2 Nov 2011

The Vancouver Sun

BY Brad Ziemer

Offence catches fire against Flames

Road trip begins with a blaze of Canuck goals in first period to spark rout of Northwest

rivals

CALGARY — Like Kim Kardashian’s marriage, this one was over early. But it wasn’t nearly as

messy. The Vancouver Canucks were downright clinical Tuesday as they picked apart the Calgary

Flames and skated to a lopsided 5- 1 decision at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

It seems to happen every season. The calendar flips from October to November and the Canucks

start to play their best, or at least better.

This season, it happened a couple of days early. A 7- 4 win Saturday over the Washington

Capitals was clearly a boost of confidence for the Canucks and it carried over here Tuesday.

That’s 12 goals in two games and defenceman Alex Edler has been in on half of them. Edler had

his second straight threepoint night, with a goal and two assists, and now has 12 points in 12 games.

It’s become clear that Edler is willing and able to pick up the offensive slack left by the offseason

departure of Christian Ehrhoff, who had 50 points last season for the Canucks.

“I don’t know, sometimes you are lucky, I guess,” Edler said when asked where all his offence is

coming from.

Coach Alain Vigneault thinks it’s a lot more than luck.

“We have said all along that we think Alex is a premiere defenceman in this league,” Vigneault

said after the game. “He’s got that skill level and that physical frame to be one of the best

defencemen in the league and he is getting the opportunity to play in different roles. And obviously he

has been doing a real good job for us.”

Tuesday night, most of the Canucks did a real good job. Especially in the first half of the game.

The Canucks played perhaps their best first period of the season, scoring three times to basically

wrap up things early.

“Our focus and our execution and our determination in the first period was evident right off the

hop,” Vigneault said. “We knew we wanted to come here and have a real strong start and we did.”

The Saddledome seems to have become a comfortable home away from home for the Canucks.

They have now won five straight games in Calgary and are 9- 0- 2 in their last 11 games against the

Flames. What used to be a terrific rivalry has become more than a little one- sided in recent years.

About the only downer Tuesday was the fact that Roberto Luongo, who really could have used a

shutout, lost his with just 32 seconds left in the third period when Alex Tanguay tipped a shot past

him.

“What are you going to do,” said Luongo, who faced 29 shots. “At this point we are just happy to

get the win. Points are what are important. Obviously it would have been nice, but stuff happens.”

Luongo clearly likes what he has seen in front of him the last two games.

“All four lines are going right now,” Luongo said. “It’s nice to watch. Even the fourth line, I think

has been one of our best lines. We have been creating some chances on the power play as well. It’s

nice to get the goal support.”

Chris Higgins, who now leads the team with six goals, opened scoring at 7: 57 of the first when

he was sent in alone on Miikka Kiprusoff by linemate Jannik Hansen. He beat the Calgary goaltender

with a nifty deke to his backhand.

“We scored the first goal and then the power play took over,” Higgins said. “Those guys can whip

it around pretty good. It was fun to watch from the bench.”

Alex Burrows and Daniel Sedin scored those power- play goals later in the first.

And for a change, the Canucks didn’t let up in the second, which has been their worst period of

the season so far.

Max Lapierre did a wonderful job in the corner, where he outbattled Tom Kostopoulos and then

fed a perfect cross- ice pass to Cody Hodgson, who had the whole net to shoot at.

“I’ll take those any day,” Hodgson said of his third goal of the season, which came at 3: 47 of the

second. “That was an unbelievable play by Max to suck everybody over and then throw it to me.”

After Edler floated a shot through traffic at 11: 43 of the second to make it 5- 0, the Canucks

seemed content to sit on their lead.

They had a couple of powerplay opportunities in the third and had the likes of Aaron Volpatti,

Dale Weise and Alexander Sulzer out on the ice.

No one can accuse the Canucks of trying to run up the score. They only had seven shots after the

first period.

“We could have possibly got a few more in the third there but just decided to give a few players a

chance to play in situations that they don’t play normally,” Vigneault said.

Henrik Karlsson replaced Kiprusoff, who surrendered five goals on 18 shots, to start the third

period.

The Canucks improved to 6- 51. Calgary is now 4- 5- 1.

ICE CHIPS: The Canucks will practise today in Calgary before heading to Minnesota, where they

meet the Wild on Thursday. Minnesota beat the Red Wings 2- 1 in overtime in Detroit on Tuesday

night ... The Canucks are now 4- 0 when scoring first this season ... Daniel Sedin is now tied with

Pavel Bure for fourth spot on the Canucks’ all- time goals list with 254.

From spectator to steady blue-liner

Sulzer's puck movement has impressed his coach and earned him a lineup spot By Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun November 2, 2011

They lost a BMW and replaced it with a Volkswagen Beetle.

Actually, Alexander Sulzer wasn't signed to replace fellow German Christian Ehrhoff, who

bolted to Buffalo for big bucks after a 50-point season with the Vancouver Canucks.

Sulzer was signed, just a few days after Ehrhoff departed, to be a depth defenceman. And while

it's still early, he is making a favourable impression.

A spectator to start the season, Sulzer played his third straight game with the Canucks on

Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.

Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault was singing the praises of Sulzer before the game.

"I like the way he competes one-on-one and I like the way he moves the puck," Vigneault said.

"As a D, when you are dependable and the coach knows what you are going to do on the ice,

then there's confidence and trust and with him so far we've definitely got that."

