There was so much discouragement from Canucks fans after the lost to Boston. In some sense, it was panic city when they lost 1-0 on Tuesday. The Sedins were criticized, Kyle Wellwood was ragged on again, Taylor Pyatt is not producing, etc. Yes, there are still areas that the team needs to improve upon, but the sign of a good team is when they rebound from a disappointing loss, especially from the fans point of view.

Well, these Canucks who were criticized came through for the team in a big way tonight.

The Vancouver Canucks won in Los Angeles tonight by shutting out the Kings 4-0.

First Period >> Getting the Lead and Protecting It
The Canucks came ready to play. So, Who scores the first goal of the game? Daniel Sedin with his third of the season on the power play. This was the one thing they needed to shake off the loss from Tusday night. During the play, Alexander Frolov from the Kings was awarded a penalty shot that our captain, Roberto Luongo, stopped. This is what a captain does for his team, he comes through when they need him. This boosted the Canucks which would allow one of our top assets, Mason Raymond to score his fourth goal of the season with helpers from the other two Canuck futures, Alex Edler and Janik Hansen. This allowed the Canucks to end the first period up 2-0 on the road.

Second Period >> Building on the Lead and Not Sitting Back
This period had end to end action. But as all Canuck fans know, a 2-0 lead is still not safe. Who adds the cushion the team needed? Kyle Wellwood does by scoring his third goal of the season which was set up by the Sedin twins on the power play. Canucks had their extra insurance marker now up 3-0. Steve Bernier had almost increased the score to 4-0, but unfortunately scored right after the period ended. Upon review, the officials disallowed the goal. (We Canuck fans can pretend it counts.)

Third Period >> Capping the Win
The last period was played to get Roberto Luongo the shutout and not make any mistakes. Well, the Canucks did it and they managed to add an extra insurance goal from Taylor Pyatt. The Canucks were up 4-0 at this point.

The Kings did have their chances during the game as there were many times where they hit the post or crossbar, but with all the poor luck the team had on Tuesday, some puck luck came to the Canucks in this game.

Positives from the Game

1. Taylor Pyatt scores is first goal. Hopefully this will take the pressure off of him and allow him to play the game better for the team.

2. Kyle Wellwood connecting with the twins. Wellwood could be a good power play companion for the twins. He has good hockey sense.

3. The twins having two points each. The produce against a Kings team where last year they could not.

4. The power play was 2 for 4 and the penalty killing was 100%. Special teams looking come through.

5. Roberto Luongo was perfect. Records his 2nd shutout of the season and his 40th shutout of his career.

Next Game : Vancouver Canucks versus the Anahiem Ducks on Friday October 31 2008 at 7:00pm PST

Another home game, another six goals. All in a day’s work.

The Vancouver Canucks defaeated the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 last night which was kicked off with the unveiling of the 7th Canuck tribute.

This was very nicely done with Cliff Ronning passing the number 7 he wore during his time in Vancouver to the fans so that we are part of the team during any Canucks game at GM Place. (Hope Brendon Morrison is OK with this as this was his number too.)

That tribute just made the arena even more louder than before.

The Canucks improved on their power play by scoring four power play goals. This was the difference in the game. The Canucks should be very pleased with Mason Raymond scoring two goals, Janik Hansen scoring two goals, Kyle Wellwood and Jason Krog scoring the other goals. This is great for the team, especially because there is not as much depending on the twins coupled with the fact that Pavol Demitra will be out for a while.

They still have a lot of areas to improve upon, but for now, they are winning the games within their division.

These are the games that really count.

Next Game: Vancouver Canucks versus the Boston Bruins on Tuesday October 28 2008 at 7:00pm

After opening the regular season with two highly emotional wins against the Calgary Flames, no one expected the effort that the Vancouver Canucks had against the Washington Capitals on Monday.

The loss to the Capitals not only worried and frightened Canucks fans, but had given rise to those annoying critics we all know and hear everyday that no matter what the Canucks do, they will fail in the end.

Athletes can have a bad game. People do have bad days. We are all human.

In situations such as this, leaders within the dressing room must take control and steer the ship onto its rightful course. Most of the time, it is the veterans sharing their past experiences, coaches reminding the players of their duties on the ice and the captain of the team leading by example.

But sometimes this is not enough.

A lot of times hard work, determination and grit are the best things that can win hockey games.

Well, Luc Bourdon must be smiling on his good friend Alexander Burrows as Burrows was the key to yesterday’s victory.

First Period >> A New Hope

When the game started, I am quite sure that the Canucks and their fans were holding their breath as this was the first meeting against the Stanley Cup champions this season. Roberto Luongo was performing well, Willie Mitchell, Mattias Ohlund and Ryan Kesler were playing their roles as the period progressed, but we all knew that they needed a positive result to really gain momentum.

The hardest working forward on the team, Alexander Burrows provided this. With a great rush up the ice, his attempt to score allowed Janik Hansen to score his first goal of the season on the rebound.

Now, just think about what this goal meant to the team. The first goal scored in the game, in Detroit. The pressure of amending for what happened in Washington is starting to wear off. Janik Hansen, another young prospect we need, scores his first goal. Awesome.

Pavel Datsyuk scored next on an unbelievable shot that no one saw and had to be reviewed to ensure it was a goal.

Burrows helped again with the second goal of the game. Ryan Kesler scored on a deflection in front of the net from a point shot. That point shot was made due to Burrows winning the battle against the boards.

The Canucks took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. So cool.

Second Period >> Home Team Strikes Back

Detroit is too good a team to just roll over in their own building. They scored the next two goals in the second period and taking the lead 3-2 into the second intermission. Normally this could spell the end for any team playing Detroit, in Detroit, but the best was yet to come.

Third Period >> Return of the Canucks

Personally, the third period the Canucks played against Detroit was one of the most intense I have seen in a long time. It had a playoff atmosphere.

The Canucks tied the game early when Pavel Demitra, Willie Mitchell attempted to score on a rush only to have Mason Raymond bury the loose puck. For all those critics that were blasting Raymond and Demitra, there you go, Raymond scored a crucial goal, game tied.

The two teams were at each other’s throats, up and down the ice for the remainder of the third. Just terrific hockey.

Regulation time ended with the two teams tied at 3-3.

Overtime >> Reward for Hard Work

Getting a point in Detroit would have been enough for Canuck fans and would have been a moral victory for the Canucks.

It seems this was not enough for Alexander Burrows.

He essentially scored the game winning goal in the same way Janik Hansen scored, but this time he scored on his own rebound when the puck came back to him.

The silence in Joe Louis arena was enough to feel the shock Detroit felt that the Vancouver Canucks beat them 4-3.

Like I said, all teams can have a bad game. The true test of character is what the team does in next game. Alexander Burrows and the team showed everyone that they can play and win against the big teams in the league.

Oh, one more thing for the critics out there. Henrik Zetterberg did not play last night and I know that “it would have been different if he had been in the lineup”. Point is, Canucks win.

Next Game: Friday October 17 2008 against the Buffalo Sabres