Lengthiest road trip of NHL history came an end at Phoenix after the lengthiest regular season game we've seen recently. Although it ended up with a shootout loss to Coyotes, Canucks will be happy with their overall performance in the 14 game road trip with the 8-5-1 result. Given the poor results Canucks had on road this season (10-11-1 prior to this road trip), fans can have a relief that worst of the season is over. With only 5 of the remaining 15 games to be played outside the GM Place, Canucks has a good chance to hang onto the Northwest division lead.It was another entertaining game on this post Olympics leg of the road trip for Canucks. Andrew Raycroft had a great time at the net until letting four consecutive shootout goals to hand the game to the home team. Raycroft had won two of the previous three games he replaced Luongo as starting goalie during this road trip. Most entertaining portion of the game came after the 60 minute regulation. Both teams had numerous scoring chances during the five minute overtime. Shootout went for 6 rounds with seven shooters successfully shooting the puck past goalies, which tied NHL record for most goals in a shootout. Mason Raymond couldn't match the skills of the five shooters before him, but Canucks will be happy to finally return home for a stretch of five home games at GM Place.
2010 Olympics in Vancouver set the stage for this historic road trip as Canucks had to hand over the keys of GM Place for the Olympic hockey tournament. First match was against Maple Leafs on January 30th and it was an easy win for Canucks who carried a 6 game winning streak into Toronto. Next two games ended up in losses against two tough teams, Montreal and Ottawa. But they returned to winning terms with 3 wins in next 4 games. Last game of the pre-Olympic leg of the road trip was one to forget with a 2-6 loss to Minnesota Wild. Canucks clearly showed signs of wear and were relieved to go into the 2 week Olympic break with 4-4 record from the 8 games.
Both Luongo and Kesler carrier the confidence of their Olympic form to beat the Red Wings when Canucks resumed their road trip at Detroit. They were a team full of energy after the break and out performed Red Wings in every aspect beating them 6-3. Although Canucks were given a wakeup call by red hot Chicago Blackhawks, they managed to finish off the latter half of the road trip with a respectable 4-1-1 record. With hardest part of the season behind them, Vancouver is now sitting at the top of Northwest division (and 4th in NHL) with 85 points. Sure we haven't forgotten, how Canucks finished off 2007-08 season with 7 losses in last 8 games missing playoffs by a whisker. But fans should not be concerned given the confidence with which Canucks are playing now. There will be no shortage of spectators when the team returns home after 42 long days to play in front of their beloved fans. Vancouver will be bracing for yet another sporting festival cheering Canucks all the way to the Stanley Cup. How lucky I am to be living in this vibrant city.
"There were days when you woke up in another hotel and wondered ‘Where are we now?' before you get it together a little bit"- Ryan Kesler
"I wouldn't make a huge deal out of this. It was a little bit tough, but we knew the whole year it was coming. We still play 41 at home and 41 on the road... Fatigue is only an excuse if you think about it. You feel it if you want to feel it." - Mikael Samuelsson
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