The Canucks 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule has been released. We now know what days this week we can look forward to dining on Shark. On Wednesday, May 1st at 7:30 p.m. the best of seven games series begins at Rogers Arena.

All games will be broadcast on TSN and TEAM 1040. Start times listed below are Pacific. Series G – (3) Vancouver Canucks vs (6) San Jose Sharks

• Wednesday, May 1 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver, Rogers Arena
• Friday, May 3 7:00 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver, Rogers Arena
• Sunday, May 5 7:00 p.m. Vancouver at San Jose, H.P. Pavilion
• Tuesday, May 7 7:00 p.m. Vancouver at San Jose, H.P. Pavilion
• Thursday, May 9 7:00 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver, Rogers Arena
• Saturday, May 11 TBD Vancouver at San Jose, H.P. Pavilion
• Monday, May 13 TBD San Jose at Vancouver, Rogers Arena

It is time for the Canucks overachievers and underachievers year end assessment and there has been some considerable movement over the season, including one player who switched lists entirely.

Let’s take a look.

Overachievers:

Garrison

Jason Garrison was on the underachiever side of this list at the quarter season mark, but he made a superb turnaround based not on his offence initially, but on the merits of his sound defensive work.

The hulking defenseman finished just behind Henrik Sedin with a plus 18 rating and has now moved up to the number one defensive pairing.

The goals also started to come as he tallied 8. Now, if only Coach AV would use him consistently on the top PP unit.

Hansen

Jannik Hansen finished third on the team in scoring, despite a late season dry spell, with a very useful 27 points. That total includes 10 goals in a strike shortened year that still ranks as his 2^nd best ever total. However, it is the intangibles that the Dane brings to the table that have seen his stock soar.

He is an excellent penalty killer, terrific skater and is the team’s most versatile player.

Tanev

Chris Tanev demonstrated with his late season injury absence that he has become indispensable to the Canucks back line. The team went through a jumble of second and third hand blue liners as temporary replacements, but none could adequately fill his role on the second defence pairing.

He put up a solid 7 points in 38 games and maintained a plus 4 rating.

If only Coach AV would use Jason Garrison consistently on the top Canucks PP unit.

If he is back healthy, this team would have some much needed depth at its weakest unit for the playoffs.

Underachievers:

Kas

Zack Kassian has looked very good at times (well, with the Sedins or Kesler anyway) and downright awful at other times. Inconsistency is the bane of young players, but the beefy winger needs to mature in a hurry to help the Canucks. The team needs to settle on steady linemates for him and get that big body to the net this post-season.

Booth

David Booth could well be the victim of Vancouver’s buyout amnesty in the off-season and the less than sad truth is no-one would miss him. His size and speed tease but those elements were rarely put to proper use whether he was on the injured list or on the ice.

Edler

Alex Edler is the single most disappointing player that the Canucks have had to endure this season. His proverbial million dollar talent is completely undone by his 10 cent head.

He plays with seemingly no sense of urgency and is wasting his incredible physical gifts. The Edler drop pass in the neutral zone on a rush up ice is now the signature play that makes Vancouver fans cringe most.

What about it Vancouver fans?

Who do you see as the best and worst players this year for the Canucks?

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The Vancouver Canucks don’t exactly have the refs on their side. But before explaining that, an aside…As a child, I loved to watch TV game shows. There was a motley assortment of programs that were in their heyday back then, such as Let’s Make a Deal, with Monty Hall pulling crazily dressed audience members out of the crowd to take a shot at earning a mixed bag of prizes.

Other entertaining contests crowded the airwaves in those days: Richard Dawson kissing every female (and some males) in sight on Family Feud; Alex Trebek dryly challenging contestants in Jeopardy in an era before the Will Ferrell parodies; and Bob Barker’s model enhanced The Price is Right.

Half the fun was in watching the mayhem and not knowing who on Earth would come out a winner or loser.

However, not one of those shows was as wildly unpredictable as the spinning wheel of (in)justice that Brendan Shanahan wields on the NHL’s current head-scratcher of a reality game show, Who Gets a Suspension?

