Flames fall, Canucks keep pace with loss of their own

First place in the Northwest division is up for grabs and neither the Calgary Flames nor the Vancouver Canucks seem like they want it. Last night both the Flames and Canucks were losers. Vancouver was bested by the St. Louis Blues 4-2 and the Flames were stomped 5-0 by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Calgary has been left off the score sheet in consecutive games, and seem to have hit a wall. Vancouver’s loss can be explained away by the fact that the Blues were just more desperate Thursday evening.

Vancouver was off to a good start, outshooting St. Louis 7-2 early and grabbing a 1-0 lead on Taylor Pyatt’s 10th goal of the season.

After taking the early lead though, Vancouver did their best Houdini impression and disappeared, getting outshot 30-16 the rest of the way. There was one point where they failed to record a shot for 17 minutes!

The Blues intensity would be unmatched on this night. There is some cause for concern for the Canucks as this marked their 5th loss in their last 6 road games. It just goes to show how important home ice advantage could be in the playoffs, if the regular season is any indication.

The power play let Vancouver down in this game as well, as they went 0 for 5, managing only 5 shots on goal, and giving up a shorthanded tally to boot.

On the bright side, Alex Burrows continued his tear, scoring the 25th goal of the season to tie the game 2-2 midway through the second stanza.

Vancouver will be in Colorado tonight to face the Avalanche who sit in last place in the West. They would be wise not to underestimate Colorado, as they are still a dangerous team with a lot of firepower.