Three things to ponder following the Canucks? 4-3 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday:
1. BOOTH IS BACK: David Booth expects to play on a four-game road trip that opens Tuesday in Chicago after being medically cleared following a groin injury that sidelined the winger in a skating drill during training-camp testing Jan. 13. The prognosis for recovery was four to six weeks and although straight-line speed and agility haven?t been a problem for Booth in practises, sudden stops, turns and reaching were the final confidence hurdles that have been cleared.
?That?s hard because that?s the whole game,? said Booth, who?s at his best when he battles on the boards and takes a direct route to the net. ?Straight lines look good and everything but you?ve got to be able to play the game.
?Time has been the big thing and right now we?re at five weeks and it?s starting to feel real good. It?s tough because in a short season, it?s hard to get that game situation feel, but I hope to get that through a few practices and I?ll be good. My goal is to play sometime on the trip.?
Asked whether his offseason training regimen may have caused the injury ? it included customary skating and strength regimens but also treks up mountains and long hunting excursions ? Booth wasn?t sure what to make of it all. Dan Hamhuis was the only other Canuck to feel groin strain in testing but wasn?t sidelined. The defenceman chalked it up to new skates. As for Booth, who knows?
?There?s no doubt in my mind it wasn?t for a lack of training,? said Booth. ?Maybe I worked different muscle groups too much or based on speed, maybe I did too many squats. It?s all speculation as to why. I felt my conditioning and strength were as good as they?ve been in a long time and coming to camp in a short season, I thought guys (on other teams) would have trouble reading and reacting and my goal was to get off to a quick start.
?Those were tough days after it (injury) happened. I?ve never had any (groin) problems.?
2. COIN, WHAT COIN:? Alain Vigneault likes to flip his imaginary coin to determine goaltending starts, although the form chart of previous performances against a particular foe often comes into play. With the Canucks about to embark on a four-game road trip, here?s a little help for the coach. Roberto Luongo beat the Blackhawks in a shootout at Rogers Arena on Feb. 1 and had a win and shootout loss at the United Center last season. Give him the start Tuesday. Cory Schneider has put up some of his best performances in Dallas ? he came of age there and backstopped a 2-1 win at the American Airlines Arena last March? ? so play him in Big D on Thursday. Give Luongo the nod on Friday in Nashville and probably again in Detroit on Sunday. He backstopped a shootout in Joe Louis Arena nearly a year ago.
St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock was asked when he has a healthy tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, what?s the rationale to choose between Halak, who had 46 starts last season, and Elliott, who had 36.
?It was easy,? said Hitchcock. ?Both guys wanted the net and there was an internal competition and it was healthy for us. One stumble and the other gets the net. As soon we saw a flaw or if the guy was tired, the other guy got in. And if you?re worried about it, at the end of the year you?re not going to perform when it matters anyway.?
3. MANNY HAPPY RETURNS: Is it just me, or does the Manny Malhotra situation seem strange? Placed on injury reserve for rest of the season and not a playoff option in case of injury, according to general manager Mike Gillis, the centre was skating the extras Sunday morning. There?s no doubt the pending unrestricted free agent would like to play somewhere next season, but the better bet is that he?ll stay in the organization in a player development capacity. Great at faceoffs and good in the room, he would be a real asset to young players. But that?s next season. What should we make of Sunday?s skate?
?He?s still a part of our team,? said coach Alain Vigneault. ?We want him to be around the players. We want him to continue to have that solid impact that he has with our group. Any time he wants to step on the ice and skate with our guys, he?s more than welcome.?
bkuzma@theprovince.com
twitter.com/benkuzma
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