The Foul

Alex Edler was suspended for a hit yesterday. (Christian Peterson/Vancouver Sun)

Vancouver’s Alex Edler earned the grand prize wrath of the NHL last night. He certainly ran into Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith Thursday night behind the net–outside the trapezoid no less–but appeared to be coming along the boards for the puck and was not directly targeting the opposing player.  He even looked as though he may have pulled back from the hit somewhat, but the league’s discipline guru laid down a two-game suspension on the sleepy Swede for charging. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers’ glamour acquisition Rick Nash left his feet, nailing Florida Panther Tomas Kopecky in the head on open ice and came up with….  Nothing. Not even a pretend hearing. This troubling inconsistency in what constitutes an offense and the ‘pick ‘em out of a hat suspension length’ is what drives coaches and players crazy.  Joffrey Lupul of the Leafs, who received his own unplanned two game break this week, tweeted his frustration quite bluntly:

If someone can explain the decisions on what warrants a suspension and what doesn’t, please let me and the rest of guys know..

— Joffrey Lupul (@JLupul) March 22, 2013

Expect (or not) another game-break for that one when the wheel spins anew.Colin Campbell previously earned the ire of Canucks fans with his unprecedented four-game ban of Aaron Rome in the Stanley Cup Finals for an admittedly tough, but just slightly late hit.

So when Brendan Shanahan was appointed to the same position afterwards, it was hoped that the respect he earned as a player would legitimize the role in the league’s hierarchy. But seemingly, the more things change the more they stay the same as the old adage goes.

However, if the league’s arbitrary discipline process continues to operate so incomprehensibly, then at least the NHL should inform Shanny that his game show actions should at least require him to don the puffed hair, capped teeth, and checked coat that all the best 70s/80s hosts wore when he lays out these decisions.

At least then, there is a chance that players could walk away feeling that there were two losers in these decisions. Alex Edler might not have felt he had been left so alone.

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The memory of Vancouver’s Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins is in many ways no farther away nor less painful than it was just 21 difficult months ago. The core Canucks members remain but the question of whether this is the group that can still win the big one is much more suspect.

Talent alone will not assure the cup victory the team and their dedicated, desperate fans crave.

Even more worryingly, in the midst of their recent poor run, the skilled, dominant identity the team had crafted for itself appears to be fading.

The Columbus game provided a glimmer last night, at least in the second period, of the familiar game controlling incarnation of the Canucks. However, that sight is more fractured on each outing as this group struggles to function as a unit.

The Sedins started the year slowly but have regained their point a game pace, but the rest of the team cannot keep up. As a result, the high powered offence is rapidly losing steam.

The Sedins started the year slowly but have regained their point a game pace

Vancouver eked out a shootout win in the end against the Blue Jackets thanks to Mason Raymond’s extravagant move but struggled to find any real offence all night.

Diehards will argue that the absence of Bieksa and Kesler has been the reason why this team has been rendered less effective, but that is a poor perspective.

Many teams suffer injuries, but do not rely on that as an excuse.

For instance, the blazingly hot Blackhawks have had their own concerns this season, with Hossa having missed time and have required a reliance on back-up Ray Emery in goal, but they have soldiered on.

Vancouver in particular appears more anxious behind the bench. Watch Coach Alain Vigneault these days as he spends more time frantically berating the officials over perceived injustices than concentrating on creative game planning.

I have been a staunch AV supporter for years, but must admit the growing cracks are harder and harder to paper over as time passes.

This team`s identity fade from a fast paced, skillful unit to the obscurity of anonymity is the responsibility of their leadership and a refresher may be in order. 

Next time, we will look at some ideas for change at the top of the Canucks organization.

In the meantime, send us your thoughts on the Canucks devolving identity crisis and the AV situation.

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The Vancouver Whitecaps have truly become the domain of Coach Martin Rennie in 2013. He is now firmly at the helm of his second season running this team and the Scot has thoroughly remade the west coast crew, with the blessing of team president Bob Lenarduzzi, in the manner he sees fit.