Sulzer has been a member of Vancouver's third defensive pair with Keith Ballard. He

acknowledged before the game it has been difficult watching and waiting for an opportunity to

play. But he knew when he signed his two-way contract with the Canucks that the lineup would

not be an easy one to crack.

"I think it's going pretty good so far," Sulzer said. "Its always tough not to play for a long time

and come in with a little rust on. I'm getting into the game rhythm here and I am really excited

about it.

"I knew when I signed here there were a lot of good defencemen and it's not going to be easy to,

first, make the team out of camp, and then to play. I am just trying to do what I can do, play

solid, make that good first pass and be good defensively."

Sulzer, a third-round pick of Nashville in 2003, had played 62 NHL games with the Predators

and Florida Panthers before signing with the Canucks this summer. His contract pays him

$700,000 at the NHL level.

His play has created something of a dilemma for Vigneault, who has said injured defenceman

Aaron Rome will likely return to play on the team's current six-game road trip. When Rome does

play, most figured it would come at Sulzer's expense. But Ballard has struggled in the early

going - he entered Tuesday night's game as a team-worst minusnine - so he could be the guy who

makes way for Rome.

MIXING THINGS UP: Defenceman Kevin Bieksa isn't paying much attention to the talk about

realignment in the NHL.

The CBC reported on the weekend that there is growing support for a proposal calling for a two-

conference, four-division realignment. Vancouver would play in an eight-team division with

Edmonton, Calgary, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Phoenix and Colorado.

Each team would play teams outside their division home and away. All other games would be

against divisional opponents and teams would have to play their way out of their division in the

playoffs.

"Just tell me where we play next, that's all I care about," Bieksa said.

Realignment is scheduled to be a hot topic - along with 18 holes of golf, of course - when the

board of governors meets in early December at Pebble Beach on California's Monterey

Peninsula.

Any realignment proposal would require support from 20 of the 30 board of governors.

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are on record as being strongly opposed, as the latest proposal has

them playing in different divisions and would see the two Pennsylvania rivals playing only twice

a year.

POINTS PLEASE: He's winning more than his share of faceoffs, but Flames centre and former

Canuck Brendan Morrison hasn't exactly been piling up the points since returning from off-

season knee surgery.

Morrison entered Tuesday night's game with the second best faceoff percentage in the NHL

(61.4 per cent), but with no points in the five games he has played.

"My leg feels strong, but I'm not quite where I want to be," Morrison said. "Obviously my

production hasn't been there at all yet this year and as a line we haven't been very good ... the

positive is we've found ways to win a couple of games here and that has bought us some time to

get going. We understand that we have to produce if we want to win consistently and that's what

we are trying to do."

Morrison is centring Calgary's top line with Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay. Iginla is

traditionally a slow starter and he's lived up to that reputation so far this season. He entered

Tuesday's game with just two goals and four points.

"October, the last few years, hasn't been as good," Iginla said. "But coming out of it as a team we

have been playing better and feeling better. It was kind of a nice end to October and we want to

keep that going in November."

bziemer@vancouversun.com twitter.com/bradziemer

GAME DAY

Thursday, Oct. 20 at Vancouver

Canucks 5 Predators 1

Four first-period goals chase Predators' goalie from his cage.

Saturday, Oct. 22 at Vancouver

Canucks 3 Wild 2

Sami Salo scores OT winner in his 700th career game.

WIN

Tuesday, Oct. 25 at Edmonton

Oilers 3 Canucks 2

Oil rush forces Luongo from the net in road defeat.

LOSS

Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Vancouver

Blues 3 Canucks 0

Schneider's start can't make up for offence's dismal showing.

FUTURE GAMES

Saturday, Oct. 29 at Vancouver

Canucks 7 Capitals 4

Edler, Higgins, Lapierre score two a piece in needed win.

Tuesday, Nov. 1 at Calgary

Canucks Flames

Photos and results at vancouversun.com/ sports

Thursday, Nov. 3 at Minnesota

Canucks Wild

5 P.M. SNET-P/TEAM 1040

Friday, Nov. 4 at St. Louis

Canucks Blues

5 P.M. SNET-P/TEAM 1040

Sunday, Nov. 6 at Chicago

Canucks Blackhawks

4 P.M. SNET-V/TEAM 1040

Thursday, Nov. 10 at Los Angeles

Canucks Kings

7: 30 P.M. SNET-V/TEAM 1040

2 Nov 2011

The Province

BY BEN KUZMA

The spirit definitely moved them

Focus, execution, determination all add up for Vigneault’s men

CALGARY — They didn’t flip out. They just needed a flip of the calendar.

At a loss to explain why the Vancouver Canucks walked through another October and have

sprinted through so many Novembers, coach Alain Vigneault reasoned that all that practice in opening

month of the season would eventually pay off. How about on the first day of November?

In a dominant 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday to open a six-game road trip, the

Canucks were far from the plodding and hesitant bunch that stumbled to a 5-5-1 mark in October.

In building off a 7-4 victory over the Washington Capitals to close out last month, they once

again didn’t over-think situations. They acted on instinct, they owned the boards and took it to the

Flames in every conceivable category by building a 3-0 cushion in the first period.

Alex Edler had a goal and two assists and has amassed 11 points in his last six games.

