Competition for Canucks' bottom six spots continues as season opens

VANCOUVER -- The 2014-15 NHL season may have started for the Vancouver Canucks, but there still are decisions to be made.
At the conclusion of last season, many observers believed the team needed to get younger. The Canucks' management also had been open about doing so.
So, signs pointed to the Canucks giving London Knights forward Bo Horvat, whom they had taken with the ninth-overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft, every chance to make the roster. (Let's not forget that they traded goaltender Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils for that ninth selection.)
But with Vancouver being arguably the most active team in the off-season, it was apparent that the 19-year-old was in tough to earn a spot.
Especially when the Canucks acquired forward Linden Vey from the Los Angeles Kings for the 50th pick in the 2014 draft.
Vey is listed as a right-winger, but can play at centre, the same position as Horvat.
Things didn't look like they were headed in the right direction for Horvat, as he finished without a single point at the Young Stars tournament in Penticton, B.C.
Despite that, the Canucks' management wanted to see more of Horvat, and listed him on the pre-season roster.
 Canucks' head coach Willie Desjardins was impressed, even though he only had one goal in five games.
However, they needed to be down to 23 players for their opening night roster. A  decision needed to made on Horvat -- either he was going to stick with the team or be re-assigned to the Knights.
Wait, not so fast.
 When the Canucks visited the Edmonton Oilers for a pre-season game on Oct. 2, Horvat suffered a shoulder injury when he was hit by Oilers' forward Tyler Pitlick at 18:18 of the first period.
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, junior-aged players who are injured don't take up a roster spot, meaning Vancouver doesn't have to make a decision on Horvat just yet.
 With Horvat out, that gave someone else the spotlight.
The Canucks were also happy with the play of  Shawn Matthias at centre.
“Maybe the light came on for the coaching staff to put him in the middle,” a joking Desjardins said after Monday's practice. “I don't know. He played pretty well in the middle, he played better when (he was) in the middle. You've got to like that. Like, if you get him excited and confident, I think he can add to us. When he played in the middle, he played better.”
Yes, even more competition for Horvat.
“I think (Horvat) has played real well,” Desjardins said. “I do, I think he's played well. He's proven that he is sound defensively, he's a heavier-body guy. This injury is not what he needed at this time, though. That's a move for him because now the other guys have a step ahead and now he's got to come back. How he comes back from that, we'll wait to see. But what he did before, yeah, I thought he was pretty good.”
Horvat may have played well, but Desjardins is only worried about the players who are in the line-up.
“I've always said with the team, it's not who is out, but the ones who are in that counts,” he said. said. “The guys who are in are the guys that have to win it for you. So, whoever it is, that group has to find a way to win.”
As well, players may exceed expectations in the pre-season, but that doesn't mean the assessments are accurate.
“You can't tell,” Desjardins stated. “Because if their minds aren't in it, then you can't judge from the pre-season because of that. It's so competitive and so close that you have to be 100 per cent in it for us to see. We'll see right at the start, though.
“This will be the group that we start with, We're excited about the group. The guys have worked hard, and they're looking ahead to the regular season. We'll see what we've got. The group has worked hard.”
He got his first shot to see what the Canucks have when they visited the Calgary Flames for their season-opener on Wednesday.
The hard work paid off as Vancouver defeated the Flames, 4-2, which marked the first time it got a victory on opening night after five straight losses.
“Well, I think it's great,” Desjardins said after the game. “Calgary plays hard like a real tough game. To come on the road and get a win, it's always important.”
Vey was on the third line, flanked by forwards Zack Kassian and Brad Richardson. Vey finished with an assist on a goal scored by Kassian at 5:16 of the second period.
Matthias, on the other hand, failed to get on the scoresheet, and finished with a minus-2.
“I felt what was really important was that we were able to use our whole team,” Desjardins said. “Everybody played, and everybody contributed . . . and that was important.”
Horvat couldn't contribute, and will have to prove himself again once he returns to the lineup.
NOTES: Canucks' D Kevin Bieksa (shoulder) was a game-time decision and dressed in place of D Yannik Weber. . . . Flames F Sean Monahan (ill) also was a game-time decision and ended up playing. He finished with an assist and was plus-1. . . . Canucks' D Alexander Edler had a minus-2 rating. . . . Vancouver forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin combined for three points. . . . Desjardins got his first NHL coaching victory. . . . The Canucks will play host to the Edmonton Oilers in their home-opener on Saturday.

(Dickson Liong is Taking Note’s Vancouver correspondent. Follow him on Twitter at @DLLiong.)

