In a span of week, the following has happened:
- The Vancouver Canucks have reeled off three straight wins against division opponents
- The Calgary Flames have lost five, count ‘em, FIVE straight games.
- The Edmonton Oilers won their first game of the month on Saturday.
- The Minnesota Wild have lost Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra to injury… again.
- The Colorado Avalanche have lost two straight games to the Canucks.
Two weeks ago, Canuck fans thought it would be a good idea to tank the season. TANK THE SEASON. As in quit trying. As in folding the cards ONE month into the season. It sickened me. I’ll admit my patience with the team hit rock bottom when we lost to Nashville, but never would I say that the team should stop trying. I said before the eight-game swing that the Canucks could go on a tear and all would be forgotten if the Canucks got out of the Northwest swing with a positive record.
All of a sudden they’re heading into a three-game homestand with the chance to collect four straight wins. It’s ironic that it took two long-term injuries to key defensemen to give the team a kick in the ass, and it’s even more ironic that they started to play better defensively without them.
Kudos to Dave Nonis for not giving in to the vultures who were hounding him when Salo and Bieksa went down. They preyed on him like a piece of meat and he showed a lot of iron when he said he wouldn’t be goaded into some ridiculous trades. He stuck by his guns and he and Alain Vigneault pulled a rabbit out of their magical asses with some great moves:
- They gave Mike Weaver more time, and, I’m eating my hat here, he excelled at it.
- Alex Edler was given a long hard look and it’s suddenly becoming more clear he should be a fixture in the Canuck blueline
- Jannik Hansen has invigorated the bottom six forwards enough to jumpstart the likes of Alex Burrows and Byron Ritchie.
Meanwhile, it’s Calgary’s turn to feel the monthly slump. Five losses in a row is not impressive by any stretch. But, here in Vancouver, Canuck fans would be calling for heads to roll and for the team to trade Luongo. However, much like the Canucks have done recently, the slide won’t last forever in Calgary. It just goes to show some fans that both winning streaks and losing streaks are only temporary.