“It’s good when you get the points and good for confidence,” said Edler. “But it starts with playing

good defence all over the ice — not just in our zone — and being on them with the forecheck in the

neutral zone to create turnovers. The forwards are doing a great job beating guys, winning battles and

getting the puck.”

The highlight reel should include a sequence that proved how the Canucks can play when the

spirit moves them.

Instead of sitting on a 3-0 lead after one period, a shift by Maxim Lapierre showed how the

Canucks can shift into overdrive when desire matches ability. In a sprint to a loose puck in the Flames’

zone, the centre beat Tom Kostopoulos to the puck on the sideboards before spinning and snapping a

laser-like pass across the slot right on to the stick of Cody Hodgson. All he had to do was snap it into a

yawning net to make it a four-goal bulge.

“I’ll take those any day,” said Hodgson. “That was an unbelievable play by Max to suck everyone

over and throw it to me. That’s all I need, an open net. You don’t even have to raise it. It was a pretty

solid full team effort.”

That was just one dimension on display. There was a breakaway goal by Chris Higgins. There was

Alex Burrows burying a power-play chance while being cross-checked to the ice by Jay Bouwmeester.

There was Daniel Sedin snapping a shot from a sharp angle after a dominant power-play shift

from the top unit and Edler finding the net again.

They chased Miikka Kiprusoff from the crease following 40 minutes in favour of Henrik Karlsson

after the starter allowed five goals on 18 shots.

Roberto Luongo made it look as if October was a mirage and the real starter had arrived with 28

saves. He nearly recorded his first shutout of the season, but Alex Tanguay tipped a shot past Luongo

with just 32 seconds remaining.

In fact, one of the toughest saves he had to make was when Rene Bourque barrelled into him

with a right shoulder when he dived out to corral a loose puck in the third period. He then had his

stick knocked loose by a Mark Giordano shot that drifted just over the net.

More importantly, the Canucks are continuing a pleasing trend. They have amassed a 32-14-5

record in November the previous four seasons, and Luongo has gone 24-104 in the same time span.

Despite Brendan Morrison hitting a crossbar early and Olli Jokinen doing the same in the second

period, there were indications in the first period that this was going to be the Canucks’ night.

The Flames were flat-footed when Jannik Hansen sprang Higgins between Giordano and Scott

Hannan for a breakaway. The winger calmly faked a forehand and went to a backhand deke for his

team-leading sixth goal of the season.

“It was a great pass by Jannik,” said Higgins. “We haven’t been satisfied with the way we played

early in the year and it was no time to let our guard down. We’re doing all the little things behind the

goals, playing a little bit more simple through the neutral zone and more simple at offensive blueline.

I’ve said all along the talent is there.”

The Canucks tried to thread the perfect 5-on-3 goal before Burrows was credited with a power-

play marker by crashing the crease.

The Sedins then calmly went to work again on another power play. Allowed to work out of the

corner, Henrik threaded a pass through Morrison and right on to the tape of Daniel. From a sharp

angle, he found the top of the net to make it 3-0.

After Hodgson’s marker in second period, Edler’s point shot found a body and then the net to put

the game far out of reach.

“Our focus and execution and determination was evident right off the hop,” said Vigneault. “We

knew we wanted a strong start and carried the play.”

It must be November.

2 Nov 2011

The Province

— Ben Kuzma

THE VAN PROVIES NIGHTLY AWARDS

BEST RETURN TO EARTH

After being ranked second in NHL faceoff efficiency, Flames centre Brendan Morrison went 0-for-6

in the circle in the first period and wound up 4-for-16 for a 25-per-cent efficiency. Ouch.

BEST HEART-BREAKER

In the second period, a fan had an opportunity to win a car if the Flames could score by the 8:11

mark of the frame after Cody Hodgson made it 4-0 at 3:47. There was a goal, by Alex Edler at 11:43.

BEST OFFENSIVE FORAY

The fan from the upper deck who floated a first-period paper airplane that found the offensive

zone. At that point, it was a better presence than the Flames.

BEST SHOULDER SHRUG

“What are you going to do? I’m happy to get the win. It would have been nice, but stuff

happens.”

— Roberto Luongo on losing his shutout bid with 32 seconds remaining

BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE

“The power play took over and those guys were whipping it around and it was fun to watch from

the bench with the plays they were making.”

— Chris Higgins, marvelling at the artistry of Henrik and Daniel Sedin on the first unit

2 Nov 2011

The Province

BY BEN KUZMA

Manny’s quest for supremacy

Malhotra fights to keep pace, to get his game back to where it needs to be

“He speaks up and leads by example. It’s the person and the player he is. I respect a guy who goes out and

takes his licks and even more so coming back from the surgeries. It just shows you the will he has.” — Ryan Kesler

CALGARY — If he was just another player, Manny Malhotra might be sitting out rather than

suiting up.

The Vancouver Canucks centre has come to symbolize the long trek to NHL supremacy on an

individual and collective basis. The first to admit his game isn’t where it needs to be after two

offseason procedures on his injured left eye curtailed training to just three weeks, Malhotra has

struggled to keep pace and battle, struggled to score and is struggling with a minus-6 rating following

a 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

However, the fact that Malhotra has maintained dominance in the faceoff circle — he was ranked

fifth overall after 11 games with a 60.1-per-cent proficiency despite obvious visual and conditioning

challenges — has resonated with his teammates and the coaching staff.

