Fan In Van

My Canuck Shootout Lineup

Zero wins in four shootouts.

Two goals in four shootouts.

Trevor Linden scoring a goal in the shootout.

Now I’ve seen everything.

I don’t normally make a fuss when it comes to shootouts, because half the time it’s always a crapshoot when guessing which skaters should be selected in the shootout. For Alain Vigneault, he typically throws out the guys who have had good to decent games, which isn’t the worst strategy, but is proving to be one that needs adjusting.

Just as the Canucks were overtime demons last season, the Edmonton Oilers are quickly becoming shootout wizards. And I’m not mincing words here when it comes to giving the Oil credit, because they’ve deserved it. 10 of their 15 wins have come in shootouts, and that’s not a lie. That’s ten extra points, and with that ten extra points they are in 10th place in the West as opposed to dead last, and a mere five points out of the Northwest Division lead. Without the ten points they’ve gathered from shootouts, they have only six regulation wins. Currently, the Oilers are 10-1 in second overtimes.

Pretty plainly, the shootouts are as essential as ever in the NHL. Had the Canucks found a way to snag the extra four points they squandered in 1-on-1s, they’re sitting a pretty second place in the West with a four-point cushion on Minnesota.

Now I know there’s the old saying “You can’t win ‘em all”, but the Canuck coaching staff has to start to get real drastic here if they’re going to even come close to winning a shootout. With former shootout king Brendan Morrison out indefinitely and with Trevor Linden and Ryan Kesler being the only goal-getters in the Canuck lineup, there needs to be some major tinkering in the shootout. That being said, here are my top five shootout specialists I hope Alain Vigneault will consider:

1. Ryan Kesler - Obviously you’ve got to stick with what works. Whether it’s the shade right and fake to the backhand move that he’s used in the past or the snap shot he used last night, Kesler has more moves than any of the Canucks right now.
2. Trevor Linden - Same deal as Kesler; while Linden has been scratched numerously this year, he’s proven to still have the gentle hands he had when the Canucks drafted him in ‘88.
3. Alex Burrows - He failed to get the puck on net in Edmonton, but don’t count out this feisty agitator in 1-on-1 situations. He scored two beauties on shorthanded breakaways this year and it’s evident this guy has an arsenal of moves waiting to be given a chance.
4. Sami Salo - Like I said, time to get drastic. Salo has yet to score this season and a shootout goal could oddly be the thing to jumpstart his confidence this year. Salo has scored some beauties, including an OT winner in Minnesota last season.
5. Mason Raymond - The kid may be up here for another week or two, but the reality is no goaltender has a book on the guy yet. He’s got speed and a nice shot so it’s worth a try.

Just missed the cut:

1. Mattias Ohlund - Also scored a beautiful out-of-the-box breakaway goal on Dwayne Roloson last year and certainly has a great shot if you saw his goal last night. Whether it’s from the point or from in close, Ohlund strikes me as a guy who can handle the shootout pressure.
2. Ryan Shannon - Remember this guy? He’s just returning from a knee injury in Manitoba, but something tells me we haven’t seen the last of this guy yet. Type his name in on Youtube and you’ll get an incredible shootout attempt during his time with Anaheim and an even better save by Marty Turco.

Thankfully the Canucks don’t have to play Edmonton until February 16th, so they’ll have plenty of time to fine-tune their mediocre shooters before the next shootout.