series 2-1

Associated Press
4/14/2003

ST. LOUIS (AP) - So far, the St. Louis Blues don't miss Al MacInnis.

Doug Weight had two goals and an assist and a stingy defence helped the Blues take control of their opening round playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks with a 3-1 victory Monday night.

The Blues, who also got a goal and an assist from Pavol Demitra, lead the series 2-1 heading into Game 4 Wednesday night in St. Louis.

``We played great defensively in the neutral zone,'' Weight told CBC. ``We're moving our feet, making selfless plays, which is what you have to do in the playoffs.''

MacInnis, the Blues' captain, injured his shoulder on a hit by Todd Bertuzzi in the first period of Game 2 and will be out indefinitely. Without his dominating slapshot on the power play, the Blues improvised with a lineup that often featured four left-handed shooters. They scored once with the man advantage and another time only two seconds after a penalty expired.

``It's tough without (MacInnis) and it'll be a tough series without him,'' said Weight. ``But we had to regroup and we did.''

The Blues also silenced - again - the Canucks' No. 1 line of Bertuzzi, Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison, with Chris Pronger taking MacInnis' spot opposite Barrett Jackman. Naslund was bumped to the second line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin in the third period, with Trevor Linden elevated to the No. 1 line.

Vancouver was held to 14 shots, the team's lowest total since Feb. 20 at St. Louis, when the Canucks also had 14. Marek Malik scored his first career playoff goal on a second-period power play.

The Canucks were 1-for-8 on the power play, totalling six shots. They're 3-for-24 in the series, accounting for all of their goals. Seven of Vancouver's last nine goals, dating to March 29, have come on power plays.

Weight's empty-net goal, his third of the playoffs, wrapped it up with 18.7 seconds left. He had only 15 goals in the regular season.

Both teams had three power plays in a scoreless first period dominated by hits. Blues forward Tyson Nash was helped to the locker-room after getting boarded by Daniel Sedin at 13:03, although he looked fine when he returned in the second.

Cory Stillman dangled the puck for several seconds before passing to Demitra for a tap-in at 1:44 of the second for the game's first goal - just after a high-sticking call on Daniel Sedin expired.

Weight capitalized on a wrestling match in front of the net between teammate Keith Tkachuk and Murray Baron to score from the slot at 10:07, beating Dan Cloutier to make it 2-0. The goal came with Naslund off for holding the stick.

The Canucks managed one shot in the first 11 minutes of the second period and only five overall in the period. But Malik broke the shutout at 18:53, beating Chris Osgood with a high shot from the point.<

Notes: Weight, Tkachuk and Scott Mellanby are serving as alternate captains. D Chris Pronger gave up the captaincy on a temporary basis while recuperating from injuries that cost him almost all of the season. ... Demitra leads the Blues with five points in the playoffs. ... MacInnis has 160 points in 176 career playoff games, by far the most on the Blues. The next best is Mellanby with 51 in 125 games. ... The Canucks had the NHL's second-best road record at 23-10-7-1, including a nine-game unbeaten streak.

Cheers,
Aquaman
 

Aquaman

Lifer
Dec 17, 1999
25,054
13
0
Canucks will make a little money

The Canadian Press
4/15/2003

VANCOUVER (CP) - Selling out 37 regular-season games, hosting three home playoff dates and the slide of the U.S. dollar will result in the Vancouver Canucks turning a small profit this NHL season, says the team's chief operating officer.

"We budgeted to do a bit better than break even, which we are tracking to do," Dave Cobb said Tuesday. "If we were to get to the second round (of the playoffs) it would have a big positive impact." The Canucks currently trail the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in the Western Conference quarter-final playoffs. The best-of-seven series resumes Wednesday night in St. Louis and Game 5 is scheduled Friday for Vancouver.

The Canucks had 37 sellouts at GM Place this season, with 33 of those being consecutive. The previous franchise high for sellouts at GM Place was 28, recorded in 1995-96, their first season in the new building.

The opening of three new hospitality suites in February increased the arena's capacity to 18,514 from 18,422.

The Canucks had 25 sellouts last season.

The drop in the U.S. dollar was a minor help to the Canucks bottom line.

"It wasn't all that much because it came so late in the season," said Cobb.

"We are finished paying our players now. When it really started to move the last few cents there was only one or two payrolls left."

