| Harvey Specter | 03-30-2010 04:07 AM |
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VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks have seven games remaining against seven different teams, but their biggest opponent in this regular-season stretch run may be complacency.
Coach Alain Vigneault served notice today he won't be putting up with any of that.
Vigneault sent Shane O'Brien home after the defenceman arrived at the rink about five minutes before practice was scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
O'Brien won't play Tuesday (vs. Phoenix Coyotes, 7 p.m., Sportsnet, Team 1040) and Vigneault refused to discuss the issue in his daily session with reporters.
"I am not going to answer any questions on O'Brien today, so next question please," a terse Vigneault said when queried about O'Brien's absence.
Asked why he was refusing to discuss the matter, Vigneault repeated himself:"Because I am not going to answer any questions on O'Brien today."
Case closed, at least until Tuesday morning's game-day skate when O'Brien will likely have to face the music and make a public apology via the media. That figures to come after a face-to-face meeting with Vigneault, and wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall for that one.
The Canucks head into the final two weeks of the regular season in something of an unusual position. While they haven't yet officially clinched a playoff spot, they are virtually certain of a post-season berth. And barring a complete collapse, they also figure to win the Northwest Division title and the No. 3 Western Conference playoff seed that comes with it.
They don't have to run the table these next two weeks. In fact, three or four wins in their final seven games should be more than enough to clinch their third Northwest title in the past four seasons.
So when O'Brien — just a short time after sitting out three games as a healthy scratch — waltzed into GM Place around 10:55 this morning, Vigneault knew what he had to do. He was sending a message to not only O'Brien, but the rest ofthe team. Complacency won't be accepted.
While Vigneault had nothing to say publicly about O'Brien (although his body language spoke volumes), he was more than happy to dismiss any talk that his team is not facing the same urgency it has in past playoff runs.
"First of all, I think there still should be the urgency," Vigneault said. "We don't have the checkmark by our name yet. Until we do, we're not officially in (the playoffs). Secondly, once we've got that checkmark by our name we should be working on finishing first in our division, which obviously is a very serious possibility.
"The urgency is there, we need to continue to achieve our goals, we need to continue to play well as we are striving to get ready for the playoffs."
But the players do recognize that this season's stretch run does have something of a different feel to it. Last season, the Canucks didn't clinch the Northwest Division title until their last game of the season.
"It's a little bit different and I think that's good mentally," defenceman Kevin Bieksa said of this season's stretch run. "It's not as draining as it was the last couple of years we made the playoffs. We're not relaxed, but we're not looking over our shoulder every game and we don't have the ups and downs we would if we were two points in or out of the playoffs.
"It's good that way, but we have to stay sharp. You don't want to go into the playoffs on a losing note. You want to go in playing your best hockey and feeling good about yourselves."
The Canucks have not been playing their best hockey of late. They have only two wins in their last six games.
Goalie Roberto Luongo, who has had his own ups and downs of late, thinks Tuesday’s opponent is just the type the Canucks need as they attempt to get their game in order heading into the playoffs. The surprising Phoenix Coyotes have 100 points, six more than the Canucks, and have an outside chance of catching the San Jose Sharks for the Pacific Division title and the possible No. 1 playoff seed in the West.
"Obviously, these are good games to play at this time of year," Luongo said. "We're getting close to the playoffs and you want to be involved in games that have meaning and may be possible opponents in the playoffs. So it's good that we get these types of games right at the end of the year."
"It's not a done deal, but in years past we really had to push to get that spot," added Daniel Sedin. "It's either been for the playoffs or to win the division. And right now we want to play the right way. We want to win our division and really finish off playing playoff hockey. That's eliminating the mistakes and doing all the little things."
ICE CHIPS: This is the second time in as many seasons that O'Brien has found himself in the doghouse. Last season, he had to publicly apologize after ripping the team over a lack of playing time … The Coyotes are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and have given up fewer goals (187) than any other Western Conference team. Asked if he expected a 2-1 type of game Tuesday, Luongo said: "I don't know, we don't play many 2-1 games anymore … We're run-and-gun now."
bziemer@vancouversun.com
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