Malhotra’s leadership in the room hasn’t wavered. Neither has his work ethic. And that’s where

the centre gets cut some slack because you could argue that Maxim Lapierre has played more like a

thirdline centre than a fourth-line fixture. Alain Vigneault has even admitted as much.

“One thing that makes this team good is that we have that internal competition,” said Malhotra,

who was a plus-1 against the Flames with an assist while winning 12 of 19 draws.

“It’s not so much I’m competing with Max, it’s wanting to contribute more and being able to get

back to my game. In the course of a shift you have to get out of the gate. Without that training and

extra sessions in the summer, you lag behind a bit and it wasn’t until the beginning of training camp

where I was able to exert myself.

“I feel I’m catching up to where I would normally be, but it’s a work in progress. If I’m getting to

the position, that helps create a lot defensively by being in position and offensively being able to

forecheck and create stuff.”

The March 16 accident in which he was struck by a deflected puck could have been career

threatening for the 31-year-old Malhotra, and his comeback has been galvanizing the Canucks.

With another season remaining on a three-year, $7.5-millionUS contract, the former first-round

draft choice was signed to help take accountability to the next level. And when sidelined by the injury

and surgeries, he became part coach and full-time cheerleader.

“If there’s one individual who I’m going to have a lot of patience with it’s him,” said Vigneault.

“He’s such a quality individual and doesn’t look for any excuses. He’s aware of the situation he’s in

right now and he’s trying to put his best foot forward every day. I’ve got a lot of time for that and our

management has got a lot of time for that. We’re definitely going to work with him.”

The rope for Malhotra is longer for obvious reasons. Some of it is patience. Some of it is

purposeful by the example he’s setting in trying to be a leader rather than a liability.

Playing in back-to-back games this week might be a challenge because Vigneault still wants to

monitor his minutes, which are averaging 13:39. He has yet to score and had but 10 shots through 12

games. Against the Flames, he was shotless in 14:20.

“I kind of feel for him because I’m going through the same thing a bit right now,” said centre

Ryan Kesler. “I don’t think people understand how hard he is working to get back. I don’t think he’s

too far off. I take draws against him in practice and can barely beat him and he’s an artist when it

comes to that.

“And he’s a real mature leader. He speaks up and leads by example. It’s the person and the

player he is. I respect a guy who goes out and takes his licks and even more coming back from the

surgeries, and it just shows you the will he has.”

Malhotra doesn’t require any further procedures on his injured eye and doesn’t dwell on the

accident or the challenges surgeries have presented on and off the ice.

“I’m past that point,” he said. “I’m over worrying about it or being concerned. It’s about playing

the game and as far as changing my game, I don’t have that luxury.”

LUONGO, CANUCKS BLOW OUT FLAMES November 2, 2011, 12:15 am

THE CANADIAN PRESS

CALGARY -- Vancouver defenceman Alexander Edler scored and added two assists and

Roberto Luongo made 28 saves as the Canucks routed the Calgary Flames 5-1 on

Tuesday.

Chris Higgins, Alexandre Burrows, Daniel Sedin and Cody Hodgson also scored for

Vancouver (6-5-1), which kicked off a six-game road trip.

Alex Tanguay scored the lone goal for Calgary (4-5-1) and ruined Luongo's shutout bid

with 32 seconds left in the game.

Luongo was coming off a miserable October in which he went 3-3-1 with a 3.54 goals-

against average and a meagre .869 save percentage.

Edler's assists came in the first period as the visitors silenced the Saddledome crowd by

scoring a pair of power-play goals in the final seven minutes to open up a 3-0 lead.

Vancouver opened the scoring 7:57 into the first period when Higgins took a breakaway

pass from Jannik Hansen and cleanly beat Miikka Kiprusoff with a backhand under the

crossbar. It was Higgins' team-leading sixth of the year.

The Canucks made it 2-0 at 13:42 on the power play when Burrows swiped the puck in

while sitting near the crease. The goal came at the end of a power play after Calgary

successfully killed off a 1:36 two-man advantage in which Burrows put a shot off the

goal post.

Vancouver got another power play in the final minute of the period and needed just 14

seconds to convert, as Daniel Sedin scored at 19:41 after being set up by brother

Henrik.

Despite getting outshot 12-4 in the second period, Vancouver scored the only two goals

to blow open the game.

The Canucks made it 4-0 at 3:47 when Flames defenceman Mark Giordano left Hodgson

uncovered for an easy goal into an empty net after a nice feed from Maxim Lapierre.

Edler scored Vancouver's fifth goal at 11:27 with a slapshot from the blue-line with

Hodgson screening Kiprusoff.

Edler has 12 points on the season, which ranks him third amongst NHL defencemen

behind co-leaders Erik Karlsson from Ottawa and Tampa Bay's Marc-Andre Bergeron.

Vancouver improves to 10-0-2 against the Flames since last losing in regulation to

Calgary on Oct. 16, 2009. That includes five straight victories in Calgary by a combined

score of 24-8.

Luongo improves his career mark against Calgary to 21-10-3.

At the start of the game, you could hear mocking chants of "Lou" from the Scotiabank

Saddledome crowd. By game's end, however, it was legitimate "Lou" calls from the

many Canucks fans in the crowd.

Any jeering was reserved for Kiprusoff, who was pulled after two periods and replaced

by Henrik Karlsson.