Cobb said a one-cent shift in the exchange rate means $300,000 over the whole year for the Canucks, who pay most of their salaries in U.S. funds and collect a majority of their revenue in Canadian dollars.

Cheers,
Aquaman
 

Aquaman

Lifer
Dec 17, 1999
25,054
13
0
Blues put bodies on the line against Canucks

The Canadian Press
4/15/2003

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The St. Louis Blues won't have Al MacInnis back for a couple of weeks, but they aren't having any trouble frustrating the Vancouver Canucks without their star defenceman.

Though the team has been tight-lipped about his condition, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday that MacInnis is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks with a separated right shoulder. The Blues are hoping for a quicker recovery.

"We're going to leave it as day-to-day," Blues coach Joel Quenneville told the newspaper Monday. "We'll check him out and revisit it (before the game)and see what his level of comfort is. That's what we're looking at."

Even without MacInnis, the Blues are still managing to frustrate the Canucks' offence.

Vancouver Canucks coach Marc Crawford counted 59 shots his team took in Monday night's 3-1 loss, which gave the Blues a 2-1 series lead entering Game 4 Wednesday night. Only 14 of those shots got through the St. Louis defenders, tying a team playoff record for fewest shots allowed.

The Blues are paying a physical price, but their efforts are helping to knock down the shot volume for goalie Chris Osgood.

"I don't mind, as long as it doesn't hurt," Doug Weight said with a laugh. "This time of the year, I think everyone's blocking shots.

"You've got to get in the lanes and make yourself big and make every pass for them hard, and so far we've done a good job."

Defenceman Bryce Salvador was particularly effective in Game 3. Rookie defenceman Barret Jackman already was an accomplished shot-blocker. Forwards Dallas Drake and Shjon Podein have the bruises to prove their mettle. Even stars like Keith Tkachuk and Weight have gotten involved.

"We've been suffocating at times," Osgood said. "They're in our end, moving the puck around and taking shots, but we're just blocking shots - a heck of a lot of shots."

Unofficially, Crawford estimated the count in the 20s on Monday night.

"They're a very good team at blocking shots and getting in the lanes and knocking pucks down," Crawford said. "We've got find a way to get shots through."

It's more than just the shot-blocking, though, that has held the high-scoring Canucks to three goals in the series. After a series of wide-open games at the end of the regular season, the Blues are back to defence first and they've stymied Vancouver with backchecking while at even strength.

"Our forwards are a big part of it," Jackman said. "They're coming back hard and making it easy for the defence to step up.


"They can't get any speed going into our zone, and when they can't, they're such a rush team that they're getting frustrated."


The Canucks' No. 1 line of Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison has been silent in the series, totalling two assists. In Game 3, the trio that combined for 272 points in the regular season was held to five shots.

On the power play, Vancouver is 3-for-24 in the series.

"It's just plain and simple: We're not getting enough shots," Bertuzzi said. "I don't care if it's what they're doing, we've got to just focus on getting shots."


The Blues save their best for the Canucks' No. 1 line, throwing out their top defensive pairing of Jackman and Chris Pronger, along with the second line of Weight, Martin Rucinsky and Drake.

Jackman, who thrived during the season playing alongside MacInnis, has made a smooth transition to playing with Pronger.

"You move on from one Hall of Famer to potentially another one," Jackman said. "Anyone I've played with has played real well. It's easy to adjust."

Bertuzzi wasn't about to compliment the rookie's play, indicating he has dominated him physically.

"He's spending most of the time on the ice looking up at me," Bertuzzi said. "If he's confident in that, good for him. It shows his youth."

Neither team has been happy with tight officiating that created 17 power plays in Game 3, nine for the Blues. That continued a series-long trend that has hurt continuity in play.

"If the whistles were put away, we feel we'd be a pretty tough team to beat," Weight said. "Regardless of what the referees are doing, you have to react to it and realize that early in the game, and make wise and professional decisions."

CHeers,
Aquaman
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
11
81
What the hell? They play really well for a 2 minute period, then they go back to mediocrity. There's no flow to the games, the referreeing is horrible (every 30 seconds there's a penalty)... Canucks are SUCKING it up big time. No more excuses in the interviews, no more admitting they're not getting it done... JUST DO IT!!!

Gotta put 3 in a row together or else you can kiss the rink goodbye.


Oh, Linden is putting on a freaking one man show right now.
 
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