VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Vancouver Canucks seemed to have turned a corner this past week, going 3-1 over a period of seven days. The club’s wins brought their winning percentage above .500 for the first time this season. However, the week didn’t start out well. The Canucks dropped a 2-1 decision to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. The game put the Canucks at 3-5 on the year, and left them without a win on the road up to that point. Complicating things further was a sub-par performance from starting goaltender Roberto Luongo. Luongo was not terrible, but looked far too average given his stature on the team, his history as a game-breaker, and his 10 million dollar paycheck this season. Recent injuries to top skaters Daniel Sedin and Sami Salo added to Vancouver’s troubles, which have included the absences of Pavol Demitra and Jannik Hansen. The Canucks were forced to call up players from the their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, but neither Sergei Shirokov nor Michael Grabner appeared to be ready to replace the scoring of Daniel Sedin and Demitra. But then something clicked. The Canucks headed into Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Wednesday, and came away with their first road victory of 2009-10. Grabner scored his first NHL goal in the 3-2 win while Luongo turned in a solid performance as they knocked off the club which eliminated them from the playoffs last season. On Saturday, Vancouver built on its road success with a 3-1 home ice win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. With momentum building Vancouver headed into Sunday night’s game against the Oilers, and once again came away with the win. Luongo recorded his first shutout of the year in the 2-0 victory, and Grabner added the game-winner. The goal gave Grabner four points in his three games with the club during this stint. The Canucks continue to get solid performances from top players like Ryan Kesler, who has been good at both ends of the ice, and team scoring leader Henrik Sedin. Off-season acquisitions, forward Mikael Samuelsson and defenseman Christian Erhoff have also been standouts, with ten and nine points respectively over eleven games. Vancouver will play four games in seven days this week – two at home, and two on the road – including match-ups against the Western Conference’s two top teams, the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks will have to sustain solid play and keep getting production from their power play, which is currently fourth best in the league at 27.45%, to keep their winning streak alive. Contact the author at Happy.Kreter@prohockeynews.com
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