Kiprusoff had 13 saves on 18 shots while Karlsson finished with three saves.

Calgary was 0-for-5 on the power play to fall to 2-for-27 in its last seven games. The

Canucks were 2-for-6.

It was the finale of a season-long six-game homestand for Calgary. The Flames finished

3-2-1 and now head out on a three-game road trip that begins Thursday night in

Detroit.

Notes: It was Sedin's 254th career goal, tying him with Pavel Bure for fourth on the

Canucks all-time list... Calgary C Matt Stajan was back in the lineup after being a

healthy scratch the previous two games.... Calgary LW Curtis Glencross played in

career game No. 300... The Flames began a stretch of seven games in 12 nights.... The

Flames have given Vancouver also has a six-game road trip Feb. 19-28... Flames D

Scott Hannan was on the ice for the first four goals against.

EDLER, LUONGO SHINE AS CANUCKS ROUT FLAMES IN CALGARY

THE CANADIAN PRESS

11/2/2011 2:08:15 AM

CALGARY -- Roberto Luongo was 32 seconds away from putting a miserable October behind

him and starting November off perfect.

Luongo made 28 saves and had his shutout bid spoiled in the last minute of play as the

Vancouver Canucks routed the Calgary Flames 5-1 on Tuesday.

Defenceman Alex Edler scored once and added two assists while Chris Higgins,

Alexandre Burrows, Daniel Sedin and Cody Hodgson also scored for Vancouver (6-5-1),

which kicked off a six-game road trip.

"It's nice to get a big win here to start off this road trip," said Luongo, who was coming off a

month in which he went 3-3-1 with a 3.54 goals-against average and a meagre .869 save

percentage.

At the start of the game, you could hear mocking chants of "Lou" from the Scotiabank

Saddledome crowd. By the second period, however, it was only legitimate "Lou" calls from

the many Canucks fans in the crowd, despite Alex Tanguay scoring the lone goal for Calgary

(4-5-1) at 19:28.

"He's one of the best goalies in the League," said Edler. "It's unfortunate about that last

goal, but we know he's good and that makes us feel comfortable playing in front of him."

Edler is up to12 points on the season, which ranks him third amongst NHL defencemen, one

point behind co-leaders Erik Karlsson from Ottawa and Tampa Bay's Marc-Andre Bergeron.

"We said all along that we think Alex is a premiere defenceman in this league," Vancouver

head coach Alain Vigneault said. "He's got the skill level and physical frame to be one of the

best defenceman in the league and he's getting an opportunity. "

Edler's assists came in the first period as the visitors silenced the Saddledome crowd by

scoring a pair of power-play goals in the final seven minutes to open up a 3-0 lead.

After Higgins scored his team-leading sixth goal on a breakaway at 7:57, the Canucks made

it 2-0 on the power play when Burrows swiped the puck in while sitting near the crease. The

goal came at the end of a power play after Calgary successfully killed off a 1:36 two-man

advantage in which Burrows put a shot off the goal post.

Vancouver got another power play in the final minute of the period and needed just 14

seconds to convert, as Daniel Sedin scored at 19:41 after being set up by brother Henrik.

Iginla was frank when asked afterwards if he saw any positives.

"Right now, I don't see a ton," said the Flames captain. "We've been getting better.

Unfortunately, tonight was a big letdown for us. I know it was for our fans too."

Despite getting outshot 12-4 in the second period, Vancouver scored the only two goals to

blow open the game.

"When you look up at the scoreboard and it's 5-0 after the second period, it's

embarrassing," said Flames centre Brendan Morrison. "As a player you have to find a way to

keep going and take pride in your job and never quit at all."

Kiprusoff was pulled after two periods and replaced by Henrik Karlsson. Kiprusoff had 13

saves on 18 shots while Karlsson finished with three saves.

Vancouver improves to 10-0-2 against the Flames since last losing in regulation to Calgary

on Oct. 16, 2009. That includes five straight victories in Calgary by a combined score of 24-

9.

"A lot of games in here, we've been able to get out to early leads and it's nice to have that

little bit of a cushion," said Luongo, who improves his career mark against Calgary to 21-10-

3.

It was another unimpressive night for the Flames top line of Morrison, Jarome Iginla and

Tanguay, who through the season's first 10 games have yet to get on track.

Tanguay's goal was his second of the year, Iginla only has two goals and four points, and

Morrison has no points in six games.

It was the finale of a season-long six-game homestand for Calgary. The Flames finished 3-

2-1 and now head out on a three-game road trip that begins Thursday night in Detroit.

Notes: Morrison won just four of 16 draws after entering the night second in the NHL in

face-off percentage (61.4%)... It was Sedin's 254th career goal, tying him with Pavel Bure

for fourth on the Canucks all-time list... Calgary C Matt Stajan was back in the lineup after

being a healthy scratch the previous two games.... Calgary LW Curtis Glencross played in

career game No. 300... The Flames began a stretch of seven games in 12 nights.... The

Flames have given Vancouver also has a six-game road trip Feb. 19-28.

Flames can’t contain Canucks

allan maki

Calgary— From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Nov. 02, 2011 12:06AM EDT

Last updated Wednesday, Nov. 02, 2011 12:39AM EDT

For the Vancouver Canucks, there is nothing that soothes their ills like a game against the

Calgary Flames.

