Two for Flinching: A look at the Canucks Blue Liners
by Killion on Apr 29, 2009 11:15 PM CDT
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PrintNext up, the blueliners. And looking at the stats, something odd stands out. Of the 8 guys on their roster that are defencemen, only two aren't 6'3"... they're like the damn rockettes. The Hawks only have 3 defencemen that tall by the way.
Now, looking at a Nucks shift charts, you'll see that Vigneault doesn't stick with defensive pairings with the same strictness that Q does. These are the closest I think we'll get to the actual pairings.
Combined for 211 hits, 245 blocked shots, 62 points
Not quite the shut down pairing, not a great offensive duo but not a liability either. These two are quiet and get the job done but aren't making any highlight reels. Ohlund has been around for a while and is still logging bit minutes (21:34/g) but has never had a stand out year (36 points and +16 in '01-'02?). Edler is second on the Nucks blue line with 37 points and he's third with a +/- of 11.. but there's really nothing else to say about him.
They're a quality pairing but nothing spectacular. This could be a pairing the Hawks could exploit if they can get a good line out there against them. They're not going to be overly physical and aren't a big threat to score. . Ohlund has been taking more penalties than usual this year and if the Hawks power play stays on fire they should test him.
Combined for 128 hits, 191 blocked shots, 48 points
Willie Mitchell is the closest thing the Canucks have to a real shutdown guy. He's got the highest +/- of the defencemen at 29, he logs big minutes - including on the PK. He'll be paired up with guys like Havlat and Toews trying to make their lives miserable. I just don't know how much help he'll get. If Mitchell is supposed to be the Nucks Keith, then Salo's got a long way to go to be Seabrook. There's really no one to compliment Mitchell and give him any help. If the Hawks can work around him that'd be wise or just try to take advantage of his partner.
Salo did step up his game against the Blues, 4 points in 3 games before missing the last one. He's said to be back for the Second Round but I don't think we should worry too much about his point production. 4 points matches his highest post-season production and he averaged just .42 points per game in the regular season. For a guy who is 6'3" and 215lbs he doesn't play a very physical game.
Combined for 200 hits, 111 blocked shots, 53 points.. not sure what happened to O'Brien's picture...
Now this is where it gets fun, Bieksa, from my understanding, is quite popular in Vancouver. He's a high scoring blue liner with 43 points in the regular season. Of those 43 points though, 23 came on the power play. So he's not a huge threat at even strength. The Hawks showed pretty good discipline in not taking too many penalties in the first round so they'll need to keep that up. Bieksa brings a physical presence though, leading the defense in hits. Bieksa is also the guy Eager dropped then power slammed into the ice in the line brawl.
O'Brien though is the big fighter for the Nucks defense. O'Brien dropped the gloves 9 times this year and according to Hockey Fights, he only lost once. Other than that though there's nothing spectacular about him though. He's got 10 points, some hits... whatever. He'll play the least amount of time of the D.
The Hawks should keep their heads up when these two are on the ice though as they'll bring the strongest physical game for the Nucks.
Once again, I hate to say it but the Hawks have the edge here. The Nucks don't have a pairing that's even close to Keith/Biscuit and Campbell has actually been playing decently in his own end while flying all over the ice. I don't think I've personally seen a faster or smoother skater than Campbell in Game 5. The Nucks might have a slight edge on the 5th and 6th D-men, but they shouldn't be a deciding factor and even Walker has stepped up his game lately.
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The Canucks blog
Has a very similar post this one, and I actually enjoyed it, and with the charity thing going on, the guys over there don’t seem too bad. http://www.nucksmisconduct.com/2009/4/28/854677/know-your-enemy-da-hawks
Nicely done, again.
