NorthWest Sports Blog brings you daily features on Oregon, Washington State, and BC amateur and pro sports teams.
NWSB insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger Kevin Vanstone brings us a good one today. With the Canucks falling below expectations in the playoffs this year, he comes up with 16 reasons why the team is struggling against the LA Kings. With Daniel Sedin sidelined for the series and Ryan Kesler trying to do it all himself, the Canucks need players like Zack Kassian and Roberto Luongo to step up in a big way.
Josh weighs in with the biweekly Vancouver Canucks Java. NHL team news for the die hard Nucks fans. Gossip and articles captured on the web for Saturday. NWSportsBeat.com, your source for all Vancouver Canucks hockey talk all the time, plus Canucks blog archives.
Josh Hall, our Vancouver Canucks Insider thinks the team needs to chat with their moms prior to game two and review lessons taught growing up. Ryan Kesler, the refs have tabs on your every dive. Zack Kassian and Byron Bitz you were just careless. The Los Angeles Kings on the other hand did everything right Wednesday and now look to take a two to nothing series lead back to LA on Sunday.
The Flying V’s own Kevin Vanstone is back with a new feature counting down the wins to lifting Lord Stanley’s mug for the Vancouver Canucks. While they now sit 1 game down to the Los Angeles Kings in the West Quarterfinal, Kevin says they are NOT on track to winning hockey’s holy grail. Things could change though after Game 2. Will Daniel Sedin be back to partner with brother Henrik Sedin? Byron Bitz will be out.
NWSB Insider and Vancouver Canucks blogger C-Mac chimes in with his thoughts on the disgrace that was game 1 of the Western conference quarter finals last night in Van City. Fun times ahead? He can’t see Daniel Sedin ready to come back following some less than promising reports on post-practice headaches, so the team needs to focus on staying with five-on-five play in which they looked most comfortable.
C-Mac chimes in with his version of a playoff preview for the Vancouver Canucks and tells us which lessons the Canucks hopefully learned from last year’s successful failure, if you will. Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider have to be utilised well but how about the 3rd line? Chris Higgins, Jannik Hansen and Samme Pahlsson have been playing balls out but can they keep it up and when does Coach Vee shake it up?
It’s Christmas eve in every hockey fan’s home as the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to begin Wednesday. Here in Vancouver, we just want a Cup. Vancouver Canucks have a lot to be excited about going into their first round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings but in Game 1, one of our Canucks insiders Josh Hall tells us it’s especially key to set the tone early…or else. Roberto Luongo your under the microscope.
The right things need to happen for the Vancouver Canucks to beat the Los Angeles Kings in round 1 of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Kings will not be push-overs but by all means, Vancouver should take this one. Josh Hall, one of our Vancouver Canucks insiders weighs in with his 5 keys to winning this series for the Canucks.
Canucks blogger Steve Lee brings us a good piece on the Vancouver Canucks today. Kevin Bieksa is under the spotlight for the Canucks. Currently sitting in a scoring funk since the turn of the year, with only one goal since the Canucks New Years Eve tilt against the LA Kings, Bieksa pocketed a pair of goals during the Canucks back to back weekend.
NWSB insider Dave B brings us another profile featuring an athlete from the Northwest. Milan Lucic is a tough NHL’er who scratched and clawed his way to the Boston Bruins lineup. It all started after he was passed up in the WHL Bantam Draft, but that motivated him even more to join the Coquitlam Express via the Junior B Delta Ice Hawks. From there, he rose to the level he is at today…the NHL.
NWSB Managing Editor “Q” tells us this week in the NHL four or five days ago ESPN first broke the story about LA Kings forward Dustin Penner and his now famous PANCAKE injury. Alledgedly Penner and his weak back went out while “eating” pancakes. Moral of the story…He needs to stretch more come summer time I think. Were Canucks fans insensitive?
Another North West Athlete in the spotlight today. Former Montreal Canadien, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks forward from Victoria BC Russ Courtnall. Yes Geoff Courtnall’s younger brother. Courtnall was drafted 7th overall in the 1983 entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