They can play at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena or the Scotiabank Saddledome. It doesn’t matter.

The Canucks usually win. Their record over the last 11 games against their Northwest Division

rival is a sparkling 9-0-2. And if you saw Tuesday’s triumph, you know why.

Although the Canucks had struggled through the opening month of the this NHL season, posting

a moderate 5-5-1 record, the first meeting with Calgary righted a lot of wrongs. Roberto

Luonogo’s goaltending was steady. The power play clicked. The goals were timely, also

frequent. All in all, it added up to a 5-1 win, Vancouver’s first of a six-game road trip.

This was supposed to be a benchmark game for the Flames, who were riding a two-game win

streak and eager to gain an edge on their dominant foes. But instead of asserting themselves, the

Flames fell behind and quickly, beaten by Vancouver’s speed and finishing touch.

Chris Higgins took a chip pass ahead of Calgary defenceman Scott Hannan and beat goalie

Miikka Kiprusoff with a slick backhanded move. That was followed by the first of two

Vancouver power play goals. Alex Burrows got one. Then in the closing seconds of the first

period, with Calgary’s Roman Horak in the penalty box, Daniel Sedin wristed a shot by

Kiprusoff to make it 3-0. (The goal was Sedin’s fifth of the year.)

In the second, Cody Hodgson and defenceman Alex Edler increased Vancouver’s lead to 5-0, at

which point Calgary fans began jeering Kiprusoff whenever he made a save. Henrik Karlsson

took over in goal for Calgary in the third period.

Alex Tanguay scored in the last minute for Calgary.

“We wanted to be strong at home, get close to .500 (record-wise). It’s disappointing,” said

Flames’ captain Jarome Iginla. “Every part of the game, we were terrible tonight … They picked

it up and we went the other way.”

What’s due for a drastic change is the production from the Flames’ top line of Iginla, Brendan

Morrison and Tanguay. Iginla, who has traditionally started poorly virtually every season, has

just two goals so far. Tanguay has two goals and seven assists while Morrison remains without a

point through six games.

“We haven’t been very good,” acknowledged Morrison, who is coming off knee surgery at age

36. “We understand we have to produce here if we want to win games. I’ve been very cautious

on the ice. I need to be a little more involved offensively.”

Without their first line scoring, the Flames have had troubles on the power play. That was

evident against the Canucks, who were shorthanded for a four-minute stretch with Henrik Sedin

penalized for high sticking. The Canucks allowed one shot on goal and Luongo easily turned it

aside.

“We had a lot of guys not play well,” said Calgary head coach Brent Sutter. “I’m stuck for

words. It was not a good hockey game for us. We allowed it to be an easy game.”

Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault liked how his team skated in the first period and had special

praise for Edler and his three-point showing. “We said all along we think Alex is a premier

defenceman in this league,” Vigneault noted. “His skill level is one of the best.”

The Canucks looked more like their former selves by winning a game with their quickness and

depth, even with newcomer David Booth still finding his way on a line with Ryan Kesler. It was

such a complete showing overall that even Luongo drew a few cheers from the Vancouver fans

in attendance. His career record against Calgary is 21-10-3.

The Flames now embark on a three-game road trip in search of a team to cure their ills.

Flames end homestand on low note By RANDY SPORTAK, QMI Agency

CALGARY - Well, so much for ending the homestand on a high note.

So much for heading on the road with a boost of confidence.

And, so much for passing a litmus test.

The Flames are well aware about their lack of success against top teams over last season plus the first month of this campaign. All kinds of players said they knew last night's clash with the Vancouver Canucks was a chance to see how they stack up with a strong team, even if the visitors were slow out of the gates.

After a 5-1 shellacking at the Saddledome, it was back to the drawing board.

"This re-emphasizes what good teams do to win games," said centre Brendan Morrison. "There's never an ounce of panic in their game, making the right decisions with the puck, supporting guys on the ice. All these things. They're working as a cohesive group.

"We haven't got to that point."

The Flames had a good start, but things fell apart in a hurry, and you could sense it shortly after Chris Higgins opened the scoring with his breakaway goal.

By the time the Canucks scored their second powerplay goal of opening period to make it 3-0, it was painfully obvious the Flames were overmatched by a Canucks team which hadn't met expectations to start the season but sure looked to be on all cylinders Tuesday night.

By the midway point, the demoralized looks were there for all to see.

OFF THE GLASS

Is that really the same Higgins who played here a couple of seasons ago? During his short tenure in the Calgary Ñ a 14-game stint late in the 2009-10 campaign Ñ Higgins played with all kinds of effort by had no finish. His breakaway goal to make it 1-0 was a beauty and gave him six tallies this season. We couldn't help but figure he had completely lost his confidence last season, but Higgins said of his goal-scoring touch this season: "It's something tangible you can hold onto, I guess, when you see you're getting points, but I just concentrate on everything else besides individual accomplishments. You worry about your own game Ñ you know what you do well so keep doing it Ñ and the results will take care of itself if you put the work behind it." ... As goofy as it sounds, Matt Stajan didn't hurt himself in his first game back after being a healthy scratch two outings. He and linemates Tom Kostopoulos and Tim Jackman were basically the only trio to make anything happen. "I'd be lying if I said I'm not frustrated," Stajan said before the game. "Obviously I'm not happy with the situation because you want to play Ñ every player does. I'll get my chance to go in there and do a job."