While reviews were mixed on his first campaign, largely due to a very inconsistent run of results with a revolving cast of players, the unfolding present hints at a better future for the Whitecaps.

There is much to admire already in how this team has been assembled. New acquisitions in Japanese midfielder Daigo Kobayashi, ex-Premier League star Nigel Reo-Coker and American centre back Brad Rusin have settled in quickly with all three players making notable contributions in the first two games of the regular season.

Erik Hurtado and Kekuta Manneh bring more speed and skill in yet another successful MLS SuperDraft for the ‘Caps, following established previous Vancouver selections in Omar Salgado (2011) and Darren Mattocks (2012).

Daigo Kobayashi has settled in quickly. (Photo: WhitecapsFC.com)

However, the additions may actually have provided as much of a boost as the players who have been discarded since last season. Argentine defender Martin Bonjour was cut loose, following a number of poor marking decisions.

He has been more than adequately replaced by Irish national team member Andy O’Brien.

Overshadowing that deletion has been the removal of Rennie favourite Barry Robson, whose combative presence was even more unsettling to his own teammates than the opposition. In fact, the image of Robson screaming and gesticulating at his fellow players on the pitch hinted at a torn dressing room.

The fact that Rennie was willing to admit this mistake and remove the fiery Scottish midfielder, despite intentions to structure his team around Robson, sent a firm message to the rest of the squad that the good of the organization is the primary focus.

Despite the early loss of talismanic captain Jay DeMerit to injury, Vancouver is off to two hard earned wins and has injected hope into the Vancouver market for a potentially championship winning pro sports team.

Rennie has demonstrated he is not afraid to make the difficult choices necessary.

The excitement is back.

Video

Highlights: Whitecaps FC 2-1 Columbus Crew

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It is time for the Canucks overachievers and underachievers update as the half season approaches, and there are some marked differences from the first list we produced.

The Canucks’ meek start gave way to an extended strong run, mainly on the backs of the goaltenders, but Vancouver now finds itself mired in a slump once more.

The team remains in the top ten of the NHL, but will need to recommit to playing a stronger game in order to secure a higher playoff place.

Overachievers:

Mason Raymond

Mason Raymond has been a terrific surprise. He has maintained his exciting speed post injury, but has also exhibited a greater willingness to skate through the middle of the ice, rather than opt to wriggle along the boards.

He leads the team with four power play goals, providing the second PP unit with a threat, and has also demonstrated an affinity for ably covering the centre position when required.

Jannik Hansen

Jannik Hansen is the rare Canucks player who has progressed significantly every season for Vancouver, and his grit, speed and determination have put a charge in the team.

He has tallied 6 goals already and boasts a healthy +8 rating, despite bouncing between the second and third line.

The great Dane will also be the mentor when the exciting prospect and fellow Dane Nicklas Jensen eventually makes his way to the Canucks first team, as soon as this year.

Kevin Bieksa

Kevin Bieksa is the one defenseman who has been steady on both ends of the ice.

Tanev continues to provide a reliable defensive presence, but Bieksa also supplies a solid shot (5 goals) and the necessary snarl to bring an edge to this so-called ‘soft’ team.

Kevin Bieksa is the one defenseman who has been steady on both ends of the ice.

If only he could assure he would make it through every game injury-free.

Underachievers:

 Keith Ballard

Keith Ballard looked like he had it all sorted out at last, skating well and moving the puck crisply, then Chris Tanev moved up in the defence pairings and the familiar error prone Ballard was once again back in the Coach V doghouse.

Ballard tantalizes the fans with his potential, but 4.5 million dollars per year screams out higher expectations.

David Booth

David Booth is back from injury, granted, but he has yet to really impress as a Canuck this year or last.

He looks the part with the great skating ability and imposing size, but cannot seem to make those raw tools produce in any consistent, meaningful manner.

I would take Chris Higgins in a heartbeat over Booth at left wing. Newell Brown is known as the Vancouver Canucks power play guru, but in reality he has underperformed in this coaching role since the Canucks Stanley Cup run.