Ducks take bite out of Canucks

By DICKSON LIONG
Special to Taking Note

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks’ hopes of making the NHL playoffs continue to fade.
For most of the season, Vancouver has struggled to score goals. But ever since a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on March 23, Vancouver’s offence had started to show some life.
Vancouver forward Zack Kassian, who has had difficulties providing consistent offence since donning a Canucks' sweater, finished with four assists while playing on a line with David Booth and Brad Richardson that night.
“You know what, I know that everyone is going to focus on the four points that he gets,” John Tortorella, the Canucks' head coach, said. “But, for me, there were some other things.
“I thought that there were times that he dumped the puck at the right time, instead of trying to make something happen.
“I thought he changed up, and you guys might think it's small things but those are the things that we're looking for. He changed up at the right time, and you can see the concentration in his game. You see it, and want to see it more.”
The Canucks then headed out on a two-game road trip that had them visit Colorado and Minnesota. Vancouver defeated the Wild 5-2, but lost 3-2 in overtime against the Avalanche.
The 22-year-old Kassian continued to click on a line with Richardson and Booth, as they continued to appear on the scoresheet on the road trip, combining for six points, including two goals from Kassian.
As well, Canucks' sniper Daniel Sedin scored his first goal in 24 games, as he got one against the Wild.
“It was probably my worst game out of (those 24 games), but I was able to tip one in,” he said. “It's nice, but hopefully it can get me going, and in the right direction.”
But, quite frankly, all of that doesn't matter.
Vancouver is desperate for anything that will lead to victories if it wants even a slight chance of making the playoffs. The Canucks, who have 79 points in the Western Conference, and are the No. 10 seed.
Anaheim, Calif., the home of Disneyland, is considered by many to the happiest place of Earth. It also is the home of the Ducks, who have been one of the best teams in the league this season.
As a result, many of the their opponents haven't left the city with smiles on their faces. That’s the way it was for the Canucks on Jan. 14 when they lost 9-1, leaving the Ducks with a Ducks a 20-0-2 record when playing in their home arena, the Honda Center.
“It's never a great feeling to be on the wrong side of a 9-1 game,” said Canucks' defenceman Dan Hamhuis, who finished with a minus-1 on the night. “We played a pretty solid first period, and played in a way that gave us a chance to win. Their power play (was really good) and the game kind of got away from us from there.”
Vancouver wasn't scheduled to play the Ducks at the Honda Center on Saturday night; the game was at Rogers Arena. However, the Canucks needed to find a way to get on the winning side as they were winless in each of the three times they had faced Anaheim this season.
“It's a must win,” Kassian said prior to the game. “We feel we played well on the road but with the situation we're in, we still have a hill to climb and this is a must-win game. We don't want to look to far down. We need to win this one tonight and it's against a very good team, but we feel that the way we have been playing, we can beat these guys.”
Kassian finished with an assist, extending his point streak to four games. But the goal on which he assisted, which came from Richardson at 11:12 of the first period, was the only one the Canucks were able to put up as they dropped a 6-1 decision.
“It's definitely frustrating right now,” Kassian explained. “There's no ifs, ands or buts about it, we're on the outside looking in and to lose a game like this tonight, it's very frustrating. But we have to be professionals and go about our business. Like I said earlier, like I said 100 times in the past week, we're competitors and we want to play for each other. That's what we're going to do.”
And so Vancouver doesn't move anywhere in the standings. It remains on the outside looking in, continuing to battle Phoenix and Dallas for the final playoff spot. The Coyotes and Stars are Nos. 8 and 9 in the Western Conference, with have 84 and 83 points, respectively.
Like the Canucks, Dallas and Phoenix played on Saturday. The Stars defeated the St. Louis Blues, but the Coyotes lost to Minnesota. Both teams have games in hand on Vancouver.
“We try to look for some help but I don't know if we really deserve it, to be honest,” Richardson confessed. “It sucks to be in a position where you have to rely on teams to lose, and we're not winning all our games. So, you know, what do you expect? We'll see what happens.”
Time is clearly starting to run out, with the Canucks having only six games left in the season.
“Every loss now is tough,” Sedin said. “We need wins, we need points. Yeah, it's tough, but we have to stay positive and keep going. That's all we can do.”
NOTES: Vancouver D Kevin Bieksa (leg) took the team's morning skate and dressed against the Ducks. . . . Canucks' D Andrew Alberts (concussion) skated, but is likely done for the season. . . . Vancouver F Henrik Sedin remains day-to-day. . . . Vancouver G Eddie Lack made his 16th consecutive start. . . . Canucks' head coach John Tortorella confirmed that the team has re-assigned D Frank Corrado to the AHL's Utica Comets. . . . Vancouver took Sunday off, then will return to practice on Monday as it prepares to play host to the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

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