IN THE CORNERS

Not often to you hear mock cheers for both goalies in the same game? Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo received a Bronx Cheer in the first minute when he stopped a long dump-in. Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff received the same treatment after his team was down 5-0, but it seemed to be more from Canucks fans than hometown crowds. It's not like Kiprusoff was to blame for that loss ... The good news for the Flames is Vancouver gave them great footage on how to run a powerplay ... After being hemmed in their zone midway throughout the second period, the line of Jarome Iginla, Morrison and Alex Tanguay skated to the bench like a demoralized group. Their lack of production is going to cost the Flames more and more ... Here's the bizarre stat of the night. Both Henrik and Daniel Sedin had more penalty minutes than points in the Vancouver whitewash of the Flames.

Pilot error caused crash that killed KHL team By QMI Agency

The September plane crash that killed 44 people in Russia -- including a professional hockey team -- was caused by pilot error, investigators said Wednesday.

The Interstate Aviation Committee said the Sept. 7 crash of the Yak-42 plane carrying KHL team Lokomotiv occurred because one of the plane's pilots accidentally stepped on the brake pedals during takeoff, Radio Free Europe reports.

Aleksei Morozov, the head of the committee, said it wasn't clear whether the error was the fault of the flight's commander or the co-pilot, who did not have much experience with the Yak-42, the New York Times reported.

The plane, bound for Belarus, struggled to gain altitude near the airport at Tunoshna outside Yaroslavl, 250 km north of Moscow, before hitting an airport antenna and bursting into flames.

"Test pilots established in a flight experiment that an erroneous pushing of the brake pedals during takeoff is possible only if the pilot's feet are placed by mistake on the braking floor," the Times quoted Morozov saying in remarks carried by the Interfax news agency. "Even a slight pressure on the pedals may have been overlooked by the pilot."

The commission also found flaws with the flight crew's training, the Times reported.

The plane was carrying 37 passengers and eight crew members. Two people, Lokomotiv forward Alexander Galimov and crew member Alexander Sizov, initially survived, but Galimov, who emerged from the wreckage with burns to about 90% of his body, died less than a week later.

Saskatchewan native and former NHLer Brad McCrimmon, the Russian team's new coach, was among those killed in the crash. Former Senators and Canucks forward Pavol Demitra was among a raft of former NHLers aboard the plane who also perished with their KHL team.

The Sept. 7 crash was the most dramatic of a series of plane crashes in Russia this year that have called into question airline safety in the country. A crash on June 20 in the northern city of Petrozavodsk killed 47 people, and was caused in part by the plane's "lightly" drunken navigator.

- with files from Reuters

INVESTIGATORS: PILOT ERROR CAUSED LOKOMOTIV PLANE CRASH

THE CANADIAN PRESS

11/2/2011 9:10:47 AM

MOSCOW - A Russian jet crash that killed 44 people, including an entire professional ice hockey team, was

caused by pilots inadvertently putting on the brakes during takeoff, investigators said Wednesday, blaming

poor crew training and lax oversight.

The Interstate Aviation Committee said the Sept. 7 crash of the Yak-42 plane near the city of Yaroslavl in

central Russia occurred because one of the pilots accidentally activated the brakes during takeoff and then

pulled the plane up too sharply in a desperate attempt to take off.

It was one of the worst aviation disasters ever in sports as the dead included 36 players -- many of them

former NHL players -- Canadian-born head coach Brad McCrimmon and staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

hockey team. The only player who survived the crash later died of burns. A flight engineer was the sole

survivor.

Alexei Morozov, who led the investigation, said the crew still had enough time to abort the takeoff safely at

the moment when they realized that it had gone wrong.

He blamed the plane's owner, Yak-Service, for failing to observe safety standards and adequately train the

crew. The company was closed in September by Russia's federal aviation authority following a check that

found severe violations.

"The company practically lacked a proper system of flight oversight and controls over air safety," Morozov

said.

Morozov said that both pilots had flown another type of plane with a slightly different cockpit layout and

apparently had never learned the correct position for their feet on takeoff. He said in the Yak-42, like

virtually all other existing Russian and Western planes, a pilot steers the aircraft by pressing the lower part

of pedals and activates the brakes by pressing their upper part.

But instead of putting their heels on the cockpit floor as regulations require, the crew left their feet resting

on the pedals, inadvertently activating the brakes and slowing the plane down on takeoff. They at first didn't

notice they were putting on the brakes, and then made the fatal mistake of failing to abort the takeoff, he

said.

Morozov added that a medical condition of the second pilot, and the prohibited medicine he had taken

contributed to the disaster. He said the pilot's illness had passed unnoticed during an official medical

certification, but had been diagnosed by private doctors whom the pilot had consulted on his own initiative.

The plane was already past half of the long, 3,000-metre runway, when the crew tried and failed to lift it.

They then weighed on the steering wheel trying to lift the plane and at the same time applied even more

pressure on the brakes.

The jet sped past the runway and ran 400 metres onto the grass before finally taking off. It went up so

sharply that it banked on its wing and crashed on the side of the Volga River, 240 kilometres northeast of

Moscow.

The team had been heading to Minsk, Belarus, to play its opening game of the Kontinental Hockey League

season.

