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The Canucks signed Mikael Samuelsson as a free agent last summer largely because of his playoff experience in Detroit.

It paid off in his postseason debut in Vancouver on Thursday night.

Shortly after Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo swept a puck off the goal line, Samuelsson scored his second goal 8:52 into overtime to give Vancouver a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the first-round Western Conference series.

“If you’ve been around, you know what to expect. That’s what experience is,” said Samuelsson, who played 69 playoff games and won a Stanley Cup during four seasons in Detroit before signing for three-year, $7.5 million ideal with Vancouver.

“You stay calm because you know what to expect, and you are well prepared. … I just play my game and try to pick my spots.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Lies, damned lies and statistics: Mark Twain made the remark popular as a list of the three kinds of falsehoods there are.

Outscored 10-1 in the first period so far after five games of an eight-game road trip. No lead to brag about except for the final 2:04 of the opening road game at Toronto 11 days ago. Seven straight games in which the other team scored first and 12 of the past 14.

“You can’t think in your mind what the stats are,” Roberto Luongo said after the Canucks fell 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. “Thursday’s game [against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Fla.] has nothing to do with the last 12 of 14.”

Then what does?

Luongo thinks perhaps the players are thinking too much about that and, well, why shouldn’t they?

They’ve held meetings where the coaches point it out and the players talk about it among themselves.

And if Mikael Samuelsson finds twine instead of metal on his first shift, it’s a different game.

Instead, Martin St. Louis gets a break when Kyle Wellwood throws the puck away on a power play, and the puck gives a little jump just as he’s about to shoot and the short-handed goal stands up as the winner.

Click here to read the full article – By Gordon McIntyre of Vancouver Province

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The crush of reporters nearly knocked Steve Bernier over.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. This was supposed to be Bernier’s moment.

He was the one acquired two years ago to be the incendiary winger the Sedins had long lacked. He promised to combine a right-handed shot and a nose for the net with a litre of elbow grease. In theory, it looked like the right chemistry which — if all had gone to plan — would be peaking right about now.

But those are distant, halcyon days for Bernier. He may be sitting beside Burrows off the ice, but on it they couldn’t be further apart.

Burrows is doing things no one imagined. His biggest obstacle right now is trying to keep his head below the clouds. Bernier, meanwhile, is just trying to stay in the lineup.

Click here to read the full article – By Vancouver Province

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If you want yardsticks, the San Jose Sharks are as good as any you’ll find at Rona. And while they’re at the hardware store, the Canucks may as well pick up some sandpaper, too.

From the result, the Canucks do not belong in the upper echelon of elite teams.

“One-on-one along the wall and in front of the net they were a bit grittier than our guys were and that’s why we lost the game,” coach Alain Vigneault admitted.

As good omens go, things started well, Kyle Wellwood using Tanner Glass as a decoy to beat Evgeni Nabokov on the far side at 1:59 of the first period.

But the Canucks had no more answers for the Sharks’ goalie — although Wellwood fed Jannik Hansen with seven seconds left in the game for the Canucks’ second goal — while the Sharks had plenty of answers of their own.

Click here to read the full article – By Vancouver Province

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Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis was looking into signing former Colorado Avalanche star Peter Forsberg, but said he learned Monday that Forsberg wanted to stay in his home country.


On Tuesday, Forsberg’s agent, Don Baizley, confirmed to ESPN.com that Forsberg has decided to continue playing with Swedish league club Modo, rather than attempt another return to the NHL.

“He just wasn’t confident enough about his foot at this stage to tackle the NHL season, so he’s going to play in Sweden this season to see what happens after that,” Baizley said.

Forsberg, who spent most of his 12 NHL seasons with the Avalanche, has dealt with nagging ankle and foot problems for several years.


Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

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Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo was back in the net after missing two weeks because of a broken rib.


Luongo, who hadn’t played since he was injured on Oct. 27, replaced Andrew Raycroft at the start of the second period Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues. The Blues led the game 4-0 after one period.

“That’s the only positive thing,” Luongo said after the Canucks’ 6-1 loss. “I got some minutes, but it’s tough. You don’t want to come in situations like that.”

Luongo took part in the Canucks’ morning skate Tuesday but wasn’t expected to play until Thursday in Detroit. Canucks coach Alain Vigneault removed Raycroft after the goalie allowed four goals on 13 shots.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

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Roberto Luongo started the season trying to save the world. He’ll settle now for saving a shot. Or about 30 of them.

Mentally taking a step back and a deep breath Tuesday, the Vancouver Canucks goalie recognized he plays on the ice and not in comic books. He can’t do it all.

He woke up to that revelation Tuesday, as well as the conclusion things could be worse. At least it’s not May.

Because as much as people want to judge Luongo now, it’s not the way he starts the season that matters. It’s the way he ends it.

For the second year in a row, Luongo was hooked in the third game of the year Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Click here to read the full article – By Jason Botchford of Vancouver Province

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Tentative. Ineffective. Intimidated. Like the nervous lead singer in an opening-night opera, the Vancouver Canucks had a bad case of the early jitters Thursday.

It was like they had forgotten the words before a sold-out Saddledome audience.

Once they finally recalled the lyrics, the music was sweet, but still not enough to overcome the startling start in a 5-3 setback to the Calgary Flames.

In digging a three-goal hole before their season opener was a dozen minutes old, the Canucks looked like they would go quietly into the night before Mikael Samuelsson and Alex Burrows reduced a three-goal deficit.

Click here to read the full article – By Ben Kuzma of Vancouver Province

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Separated at birth by only a few minutes, Henrik and Daniel Sedin have been mirror images of one another since joining the Vancouver Canucks for the 2000-01 season.

Now it’s over. There has been a split, a divide, a schism. Henrik was named Wednesday as an assistant captain — joining Willie Mitchell and Ryan Kesler — and Daniel was not. This isn’t a co-share. It’s all Hank and no Danny. Apparently it was a traumatic moment when the word came down.

“Danny cried a little bit at first but he’s fine now,” winked Henrik.

“He’s my older brother so he should get the advantage, I guess,” countered Daniel. “But if you ask my mom and dad, they’ll tell you I’m more responsible.”

More responsible, maybe. But less talkative. That one belongs to Henrik and it gave him the edge.

“It was a tough choice between him and Daniel but Henrik is a bit more out-going and a bit more out-spoken in the locker room,” noted captain Roberto Luongo.

Click here to read the full article – By Elliott Pap of Vancouver Sun

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Mats Sundin hung up his blades today, never having fulfilled his dream of bringing a Stanley Cup to Toronto.

For 13 seasons the big Swede was the face of the Leaf franchise, registering more goals (420) and points (987) than any other player in team history. Only fellow countryman Borje Salming had more assists.

Yet critics always pointed to the fact that Sundin was never able to lead Toronto to an appearance in the final, something that frustrated the smooth-skating centre over the years. It is a significant blemish on his resume that cannot be ignored.

But that’s not how he should be remembered in Toronto.

Click here to read the full article – By Mike Zeisberger of Toronto Sun

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