Canucks 2 Wild 1

Another seemingly impossible win, another game where Jacques Lemaire complains to the press about the Canucks. In three losses to the Canucks this season Lemaire has deemed it necessary to let the press know that evil forces were at work, aiding the Canucks in their victories. Last night, it was the Canucks coaching staff:

"The only thing I have a hard time to accept is their coaching staff is always on top of the referees talking to them — always talking to them," Lemaire said after the Canucks' 2-1 victory at the Xcel Energy Center.

Lemaire and his players believed the Wild's Derek Boogaard had drawn an obvious tripping penalty in the third period. Vancouver's Willie Mitchell reached in with his stick and upended the 6-foot-7 Wild enforcer, but there was no call — and no power-play chance for the NHL's second-best power-play team.

"You saw the game tonight there," Lemaire said of that play. "I can't talk about the referees. You saw what happened."

However, Lemaire went on to say he believes Canucks coach Alain Vigneault and his staff are effectively badgering NHL officials.

"Somebody talks to them all the time," he said, "and you know I just feel at a time it pays off. That's what they're doing. And especially this team, that's the way they do it. It's every game."

I think it's pretty sad that Lemaire is doing this. He is arguably one of the best coaches in NHL history. I say arguably, because he has consistently, in both Minnesota and New Jersey, iced the most boring teams in memory. They were actually playing a trap while trailing in the first period, and apart from the press right at the start of the 2nd that saw Koivu tie it, really didn't muster much more than that for the rest of the game. They were held to 17 shots by a Canucks team that renewed their commitment to team defense and never let their foot off the gas. Congrats to Corey Schneider for his 1st NHL win, and a big thumbs up to Jason Jaffray, who had the game winner, and was an assist away from the Gordie Howe hat trick. We will have a little more on this game tomorrow as well as a preview of the Sunday match against the Avalanche. After that, we are taking a bit of a hiatus until after Boxing Day.