Among the dead were assistant coach Alexander Karpovtsev, one of the first Russians to have his name

etched on the Stanley Cup as a member of the New York Rangers; and Pavol Demitra, who played for the

St. Louis Blues and the Vancouver Canucks and was the Slovakian national team captain.

Other standouts killed were Czech players Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek, Swedish goalie

Stefan Liv, Latvian defenceman Karlis Skrastins and defenceman Ruslan Salei of Belarus.

The crash raised new concerns about Russia's aviation safety and prompted the president to suggest

replacing all aging Soviet-era aircraft with Western-made planes.

But industry experts say that recent air disasters have been rooted not simply in planes' age, but in a

combination of other factors, including insufficient crew training, crumbling airports, lax government control

and widespread neglect of safety in the pursuit of profits.

PILOT ERROR TO BLAME November 2, 2011, 8:36 am

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOSCOW -- A Russian jet crash that killed 44 people, including an entire professional

ice hockey team, was caused by pilot error, investigators said Wednesday, putting the

blame on poor training and safety standards.

The Interstate Aviation Committee said the Sept. 7 crash of the Yak-42 plane near the

city of Yaroslavl in central Russia occurred because one of the pilots accidentally

activated the brakes during takeoff and then lifted the jet too sharply.

It was one of the worst aviation disasters ever in sports as the dead included 36 players

-- many of them former NHL players -- Canadian-born head coach Brad McCrimmon

and staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team.

Alexei Morozov, who led the investigation, said the crew still had enough time to abort

the takeoff safely at the moment when they realized that it had gone wrong.

He blamed the plane's owner, Yak-Servis, for failing to observe safety standards and

adequately train the crew.

Morozov added that a medical condition of the second pilot and the prohibited medicine

he had taken contributed to the disaster.

The plane crashed into the banks of the Volga River, 240 kilometres northeast of

Moscow.

The only player who survived the crash later died of burns. A flight engineer was the

sole survivor.

The team had been heading to Minsk, Belarus, to play its opening game of the

Kontinental Hockey League season.

Also among the dead were assistant coach Alexander Karpovtsev, one of the first

Russians to have his name etched on the Stanley Cup as a member of the New York

Rangers; and Pavol Demitra, who played for the St. Louis Blues and the Vancouver

Canucks and was the Slovakian national team captain.

Other standouts killed were Czech players Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek and Jan

Marek, Swedish goalie Stefan Liv, Latvian defenceman Karlis Skrastins and defenceman

Ruslan Salei of Belarus.

The crash raised new concerns about Russia's aviation safety and prompted the

president to suggest replacing all aging Soviet-era aircraft with Western-made planes.

But industry experts say that recent air disasters have been rooted not simply in

planes' age, but in a combination of other factors, including insufficient crew training,

crumbling airports, lax government control and widespread neglect of safety in the

pursuit of profits.

2 Nov 2011

The Province

Make the rioters pay for the damage they caused

In reading stories about the Stanley Cup rioters, I am skeptical as to what, if any, punishment

will befall the morons who did the damage.

It would be useless to put them in jail. I say make them pay. Make them pay until the bills are

paid. If they don’t have jobs, give them some cleaning the city; if they do, garnishee their wages.

That is the only way these people will suffer. To lay a charge will mean nothing to most of them.

I, too, agree that no matter how long it takes, get every single one of these idiots and make

them pay.

Linda Mcguire, Richmond

2 Nov 2011

The Province

Avoid lawyer-fest

It is heartening to see that the Vancouver police have recommended a large number of charges

against those involved in the Stanley Cup riots, but the key word here is “recommended.”

Charges must now be approved by Crown prosecutors before they can be advanced to the courts.

Let us hope that we do not have another lawyer-fest as with Air India or Pickton, where we saw

prosecutors parade daily for months with entourages of fresh-faced interns pulling carts to the

courthouse.

Rick Joyce, Kamloops

2 Nov 2011

The Province

Make them pay

Hopefully every person connected with the Vancouver riot is charged and convicted.

The total cost of analyzing video and all other expenses to bring them to trial should be paid by

the rioters, on top of the sentences handed down by judges.

Doug Grant, Burnaby

2 Nov 2011

The Province

‘We’re jammin’ in cyberspace with

bloggers and more Replace the KB hits humpday hard! Every weekday, we showcase three of our 15 hockey bloggers

— all seeking to replace the venerable Kurtenbloggers at provincesports.com and in the pages of

Province Sports. They’ve got 24 hours to wow you, before taking a back seat again. Saturdays and

Sundays are a free-for-all, and last weekend showed us the manic energy of this group. So who do

you get today?

Thomas Drance, whose weekend work included “Redemption Luuuuu,” an embattled-canucks-

goalie-focused parody of a great Bob Marley Song.

Katie Maximick, who analyzed the month whose name we shall not mention in “It’s just another

October, Canucks fans.” (Sorry, we said we wouldn’t mention the month.)

Steve Shalagan, who provided a rare Bob Cole dramatic reading of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”

and compared Canucks GM Mike Gillis to Fast Times at Ridgemont High’s Mike Damone.

Meanwhile, head to theprovince.net/podcast or itunes (search “Province Sports”) to subscribe to

the podcast featuring Paul Chapman and Jonathan Mcdonald. In the latest instalment, Chapman

restrains himself magnificently from taking shots at Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, and

Mcdonald admires the Flames’ first line, whose average age is almost as old as he is.