Canucks refuse to tank in final week

Lose games on purpose?

No tanks, say the Vancouver Canucks.

As the Canucks play the final week of their 2015-16 NHL regular season, they are damned if they do win games and damned if they don’t. Wins could hurt their draft position, but losses could also leave a bad taste in fans’ mouths.

Long eliminated from the playoffs, the Canucks will take moral victories over reduced odds for the top overall pick, which is likely to be American forward Auston Matthews.

“We wanna win games,” said Canucks rookie Jake Virtanen. “That’s what we wanna do, and that’s what matters right now. We’re not gonna throw away games just to get a good draft pick. We wanna, obviously, end the year off with a bang here and build team character and team identity for next year.”

The Canucks had a Monday night date with the Los Angeles Kings at home, and then travel to Calgary and Edmonton for games Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, before closing out the season Saturday at home against the Oilers.

Defenceman Dan Hamhuis, a pending unrestricted free agent who might not return to the Canucks next season, said the goal is to play. He contended it’s “silly” that the Canucks should lose in order to get a better draft pick.

“Our job is to play hard and put a good product on the ice,” said Hamhuis. “We take a lot of pride as individuals and as a team in representing the Canucks, and losing games is just not something you ever want to do.  I think that’s a poor representation of the jersey.”

Hamhuis said it’s difficult to get up for games with nothing on the line, but the club had played better in the previous six or seven games.

“You don’t want to be put in a situation like this, when the games aren’t building towards the playoffs or anything, but I think you can say we are building towards next year a bit,” he said.

What’s captain Henrik Sedin’s message to fans as the Canucks complete the final week of their campaign.

“That we’re gonna finish the season off and play the best hockey that we can,” said Sedin.

Accordingly, fans can expect coach Willie Desjardins to ice the strongest he can each night, even as the the team continues to evaluate players for next season. But a high draft pick is few rungs down on his priority list.

“A good pick is something that you always want,” said Desjardins. “It’s something that can help you down the road, but I think the thing that’s most important, more than one player, is the culture you have on your team. I think the culture has to be that you play every game to win.”

Desjardins, who has been heavily criticized but is slated to return next season, would rather continue to build a winning culture rather than have a chance at a top young player who might or might not live up to his potential.

“If you ever lose that culture, you’re set back for years – and one player can’t even help you get out of it,” said Desjardins.

Richardson and Kassian in limbo as playoffs approach

Mum's the word on injuries as the Vancouver Canucks attempt to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs this week.
Centre Brad Richardson and winger Zack Kassian's status came up for discussion after Monday's morning skate in advance of key game against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena. Canucks coach Willie Desjardins would clearly love to have them back as the post-season approaches, but he was in no mood to clarify their status.
“They’ve been off for a bit,” Desjardins understated. “I’m not going to talk about injuries. This is probably the last time I talk about them. Those are certainly injuries that we did not expect. I thought (Richardson) might play the game after he got hurt. So that injury’s been a long injury. I think, the Kassian one, every day you hope it might be better, and it just hasn’t come along like we hoped."
Richardson, a workhorse third-line centre whose game suits the playoff style, has been limited to 45 games this season because of a foot and ankle problem. He has played only two games since early January, managing a respectable eight goals and 13 assists in what can best be described as grinder and penalty-killing roles. Just when the 30-year-old Belleville, Ont., native thought he was back for the long haul, the injury flared up he played two games in mid-March.
Kassian was reviving his game when he was sidelined with apparent back troubles from which he suffered previously. He has the big body, speed, and physical game that coaches covet during playoffs. But the 24-year-old Windsor, Ont., native has not played since a March 14 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
When either Richardson or Kassian will return is anybody's guess. The Canucks conclude the NHL regular season with games Monday against the Kings, Thursday against Arizona and Saturday versus Edmonton.
"I won’t address it after this, but there are (injured players) that we expected to be back sooner," said Desjardins. "It turned out to be a little bit later than we thought it was going to be.”