I’m not sure I agree that the Hawks have the edge here. While the Seabs/Keith line will be the most dominant on the ice, I’d say their overall depth overcomes that. I’d love to be wrong about this, but I’m extremely skeptical Walker and Campbell will continue their strong play in their own end. I’m less so about Campbell, who really played well as the series went on. But Walker, as much respect as he gets for his gritty performance in game’s 5 and 6, seems unlikely to continue playing at that level – especially against a more talented offensive team.
Got more soul than a sock with a hole.
While I pretty much agreed with your analysis of the forward lines, I’m not so sure about this one. Not sure if you do some of these boys enough credit.
When I think of an Ohlund/Edler paring, “exploit” isn’t exactly what comes to mind. As you say they are both really quiet and don’t really stand out in any way. But I still look at both of them as really reliable defensemen. Now, I don’t mean to compare either of them to Lidstrom, but when’s the last time you saw him rock a guy along the boards? I think it’s just in the blood of these Swedish defensemen to be unflapable but unremarkable and to go out there and do their jobs.
I would say that the only guy that can be considered somewhat of a liability is O’Brien, and his defensive play has been pretty good lately… although he does still have a bit of a nose for the penalty box. And of course there’s always Sami “glass-man” Salo to worry about…
I could be a total homer here.. yeah I agree.
I’m also exhausted while writing this so some of it may be off – if so, please let me know.. thanks for the insight already..
I think Ohlund and Edler are better then their description, especially at using their size. I don’t think exploiting them will be easy at all (or they sure haven’t shown that this season and definitely not against the Blues). With the exception of SOB, all of these guys can score too. Salo is like Campbell actually…an amazing shot that rarely hits that mark.
I don’t know, I’d give the Hawks the edge at forward and Vancouver the edge at defense. Call me a homer too.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Apr 30, 2009 5:00 AM CDT up reply actions
NOW STOP IT RIGHT HERE
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Apr 30, 2009 7:00 AM CDT up reply actions
Looking fwd to the Nucks Invasion tonight
and great idea on the Charity wager. I see it worked well for you against STL.
Ya... right... ah... well...
I married one. There, I said it. While I am still subject to some gentle abuse by the rest of her family, I’m proud to say she bought me a #19 Hawks winter classic jersey for my b’day this year and has pretty much officially crossed over to being a full-fledged Blackhawk fan herself now. Yep, she’s a keeper.
"Call Detroit, tell dem... BULLSHIT!"
I guess my problem is that I haven’t actually seem them play very much so I was basing it more on numbers, which aren’t that great. And I didn’t get into corsi or behind the net ratings either.. so they probably are better than I wrote..
As an addendum.. how about this.. the hawks best is better than the nucks best.. but the edge for the other two pairings, especially Ohlund/Edler against Campbell/Hammer has the edge for the Nucks? I think that sounds better.
My problem is probably that going into the playoffs, I was sure that comparing dmen, we had a pretty big advantage. Now, after watching you guys play Calgary, either your guys stepped up huge, or I hadn’t paid close enough attention.
I’ve had to downgrade our advantage to, let’s say, modest.
… but then you follow it up with a constructive comment like this. Make up your mind!
NOW STOP IT RIGHT HERE
The insightful part was just being cheeky, no harm intended.
The nice writeup part was sincere.
The constructive comment was probably just a fluke.
I think we’re going to be really good friends…for 9 more hours.
Then, we’re going to have to hate each other for anywhere between 4 and 7 games.
Maybe after that we can rekindle the friendship.
This is what i like
from the Nucks fans. Good Fun ribbing. None to be seen with the Flame. Guess that’s where i was going in my previous comment.
Fuck off Roos
I’m so sorry, bud. I just couldn’t resist.
by kesrows on Apr 30, 2009 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm confused...again.
If I’m a backwards-ass Canadian fan, that would make you a forward-ass American fan. Call me a traditionalist, but, I’d rather keep my ass in the back. Because that forward-ass stuff you have going on must, at the very least, be uncomfortable.
I’m obviously no doctor, but I think you should really see a chiropractor.
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