The Fifth Liners

This week, the long standing rumours of the Vancouver Canucks trading centre Ryan Kesler finally came true as he was traded along  to the Anaheim Ducks for Nick Bonino , Luca Sbisa and a first and third round draft pick at the 2014 NHL draft. Kesler has long been rumored to want out of British Columbia and now finally it appears he has his wish. But at what cost will this come to the Canucks? Positives of Trading Kesler Has suffered with injuries the last two seasons which has affected his game time and made him unable to make a full effect on ice and his scoring numbers have gone have reduced dramatically. Bonino last season bagged 49 points in the regular season alone, six more than Kesler and was one of the stand outs on the Ducks lower lines.  Draws media attention away from the team and could potentially create more harmony in the dressing room. All through last season we saw Kesler sulking his way through and he has never far from the trade rumour mill. New GM J...

Mike's question this week again focuses on my team the Vancouver Canucks and our currently shocking run of form, the question reads "The Vancouver Canucks have lost their last three games. Is this an Olympic hangover or are there deeper problems in BC?" This will be a tricky one for me to answer, particularly as I don't wish to incur the wrath of my fellow fans! But anyway, away we go! So far the Canucks are currently on a run that makes last season's 3rd place finish in the Western Conference seem like a beautiful dream, and currently our winning record stands at just one win from a possible 12 games! But the biggest question is what exactly causing this slump? In December we recorded an impressive 7 consecutive wins and after a slow start things appeared to be picking themselves up. The Olympic Hangover hasn't helped us, but I wouldn't point the blame squarely at this because there seems to have been a far worse problems  growing within the...

The Vancouver Canucks battled to hard earned 3-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes at the Rogers  Arena last night, despite two blowing a two goal lead! In the first, the ever consistent defenseman Jason Garrison blasted Vancouver ahead after 1.26 of the second period with a spectacular slap shot! But Phoenix goalie Mike Smith was as usual proving a wall in net and made several key saves to keep the scoreline respectable. But Canucks captain Henrik Sedin made it 2-0 with an impressive shot from an acute angle and on paper, the home side looked home and dry! Into the final period Smith continued to frustrate the Canucks offense and the fanbs were left wondering why the score line was not heavier! But mid way through the third period, Vancouver became unstuck as Antoine Vermette's crashing drive but the Coyotes back in contention and then David Moss seized on a rebound to unbelievably tie the scores at 2-2! Into overtime Chris Higgins settled affairs after 3.41 when he seized on a...

The Vancouver Canucks bounced back from a loss by the New York Rangers last night to score a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena tonight! Ryan Kesler got Vancouver started with a goal from a rebound off a Jason Garrison shot on the power play after 3 minutes of the 1st period. Tom Sestito then doubled the advantage after 15.48 after he deflected in another Garrison shot! The Canucks were then hit twice by Carolina with goals less than 10 seconds apart at the beginning of the second period as Jordan Staal scored on 39 seconds past Eddie Lack then Nathan Gerbe tucked home a rebound on 49 seconds to tie the scores at 2-2! But this game was to be decided early when Kessler scored his second after only 01.16 played following an error from Cam Ward in net. But Vancouver had Eddie Lack to thank for this win as he single handedly kept the Hurricanes at busy for the remaining two periods and his 29 saves proved vital! The young Swede is becoming a solid backup goalie f...

The Vancouver Canucks once again fell victim to the San Jose Sharks as the lost 4-1 at the newly named SAP Center in John Tortorella's first game in charge. After being elimated here last season the playoffs- defeat here is officially making the California team the Canucks bogey side! Jason Garrison gave the Canucks the lead on a powerplay mid way through the first and for once it seemed that things might go Vancouver's way in this arena. But any hopes of victory were dashed when Brent Burns levelled the scores 5 minutes into the second period before Justin Braun edged them in front with only minutes left in the period. Late in the third period the Sharks took control when Patrick Marleau scored off an assist from 1st star Logan Couture and Tommy Wingels made sure of the result with 5 minutes left to play. In net Roberto Luongo had a busier night with 35 saves compared to Sharks goalie Anitti Niemi with 22, but the defence and offense were sorely lacking both department...

Yesterday while deep in enjoyment watching robots fighting gigantic beasts in Pacific Rim, my phone buzzed and when opening it I was asked a question by Mike which struck close to home as the question read, "What's it gonna take for the Canucks to take home the Stanley Cup this season?" being a Vancouver fan this one that needs some serious analysis, so to work I go. The short answer to this question would be 'a hell of a lot!' and after reaching the 2011 Stanley Cup final, the last two season have been a massive disappointment under Alain Vigneault which lead to his dismissal this May. John Tortorella has been appointed as the new Head Coach of the Franchise and I'm certain that journalists up and down North America are thrilled about more imminent explosions! Previously I have expressed both my delight and upmost fear about this appointment because although JT brings with him a Stanley Cup win, he has also failed to raise his game when need while coach o...

The Vancouver Canucks gave new hope to making their mark in the playoffs with an impressive 5-2 win against Calgary Flames at the Rogers Arena last night led by an outstanding display by the Sedin Brothers who were directly involved in almost every goal! Dan Hamhuis gave the Canucks fans the perfect start with a goal inside 34 seconds! Soon Dale Weise would deflect a Jason Garrison shot to put them 2-0 up before the periods end. But Flames winger Dennis Wideman would score to reduce the score to 2-1. The second period however, the Canucks would firmly take charge and Alexandre Burrows and a spectacular slapshot from Alex Edler would push them forward. But the scorelines didnt reflect the match and the Flames continiously pressed forward and finally midway through the 3rd period, Alex Tanguay gave Calgary hope and a tight finish looked likely. But the Flames would find themselves continually frustrated by the excellent goaltending of Cory Schneider who made several im...