The monday night Pacific Coast battle between the Vancouver Canucks and the Los Angeles Kings will showcase a relatively new and growing rivalry within the division. This will be the third meeting between the two clubs this season. Ever since the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where the two met in the first round, both teams have appeared to take each other very seriously. There is usually a sense of elevated emotions that set a significant stage for a playoff-like type of vibe.
First and foremost I will state the obvious, in which more or less the foundation of this entire write up will be simply based upon. These two teams are about as defensive as they come. Both of them are hovering ataround a 1:2 ratio in terms of overs to unders, respectively. At this point of the season, it is clear that the lopsided tendencies are not a result of mere coincidence, but in fact a reflection of strictly enforced playing styles.
Both Head Coaches John Tortorella and Darryl Sutter have proven several times that they are indeed capable of molding a team into playing the same rigid defensive style throughout an entire season. It was evident when Sutter coached the Flames years back. It was evident when Sutter coached the Kings to a Stanley Cup, and in the season after. It was evident when Tortorella had the Rangers operating among the stingiest teams in hockey a couple of years ago. It is evident now, as both teams rank at the very top in Goals Against, and below average in Goals For.
In Vancouver, the system took awhile to kick in, following Tortorella's debut. It has now amazingly been implemented to the point that Vancouver can no longer win games without playing a tight neutral zone coverage and shot blocking style of hockey. In fact, 9 of Vancouver's last 10 wins did not see more than five goals in a game from both teams combined. Two weeks ago, the team decided to abandon the system and take a more high octane approach. The goals did come, but the Canucks ended up losing five straight while seeing four of those games fly over the total. Last outing against St. Louis, Tortorella had his team back in check with the system. They were able to snap out of the funk with a 2-1 win.
There is no doubt that Los Angeles has also seen better stretches than in their last ten. The team witnessed their share of struggles over the holiday season and right into the new year. They have started a crash the net approach on offense, where they throw as many shots on goal as possible, but it is not exactly working for them in terms of scoring. Tonight, they will be aware of the fact that Vancouver is typically an opportunistic team just like themselves, so expect the game to be exercised with caution.
In essence, both teams should be aware that they must play their best hockey to beat their opponents, and their best hockey involves a nearly entirely defense-focused gameplan. Both teams will also know that it would be very difficult to come back against each other if they give up the first goal, so it could be one that will be extended to a shootout. With the level of pride on the line, I can't see either team being foolish enough to risk a run and gun game to get the first goal knowing that if they do give up one in the process, it's a wrap pretty much. Expect this game to be similar to their last meeting.
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