The Canucks have now dropped as low as 20^th in the league with the man advantage.

The success of this unit was a hallmark of the team’s identity, but that former strength needs a few sessions on the shrink’s couch in order to get going again.

What about it Vancouver fans?

Who do you see as the best and worst players right now for the Canucks?

The sprint for the 2013 Stanley Cup is underway. Every 6-7 games I’ll weigh in with my overachievers & underachieving Nucks.

Stay tuned.

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It may be an unusual season in terms of length in this post-lockout world, but aside from that it’s yet another year and yet another slow start for the Vancouver Canucks.

However, unless the uncertain tangle the team is in gets unravelled mighty quick this year could be done and dusted. The middling start for the team matches the indifferent performance of the team’s stars.

Let’s take a look at the best and the worst of the Canucks line-up so far.

Overachievers:

Roberto Luongo

Was supposed to be parcelled up and sold off to the highest bidder to make way for the royal successor, but Luuuu has provided some stability in net while Cory Schneider finds his groove.

For all the criticism thrown at him, the slick haired one projects professionalism…and a strong goals against average.

(He’ll also get the nod tonight vs. the Avs.)

Zack Kassian

Has been seen variously as a project in the making, and a fourth liner, but a four game goal streak has merited him time on the vaunted Sedins line. He is still very much unpolished, but at least someone on the team is playing with strength, passion, and energy.

Can he inherit some Sedinery?

For all the criticism thrown at him, the slick haired one projects professionalism

Chris Tanev

Is the only defenseman who can truly lay claim to the defence tag. He has kept his game simple as always, funneling his check to the outside and quickly extricating the puck for the forwards.

If only the other blue liners realized that is the primary duty of their position.

Underachievers:

Dan Hamhuis

Seems absolutely lost at the moment. He is tied for a team worst minus 3, and looks unfit and clumsy on his skates. For a player commonly regarded as a true professional, his lack of readiness must be a disheartening sight.

Jason Garrison

Is a big budget bust at this early point. He has contributed nothing to the offence, particularly the power play, which is his supposed strength. The BC native has also been guilty of a couple of glaringly awful giveaways, especially his blunder in the San Jose contest.

The lanky defenceman must get it going.

Manny Malhotra

Has been the poorest player of all this year for the Canucks. The new faceoff rules appear to have sapped his effectiveness in his specialty skill and he looks to be far too slow and ineffective on the checking line and fourth line duty.

It’s a sad sight for such a good man.

Throw in the fact he’s got a newborn at home and we all know (parents that is) how much of a factor that will have on his daily energy level.

What about it Vancouver fans? Who do you see as the best and worst players so far for the Canucks? Weigh in below in our comments section here at NWSB?

The sprint for the 2013 Stanley Cup is underway. Every 6-7 games I’ll weigh in with my overachievers & underachieving Nucks. Stay tuned.

https://twitter.com/NWSportsBeat/status/296717030877433856

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Vancouver is known as a rather laid-back typically West Coast city, where often the biggest concern is whether the coffee shop clerk remembered to properly decorate the top of your mocha latte.

Things move at a ponderous pace here much of the time, and life is not to be rushed.

This dedication to the lethargic lifestyle is unfortunately often mirrored as well in the sluggish starts that the Vancouver Canucks have produced on a recent yearly basis in their adopted hometown.

However, with the end of the strike having finally happened, the team has less than a week of training camp to gear up to achieve game shape for the opening of the season.

This will be a sprint from beginning to end and if the team gets off to one of those notoriously slow runs, then they could find themselves falling to a poor position low down on the playoff totem pole, or even out of the picture altogether.

Henrik + Daniel will be needed more than ever in 2013

The absence of Ryan Kesler, and the murky picture of who replaces him in the second line centre spot, only helps in aggravating the situation of putting together a solid beginning to the season.

Vancouver relies heavily on its top two lines, so Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin will be needed more than ever to jumpstart this team in the looming campaign.

One major positive could be that the goalie situation benefits greatly from the outset with the insertion of Cory Schneider into the number one role.

