I’m tardy, I know. I apologise. I’ll try to make this quick and dirty.

The Nashville game resulted in another loss for a Canucks team who has been inconsistent and got burned on the powerplay. The team also looked worn out (!) and tired out there, which again makes me worried about the upcoming Road Trip From Hell, Pt 1 and Pt 2.  Annoyingly, Nashville games continue to be ones that punish our defensemen (remember Bieksa’s laceration and Salo getting his nose broken in the same night?) as Alex Edler is out for a couple of weeks with an arm injury. What makes this all the more frustrating is that Edler was looking to be turning things around and has been one of our more consistent offensive contributers from the backend, alongside Ehrhoff.

Not many positives to take out of the Nashville game and it’s old news, so let’s move on. After losing against Nashville and going 2-2 on the 4 game road trip (did I say 5 games in earlier blog posts? This is what happens when you have an English major try to count!) the Canucks highly vaunted ’sleep specialists’ suggested the team stay an extra night in Nashville.  This didn’t seem to go over well with the team, with Willie Mitchell giving a rather curt reply.

If the plan was to have a cranky team that came out with a chip on their shoulder it looked like it paid off. The Canucks mucked it up, scoring garbage goals and securing an early game hat trick for Daniel Sedin (to match the one Henrik got earlier in the season, no doubt.) The Thrashers, who were looking to make a strong case for themselves as a strong team during their all-Canada road trip, ended up going  0-3 against teams north of the border. They didn’t look particularly great last night, either, giving up numerous chances while they were on the powerplay and leaving goaltender Ondrej Pavelec to be shelled as he faced 38 shots on the night. The worst indication that the Thrashers played a poor game, though? Shane O’Brien gets the nod in the three stars selection. Which isn’t to say Obie had a bad game, quite the opposite, as he’s been playing quite well since drawing back into the lineup, with a +3 effort over the last 5 games and playing mostly mistake-free hockey. All I’m saying is that if you can’t earn the token third star selection in a losing effort and Shane O’Brien beats out your entire roster, your team played a rather horrible game.

Speaking of guys I tend to rag on, Darcy Hordichuk was actually noticeable out there and had a good game to boot. That said, when both Tanner Glass and Rick Rypien are dropping the gloves, and when it’s becoming a regular occurance, you can’t help but feel a little bad for Hordichuk, who is supposedly this team’s enforcer. It’s great that he has a jump to his game and is playing with some energy, but Glass AND Rypien provide that and more. Seriously, I don’t hate Hordichuk, but it’s like the world is conspiring against me to like him.

The most surprising roster decision, though, was with Kyle Wellwood, who sat out tonight’s game. Some would say that’s a long time coming, although if you believe reports that Wellwood was struggling with an injury at the start of the season, I’d be inclined to give him a bit of leeway. That said, his injury problems have cleared up and he’s been given a few games to try and contribute and it just hasn’t been happening. More than anyone else on the roster, I’d say Kyle Wellwood’s gotta be worried about Pavol Demitra’s impending return. Demitra gives the team some flexibility down the middle, as he’s capable of playing wing and center. While I don’t think he’d be an ideal candidate for a third line centerman (and I’m loathe to move Kesler down or switch him up as a winger), he’d certainly be an upgrade over Wellwood at this point and he’d make it easier for Grabner to stick with the club. As a fan of Grabner, that is clearly what is most important. Seriously, though, I have to wonder if Rypien serving as pivot for the third line is a temporary thing and meant to evaluate Wellwood’s linemates prior to Demitra joining the roster.

And that’s that! The Canucks play the Minnesota Wild tomorrow on Hockey Night In Canada. Join me, won’t you, for another game being called by the most exciting broadcasting team in the world of hockey…and then check out Mark Lee and Kevin Weekes once the Leafs game is over.

Ta!