The logic behind the suggestion is sound. After all, a two-minute minor in a regular 20-minute period constitutes just 10 percent of the period. A two-minute penalty in a five-minute period is 40 percent of the period, and a 4-on-3 power-play is generally more effective than a 5-on-4 simply because there’s more open ice and more opportunity to find shooting lanes.If enough members of the competition committee and the Board of Governors like the idea of one-minute overtime minors, expect to see it in the AHL next season.I'm not yet convinced that's the best plan. It might make mathematical sense to change the penalty to one minute, but I firmly believe the more important issue is the length of overtime. Argue what you want about the shootout itself, but at least extend OT to 10 minutes. 5 minutes isn't enough extra time to win a game fair-and-square.Next, Graham Kerr of the Globe & Mail blogs that the Calgary Flames are merely a pale example of the real-deal Vancouver Canucks. (Note: he doesn't actually say that... sort of me "reading into it" a wee bit.)
It’s simple. The Canucks are capable of winning on the road and the Flames are not, which is why first-place Vancouver holds a five-point lead on third-place Calgary in the Northwest Division, with the Minnesota Wild lurking between the two in the battle for playoff positioning.Vancouver has won five consecutive road games while Calgary has dropped seven straight away from home. [...]Another difference lately has been the performance of elite goaltenders: Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo has maintained his stellar play; Miikka Kiprusoff of the Flames has allowed some questionable goals, especially during road games.That reminds me of a signature I saw on a forum message board the other day. One guy's sig read: "Some guys wear Superman pajamas. Kipper wears Luongo pajamas." Disturbing and amusing at the same time. Which I like.Also Canucks related, we've got Coach Alain Vigneaultpublicly saying he does want another D-man added to his team by deadline day. It also seems clear he doesn't want to lose any of his core players (i.e. Sami Salo):
"Getting another D to give us some depth is a pretty safe bet there," Vigneault said when asked what he hopes the Canucks can get at the deadline. "If that's going to happen, we'll have to see."Vigneault understands first hand the impact of losing one of his big four. The Canucks have played 22 games this year without either Willie Mitchell or Sami Salo. They are barely above .500 in those games with a 10-9-3 record. With both of them in the lineup, the Canucks are an impressive 25-12-1.
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