Roberto Luongo is a great backstop, but he would be one of the first to admit that he struggles to get into the groove every October. In an abbreviated year, that slothful approach could be an early death certificate.

Hopefully, Ginger Jesus will bring a different mentality to kick off the campaign in the Vancouver crease.

The Oilers have improved in the division and there have been some significant changes with the other western squads, but the Canucks talent level remains among the elite, even with an out of commission Kesler.

A poor start can humble even the best teams so coach Alain Vigneault has some urgent motivating to consider.

Canucks fans weigh in below.

I’d love to hear back from you. What things are you most worried about leading up to the 2013 season?

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So, you woke up yesterday morning a little worse for the wear after overindulging in the New Year’s celebrations with too much Red Hook ESB drained from your giant novelty Seahawks tumbler glass, while drunkenly bragging of once seeing Russell Wilson hanging out at Red Mill burger on North 67^th.

That’s OK.

It’s the holidays and everyone’s in the mood to celebrate, especially in the wake of such a great ‘Hawks season to date.

However, a new year means a fresh start and a time to throw out the old, tired and uncomfortable habits of the sordid past in order to make space for the new and improved you.

Even the best of us need a refresher, and our favourite football team is no different.

Here are five resolutions for members of the Seattle pigskin pros and community.

The Drug Store

No more late night pharmaceutical visits to Walgreen’s to purchase past-it’s-due-date medication from the part-time staff to stave off those inconvenient positive drug tests for Brandon Browner, Richard Sherman or any other member of the secondary.

Russell Okung will promise to lay off the salads

Win Forever

For Coach Carroll to finally come out of his shell and learn to emote. That stiff upper lip sideline celebration persona of his is tiring and clearly needs some work.

More Fibre

Russell Okung will promise to lay off the salads and finally start to add some much needed bulk in order to be well prepared for the Pro Bowl. We can all tell he is looking a little too svelte at the moment.

Don’t play Like A Rook

Russell Wilson will get some more experience, because is the 4^th overall pass rating really the best he can do?

BeastCards

Marshawn Lynch will resolve to send out more Get Well cards to those defenders he brutally stiff-armed and steamrolled through the year.

After all it is the thoughtful thing to do.

Well Seahawks fans, what are your thoughts for New Year’s resolutions?

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The arrival of this game provokes some very mixed emotions in anticipation despite the ascent of the Whitecaps to the status of a playoff contender.

9:00 PM ET Record
VANWH 11-13-10 (3-10-4 V)
LA Galaxy 16-12-6 (10-6-1 H)
Matchup & Stats Insight

It is certainly a notable achievement for a team that finished second worst in the regular MLS standings just one year prior to attain a spot in the second round of matches.

However, this was also a team on the rise for the first part of the season before the unexpected shock of major personnel changes led to a disruption in the harmony and continuity of the side.

It in turn enforced a shift in playing philosophy for the team, as it has moved from one with an emerging identity founded on a stern defensive model, to a squad mired in confusion and a loss of confidence.

LA Galaxy

LA on the other hand comes into this home contest with only two losses in their last 16 games. They have two of their major stars returned from injury and the team is brimming in their own assurance.

If it wasn’t for Chris Wondolowski’s record season down in San Jose, then Robbie Keane could very well be the MLS regular campaign MVP.

He plays the linking role between the midfield and the forward line to near perfection, amassing 16 goals and 9 assists in just 28 matches. He also more than filled the void during the injury absences of David Beckham and Landon Donovan.

Their return will further strengthen the line-up.

The arrival of this game provokes some very mixed emotions

However, these three shining lights are also ably supported by Juninho, Mike Magee and Christian Wilhelmsson to form the most devastating offensive force in the league. With that much ability in possession, it may not matter that the LA defence does not yet match the forward moving capabilities of the Galaxy unit.

Vancouver Whitecaps

Coach Martin Rennie had an excellent debut honeymoon period, but he has seemingly been starved of ideas in the past two months. He wanted more say in team personnel matters, but despite that early success his continual tinkering has not borne fruit.

