from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,
Yes, sometimes it is a simple game. And the Canucks made it look simple on Saturday night. Two games in and it’s now apparent the way of Torts isn’t especially complicated or ambiguous.
At one end, the object is to get as many pucks as humanly possible on the opposition’s net.
At the other, it’s to collapse around goalie Roberto Luongo and shut down every shooting angle between the puck and the Canucks’ goalie.
Now the latter strategy — as witnessed by Alex Burrows’ walking cast — will be the source of a continuing conversation around the Canucks this season. But Saturday night offered a graphic representation of the efficacy of the latter ploy and it seems the Orcans have become true believers in shoot first, ask questions later.
Seldom, in fact, have you seen a Canucks’ team that was so obsessed with shooting the puck on the net.
And it wasn’t just the volume of actual shots. It’s the 11 more which they missed the net. It’s the 19 shots which were blocked by the Oilers.
Add it up and the Canucks directed 74 shots at Dubnyk.
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