Eddie Lack welcomes heavy workload

Eddie Lack has a chance to set some new benchmarks this season – and they won’t be pant scuffs which come from sitting as a Vancouver Canucks backup goaltender.
Contrary to early-season expectations, Lack could surpass – and will definitely approach – the 41 games played total that he reached last season as a rookie following Roberto Luongo’s trade to Florida. Lack, who has been excelling lately, could also produce new career bests in goals-against average and save percentage.
He made his 10th consecutive appearance as Vancouver hosted the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night in a game that had plenty of playoff implications. As far as Lack’s activity level goes, it’s more of the same as the second half of 2013-14 as he fills in for injured starter Ryan Miller. Lack has played in 28 games, including Thursday’s affair, and Vancouver has 15 regular-season games remaining following that contest. But, this season is dramatically different, with the Canucks showing the ability to compete most nights – at least when they’re not slacking off against playoff also-rans like Buffalo and Arizona – and Lack’s enjoyment level is considerably higher than it was a year ago.
“It was still fun last year when I played a lot,” he said. “Obviously, it’s way more fun when you win, and it’s a way better atmosphere in the locker-room when you get the results you want. So, obviously, it’s a lot more fun this year.”
Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins told reporters that Miller, who suffered a knee injury Feb. 22 against the New York Islanders, is still at least two or three weeks away from returning to the lineup. Minor-league call-up Jacob Markstrom struggled in his lone start, March 3, as he allowed three goals on four shots before he was pulled in a loss to San Jose.
Barring a drastic turn of events, Lack will start all but a few games until Miller comes back, presuming he does. But Lack, 27, feels ready for the high workload, which will rarely allow for more than one day of rest between games. Last season showed him how he needed to prepare physically for the upcoming grind.
“I feel like I took care of myself last year, too,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting energy back and getting everything feeling loose and stuff like that after the game. So it’s not really a day off. It’s more a recovery day, if you know what I mean.”
Last season’s ordeal, when he was battling a back injury but still playing as the Canucks tried to turn a disaster into a respectable finish before missing the playoffs, also prepared him mentally for the difficult task ahead.
“Win or lose, you still have to come to the rink the next day and be the same old Eddie and not be too sad about the day before or too happy,” he said. “I feel that I’m good at putting myself down when I have to and bringing myself up when I have to.”
Although the Canucks have held on to a playoff position for most of the season, there is still no guarantee they will qualify for the post-season as the Kings and Calgary Flames apply considerable pressure.
Time will tell whether Lack can back up his words with action, but there’s no doubt that he will get the opportunity to prove himself often. Miller has been seen limping at Rogers Arena lately, and he faces a severe battle to get back within three weeks. There is about a month to go before the end of the regular season.
So Lack might wind up being the post-season starter – if he can help the Canucks qualify.

Drew Doughty enjoying Kings' playoff push

The Los Angeles Kings are working hard to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs – and that means Drew Doughty is at risk, as usual, of being overworked.
But the L.A. defenceman was not complaining as the Kings prepared to visit the Vancouver Canucks in the first of three stretch-run games between the rivals, which could very well determine post-season positions.
“I enjoy, obviously, playing lots of minutes and playing in all situations,” he said. “I love being counted on out there. When the pressure situations arise, I feel like I perform the best. I think I’ve done a pretty good job at it, but we’ve still got a lot of games left and I have to continue to elevate my game and play even better.”
Doughty was averaging 29:23 before the contest. The Kings are relying on him to be a lynchpin, and offensive contributor, as their defence corps deals with the season-long absence of Slava Voynov, who has missed the entire season due to an ongoing domestic violence case. Rearguard Alec Martinez who has been limited to 27 games due to injuries.
Doughty, a London, Ont., native who has won two Stanley Cups and two gold medals even though he is only 25, finds it unusual when he is not logging 30 to 31 minutes per game in his seventh NHL season. He is likely to become even busier in the weeks ahead. But, other than taking optional practices off and making sure he rests more on off days, he is not doing anything differently in terms of his routine.
“I’m just going with my normal routine that I’ve been doing,” he said. “This is my seventh year, so I haven’t changed too much. I’m just used to playing those minutes, so it doesn’t seem like I’m any more tired or any less tired. I’m just used to it now.”
But he is getting a bit tired of L.A.’s tendency to make a late push for a post-season berth. The Kings find themselves in a situation similar to the one in 2011-12, when they grabbed the eighth and final post-season berth in the Western Conference. They won the first of their two Stanley Cups in three seasons. Many NHLers contend the Kings do what they do because it’s impossible to maintain their highly physical style and strong late-season play for a full 82-game campaign.
Now, with most of their remaining games on the road, the Kings must win in other teams’ rinks. Doughty believes there is a better way.
“We never think we leave it too late, but we never want to do that, either,” he said. “We want to be able to start off the season hot and, hopefully, be in first place. That’s our big goal. We never really (say): ‘Yeah, let’s just take a break and then we’ll turn it on at the end of the season.’ It doesn’t happen that way. So we’re unhappy that we’re in the position that we’re in now. We need to do something about it and get in the playoffs.”
Coach Darryl Sutter noted that about half his roster does not have experience in Stanley Cup and conference finals that the other half possesses. Some good teams will make the playoffs and some good teams won’t, he added in his usual understated way.
To get in, the Kings will have to outperform the Canucks and Calgary Flames in four games remaining between the teams after Thursday.
“We really had to put a mark on these division games coming up at the end of the season,” said Doughty. “We need to win them in order to be in the playoffs, and they’re big four-point games.”
Despite the difficulty of the situation, he is enjoying the task.
“This is a fun time of the year,” he said. “Obviously, besides playoffs, to be able to, hopefully, get to the playoffs is the most fun. You just have to work hard and win games. We love this time of year, and this is a time when our team starts to play better – so we’re looking forward to it.”