The loss of Sebastien Le Toux, in that Keane-like role, and the creative talents of Davide Chiumiento have not been well replaced by the Scottish duo of Barry Robson and Kenny Miller.

Miller is a fine goal box poacher with a balanced team, but lacks the harrying defensive facet of his game that Le Toux could provide when the goals ran dry.

Robson has great skill but his on field frustration and facial tics have not worn well with his teammates who often appear ill at ease with the surly redhead.

However, despite the frustration, Vancouver’s back line still provides room for hope against the imposing LA formation. Andy O’Brien will already be familiar with his ex-international colleague Keane and he integrates comfortably with defensive partners Jay DeMerit and the imperious YP Lee.

If this group can hold off and frustrate the Galaxy, then the speed of someone like the overdue Darren Mattocks could see the ‘Caps nick a goal at the other end.

Predictions

As the first Canadian team to reach the MLS playoffs, Vancouver has exceeded expectations but their current lack of identity looks to have hamstrung the side.

Ominously the streaking LA Galaxy look very capable of a 3-0 pasting of Vancouver.

Video

Whitecaps FC prepare for tonight’s match against the LA Galaxy.

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The final game of the 2012 MLS season is on tap tonight in the salt plains of Utah with two teams that have both qualified for the MLS Cup post-season in disparate ways.

Real has been solid throughout most of the year, maintaining a consistent presence in the top three Western Conference spots following a slow start to the year in February, when they earned just five points from their opening five matches of the season.

9:00 PM ET Record
VANWH 11-13-9 (3-10-3 V)
RSL 17-11-5 (11-4-1 H)
Matchup & Stats Insight

The Whitecaps on the other hand made an impressive burst from the start line, only to fall into varying streaks of success with dizzying losing runs interspersed with periods of success that have seen them almost back into the playoffs with the final position, just ahead of FC Dallas.

It is a significant step for the team to achieve this status in only the second season of their top tier reincarnation, but it hasn’t been easy on the team’s fans, especially those who have lingering heart conditions.

Tonight’s game could very well be a bit of a grab bag in terms of results since both managers could opt to rest players and also experiment with formations and playing personnel ahead of their upcoming two legged playoff competitions.

Real Salt Lake

Real has had the greater injury concerns of late between these two teams, and the list of shelved and doubtful players is of grave concern for the team. Most of the issues are on the defensive end of the pitch which also is the weakest aspect of the team’s play.

Vancouver meanwhile may also be advised to put out a very competitive side

However, Real may opt to play most of their remaining regulars tonight as they have been on a hot streak to end the regular campaign (with three wins and a draw) in order to maintain their momentum heading into the post-season.

The team is led by their talented forward line and the spearhead of Alvaro Saborio, who sits behind only San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski in the MLS goals race with 17 tallies.

Vancouver Whitecaps

Vancouver meanwhile may also be advised to put out a very competitive side as the team laid a real egg with last week’s abject performance against Portland that had Coach Martin Rennie essentially apologizing to the fans afterwards for the lack of passion in their play.

Had FC Dallas been able to post a win of their own, then the ‘Caps would have been in a life or death struggle tonight with Real to even qualify for the fifth berth. Fortunately for the west coasters the Texans could not pull it together in time.

Some may feel that this match provides an occasion for rest for Van City’s regulars, but if anything it requires that the likely starters for the LA series take a run for at least half of the match in order to shake out the cobwebs.

The strikers in particular need to get on track as the team has been very poor offensively, save the unlikely recent four goal outburst against an awful Chivas USA side.

Darren Mattocks appears to have gone into hiding lately, and Kenny Miller has not provided the expected goals return either in light of his expensive import status.

Gershon Koffie has been the best player of late for Vancouver, but the offensive contributions of the front line are an absolute necessity if this team is to make an impact in the playoffs.

Predictions

The guaranteed playoff positions for both sides will likely however see this game be something of a mild affair as both outfits look to tune-up while avoiding injury.

A 1-1 scoring draw is most likely on the cards in Utah.

Video

Whitecaps FC prepare for Saturday’s match against FC Dallas.

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