Anaheim won its third straight division title, while Vancouver finished a surprising second before losing in the opening round of the playoffs. One week in: Three home games and three regulation losses against divisional rivals. Bieksa went fishing for it with his stick and the hotshot went outside-inside on him, making him look like a complete fool. “But in the game, go compete and see how it goes”. That sequence of events just seemed to encapsulate Bieksa. He was a fan favourite for the way he played but also because he had one of the best personalities of anyone on the team.
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The Capitals sent out a note on Twitter about 35 minutes before the game saying Ovechkin would not play.
“We’re just not doing the things that we’ve got to do to get the quality chances and the shots”, center Anze Kopitar said.
While Maroon’s lack of consistent finish around the net front is a frustration for a few, you have to appreciate his ability to get to the corners, win puck battles, and help keep things going offensively no matter who he’s paired with. Bartkowski may be able to skate well, but he’s made a few worrying defensive miscues, and that pairing got pinned in their own end like a tailless paper donkey at a birthday party. “We had lots of guys who weren’t playing, ” Sutter deadpanned, then indicated Greene had not suffered an injury. Absolutely nothing came of that fight. Instead of putting opinion and analysis in to a massive game story, you’ll be able to find it here to further discuss the previous night’s action as well as our take on the game. But with goals in successive games, the fourth-line centre now has two in four games and is one away from a career high of three in 24 games with the St. Louis Blues in the 2010-11 season. Prust and Stoner could have started a tea party on the ice, then politely moved it to the penalty boxes for five minutes, and the game would have been unchanged. “If we do that, we’re going to be all right”. It seems like he can actually play half-decently when he puts his mind to it, but he seems to get more praise for his completely inconsequential fisticuffs than for actually playing hockey. Willie Desjardins played with a chemistry set Tuesday.
Though he’s the old man of the group at 30, Cracknell’s riding the same wave of youthful exuberance as the Canucks’ kids in the early going this season. McCann winning the faceoff was, like Neil Armstrong on the moon, a pretty good first step. Boston is 0-3 for the first time since 1999.
Key play: Adam Cracknell’s second goal in as many games, his first strikes since April 3, 2013, propelled the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-0 victory over the Kings on Tuesday at Staples Center. Cracknell took the deflection and slipped it under Frederik Andersen’s arm like a cheap anti-perspirant, leaving white flakes everywhere. Both teams were really good teams, they were tough games.
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Radim Vrbata and Alex Burrows scored in the shootout, and Vancouver spoiled Anaheim’s home opener. “The season is long, so we’re going the right way”. The goal was Edler’s first of the season. Still counts for just as many goals as Vrbata’s, though: zero.
