Two teams played their 20th contest of the season Sunday. One of those teams was Stanley Cup Finals participant the Vancouver Canucks. How are they doing this season? Allow me to show you...
Vancouver Canucks - 10-9-1, good for 21 points:
Stanley Cup hangover! Stanley Cup hangover! Or, you know, not that at all. Sure, the Canucks have had some struggles. They've also had some injuries and also simply don't have quite the same roster. Plus, they've been fine. They are middle of the pack, and they have a plus-1 goal differential. Vancouver may not be atop the Northwest right now, but they are doing fine.
Daniel Sedin leads the team with 24 points, which it is actually Henrik who leads the team in goals with seven. He also has 22 points. Chris Higgins also has seven goals surprisingly. Alex Edler, Sami Salo, and Dam Hamhuis have all done well on defense in replacing Christian Ehrhoff.
Some have struggled a bit. Alex Burrows only has eight points in 18 games. Ryan Kesler, coming off a serious injury, has eight points in 15 games. Additionally, David Booth, whom they traded for this season, only has two goals and seven points so far in 12 games. The biggest issue has been Roberto Luongo, however. He has a .896 save percentage in 13 games. Cory Schneider has been better with a .912 SV% in seven games.
Vancouver has no reason for concern. Kesler should be better as he gets back in the swing of things. Mason Raymond will be back eventually. Most of all, Luongo will bounce back to some degree, likely a significant one. He has a career .919 SV%, and he hasn't been worse than a .913 since his rookie season. If he just gets to his normal levels, it will be a huge change. Right now, Minnesota and Edmonton are ahead of the Canucks. Minnesota's goaltender play is unsustainable, and the Oilers are still young and likely to regress. By season's end, Vancouver will be atop the division, and likely they will run away with it.
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